Page 18 of The Truth

Ayla had headed to her guestroom, and gotten four or five hours of sleep. And had been conflictedallday.

Ayla had wanted him to kiss her. But… he hadn’t. He had held her hand a little bit though. Cupped her cheek once or twice. Ran his fingers over the back of her hand, brushed against the inside of her wrist. Everywhere that man had touched, had burned for hours.

And thoroughly, completely confused her to the bottom of her toes.

How could she figure out if he was the man she wanted to be with, if she wasn’t with him? Spending time with him?

Sheseriouslydoubted there would be any wicked physical affection like she’d walked in on with Chantal and Gene in the family room a few hours ago—not with the good reverend.

Even if he had the most perfect hazel eyes and wicked grin. And the tush was pretty perfect, too. Ayla had looked. Several times.

If she got involved with Gunn, it would probably be with all serious intent. Like… the love and marriage kind. Was she even ready for that kind of life change?

She wasn’t sure she was. She wanted to find a man she could fall in love with, of course. And marry. She would like to at least try to have children someday, too. Have a family, that kind of thing. She just didn’t know ifright nowwas a good time for that.

But Aubrey had told her once thattimehad nothing to do with it. You would meet the man you were supposed to meet… when you met him.

Her sister had an odd viewpoint on the world sometimes. Like… everything happened for areasonin Aubrey’s world. Ayla thought it was her sister’s way of coping with what had happened to them. Their mom had died when Ayla had been eight and Aubrey had been almost fourteen. They didn’t know what had happened to their father—he had taken off when Ayla had still been in diapers.

Aubrey just accepted that things happened the way they were supposed to—Ayla just focused on doing the things she had to do each day. But they’d be okay—she had always tried to remember that. They did just fine taking care of each other.

And they had each other. No denying that.

“You have a serious look on your face,” Greer said, coming down the steps into the sunken living room. “What’s up?”

“Just thinking about the difference between love and obsession really.” Ayla waved a hand at the sleeping Genny. “At what point does love get so twisted and broken that something likethishappens?”

“Isn’t that a million-dollar question?” Greer sank down on the couch near her sister’s head. She was quiet, sad for a moment. Ayla waited. Greer obviously needed totalk.

“Have you ever really been in love?” Ayla didn’t think she and Greer and Hala had ever talked aboutlove.Not really. Usually, they discussed other important things—their families. Their future careers. That kind of thing. But the topic of guys… no. Not really. Not on a deep, serious kind of level.

Maybe since none of them had really planned onguysright now or anything. Ayla certainly hadn’t.

Guys were so complicated.

Greer’s hand covered her stomach for a moment. “I thought… I thought I was. Recently.”

“Him.I know about him, you know. Well, I saw you with him one day. He’s very pretty.” A local wealthy rancher—very beautiful. And about eleven or twelve years older than Greer. Kind of like… Gunn and Ayla, actually.

Did that make thiswhateverit was with her and Gunn—if there was something between her and Gunn, anyway—an age-gap romance kind of thing?

How interesting. She would have to think about that later.

“He’s a jerk and I never want to see him again.”

“Did you… really love him?”

“I thought I did. Now… I really don’t know. He is a liar and jerk and an asshole.”

Well, that was pretty emphatic.

Greer rarely cursed at all.

“Then we won’t talk about him ever again.”

“Let’s talk about your love life instead.” Greer shot her a wicked grin, looking very much like her brother. The one who had been on Ayla’s mind all day, and everything. That one.

The oneconfusingher right now and everything.

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