Page 11 of Force of Nature

“I’m starting to realize why I pushed you off the swing set all those years ago,” Thad teases.

“What?” I whip my gaze to him.

“Your ‘can do’ attitude is a bit tiring. I probably got sick of listening to you talk like a motivational speaker.”

“Shut up!” I swing my arm toward him but don’t come anywhere close to hitting him.

His deep laughter fills the air and the sound does something wonky to my insides.

“I’m just saying.” He shrugs innocently.

“You’re such a jerk.” My mouth draws into a tight pout.

“And you’re easy to get a rise out of.” He chuckles.

“I am not!” I squeak.

He cocks a brow at me, the look on his face telling me that I proved his point.

“Whatever.” I huff, trying to fight the smile that plays on my lips.

Thad grins over his shoulder, pulling Sheldon to a stop as we reach the creek bed. Without a word he slides off his horse, tying him to the tree on our right.

Following his lead, I do the same, making sure Cocoa is secure before joining Thad at the edge of the water.

“This is my favorite place,” I tell him after several seconds of silence passes between us. “When I was younger this is where I would come anytime I was mad or upset about something. My father would never let me come alone so he’d always send one of my brothers after me. It used to make me so mad.”

“Clearly he’s very protective of you.”

“You have no idea.” I shake my head. “I wasn’t allowed to sleep over at friends’ houses until I was sixteen and dating wasn’t permitted until I was eighteen.”

“You didn’t date until you were eighteen?” He swivels his head toward me, his light eyes meeting mine.

“Oh no, I dated. My father just didn’t approve. My mother put her foot down with him and like usual, she won. But that doesn’t mean he made it easy. Senior prom he brought a shot gun out onto the porch as my mom was taking pictures of me and my date.”

“He didn’t?” Thad looks both appalled and quite amused at the same time.

“Oh he did.” I laugh at the memory.

“I can only imagine how he must have reacted when he learned you were moving to Los Angeles of all places.”

“I thought he was going to drop of a heart attack the day I packed my bags.”

“It’s gotta be nice though. Having someone love you that much.”

“I guess. It’s also pretty frustrating too.” I turn my gaze back out to the water. “What about you? Are you close to your parents?”

“I used to be.” I feel him shift next to me but keep my eyes forward. “They’re good people. Certainly too good to have to deal with a fuck up like me for a son.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Even though I really have nothing to back my statement up with.

“Trust me, it is.” He looks at me, our gazes once again locking. “We should probably head back,” he says, turning abruptly.

“Yeah, okay.” I hesitate before following him to Sheldon and Cocoa.

He avoids my gaze as he unties my horse and then his own, climbing on top of Sheldon with so much ease you would swear he’s been riding his entire life.

The ride back is quiet. I have a million questions I want to ask and yet for some reason don’t voice a single one. Instead I enjoy the silence–something you simply do not get in a city like L.A.

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