Chapter 20
Brooks
Aspen’s car is gone by the time I get back to my house. I guess that means she’s on her date. That’s good. I’m glad she’s doing that. What I don’t understand is why it irritates me so damn much. She should be out dating, especially after what Zach did to her.
But I don’t like it. The thought of her laughing and smiling with another man, kissing another man, makes my head start to pound.
Which is how I find myself quickly showering and putting on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt before I get back in my truck and drive to town.
It’s when I park in front of Melvin’s Tavern that I realize that this must be what people say is jealousy.
I’ve formed some sort of attachment to Aspen.
It’s not hard to see why. She’s fun to be around, hardworking, and has a drive that’s not easily ignored.
I like hanging out with her, and I’ve subconsciously started to want to do more than just hang out, even though I know I can’t.
This date is messing with my head.
Before I left my house, I called in a ‘to-go’ order at Melvin’s.
I don’t want to crash her date. I only want to see how it’s going.
Make sure she’s ok. I head inside to the hostess and give her my name for the pick-up order.
When she goes to grab it, I start my perusal of the restaurant.
I spot Aspen first. She’s facing toward the door.
She has more makeup on than she normally wears at the ranch, and her curls are down and not as wild as usual.
I like it when they’re a little wild, like she’s been riding and the wind has blown through her hair.
The moment my eyes find her, she looks in my direction.
It’s like the world stops when her eyes meet mine, and I know deep in my soul that this is not a one-sided attraction. I know she feels it too.
Her body goes stiff, but she keeps a smile plastered to her face, trying to play it off like nothing has happened.
The hostess comes back and hands me my bag of food.
“Thank you, ma’am. I’m gonna go say hi to a friend real quick,” I tell her before I start walking in Aspen’s direction.
I don’t know what I’m doing. I didn’t think this part through. I just had to see her, but now I can’t walk away.
It’s not like I can walk up to her and announce that I like her and she should leave this date right now. No. That wouldn’t be fair. But before I can think of what I’m doing, I’m at their table.
“Hey, guys. Fancy seeing you two here,” I say, sounding like a psychopath. Aspen tilts her head in confusion. She knows she told me where she’d be tonight.
“Hey, Mr. Calloway.” Dawson stands and shakes my hand. Like I said, good kid. “Haven’t seen you in a minute. Staying busy?”
“Oh yeah. The Ranch has been packed this summer.”
“Good. That’s great to hear.” Dawson sits back down with a smile on his face. Poor kid has no idea I’m here to sabotage his date.
“What are you doing here, Brooks?” Aspen asks me as calmly as she can.
I hold up the bag. “Came for some dinner.”
“At Melvin’s?”
“Yep. Looks like it.”
“Tonight of all nights, you wanted Melvin’s?”
I look her directly in her pretty blue eyes and repeat, “Yep.”
Her brows furrow, causing a little crease between them. She knows I’m full of shit.
“Melvin’s is good,” Dawson interjects, likely picking up on a weird tension between us.
“It is,” I agree. “So, how’s your evening going?”
“It’s great,” Dawson answers, but he’s not the one I was asking. “We’re getting to know each other.” He reaches his hand out to Aspen, and she takes it and nods in agreement.
I look at her, and she gives me a wide-eyed stare before she says, “Yes, tonight is going great. Dawson is a great guy.”
I know he’s a great guy. I told her as much on the way home from the bar that night. The problem is he’s not me, and I want to be the one sitting across from her.
“Aspen’s pretty great, too. Can’t believe I got lucky enough to be the first one in town to ask her out. And she said yes.”
He smiles at her, and it feels like a punch to my stomach.
“She’s the best,” I agree with him. Dawson is the perfect guy for her.
Not me. I could never be with Aspen the way he could.
With our age difference and Zach? It would never work between us.
But that doesn’t stop me from hoping. “Alright, I’d better get home before my food gets cold. You two have a good night.”
“Thanks, Mr. Calloway.”
Aspen doesn’t say anything as I nod quickly and walk away.
I have no doubt she’s wondering what the hell I’m doing.
I’ve given her no reason to think I have feelings for her, and honestly, I didn’t want to admit to myself that I did.
But now that I’ve acknowledged it, I can’t get her out of my head.
I leave Melvin’s feeling stupid and deflated. What was I hoping would happen? That she’d leave her date and come home with me? If anything, I’ve just made everything worse. Now she knows I’m into her, and I can’t do anything about it.
After I eat my cold burger, I change into sweatpants and decide to sit on my front porch. I genuinely enjoy being outside, but tonight I’m specifically waiting for Aspen. I want to make sure she makes it home ok. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.
Maybe I just like to torture myself. I’m starting to think that’s a real possibility.
Her car eventually pulls up the gravel drive. It’s not late at all, which tells me that the date didn’t go very far.
She turns the car off, tosses her purse by the door, and stomps over in my direction.
“What the hell was that, Brooks?” she asks. Fuck, she’s cute when she’s mad.
“How was your date?” I respond calmly.
“It was great,” she spits out. “We had dinner. Then ice cream while we walked around town. Now answer my question.”
“Do you like him?” I ask.
“He’s a very nice guy. Now again, why were you at Melvin’s?”
“I told you I was hungry.”
“I’ve seen you cook. You make enough food to have leftovers for weeks, and in the couple months I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen you go to Melvin’s for takeout.
” It seems she might know me a little too well.
Better than I thought, anyway. Honestly, it gives me hope that maybe she feels the same about me as I do for her.
I shrug one shoulder. “Felt like Melvin’s tonight.”
“On the one night you knew I was going to be there on a date?”
“Coincidence.”
Her shoulders slump. “Brooks, I’m going to ask you one more time. Why were you at Melvin’s tonight?”
She’s mad and has every right to be, but for some reason, I can’t get myself to admit why I was there. I mean, what am I supposed to say, “Sorry I came to crash your date because I just realized I might have feelings for you and I got jealous.” Yeah, no. I can’t see that going over well.
We stare at each other. She’s breathing heavy after all that yelling, and even though I know she’s pissed at me, she still looks so beautiful.
She got dressed up for him. Of course she did. Because she wants to date him. He’s a better option for her than I am.
After I don’t say anything, she huffs and turns around, stomping back to her house, all the while mumbling something about how unbelievable I am.
Watching her walk away from me triggers something in my brain, and I’m up and following her in seconds.
I catch up to her as she gets to the front door. I grab her arm and spin her toward me, pushing her back up against the door.
I don’t say anything. I don’t need to. Because the second she looks up at me with her big blue eyes, I’m a goner. I bring my free hand to the nape of her neck and lean down to kiss her.
I don’t bother going slow. This woman has been consuming my every thought since she walked onto my ranch.
No, this kiss is not slow. It’s everything.
All the frustration, all the jealousy come out in this kiss.
She doesn’t try to resist me. She molds herself to me, opening her mouth and letting me in.
She whimpers as my tongue slides around hers. After her initial shock wears off, her hands wrap around me, tugging at the back of my shirt like she needs to be closer. I rock my hips against her, and she moans.
I kiss her until it feels like I need more. I need everything. I pull back to tell her to open the door and let me in, but when I see her swollen lips and hooded eyes, the realization of what I’ve just done comes hurtling back at me.
I kissed my son’s ex-girlfriend. The same girl he’s still in love with. I kissed my much younger employee.
What have I done?
I drop my hands and take a step back.
She looks at me, her brows furrowed in confusion when she realizes I’m not taking this further.
Her hands release my shirt and drop to her sides.
“Brooks?” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“I-I can’t. I’m sorry.”
I turn away quickly before I change my mind. I don’t look back. I can’t. I know if I see her again, I won’t be able to walk away. And that’s exactly what I need to do right now.