Page 53 of Forever with the Farmer's Daughter
Aubrey studies me for a moment. “Does it bother you?”
I ponder her question. Sometimes I forget Aubrey’s parents are both therapists and she’s a skilled attorney. Analyzing people and situations is in her DNA. But sitting here on her couch, I know she’s just being a good friend and looking out for my well-being.
I shake my head. “No, not at all. Cameron makes me feel cherished and desired.”
“Didn’t you feel that way with Alan?”
I sigh as I try to explain. “I did, but it was different with Alan. We connected instantly and we were friends before we started dating, it was almost like we followed the natural order of things without possessing a true passion for each other. I’m not saying my time with Alan was bad by any means, don’t get me wrong. I loved him. But with Cameron I felt this electricity the second he touched me. We have a completely different connection. When we’re together it’s as if it takes both of us to breathe, I inhale, and he exhales.” I shake my head and wave my hands. “I’m sorry, I’m sure I’m not making any sense.”
“Don’t apologize, you’re making perfect sense. I felt the same connection to Kenny when I met him. Looking back, I don’t think I ever felt the same way with anyone else I dated. What’s that saying, love is not finding someone to live with, it’s finding someone you can’t live without. I love the breathing analogy, by the way. Maybe that’s when you know it’s real.”
I smile, thankful Aubrey seems to understand my rambling. “Yeah, maybe it is.”
Aubrey gasps as she teases. “Either that or the Hutchinson boys are casting Voodoo spells on their women.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “I’m sure that’s totally it!”
The restof the afternoon passes quickly, and before we know it, the guys are walking back in from their ride.
Kenny walks in first going straight to Aubrey. Placing his hand on her stomach he leans in to kiss her. “Hey, Blondie. Miss me?”
She grins and pulls him in for another kiss. “Always.”
I’d been around Kenny and Aubrey long enough to be used to their PDA’s. Cameron, however, even after being subjected to it for the few months he’s been home still looks slightly uncomfortable. As he walks into the room, I rise from my seat to meet him. “Hey handsome, how was your ride?”
Cameron immediately wraps his arm around my waist and draws me into him before leaning down to kiss me. “It was good.” He tips his head toward the door. “Take a walk with me?”
The nervousness wafting off him makes me curious as to what he wants to talk about. “Of course.”
I start for the door with Cameron right behind me. His long arm reaches for the screen door and opens it for me to walk through. When we both stand on level ground, Cameron takes my hand and threads my fingers with his as he leads us down a path past the barn.
As comfortable as the silence is, I need to know what was going on in his head. I gently start the conversation with a topic I knew he’d answer. “How was your lunch?”
“It was good. We went to the diner.” He grins as he squeezes my hand. “Theresa teased me about having a girlfriend.”
I laugh. Theresa is harmless and hopelessly in love with her husband Eddie. Her personality makes her seem like the world’s biggest flirt. There isn’t a woman in town who is jealous of the way she teases the men of Blossom Creek. She is a friend to all, men and women alike.
“I bet she did. You’ve been trying to get her to run away with you for as long as I can remember.”
He stops walking and looks down at me in shock. “How do know about that?”
I simply shrug as I answer. “I’ve witnessed it a few times. You were still in high school. Christine would take me to the diner with her to meet Warren before heading home. I’d sit in the back corner and work on homework. They’d buy me an ice cream sundae or milkshake so they could have some privacy.”
He shakes his head, and we resume walking. “I can’t believe I never saw you there.”
“I’m younger than you, so there’s no reason you would have noticed me. Besides, I like to think we met exactly when we were supposed to.”
His brow furrowed. “Does it bother you? The age difference I mean.”
I laugh and shoulder bump him. “You’re not that much older than me. It was different when you were eighteen and I was…”
Cameron raises a brow and grins before finishing my thought. “Jailbait?”
I toss my head back and laugh again. “Yeah, jailbait.”
We keep walking until we reach the wooden fence surrounding the property. We both lean against the fence and look out at the farmland stretched out in front of us. Cameron laces his fingers together and looks over at me. “We ran into Coach Markham at the diner today. It seems the high school’s looking for a new automotive instructor. Since I’m a master mechanic, he thought I’d be perfect for the position.”
“Cameron, that’s wonderful!”
