Free The Valentine: The Wedding Pact #4 by Denise Grover Swank Page B

hear Chicago got six inches last night.” He laughed when he heard her snicker. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Blazer. I know what you’re thinking with my six inches remark.”
    She grinned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m never impressed until we’re talking nine.”
    “I miss you.” His voice was low and seductive, but his tone changed, no longer light and honeyed but suddenly heavy and deep with mournful longing.
    She found herself struggling to respond. “I miss you too.”
    “I never want to be gone this long from you again.”
    “It’s only been four days,” she protested, more to appease her own anxiety. She’d missed him more than she’d expected—more than felt safe—and it scared her.
    “Four days too long,” he said, his tone blunt. He knew her too well.
    She cleared her throat, sensing the need to change the topic before her emotional security crumbled. “I take it your early morning meeting went well.”
    “It did. Barton changed his mind and agreed to all the terms,” he said.
    She could hear the pride in his voice. He’d quit his practice in San Diego and moved to Kansas City to open a practice with Blair, but he’d agreed to handle a few open cases he’d been working on before he moved. “How’s the settlement meeting going?”
    “Allison DeSanto is a disgrace to womankind. She’s the opposite of every other client I choose to represent.”
    “Then dump her, Blair. You don’t have to retain her. I know the money looks good, but we’re doing pretty well, considering our law practice is so new. You’ll find other cases.”
    “It’s not about the money,” she snapped. She instantly regretted it. For one, it was partially about the money—Allison’s mother was writing large checks to pay for her legal fees—but more importantly, lashing out was her go-to defense when she felt uncomfortable, and poor Garrett had seen more than his fair share of it lately. She’d never been happier, yet she still held him at arm’s length. And the closer they grew, the crankier she got. “I’m sorry. I haven’t slept well since…”
    “Since I left?” he asked quietly, without gloating. “There’s no shame in admitting that you love and miss me, Blair. We’re married. It’s kind of expected.” He hesitated. “You’ll never guess what happened after my meeting. When I called my old boss and told him the good news about settling, he offered me an insane amount of money to come back to work in San Diego.”
    Her heart seized. Did he want to go? He never would have left San Diego if it weren’t for her.
    “And what did you tell him?” Blair asked, keeping her voice as even as possible.
    “What do you think I told him?” he asked, sounding surprised. “I told him no. Our practice is in Kansas City.”
    This discussion caught her so completely off-guard she didn’t know how to react. She refused to stand in his way if that’s what he wanted. “You don’t have to stay here, you know. We could have a long-distance relationship. People do it all the time.”
    He was quiet so long she was sure he’d hung up, until he said, “I would like to believe you didn’t mean that.”
    His voice was so cold it frosted the surface of her heart.
    Clearly, he didn’t want a long-distance relationship, which both eased her mind and made her even more anxious.
    “You know we could use the money.” Oh, God. Why did she say that? Why was she pushing him away? All she could think about was how much of a bitch she’d been to him lately, and she wouldn’t blame him for wanting to leave her. Maybe this was his way of saying he wanted out.
    Melissa appeared in the doorway. “Blair, I hate to interrupt, but Ms. DeSanto…” The look on her face warned her it wasn’t pretty.
    “Garrett…” She cleared her throat. “I have to go.”
    “Blair, wait .”
    “I don’t have time for—”
    “You can wait ten fucking seconds. It’s my office too. I know how it