Page 94 of Wild For You
As soon as Officer Ramirez closed the front door behind him, Andrew rushed over to me, his hand running along my cheek. He was upset, visibly so, as his watery eyes met mine. Except, I felt numb, like this was nothing more than a bad dream, and I was going to wake up any second.
“Baby, are you okay? Please tell me you’re all right,” he begged repeatedly.
“I’m… I’m fine. Just a bit in shock, I think,” I said. Thankfully, the nausea that had been rolling through my stomach subsided.
“I’m so sorry. So fucking sorry, Kelsey.” Andrew reached for my limp hands as he clasped them tightly. “I had no idea about any of this. I haven’t spoken to her for years. A wholedecade. And even that was just a passing hello. I didn’t even remember who she was.”
Weakly, I whispered, “I know.”
“Please, Kelsey. I… I don’t know what to do,” he pleaded, his hands reaching up to cup my face. “I love you. So much.”
“I know,” I whispered.
My mind was running a hundred miles an hour as everything started rolling through my mind on replay.
“I… I think I just need some time. Some space.”
“Space from me?” he asked, stepping back as if I slapped him. We hadn’t spent much time apart since I arrived in Ashfield back in September. A few hours here and there, and my weekend in Nashville that was cut short.
“Space to think. I’m just… confused right now.”
And what woman wouldn’t be, after learning her boyfriend got a blowjob from her mother—no matter how long ago it was.
Andrew tilted his face toward the ceiling, his chest moving up and down as he took deep breaths. When he faced me again, there stood a man who looked defeated. “Okay. I understand.”
“I’m sorry, Andrew,” I whispered as my stomach gurgled.
Wordlessly, he kissed the top of my head, and tears began rolling down my cheeks. I could barely make out his retreating back as the front door opened and closed.
I rushed toward the bedroom and collapsed on the bed, wailing loudly into my pillow until I let the exhaustion of the day usher me into sleep.
It wasn’t until hours later that I woke with a resolution.
I just sent away the best thing that ever happened in my life. Andrew was the protector, the guardian of his siblings and those he cared about. The best person I’d ever met. The onlyperson who ever made me feel like I wasn’t a burden, who always put me first.
Now, it was my chance to do the same for him.
I quickly washed my face, noticing it was nearly midnight, but I couldn’t wait any longer. My shoes were still on my feet from when I crashed onto the bed, so I grabbed my keys and reached for the front door, only to find a note taped to the back in Andrew’s familiar print.
I waited out here for you until it got dark. I’m honoring your wishes for space and time. I’ll be at the farm.
That sweet, beautiful man spent all evening out on the porch, waiting for me. If I hadn’t loved him before, I was 1,000 percent in love with him now.
Folding the note, I tucked it inside my bag, only to notice that heavy raindrops pounded against the pavement.
“Shit,” I said, leaning into the house to find an umbrella and coming up empty. I closed the door and stood on the top step, pressing the key fob to unlock the door to my car. Using the jacket I’d fallen asleep wearing, I pulled it over my head to shield myself from the rain. Carefully, I jogged over to my car, yanked the door open, and hopped inside.
My chest ached from the exertion, even though I only had to go a few yards.
I fumbled with my keys as I tried to start the car, wishing I had one of those fancy push-to-start models. Once the engine purred, I pulled out onto the street and drove like my life depended on it. And at the moment, it felt like it did. I couldn’t imagine doing any of this without Andrew.
Though I was in a rush, I took my time maneuvering around the turns that would take me to my destination.
With the late hour, I knew there was a chance no one would be awake, and I feared waking everyone up in the house, but I didn’t care. What I needed to do was far more important than sleep.
The car zipped down the driveway in near darkness until the spotlights illuminating the farmhouse came into view. I wiped at my eyes as I parked the car, but it was no use. The tears kept coming.
By the time I opened the door, completely uncaring that it was pouring outside, I stopped worrying about my makeup dripping down my cheeks and the welted handprint on the side of my face that was turning into a bruise. All I cared about was getting to the man on the other side of that door.
