Page 118 of S is for SEX

SIENNA

Where we left off. That’s what I demanded, and it was without a doubt what I received. From the moment we pulled out of the driveway, things were right back to the way they were. I didn’t need to forgive Vince, my mind didn’t see things the way other people did. What happened wasn’t his fault, it was him acting in a manner that was in accordance with his beliefs and the moral code he lived by. He wasn’t right, nor was he wrong. He simply made a decision.

Would I have made it?

No.

Did I agree that it was appropriate?

No.

But it wasn’t my place to second guess the man I fell in love with. I fell in love with who Vince was, and who he was played a great part in his decision making. For me to condemn him for being himself would be to admit I wasn’t actually in love with him, only parts of him.

And that wasn’t the case.

Not at all.

“This back yard is amazing,” I said as I shifted my eyes around the yard.

The back yard at Vince’s mother’s house was huge and had been landscaped professionally. The home being built on three lots left a yard three times wider than the other yards on the block, but it had the same depth.

There was a large waterfall in the center decorated with limestone rocks that trickled down into a small pond, and the pond was filled with fish. A path from the pond in each direction led to the back side of the yard, each path taking a different route, but meeting at a large gazebo which was placed on a concrete patio.

The distance between the back of the home and the gazebo was slightly sheltered by the waterfall, but able to be openly viewed to each side by anyone in the corners of the yard, or the neighbors.

The perimeter of the yard was decorated by a flower garden and various small trees, which I suspected were Japanese Maples. I knew very little about flowers or landscaping until Vince and I broke up, and only then did I use gardening as an outlet. Seeing the magnificent yard was breathtaking, but it left me sad for Vince’s mother, who I was quite sure had the work done with the hope of filling it with her children.

Children she was never blessed with.

“I like what you did with your yard. It looks nice,” he said.

“It’s okay,” I said, shrugging my shoulders as I continued to look around.

“Come here,” he said as he walked toward the gazebo.

He was dressed in jeans, a white tee shirt, and his boots. I lagged behind him intentionally as he walked away, just so I could watch him walk. Something about a man in jeans and a perfectly clean white tee shirt had always made me weak in the knees. As he stepped onto the platform of the gazebo, he turned to face me and grinned.

“What?” I asked.

“I like that dress,” he said.

I typically didn’t wear dresses, but Vince had bought me the dress to wear for our dinner. It was the anniversary of his father’s death, and it just so happened the day fell on a Sunday. Instead of mourning, he and his mother had a ritual of celebrating, which I thought was pretty ingenious.

Vince, Emily, Jackson, Axton, Avery, and I had all come for dinner, and as they were all inside talking to Anita, Vince and I were taking a quick tour of the yard. It was nice to see Vince opening up to the other Sinners, and I especially liked Axton. He was pretty mean looking, but he was like a father to Vince, and even though he was extremely intense and seemed to be harsh at times, he always had Vince’s best interest at heart.

“Well, you bought it,” I said.

He glanced over each of my shoulders, toward the back of the house. After seeing what I expected he wanted to, he pointed to the wooden table in the center of the gazebo.

“Bend over and pull it up,” he said as he motioned toward the table.

I turned toward the house. I couldn’t see the back door, but I could see everything beside it, including the windows I knew were in the dining room.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked as I turned to face Vince.

He shook his head, folded his arms in front of his chest, and glared. “Do I look like it?”

“We’re in the yard. And we’ve got to get in there to eat in a minute,” I said.

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