Page 16 of The Truth

Gunn didn’t even pretend to deny it. "Maybe. But only after I replaced every other name in there with yours. Just to be on the safe side."

Okay,that was gooey-making information. But… why? That was something a man would say to Aubrey or Chantal or Giavonna. Definitely not Ayla Erin Fisher.

"That’s not an answer," she said, tilting her head back to get a better look at him as he lowered her to her feet next to the lounge chair. Ayla didn’t know what else to do—so she just sankdown into the chair and looked up at him. "Do you just scoop up unsuspecting women whenever the mood strikes, or is there a membership fee involved?"

His mouth twitched at the corner. "Only the ones I really want to hold.”

Well,thatwas not something she’d ever expect a man like him to admit. Or… maybe she’d just misheard?

Heat curled in her stomach, slow and distracting, spreading through her limbs in a way that had nothing to do with the blanket he settled over her legs.

The stars were gorgeous. She had to look and just… soak them in. Tonight was a night of bad memories, the anniversary of the day she’d almost died. Usually, she and Aubrey spent it trying to forget. But now… she liked being here. With people who loved one another. Who made her feel like she belonged with them a little bit, too.

Ayla hadn’t really wanted to be alone tonight. She’d been on her way to find her sister. To just… remind herself that they were all okay now.

"You do this a lot?" She adjusted under the blanket, shifting to face him as he lowered himself onto the lounger beside her. It was adoublechair, after all. And he was sitting really close right now.

Of course, he’d just carefully folded a blanket up and put it between them, before covering her with another, but… she stillfelthim all around her. Wasn’t that enough to tempt a woman to sin? Ayla really had to be good here—this man was a preacher, for heaven’s sake. She wouldn’t want to do anything to shock him.

Even if sheknewwhat to do with a man in the first place.

She really needed a Phone-A-Friend Lifeline here, or something. Like… maybe she could pause him right now, and text Hala for some pointers?

"Most nights when I can’t sleep." The weight of him made the lounger dip, shifting her closer until her knee almost brushed his thigh. "Something about it makes everything feel smaller. Helps me settle. I pray out here sometimes, too. Ask for… clarification if I need it."

"It puts things in perspective," she said, tilting her head back again to look at the stars above the Hiller Ranch. The Texas sky could be really amazing. "All the things that seem overwhelming during the day—just tiny specks compared to that."

Ayla shifted again, stretching beneath the blanket. The movement sent a sharp pull through her back, enough to make her breath catch.

Gunn didn’t miss it. His focus sharpened immediately. "Hurting?"

"Just the usual," she said. "Happens every night.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I could make it better.”

“I’m actually doing really good, you know. Aubs made sure I have agoodphysical therapist this time. And I do swimming therapy in Finley Creek twice a week. It’s amazing. She still covers my insurance. State insurance, Reverend Hiller, is really bad. Better than nothing, but… bad.”

He poured milk into two glasses he’d brought out earlier and handed her one before taking a cookie from the package between them.

She lifted hers. She loved Oreos, no denying that. "Cookie cheers?"

"Cookie cheers."

"This is weird.” Well, why deny it? She’d never sat outside with a hot guy this late at night before. How could it not feel a little awkward?

"Weird how?"

"Normal," she said, glancing around. "I don’t do normal."

"You don’t do midnight cookie picnics under the stars?"

"My social calendar is packed. I spend my nights scrolling through my phone—texting Greer and Hala, usually—until I pass out like a responsible adult."

"Wild lifestyle."

“I know. Aubrey threatens to lock me up for my own good on a regular basis.”

He shifted, his arm going around her shoulders. “You okay with my arm here?”

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