Page 46 of The Story We Wrote

“Take your time, Darling. I’m in no rush.” I assured her because I wanted her to feel good for tonight. Aspen applied a light pink gloss and rubbed her lips together, using her finger to wipe away any extra. Something about that made my blood pressure spike.

“Okay, ready!” she blurted, jumping and twisting to face me. “What do we think?” Modeling her outfit, she swayed back and forth.

While grinning, I muttered, “Perfect.”

She slipped past me and out of the bathroom door frame. Her ass slightly brushed against me, and the slight touch sentme into a daze. Was I that desperate? Following behind her, she grabbed her purse and threw her phone inside.

“Can you give me just a little hint?” she asked, gesturing with her fingers to indicate just how little she meant.

“Nope.” I stood my ground. As much as I wanted to give in, I wouldn’t. The wait would be worth it.

Turning off the gravel driveway, I took my truck down an unmaintained path. The weeds were overgrown, and trees hung in the way. It looked like a scene from a horror film.

“Your super epic and legit surprise is death?” Aspen asked. “Because it feels like you’re taking me to a remote location to make killing me easier.”

“It’s not death!” I said. “It’s creepy, but it’ll be worth it, so shh.”

Aspen didn’t ask any more questions or comment during the drive after that. I could tell she was curious and didn’t have a clue what was going on.

Putting my truck in park, I said, “You stay put,” before climbing out. I ran to the back and opened the tailgate, pulling out the blue bin full of everything I needed to set up.

“Okay, close your eyes, and no peeking!” I said to Aspen while approaching the passenger side. She swung her legs so they dangled from the seat while covering her eyes. I grabbed her waist and helped her down from the truck to walk her to the bed. “On the count of three, you can look,” I whispered in her ear from behind. “1…2…” Pausing heavily at three to build the suspense, Aspen did some kind of shimmy, clearly growing impatient. “3.”

Aspen removed her hands and her jaw dropped. Before us were blankets and pillows lit by soft glowing lanterns. In the middle of the truck bed were two wine glasses and a bottle of her favorite red chilling in an ice bucket with chocolate-covered strawberries to eat while we watched the stars.

“Boone…” she whispered, spinning around to face me completely. The moonlight cast a glow on her features and I couldn’t help but stare. I put my hand on her cheek, rubbing with my thumb.

“I had to pull out the big guns for the grand finale.” I looked into her eyes, fighting the urge to place a kiss on her gloss-covered lips. Breaking away, I pushed her back towards the open tailgate and grabbed her by her hips to hoist her up. Aspen plopped down and scooted towards the pile of pillows. Kicking off my boots and leaving them on the ground, I climbed up next. When we were both settled, I poured us each a glass of wine. I religiously drank only beer or liquor. Though, if Aspen liked it, so did I.

“I’m honestly blown away.” She shook her head in disbelief, taking the glass from my hand. Aspen was wearing the bracelet I bought her. It felt damn good seeing her wear it.

“It’s time to get your creative juices flowing,” I said, sitting back so I was propped up against the truck. Aspen was sitting next to me, close enough that our bodies were touching from ankle to hip. “How’s the writing going?”

Aspen took a sip before answering my question. “Honestly, really good. I’m writing a couple hundred words a day. I haven’t read through any of it yet, but I’m feeling confident.”

“I love to hear that,” I said back. Knowing she was feeling good enough to start made me feel like I was doing something right. We sat in silence, staring up at the sky. It was quiet in the field, the sound of crickets filling the void.

“How’s Logan?” Aspen asked. I’d told her about his reaction to finding out Ellie called. I left out the other parts of the story, more specifically about Rhodes and my feelings towards her. I chickened out once again.

“It’s been good since,” I said. “He hasn’t really said anything about it, and I’ve left it alone too.”

“If you want my opinion, I think it’s more than just because she’s ‘family,’” Aspen commented.

“You think Logan has a crush on my sister?” I never really gave that idea a thought. We’ve all been in each other’s life for so long that I see Logan as a brother and him liking my sister felt weird.

“I mean, what do I know? But, whatever got him to go all ape shit like that tells me maybe there’s something more.” Aspen had a point; his reaction was a bit out of pocket. I reached down and intertwined my pinky with hers. I wanted to be closer to her; my body craved her touch. She leaned her head against my shoulder, cradling her glass of wine closer to her chest.

“Do you think being straight and asking him is a good idea?” I asked.

“It depends on how you feel. Do you think he would be honest?” she countered.

I thought for a moment about how Logan may react. I didn’t know if he would be honest about it, because I still don’t know if his original answer was the truth or not. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Again, not that you asked for my opinion, but if that’s how you feel, maybe wait to see what happens,” Aspen said. She had a good point. I wouldn’t question Logan about it now, just keep an eye from a distance.

Her head was against my chest and our hands were fully intertwined. Something about tonight felt different, less friendly than in the past. It was like we both subconsciously knew that this friendship thing wasn’t going to last and one of us would break. Having her this close in private mademewant to break. I needed to kiss her, taste her lips on mine. My heart began to beat faster, I could feel it pulsing in my neck. It was now or never, Boone; buck up.

I took my hand away from hers and placed it under her chin, tilting her head up towards me. Her eyes danced between minelike a pinball in a machine. I was captivated by her beauty. I was so fucking lucky.

---