Page 84 of Trust Me With Forever

I swore he nodded his head.

Soon I was atop the horse, trotting to the opposite side of the field, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

I’d missed this. So much. And as I looked up, Rafe waved at me. I waved back, and my heart warmed a little.

I wasn’t sure if Rafe had done all of this solely for my benefit or not. However, without his encouragement, I’m not sure how long it would’ve taken for me to get back on a horse.

It was almost as if he understood what I needed, knew when I needed a push, but also when to step aside.

It was one of a million ways Rafe was different from my ex. And I came a little bit closer to believing what we had was real and more than a one-year agreement. Or, at least, that maybe I wanted to try and see if we could last.

Because if Rafe kept being so wonderful, it would be all too easy to fall for him.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Rafe

Aunt Lori:You two are coming to dinner tonight.

Me:Do we get a say in it?

Aunt Lori:No. You need to come out of your little love nest at some point. Besides, Zach has news.

Me:Abby and I do have jobs, you know.

Aunt Lori:You’re the boss and can leave on time for one day. Besides, everyone has to eat.

Me:Fine. We’ll come to dinner.

Aunt Lori:Good. You’ll be on my team.

Me:Team for what?

Aunt Lori:Beck is making chicken parmesan, and I want the biggest piece.

Me:Can’t you just ask for it?

Aunt Lori:Where’s the fun in that? Besides, I have the perfect distraction. I’ll tell you my plan once you get here. Just in case someone tries to steal my phone and learn my secrets ahead of time.

Me:Um, no one is going to steal your phone. Are they?

Aunt Lori:Zach can be a sneaky bastard. Don’t let his easygoing nature fool you! Now, I need to work on my branding for my new social media accounts. Dear Aunt Lori is going to be a huge hit. I can feel it.

Once Abby dismounted, I could tell something was different about her. Smiling, she excitedly told me about her first time picking out a horse. Then she went on to recall stories about competing in local competitions as a teenager and winning.

And by the time we’d picked out a pair of animals and agreed to a trial period, the somewhat reluctant, depressed version of Abby from earlier in the day had vanished.

Every time she smiled or looked at me with bright eyes, my heart raced faster. I’d never really thought about how someone’s happiness could affect my own this much. Sure, I’d helped my parents and sister when I’d been younger. But that was different, more like a son and brother helping when he could.

However, with Abby, I wanted a future together where we were stronger and happier together than we were apart. One where we raised our own little family and taught our son or daughter to ride and kick a soccer ball around. One where we could be ourselves, laugh together, and be there for one another whenever things got tough.

I loved her. So much.

And I wished I could tell her. But I didn’t think she was quite ready to hear it and believe me yet. Not while her ex loomed over us and she couldn’t look toward the future, always worrying about how her past might ruin the present.

I would’ve settled for making love to her again, but her aunt had ordered us to dinner. Since it was just family, we decided not to go home and change, but just head over to her family’s house from the stables.

During the drive there, I kept stealing glances at Abby as she would glance at her phone and then stare out the window. I was content not to talk and simply feel comfortable in her presence. Especially as she hummed along to the radio for most of the drive, hopefully a sign she was in a better mood.

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