Page 70 of The Story We Wrote

“Nothing that happened was your fault. It was my stubbornness to admit defeat. Having Parker so young, your mom and I were forced to stay in Faircloud. It wasn’t what we wanted and I wanted you or Parker to live the life we had envisioned. Your mom and I didn’t have the best experiences in this town and we wanted you two to have a better life than we could provide.”

“Dad, my life was amazing because I grew up here and that’s why I want to stay. I can’t picture myself anywhere else besides here.” I placed my hand on his forearm. My dad sighed and looked down at my touch.

“I see that now.” He placed his hand over mine. “I also see that Cassidy boy running around the streets trying to recruit people to help support you and your friend trying to raise money. Maybe he isn’t so bad after all.”

Smiling, I leaned my head on my dad’s shoulder. I felt like crying, and my nose started to sting, but I held back. Hearing my dad speak with such emotion was something I’d never experienced as a kid. It was always, “Get up, you’re fine” or different ways to teach me to be “strong.” Never did I question he loved me, because I always knew he did.

“He’s pretty great,” I confessed as I looked around to find Boone. I saw him coming down the main street, Rhodes, Logan, Mac, and even Theo with him.

“I approve, for now,” my dad said, messing my hair. Sitting up, I hugged him and then made my way back to the tank. The talk I had with him was short, but it made an impact. He was a man of few words so anything I could get, I took.

Boone and I crossed paths before I could get back to my post. He scooped me up in a hug, my feet dangling as he spun me around.

“Boone!” I laughed, my head tipping back as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I hope you’re ready,” he muttered in my ear. All our friends stood in line with three balls each to fire at the target. Taking a deep breath, I was lowered from Boone’s grasp.

One by one, they each threw a ball. Rhodes hit the target each time, Logan was successful twice, and I think Mac was too focused on trying to impress Penny because he missed all of them.

Theo, well, she placed all three balls in Boone’s hands and went straight for the kill, slapping the target with her hands while she yelled, “I’m pregnant! Let me have this win!”

By the end of the day, I was beat. My body ached, and I’m pretty sure I was waterlogged. I looked like a damn prune from all the water exposure.

Jill, Boone, and Penny sent me home to rest and take a refreshing shower, which I was eternally grateful for. My parents hung around for the entire day, laughing with Boone and his mom. It was nice to see them all getting along. Even Parker stopped by to join in the fun of dunking his little sister. The day was a success and not only because we passed the goal we set.

Thirty Four

Boone

“What an amazing turnout!” my mom said with a huge smile on her face. We stayed behind to clean up while Aspen went home. Penny hung around for a bit, too, before having to get back to the library with the money to get a final total.

We were almost done loading everything into the back of my truck and I couldn’t wait to get home. I was exhausted, hanging out in the sun all day was normal for me, butdamn, the pavement made shit hot.

Shutting my tailgate, I replied, “Everyone in town came to check out the dunk tank. Aspen was a real champ about it.” She kept a smile on her face the whole day. In the end, when she slumped against my chest, I knew she was exhausted.

My mom nodded, walking with me to the driver’s side door. “I don’t know what I would do without her. Not just today, but at the stand too.”

“Me neither,” I muttered, smiling to myself. My mom grinned back, placing her hand on my bicep and rubbing gently. I couldn’t wait to see her and talk about everythingthat happened. I saw her talking to her dad and curiosity was killing me. It looked like a good talk; her family stayed for the better half of the day, and her dad even bought some stuff to support the stand. I needed to check in with her and make sure everything was okay. Before that thought, I had to head home and clean up.

My mom and I said our goodbyes before I climbed into my truck to head home. Driving in silence all the way, I put the air conditioning on full blast.

When I pulled into my little driveway, I noticed Aspen’s lights weren’t on; she had probably passed out when she got home. We didn’t have any food or perishables leftover, so whatever was in my truck bed could wait until tomorrow.

The cool air hit my face as I walked into my house and I was grateful for it. Tossing my keys down on the counter, I towed off my boots and walked towards the hallway. Removing my ball cap, I ran my fingers through my hair to loosen up the sweat-slicked strands.

I dragged myself down the hallway, barely picking up my feet. Something on my bed caught my eye. It took me a minute to focus my vision to see clearly in the dark.

Wrapped in my sheets was Aspen, sitting against the metal headboard wearing nothing but my cowboy hat. Soft candlelight lit my room in a warm glow, casting a shadow from my hat onto Aspen’s face. Her bottom half was covered completely with the blanket, and she held the edge of the comforter high enough to barely cover her breasts.

“Jesus,” I muttered, slowly stepping further into the room. As I approached, I felt my cock thicken in my jeans. Seeing her in only my hat, her bare skin wrapped in my sheets, was driving me crazy. “Not that I’m not happy to see you naked, but what are you doing?”

Aspen smiled, tipping my hat towards me. “You like it, Cowboy?”

All I could do was gulp and nod in response. This woman was a dream, my dream.

“I realized something today,” she confessed, keeping herself covered up. “The way I feel about you, Boone, is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I love the woman I am when I’m with you. You make me feel confident and beautiful. Now that I have you, I don’t think I can picture my life without you in it.” She laughed to herself, her head falling back and hitting the headboard. “This all may sound so stupid. Putting this into words is harder than I thought.” I took a few steps closer to the bed, using every ounce of self-control I had to not pounce seeing her like that. She wasmineand I’d make sure she fucking knew it too.

“Say it,” I exhaled, begging her to speak freely. I needed to hear it unfiltered from the deepest parts of her soul. I wanted the raw, unedited version of how she felt because I knew I felt the same way too.

---