25. Twenty-Five
Twenty-Five
Kyla
I was loving this. Every second of it. Even if I was just sitting in the stands, watching the rodeo was thrilling. Watching Rhett was thrilling. I relished in the way he made me feel, enjoying the way his arms felt around my waist as he enveloped me. All the fears and anxieties that seemed to follow me simply weren’t there when I was with him. A part of me wanted to feel like this forever.
But . . . why couldn’t I? Why did I have to let the background thoughts of this temporary marriage shadow the way my heart fluttered when I saw him. He had said it himself several times. It was real. And right now, I wanted nothing more than for it to be real.
Rhett placed third in his second run, and after Buckle was settled, we raced back to the hotel to change and get ready for the night out. Rhett kept his Wranglers and boots on, but quickly removed his shirt covered in sponsor patches, only to replace it with a simple green t-shirt. It fit him just snug enough, showing off the way his chest was formed. Just looking at him made me want to reach out and touch him, slip my fingers up his shirt to feel his skin against mine. Biting my bottom lip I began to sway, watching him with anticipation.
“If I didn’t know any better, Mrs. Hartwell, I’d say you were ready to hit the town.” His laugh hit my ear.
I stopped my sway and bit down harder on my lip. “It’s been a minute since I’ve been out. Plus, I’m still on a high from the rodeo.”
“It was a great rodeo tonight.” He smiled, reaching for his hat before coming to slip his hands around my waist. He pulled me closer to him, our hips meeting as his heavy eyes met mine.
“Third place is amazing, Cowboy. And yes.” I grinned, tilting my head. “I am actually really, really looking forward to going out. Who’s coming?”
He smiled, and god his smile. I couldn’t get enough of it. It had only been four— was it really only that long? —weeks but it felt like longer, it felt like more. Not just because of the little kisses we shared, but because of the moments we had spent together. The way he made me feel whole. Grace’s words still rang in the back of my head. The simple “ You’ll be here” played like a broken record over and over in my head, only fading when I was in Rhett’s arms.
“Zeke, Jaxon, Darren. And I need you to do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“I need you to guess things about them.”
I let out a laugh. “I mainly do that to break the ice you know. ”
“Perfect.” He kissed the tip of my nose and if his arms weren’t around my waist, I would have fallen. He stepped away, his hands leaving my waist slowly, as if he knew I needed the extra support after the nose kiss, but the warmth left as he turned to grab my shoulder bag and hat, placing it on my head before passing to the front door.
Opening the door, he turned and held out his open palm to me. “Ready, Mrs. Hartwell?”
I looked at his empty palm, his wedding ring giving off the tiniest bit of shine. Licking my lips, I slid my hand in his, feeling that jolt of electricity that always came with him.
“Are you ready to get your ass beat at pool again, Mr. Hartwell?”
“How?” Zeke’s elbow hit the table with a thud as he pointed at me. “How can you possibly guess five things about me without even knowing me?”
“I’m telling you”—Rhett leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on his knee, the other draped on the back of my chair—“she guessed all but one for me.”
“And with Wyatt . . .” I looked over at him. “I got all five, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Wyatt’s easy though. Listen, chick, you don’t even know me.” Zeke narrowed his eyes to me.
“Did you just call my wife ‘ chick’ ?” Rhett glared at his friend.
“Hey there, Cowboy, calm down.” I placed my hand on Rhett’s knee, giving him a reassuring look before turning back to Zeke, “ How about this. I get five things right, and the next round is on you. I get any wrong and you can call me chick for the rest of the night.” I folded my arms in front of me and looked at the cowboy across the table. I smirked, hoping he would fall for it. Thankfully, Rhett had already told me some fun facts about his friends.
“Chick is a good one, I never thought of that when I was trying to find nicknames,” Rhett mumbled under his breath, grabbing his pint from the table bringing it to his lips.
“Chick is a terrible nickname,” I snapped. “Ready?”
Zeke lifted his chin and met my gaze, “Hit me.”
Rubbing my palms together I wiggled in my seat. I looked over at Rhett, whose eyebrows were lifted as his gaze firmly planted on my waist. He liked that little wiggle. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. Not the time, Kyla. Get a free drink.
“You drive a Toyota.” I smiled.
“Okay there’s one. But what kind?” Zeke narrowed his eyes.
“Tundra. It’s silver and the guys give you crap for it. Everyone else drives a Chevy or a Ford, but you have the Toyota.”
“That still counts as one.”
Rhett snorted as his nose bent down into his pint. “I say that’s two because she got the color.”
“You’ve won your fair share of rodeos, Rhett here is actually your biggest competition.” I never once lost eye contact with Zeke. He furrowed his brow.
“True.” Zeke admitted, “But anyone could guess that.”
“I bet your real name is Ezekial. Your mom probably named you from the Bible. ”
“That’s not impressive. Is anyone with the name Ezekial not named from the Bible.” Zeke dropped his arm on the table, causing our drinks to rattle.
“And last—”
“No, you got two more.”
“—your drink order.”
Rhett snorted, again, forcing me to turn.
“Nah, that doesn’t count. I ordered the beer while—”
“While I was in the restroom.” I finished the sentence for him.
Zeke slid his pint across the table and held it close to his chest. “Still don’t think that counts. You can smell it.”
“The whole place smells like beer, Zeke,” Darren, who had been the quietest, finally said. “I’m getting a kick out of this and hope she does me next.”
“She’s not ‘doing’ anyone,” Rhett mumbled.
I slapped his knee and turned back to Zeke. “Your drink order.”
Zeke shook his head. “Okay, what beer did I order?”
“You ordered the Crimson Cascade.” I smiled, cocking an eyebrow and flipping my hair over my shoulder. I felt Rhett’s fingers grace the nape of my neck. Shivers ran through me, but I held my stare on Zeke.
“Damn!” Darren cheered.
Zeke lifted his pint to his lips and took a long pull. “Best beer in the joint.” Setting the mug on the table, he leaned in and looked at me. “How much did Rhett tell you?”
I gave him a cheeky grin. “Not much.” I leaned across the table. “I’m just good at reading people.
“He had to have told you my order. ”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “I saw your license. Colorado. It’s the only Colorado-brewed beer here so of course you had to go for it. Darren ordered one brewed in Montana and Rhett stuck with the—”
“Most watered-down beer in the joint. Simply because it’s local.” Rhett finished my sentence for me. “Next round is on Zeke.”
After successfully guessing facts about the other two cowboys, we made our way to a pool table, only to be ditched the moment a few girls approached Darren and Jaxson. Once they saw those girls take their hats, they were lost to us. Zeke had played a few games with Rhett, both winning one until he excused himself to call his wife back home. Once he was out of sight, Rhett grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor.
The live band had stuck to country songs, slow and smooth, and set the mood as the night went on. Being in Rhett’s arms as he swayed me back and forth . . . my memory went straight back to that first night. The one where I told myself to be free. The one where I told Rhett I wanted him. I took a shaky breath, having no idea how I ended up here, but not regretting a single moment of it.
The moment the notes for Josh Turner’s “Your Man” started playing, my heart basically skipped a beat. This was the song he first kissed me to. I blinked, wondering if he remembered that as vividly as I had. After all, it wasn’t that long ago.
“Do you remember the first time we danced to this song?” I asked, my voice heavy.
“I do,” he responded, dropping his chin. “I’ll never forget that night, Kyla. ”
I ran my palms on his shoulders, my fingers lacing on the nape of his neck. “I don’t think I ever will either. I felt so . . . so . . .”
“So, what?” Rhett’s voice lowered, urging me on. He didn’t finish my sentence like David would. Rhett wanted me to speak. He wanted me to say it. He wanted me to be in control.
“So free,” I mused. “I know I say that a lot, that I was never this way before and I’m not sure how to act and how to be, but it’s true. I’m not sure how else to say it other than I felt free.”
Rhett was silent, his eyes heavy on me. He studied me, his eyes roaming as his hands traced up my back, his fingers pressing into my dress, sending chills up my spine. He felt the same way. I knew he did. He didn’t have to tell me; I didn’t have to second guess it. It was the way his hand always found mine. The way he always tried to find time to kiss me even if it was simple, the way he jumped in and was willing to become my husband. Rhett was falling.
And the more I thought about it, the more I thought about him , the more I knew I was too.
Even if it was ridiculous. Even if it was too quick.
It just felt . . .
Real.
“Rhett . . .” I muttered, not even loud enough for me to hear.
“Kyla.” Rhett’s voice stopped me, making me look up at him. “I don’t want this to end.”
“The song?” I asked, knowing exactly what he was talking about. And it wasn’t the song.
“The song, the night, us. All of it. I don’t want any of this to end. Kyla . . .” His hand lifted from my side and landed on my neck, his fingers threading through my hair with ease. “I’ve been falling for you since the moment I saw you. Just having you with me I can feel myself falling further and further. Please, I don’t want this to end.”
My voice crept up my throat before I could stop it. “I don’t want it to either.”
“Stay with me,” he whispered, his smooth buttery voice sending shivers down my spine. “No more thinking this is temporary, because I can assure you, for me, it’s very, very real.”
“It’s real,” I repeated. “I think I was just telling myself it was temporary to not fall . . .”
“Kyla.”
“I’ve fallen, Rhett. When I’m with you I . . . I never want it to stop.”
“You’ll stay?”
I looked up at him, the heat in his eyes all too real, making me forget the thought that had bubbled in my mind the second I told him I had fallen. “I know we’re married, but I want to know you, I want to date you. When we get back from our trip, let’s go on a date. A real date.”
“Can I kiss you anytime I want?” he asked, a single eyebrow lifting.
“Rhett Hartwell, you can kiss me every minute of every day. I’ll welcome each one and count the minutes until the next,” I admitted, using my hand to bring his lips close to mine.
He kissed me, the taste of him flowing onto my tongue and his scent wrapping around me. His hand cupped my face as our bodies swayed to the music, Josh Turner still crooning as everything else in the world vanished .
Breaking the kiss, I leaned my forehead against his. He let out a long, heavy sigh before lifting his chin and looking at me.
“So, what do I call you? I can’t really say you’re my boyfriend, but if we are really making this official . . .”
“I’m your husband, and you’re my wife. Mrs. Hartwell.”
“Husband.” I kissed him again. “I really, really like the sound of that.”
“And Mrs. Hartwell . . .”
“The best nickname you’ve ever given me.”
“You’re staying?” he asked again, almost as if the kisses and admissions weren’t enough for him.
It was going to be strange, and a lot of work to cancel everything I had set up for me in Washington. Grace was going to be excited; I knew that for sure. My mother, well, she’d get over it. It was going to take time to really truly feel at home on the ranch, and then find a job in the town. But just thinking of everything made me excited. It made my heart jump and the chills Rhett created grow stronger.
It wasn’t exactly what I had planned, but maybe Rhett was right. I needed him. I needed this.
“I’m staying. I’m yours, Rhett Hartwell.”
“Thank God,” Rhett growled before his lips crashed into mine for the most amazing, knee shattering, heart pounding kiss I had ever had.