DID HE SAY OLIVE OIL? No. Did he? Holy shit, what is happening right now?
“Sophie, run and let your momma know we need some water for Paislie.”
My hand flew up as I called out, “Harder! I need something harder than water.”
Malcolm laughed as Sophie gave me a puzzled look before turning and running into the house.
Glancing back to Malcolm, he flashed me a smile that made my stomach flutter. Damn him.
“Information overload?” he casually asked.
My mouth opened as I tried to speak. Is he for real? Any other woman would be running for her life right now.
Inhaling a calming breath, I slowly blew it out as I tried to clear my head. I’d give anything to talk to Elizabeth right now.
“So . . . let me get this all straight.”
He took my hand and kissed the back of it as I continued to talk. “You bought this house with Emmit, along with the land.”
“Yep.”
“Autumn and Sophie most likely will live in the stone cottage.”
He chuckled and then gave me a wink as he replied, “Unless Autumn finds out what we did in there, but most likely yes, at least for a little bit.”
I let out a frustrated breath as I covered my face before dropping my hands to my sides. “Wait. You said Emmit and Adaline are going to live in this house too?”
His smile faded. “Um . . . well yeah. They were going to live on the top two floors and we’ll take the first two floors. Keep it all just like the original owners had it. The only thing that was part of the contract is that we didn’t turn the original house into a tasting room or anything. There are two private entrances and both houses each have three-car garages.”
So I’m getting married and moving into a four-story house that we’re sharing with another couple. Am I okay with this? He sure seems to be.
“Did you mention olive oil? Are there olive trees here also?”
With a smile, he shook his head. “No, that’s where buying the ranch that backs up to this place comes into play. Since Adaline loves to cook and the idea of making the bed and breakfast on that land was hers, she mentioned growing olive trees and making our own olive oil.”
My eyes widened as I stared at him. “So, you all have your futures planned out and what am I supposed to do?”
Malcolm looked at me with a stunned expression. “I . . . well I thought . . . um . . . I thought you would love the idea of living here. You’ve mentioned how much you loved the house. And the bed and breakfast. You mentioned it just a little bit ago. It’s perfect.”
I stood up and let out a dry laugh. “Malcolm, that’s Adaline’s idea. I can’t just walk in and make myself a part of it.”
“No, Adaline will be thrilled you’re interested as well. She knew there was an old historical home on it. She simply mentioned the B & B idea. Her goal is to get the olive orchard going.”
I turned away from him as I tried to calm my racing heart. Slowly turning back around, I looked directly in his eyes. “I have a job. I have a career I actually like, and you want me to just walk away from it and help Adaline start her own business?”
Swallowing hard, Malcolm pushed his hand through his hair and cursed. “Shit. Paislie I’m not asking you to walk away from anything. I thought this might be something that you would be excited about and want to be a part of.”
I didn’t know how I should be feeling. The excitement from the engagement had worn off and now I was being faced with a future I wasn’t the least bit prepared for.
“I’d like to go home, please.” I quickly turned and headed back toward the cottage and Malcolm’s truck. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.
“Are you mad?”
Giving him a blank stare, I tried to figure out what to say. “I’m not mad . . . well hell I don’t know, maybe I am. How did you know I would be okay with this?” Glancing back to the house, I looked at it. It was huge and we would probably go for days without even seeing Emmit and Adaline.
“The house is big, but did you even stop to consider that maybe Adaline and I wouldn’t care for each other? That maybe I didn’t want to go into a business with her? I originally wanted to do this with my best friend and to have something else forced down my throat doesn’t sit well with me. You didn’t even talk to me about any of this, Malcolm!”
“I’m not forcing anything down your throat.”
My hands went to my hips. “Really? Oh hey, Paislie, I bought a house with someone else and we’re going to all own it even though you’re just now getting to know the couple. By the way, they will live upstairs from us and we’ll share everything, the pool, the hot tub, the tennis courts. Oh yeah and we are now going to be in the wine grape business.” I rolled my eyes. “Do you even know anything about wine grapes, Malcolm?”
He went to talk, but I kept going.
“Let’s not forget to mention that you’re also going to own racecars with the same man you couldn’t even stand a few years ago. What if you disagree on something and none of this works out? You bought a damn house with him! You’ll be traveling to races, and what about North Carolina? You sold your house there, but now you’re talking about owning a team. Call me stupid, but aren’t all the teams located there?”
Again he opened his mouth to talk, but I stopped him. “I think it’s wonderful Adaline found something she’s passionate about, but to expect me to just jump right on into someone else’s dreams seems rather selfish on your part.”
“I guess I didn’t think about it like that.”
“No, you didn’t. I need to be alone for a bit to get my thoughts together. Please, will you take me home?”
Sophie came running out, calling my name. When I turned to look over my shoulder, Emmit, Adaline, and Autumn were all standing on the porch.
Shit. How much of that did they all just hear?
“Here’s your water,” Sophie said as she forced it into my hand. Lifting it up to my lips, I took a drink and handed it back to her. Adaline was looking at me like she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what she should say.
“Congratulations on the engagement!” Autumn called out as she bolted down the stairs and pulled me into her arms.
“I’ve never seen Malcolm as happy as he has been with you,” she whispered into my ear. When Adaline and Emmit stood before me, Adaline gave me a sympathetic smile. “It took a little while for me to get used to the idea as well. Would you like to tour the whole house so you can see how the two separate living areas are laid out?”
Oh. My. God. I’m the last person to even see the whole house.
I shook my head and barely said, “Not right now. I really need to get back to the house. I’m not feeling well.”
With that I turned away from everyone and forced myself not to run but to walk.
By the time I got to the truck, I jumped in and tried to get my breathing under control. It felt as if I was having a panic attack.
Malcolm got in the truck and silently we drove back to his house. Not saying a word, I made my way to the guest bedroom I had stayed in a few months back. Malcolm didn’t even follow me.
Shutting the door, I leaned against it and slid to the ground as I dropped my forehead onto my knees and cried.
The different emotions running through my mind were confusing. The idea of being married to Malcolm thrilled me, yet at the same time I knew my life would be so different. Mansions, vineyards, assistants, cooks, and whatever else Malcolm decided to throw into the mix. The one thing I would not allow him to do to me is let me lose my independence or my voice. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there on the floor before I finally got up and hit Elizabeth’s number.
After she answered, I launched into a full on explanation of everything that just happened.
“So, what exactly are you confused about, Paislie?”
My eyes widened in shock. “Elizabeth, he planned all of this without talking to me!”
“Okay, so I get that the idea of the bed and breakfast thing makes you angry because it wasn’t originally your idea, but have you not talked for years about doing something like that?”
I chewed the corner of my lips. “Well, yeah but that’s beside the point.”
“Why? Do you like Adaline?”
My heart jumped to my throat. “Yes. Very much.”
“Do you not think Malcolm saw that and took that into consideration before he made this move?”
I shrugged even though she couldn’t see me. “I guess so.”
“Paislie, I get you’re feeling like Malcolm made some serious decisions without consulting you, but stop for a few moments and ask yourself this. If he had asked you to marry him, then asked you about buying the house and vineyards with Emmit and his family, then mentioned the possibility of the bed and breakfast, what would you have said?”
I thought for a moment. “I would have said yes to all of it. I love that he and Emmit are reaching outside the box and trying something totally different, but it’s also a little scary for me to think he’s doing this with someone else. What if they have a fight? I mean they bought a damn house together!”
Elizabeth chuckled. “I see your point, but I also don’t think of Malcolm as someone who would make such a decision without really thinking it through.”
I nodded as I sat down on the bed. “I honestly think I’m more upset by the fact that I was the last to know any of this. Did he not tell me because he was worried I would say no to his proposal?”
“Maybe, or maybe he really thought he was surprising you.”
My lip tingled as I realized I was biting it. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I asked, “Do you think I overreacted?”
“Yes and no. I would probably have a talk with him about future decisions and that you want to be a part of them.”
“Totally,” I barely said as I stood back up and paced the floor. “It all just seems so fast, Elizabeth.”
“And there we are to the root of the issue.”
My head dropped back. I knew she was right. One second I was engaged and the next, I discovered I had a house bigger than the one I was currently in, another family living there with us, a vineyard, olive trees, and possibly going into business with a person I hardly knew. Plus add in a wedding, my own career and the idea that as each day went on, I longed for a child more and more.
“Ugh! I want to scream!”
Elizabeth chuckled. “Then scream.”
I followed her advice as I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.
“Feel better?”
“Some,” I said with a giggle. “I’m scared I’m going to wake up and this is going to be a dream and I’ll be standing on the steps again looking up at St. Patrick’s.”
“Oh, Paislie, it’s not a dream and if anyone deserves to find happiness it’s you.”
“It feels like a dream,” I whispered.
The soft knock at the door had me spinning around and rushing over to open it. Malcolm stood on the other side holding a Diet Coke and a small tub of Ben and Jerry’s. With a smile, I motioned for him to come in.
“Elizabeth, thank you for listening to me. I’m going to run now.”
“He showed up, didn’t he?”
Grinning, I replied, “Yes.”
“I’ll talk to you soon, Paislie. Remember, fall to your knees and seek guidance. He’ll always be there for you.”
“Thank you, I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Soon! Tell Malcolm I said hello.”
“Will do.”
I hit End and stared into his beautiful blue eyes.
“You brought me soda and ice cream?”
He gave me a small shrug and said, “Emmit’s suggestion.”
I took the spoon and the ice cream and sat on the end of the bed as Malcolm sat next to me. One bite and I felt like I was in heaven.
“I’m sorry I got so upset. It’s just everything hit me all at once and I got a bit scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“Malcolm, imagine dreaming of a life someday that you never thought possible. Then you meet your prince charming, he offers you the world, but he offers it to you all in one sitting. You’d be a little scared.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I know I should have talked to you about it, even Adaline told me I needed to tell you, but I honestly was just trying to surprise you. If this is something you’re not interested in doing, we’ll figure it out.”
I took his hands in mine. “Malcolm, I really am excited for this new adventure you’re going on, but I’m not going to lie and tell you it doesn’t make me nervous. It does, especially with you not talking to me about any of it. One thing you have to do is talk to me about something before you go off and do it. We’re a team now, Malcolm, and we need to decide on our future together.”
He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it. I knew deep in my heart everything would work out, and a part of me was excited but I wouldn’t let myself jump ahead.
“I agree with everything you said. I’m not used to sharing my decisions with someone else, and I’ve always kind of left everything up to everyone around me. I know that all needs to change and it will, I promise you. It may take me time adjusting to it, but I swear to you I’ll never put you in a situation like I did today.” With a smile that had my knees wobbling, he whispered, “It’s you and me now.”
The smile on my face grew as his words settled into my mind. “You and me always.”
When he slowly lowered me to the bed, I let every worry slip away. “I’m going to make love to you, Paislie.”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. There was nothing better than being lost in Malcolm.