Read Online Cody by Kirsten Osbourne - Free Book Online

wiggling around in
hula skirts, which was what she’d expected more than anything. The
athleticism of the dancers had been remarkable.
    She’d watched the other
couples at dinner. No matter how much the other women protested,
they were both in very loving relationships. Steven treated Bailey
as if she was some sort of princess. Every time she’d smiled, he’d
smiled.
    Justin and Sarah had sat
with their heads together watching the dance, their fingers
entwined. Justin barely watched the show; he was so involved in
watching Sarah’s facial expressions. She didn’t know how Sarah
didn’t realize just how much Justin cared for her. It was obvious
to everyone else there.
    She both envied the other
women their relationships, and worried she was just as transparent
as they were. Cody did nothing to hide how he felt about her. She
was sure if he got ahold of a fog horn he’d be announcing it to all
ships that passed by. Did she want that, though?
    “What are you thinking?”
he asked as the rounded a corner on the beach.
    She shrugged. “Just a
little confused about us.”
    “Why are you confused? I
tell you hourly how much I love you. What’s confusing about
that?”
    “I’m more confused about
how I’m feeling than anything else.” Was she smart to tell him
exactly what she felt and lay it all on the line? Or should she
keep it all bottled inside so he wouldn’t get his hopes up for a
long-term relationship?
    “Talk to me about it.” He
rolled his eyes at his words. How many men would invite a talk with
a woman about feelings? He found he needed the words as much as, if
not more than, she did, though.
    She debated for a moment
about how to say it, and finally said, “Well, to start with, I told
myself I wouldn’t start any relationships until the mortgage was
paid off and my brother was home from school. So, I’ve broken my
word to myself. I also always promised myself I wouldn’t fall for a
man who felt like it was his job to take care of me.” She looked at
his face in the moonlight. “You know as well as I do you feel the
need to take care of me.”
    He sighed. “I’d wrap you
in bubble wrap and never let you out of my sight if I thought I
could get away with it.”
    “See? That’s the kind of
attitude I’m talking about.” She paused and kicked at the sand with
her bare feet. She was carrying her sandals in her free hand. “But,
I’m so attracted to you when you’re around I can’t think straight.
You’re someone I genuinely like to be around. I want to have a
relationship with you, but I don’t think there’s any way you’re
going to hold off on getting serious until my brother comes home
from college in May.”
    He stopped walking and
turned to her putting his hands on her shoulders. “What do you mean
by a serious relationship? As far as I’m concerned we’re already
serious. I’m not seeing anyone but you, and I don’t plan on
it.”
    She thought about that for
a minute. “I mean getting engaged or planning a wedding. I’m not
seeing anyone else either.” Of course, she hadn’t seen anyone in
twelve years, but that was beside the point.
    “How about this then? I’ll
do my best to stop proposing until your brother is home. I can’t
make any promises, because every time I see you I feel the need to
ask you to marry me. It’s become a habit.”
    She laughed. “I never
thought a man could tell me that proposing to me is a habit.” Cody
wasn’t the smoothest talker she’d ever known, but he did make her
laugh.
    He grinned. “Am I still
allowed to tell you I love you?”
    She swallowed hard,
looking into his eyes. “I’m afraid to say the words back. At least
until my life is settled down a little more.” She knew she loved
him though. Why was she making him wait for the words?
    “Am I allowed to do this?”
He lowered his head brushing his lips across hers.
    She wrapped both of her
arms around his neck letting her sandals rest against his back.
“How could I say no to