Page 14 of Built for Goldie

Harbor let loose a little squeal. “Oh, my God!” she gushed. “I’m so glad you love him because that man is head over heels in love with you. Mark my words.”

A smile pulled at my lips, and hope stirred in my chest. I only hoped she was right because now that the seed was planted, I desperately wanted her to be right.

I wanted Beau to love me. I didn’t want this to be one-sided.

“We’re going to have a barbecue this weekend,” Cecily said as she crossed her knee over her other leg. “You should come.”

I blinked at her in surprise. That sounded like a family event. Would it really be okay if I went?

Then again, I should probably check in with Beau about it first. If he wasn’t ready for me to meet all of his family, then maybe I shouldn’t take her up on the offer.

“I’ll need to talk to Beau first before I can give you an answer,” I finally settled on saying, my mood dimming a little. I would’ve loved nothing more than to spend more time with Cecily, Athena, and Harbor, especially outside of the gym walls, but I didn’t want to make Beau uncomfortable.

Cecily waved me off. “You’re coming. I won’t take no for an answer. And don’t worry about Beau. I’ll handle him.”

“But—”

She shook her head at me. “Aht. Let me stop you there. No arguments.”

I sighed. I just hoped that Beau didn’t end up being upset with me. Because this wasnotmy idea.

nine

Beau

“Hey, babe.”I looked up when Adler spoke. He was already pulling Cecily into his arms and pressing his lips to hers in a quick greeting kiss. “What are you doing here?”

My question exactly. Cecily rarely showed up to the job sites. Her best friend must have had Robin because he wasn’t with her.

“I met Mikayla today.” I heaved a long, drawn out breath. She looked at me. I bit back a groan. Knowing her, she’d managed to spook Mikayla away.Fuck. “I invited her to the barbecue this weekend.”

I frowned in confusion. I had no idea what the hell she was talking about. “What barbecue?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Elliot said, leaning against the wall, just as confused as I was. “Since when are we having a barbecue?”

“Since Beau went and fell in love with the pretty gym owner,” Cecily told him, but she was looking at me, a smirk tilting her lips.

Love.

Fell in love.

Was I in love with Mikayla? I sure as hell felt strongly for her—no doubt about that. Every minute away from her felt like more and more of me was disappearing, only to suddenly piece back together when I laid eyes on her again. I’d fought it for as long as I could, but it seemed to be inevitable.

“Fuck,” I breathed, the hammer dropping from my fingers and slamming down to the concrete floor beneath my feet. It was a miracle it didn’t slam into my boot. I blinked at Cecily before quickly digging into my pockets for my bike keys. I needed to go see Mikayla. Now. Like fucking yesterday.

How had Inotpinpointed what I was feeling as fucking love? I hadn’t even brought her around to meet my family, yet she’d already allowed me to meet her deceased parents.

God, I was a shit boyfriend. And fucking clueless, apparently. Sure, I’d never wanted to settle down, but it was clear I already was.

“Where the hell are you going?” Adler demanded when I strode past him. “We’ve still got three hours left of work, Beau.”

“Finish without me,” I told him. “Dock my pay. I don’t care. I need to get to Mikayla. I think I fucked up.”

“What?!” Cecily screeched, but I was already out the door and rushing over to my bike.

I had to make things right with Mikayla, starting with telling her how I really felt.

* * *