second with each other. When she’s not here, all I do is think about her.”
“I can vouch for that.” Declan teased, but it was the truth.
Tate had a few concerns he and Liz would need to address. “I don’t know if she wants to live here, or in town. I haven’t saved a lot of money. I can’t buy her a house like you did with Adria. Because I work the ranch, and it’s most convenient to live here, I think I can swing a loan to fix up the cabin.”
Adria stepped in front of him and put her hand on his arm. “It’s not about money. It’s about the life you want to build with her.”
He appreciated that, but he still needed to provide for her and any children they might have together.
Just like discovering the depth of his feelings for her, the reality of making a life with her hit him all at once.
He and Liz hadn’t done a whole lot of talking about the future. They’d stuck to the here and now, mostly because the situation with Clint was nowhere near settled. How could they plan for the future when the present was so uncertain?
But they needed to start the conversation. To do that, he needed to know a few things from his family. “So you guys are good with her living here?”
“You know we are,” Declan said, leaning his head back on the sofa and closing his eyes. The guy worked too hard, carrying the bulk of the ranch business on his shoulders even though he didn’t need to. But that was another conversation for another time.
He focused on Drake and Adria, who Drake had pulled down into his lap. They were cute together. Seeing his brother this happy made him even happier because there’d been a time he and Declan thought Drake wouldn’t make it out of the dark place he’d been in. Adria changed his life.
Being with Liz changed Tate’s.
Drake read Tate’s mind. “You’re anxious to get this thing moving. I get it. I didn’t give Adria a lot of time before we were walking down the aisle.”
“I needed something wonderful after tragedy.” Adria gave Drake a quick kiss. “We needed something good after all we’d both been through.”
Tate got that. “Liz deserves to be happy. I want to make her happy. I want her to feel like this is home.”
Drake nodded. “I get it. Work is nearly done on our house. Adria and I should be able to move the last of our stuff in a few days. Maybe sooner. If you need help moving your stuff here, we’ll help.”
“Okay.” That gave him time to ask Liz to marry him, come up with a plan with her for what they wanted to do to the cabin to make it theirs, and think about work, family, and the future they’d share. All of it overwhelmed him, but if they took it a step at a time and worked together, it would all work out.
Declan stood and raked his hand over his head. “I hope you’ll be very happy together. Don’t forget to call and tell Mom and Dad.”
“I talked to them this morning. They love Liz and can’t wait to marry off another son.”
Declan arched his back and shifted side to side to work out the kinks. “The ranch is doing well. I project profits to increase fifteen to thirty percent over the next couple years. I’ll give you a raise starting with your next paycheck.”
“Thank you. That means a lot. But are you sure we can afford it? We still need to hire a couple more people to fill out the crew.”
Declan waved that off. “It’s fine. No problem. You and Liz will need the extra money to fix this place up.”
“You’ll be all alone in the big house,” Trinity pointed out to Declan.
“I’m used to being alone.” Declan walked out the front door, leaving them all speechless by his abrupt exit.
“How long has it been since Declan went on a date?” Drake asked.
“How long has it been since he left the ranch for some fun?” Trinity scrunched her mouth into a sad frown.
Tate raked his fingers through his hair. The last time he dragged Declan out was the night Tate found Liz with Clint and lost his shit. “Declan never stops working. I think it’s time to make him hand over more of the work. I’ll talk to him about that and the other reason I wanted to talk to you guys.