Page 38 of Memories of the Past

“Is this okay?” he questioned, meeting my eyes.

I nodded. “It’s perfect.”

“I’ll help you up,” he said, slipping his hands around my waist and lifting me up. Instantly, my body shuddered at his touch, and once I was in the back of the truck, I had to calm my breathing a bit. Then he climbed up behind me and guided me to sit down.

I sat down and watched as he, too, took a seat, then opened the picnic basket and pulled out a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, which he had me hold while he found the corkscrew and opened the wine.

I watched as he poured the two glasses and shoved the cork back in the bottle. Then he took his glass from my hand, his fingers grazing mine. “To you,” he said, gently clinking his glass against mine, and then we both took a sip.

“So I brought a little spread of cheese and crackers, nothing fancy, but I did grab a couple more pieces of that lemon pound cake for desert.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“What?” he questioned.

I shook my head. “Nothing. This is nice,” I said, taking another sip of my wine and looking out over the water just in time to see two ducks’ land. I hadn’t been out here in years. In fact, the last time I’d been out here had been a night I’d been with Thomas.

“Do you remember the night I stole that bottle of wine from my parents to bring out here?” he asked, his eyes dancing at the memory.

I let out a small laugh. “I sure do. I also remember both of us chugging on the mouthwash afterward so neither of us would get caught.”

“I don’t think I ever did tell you, but Mom asked me about a month later what happened to that bottle. Apparently, they had bought it for their anniversary. I made up some story about it falling from the cupboard and smashing on the floor when they weren’t home.” Thomas laughed.

“Yep, Aunt Vi practically cornered me in the kitchen when I got home that night, swearing she could smell wine on my breath. I thought she was going to pull out a breathalyzer the way she was treating me,” I said as we both laughed. As the memory of that night replayed in my mind, I began to grow quiet.

“What are you thinking about now?” Thomas asked.

I shook my head and gave him a small smile. “Just about the last time we were out here.” I could feel my cheeks heating at the memory.

Thomas nodded and softly smiled back. “I think I remember that night as well,” he said, his eyes meeting mine.

We’d come out here after he’d had a fight with his father. I’d snuck out of my bedroom window long after Aunt Vi had been in bed, climbed down the trellis, and met Thomas at the corner, and he’d driven us out here. Just like now, he’d thrown blankets in the bed of his pickup, only that night, we’d ended up underneath them, naked, wrapped in one another’s arms.

“So long ago…” I whispered, remembering what it was like to be held in his arms after our first time, our bodies wrapped together, hot, and sweaty. I looked off into the distance. The memory of that night was something I hadn’t thought about for a long time and it was pulling at my heart.

“That it was. Although you barely look like you’ve aged a day. You still remind me of that young, innocent girl I used to bring back here.” He winked.

I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks at his comment. “Thank you, and you stole that innocence away from me.” I laughed.

We both grew quiet as we sat looking at one another. The heat between us was still there. I knew we could both feel it, and yet it was like we were teenagers again, and neither of us knew what to do with that attraction.

“You know, Trinity, I meant what I said to you earlier today. I wish we could turn back time, do things differently. There have been so many times I wished I could have just told you how I felt, instead of saying the stupid things I said to you.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t feel the same way because I did; I felt it in my soul. I just couldn’t let myself get hurt again, but as I looked at Thomas, I knew from the look in his eyes that he meant what he said. There wasn’t a hint of a lie on his face. All that was there was pure devotion.

I swallowed hard. “I’ve thought a lot about you over the years, Thomas. So much so that I became obsessed with following your career for a long time, wishing that I could have shared in your victories and your failures. I was so proud of you when you won the Triple Crown. That must have been something.”

“It was. It really was such a special and exciting time, except it would have been better to have someone to share it with.”

“If it makes you feel better, I was celebrating with you,” I said, taking a sip of my wine. “Or we could celebrate now.”

Thomas smiled. “I did one good thing with that money that made me feel great inside. I was able to help my friend, Aaron, and his wife attain their dream of owning a ranch. I met Aaron my third year on the circuit, and he always treated me well, so I gave him a substantial down payment to buy it. In return, I became a part of their family and they gave me a place to live, a place to finally call home. That was where I was living up until I got the call about my father.”

“Wow, Thomas, that really is amazing of you to help them out. Are you still planning on riding?” I asked, sipping my wine and taking a bite of a piece of cheese.

Thomas shook his head. “No, sadly, I’m officially retired from the rodeo. Unfortunately, I’ve suffered too many injuries, and that part of my life has been taken from me.”

I worried when he said that. Worried about the kind of injuries he had faced. I’d seen him bucked off a bull a few times. Then I began wondering what he was going to do when the ranch sold. “That must be hard, to have your career taken from you?”

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