Page 67 of Pretty Little Scars

“There’s nothing wrong with your hips.”

“Notnow. I busted my ass, literally, to lose the hips, the ass, the ... well, all the extra stuff. So, I like to bake, but I don’t eat a lot of it. I share.”

I don’t like to hear her talk shit about herself.

“Don’t glare at me like that. I know, you like me just the way I am.”

“Ido. That wouldn’t change with whatever a fucking scale says.”

Her eyes soften, and she leans in to kiss my biceps, since her hands are busy. “That’s sweet. Okay, I’m about ready to put these in the oven.”

“Good because I have something to show you while they bake.”

She lifts an eyebrow and then smirks. “Again? You’re insatiable.”

“And you have a smart fucking mouth.” I kiss the top of her head and watch as she gets the pan of muffins in the oven. “And it’s going to look fucking incredible wrapped around my cock.”

She huffs out a laugh, then moves to the sink and washes her hands. When they’re dry, she turns and leans back against the counter, her hands braced on it on either side of herperfecthips, and smiles.

“What do you have to show me, Hotshot?”

When I hold my hand out for hers, she takes it and follows me to the mudroom, where we put on shoes and then walk outside.

Darby takes a long, deep breath of the fresh air, and then she freezes.

“Tucker.”

“That’s me.”

“Why is there a huge greenhouse and garden boxes back here?”

Part of me feels foolish. Will she think it’s ridiculous that I did this for her? Will it make her run away? Maybe I should have talked to her about it first.

“Tucker?”

“You said you wanted a greenhouse.”

Her jaw drops as she stares at the new structure, and then she looks up at me, her bright-blue eyes searching mine as if she can’t believe it.

“You did this for ... me?”

I can see the questions swirling around in the gorgeous brain of hers. The biggest one being, Why would I do this when her being here is temporary?

But the thing is, I don’twantit to be temporary. I want her to stay, and yeah, I know it’s fast. But I don’t fucking care.

I don’teverrush into anything. I’m the one that sits back, takes things one day at a time.

But now that I’ve had her, I don’t plan to ever let this woman go.

“I’ll be installing the wildlife fence today, so the deer and critters can’t get to whatever you plant in there.”

“You did this forme,” she mutters, shaking her head slowly.

She hasn’t smiled.

She hasn’t moved.

These aren’t good signs.