Page 71 of Wild For You
Glancing across the console, I saw she leaned away from me in the truck, her head resting on her crossed arms in the open window of the truck. The breeze blew her hair in turbulent waves behind her.
“It’s so beautiful here. I don’t know why anyone would want to live anywhere else.” She’d been on a small tirade since learning about my breakup with Nicole. Mom was the only one who knew the entire story until now. And when I thought back to the memory, none of it was as detrimental as it had felt at that time.
I thought my world had ended. In my mind, I thought I lost my chance at a happily ever after like my mother got in the end. Because back then, I expected to come back to Ashfield after graduating college. Where was I going to meet someone new?
But hindsight was twenty-twenty. I’d been a foolish kid, ready to make a decision that would change my life forever. Nicole knew it at the time, but I was blinded by love. And I thought she was too.
Kelsey was more furious over how Nicole went about ending things. And she felt like a woman scorned on my behalf. She even asked if I still had the ring I purchased. I did, but only because the jeweler wouldn’t allow me to return it, and I didn’t want it sitting in a pawn shop somewhere. Regardless of the outcome, the ring had been important to me at the time. The small half-carat diamond set in a yellow-gold band was in a lockbox at the bank. I had zero desire to move it from that spot.
Though, if I found a matching diamond, I could have it turned into a pair of earrings for Kelsey. Her ears twinkled as the gold studs in her ears caught the sun’s rays.
“Some of us take a bit more convincing to succumb to the small-town lifestyle. It’s not for everyone.”
I wanted to remind her even she had mentioned she was itching to get back to Nashville, but I held back.
We were unofficially, officially together, but only behind closed doors or in the shadows of alleyways. Neither of us wanted to hurt my sister, but I knew the secret would come out eventually. I was hoping that maybe that would happen after Kelsey left to go back to her home, and I could take the brunt of Rory’s anger. Kelsey had enough going on in her life.
We took the sharp ninety-degree turn in the road where the bed-and-breakfast could be seen off in the distance. It wasn’t so long ago I missed meeting Kelsey in that same spot. After she entered as a guest, I assumed as I listened from the hallway that she was one of Owen’s conquests who had arrived. If I hadn’t stormed off, embarrassed after hearing she was merely his physical therapist instead, then maybe we wouldn’t be where we were now.
Reaching over, I slid my knuckles down her shoulder until she gave me her hand to hold. She glanced at our joined fingers and smiled up at me, before returning to her view outside.
We passed the entrance to the B&B and continued the trek to the sprawling ranch. Finally, we came up on the massive stone entrance and followed the driveway to the house.
“Has Rory shown you the event venue?”
“No, but I’m dying to see it.”
“I can take you before we leave tonight. Saturdays are usually booked up, and Sundays are the cleanup days. Autumn hired a great team to run it, and it’s booked out almost three years in advance now.”
“That’s crazy. Do y’all help out too?” she asked as she stepped out of the truck. I was a little slower, since I needed tograb my crutch, per my therapist’s orders after I woke up with it swollen.
“We help when we can, and I know all my sisters did a lot at the beginning, but it’s Autumn’s baby. When it blew up all over social media, she hired a team fast, and the rest is history.”
“You have one seriously talented family, Andrew,” she said, and I nodded.
“Come on, let’s get you inside.” Dark clouds hovered over the mountains, hinting at a storm later. We desperately needed the rain, so it was a welcome sight. Almost a month of no rain and the wheat nearly broke in half when a stiff wind gusted through.
But for now, the sun shone down on us like she thought it was still summer outside.
“I’m nervous. Do you think your mom will mind that I made a dessert?”
“Firstly, you didn’t need to make anything, and she’ll be grateful. Secondly, you know everyone in the house, Kelsey.”
“But it’s the first meal where they all know I’m knocked up.”
“And?” I goaded her.
“And that means they know I have sex, Andrew. Your wonderful, traditional parents will know that I had sex before I was married.” She covered her face with her hand not holding the dessert dish and blew out a breath of frustration. “Oh my gosh, I can’t do this.”
She tried to scurry away, but I gripped her elbow at the last second.
“You’re not going anywhere. My family isn’t going to judge you, Kelsey. You know them better than that. Plus, if it helps, my mom bought me my first box of condoms in high school.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“That she knew I was going to have sex.”
“It’s different. You’re a guy, and I’m a girl.” She pouted and crossed her arms. I waited for her to stomp her foot too, but she must have resisted the urge.
