Chapter 6 – Gentry
six
GENTRY
Ihelped Lillian set the table because I needed something to occupy my mind or I’d do nothing but focus on the fact that Ainsleigh was home.
I wanted to hash it out with her. Not because I wanted to speak with her, but because once we had that talk, she could go her way, and I could go mine, and I’d never have to speak to her again.
She raced down the stairs following her brother, and a smile graced her beautiful face. They chased each other down the hallway, her laughing the entire time as she tried to catch up with him.
But I could tell that she’d been crying.
It’s not your problem anymore.
I had to remind myself that I didn’t care about what she felt. I wanted to feel glad that she had been crying, but the sight of her tears always got to me.
I walked around the table and went over to the island in the center of the kitchen to grab the dishes full of Ainsleigh’s favorites.
Pot roast.
Ainsleigh’s favorite.
I wasn’t paying attention as I rounded the island, stepping right in front of her. A loud thud sounded behind me, and I knew before I even turned around that she’d hit the floor.
I tried. I really did. But I couldn’t help myself.
I let out a laugh at the fact that she’d just landed on her butt.
“It’s not funny. When did you get so solid?”
I turned around, trying to hold the laughter in as I offered to help her off the floor.
She swatted my hand away and used the doorjamb to pull herself up.
“I’ve always been this solid, or don’t you remember, sweetheart?” I whispered, and she let out a frustrated sound.
“What’s the matter, Ainsleigh? Did you forget how to walk while you were away?” her brother, Brooks, joked from the massive dining table.
“Why do I put up with all of you?” she grunted as a half smile appeared on her face as she walked over to the table.
“Because you love us,” Leo taunted from his seat beside Holden.
The three of them laughed when I finally walked over to the table, noticing the traitors had filled in all the seats except the one right beside her.
As soon as I sat down and slid my chair forward, her elbow met my rib cage in retaliation. I tried to not react, but damn, she had some power behind that blow.
She looked in my direction with a scowl on her face. A look that I knew meant business.
“Now, now, children. Play nice with each other,” her mother scolded as she brought over the roasting pan with what I knew held the most delicious pot roast I’d ever tasted to date.
“Since when do we not play nice, Mom?” Holden asked as he reached for the fork to get some of the pot roast.
Lillian, who’d come to be a woman I looked up to as a mother over the years, smacked the fork out of his hand and told him that his sister deserved to get the first serving. I was happy to see that nothing had changed between the siblings after four years spent apart.
Ainsleigh stuck her tongue out at him and made sure she grabbed a bigger portion than I was sure she could eat.
Once everyone had their portions on their plates, we all bowed our heads as Sawyer prayed over the meal we were about to receive.
I took a moment to pray to God for the strength to get through the times ahead now that Ainsleigh had returned.
I prayed over her return and that she had healed enough while she had been away to face the memories that would be hard for her to remember.
We all said amen and began to dig in to the meal.
I cut into the pot roast and looked over at Ainsleigh.
She took a bite of pot roast and moaned.
“How was the drive from the airport?” Brooks asked with a knowing smirk. He knew her driving back with me would drive his sister crazy.
“Fine,” Ainsleigh said as she looked down at her plate and took another bite.
“It wasn’t that bad,” I countered, knowing I’d get her riled up.
“Why couldn’t one of you pick me up?” she countered.
“We were all busy,” Holden replied before taking another bite of food.
“Busy, yeah, okay. You all set me up, and you know it.”
She hated the fact that I’d picked her up. Good. Maybe she’d leave me alone while she was home.
“Nah, baby sis. We would never do such a thing,” Leo joked as he tried to hide his laughter.
“Bull. How about we bring up she who shall not be named and see how you feel? What was her name again? Car…”
“Don’t,” Leo interrupted with a scowl on his face.
We never brought up Leo’s ex, as she was a huge sore spot for him. And judging by the scowl that marred Leo’s face, Ainsleigh won that round.
“That’s what I thought,” Ainsleigh goaded as she continued eating, and a smile crossed her lips.
Playful banter continued between the siblings as they talked about what Ainsleigh had missed while she was gone. I was grateful they hadn’t mentioned me and my current living situation.
That was my story to tell. One I hoped to discuss with her in private.
“I thought your friends were joining you today?” Sawyer asked Ainsleigh from the head of the table.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin before she looked over to him and replied.
“They were goin’ to, but they had some stuff to wrap up before they came. They’ll be here at the end of the week. They are drivin’ over so they are bringin’ my things with them.”
Friends. What friends would those be? Her parents hadn’t mentioned their arrival.
“It’s Dylan and Aspen, right?” her mother asked.
“Yeah. They’re great. I’m sure you’ll all love them.”
Dylan? Who was he, and what did he mean to Ainsleigh?
“We can’t wait to meet them.” Leo smirked. I was sure he was only referring to Aspen, but I didn’t rat him out. I probably wouldn’t need to. All the Courtright siblings knew how Leo was, but Ainsleigh hadn’t been around to see how bad he’d become about warding off relationships.
“I’m sure you can’t, player. And don’t even think about hittin’ on Aspen,” Ainsleigh replied with a wink.
She knew her brother well.
He grabbed at his chest like she’d broken his heart, but everyone knew of the infamous Leo Courtright and his playboy ways.
His parents included. They never missed a beat.
Including the love I still shared for their daughter.
A love they still encouraged me to seek.
Only I wouldn’t be seeking anything when it came to Ainsleigh.
I might still love her, but I didn’t love her enough to trust her with my heart again.
“That was delicious as usual, Lil,” Sawyer spoke as he rubbed his now full stomach.
“Yeah, Mom, it was great.” All the siblings spoke in unison, something I was sure they’d rehearsed over the years, since it always happened with every meal.
Ainsleigh stood and started clearing the dishes. Her mother tried to stop her, but she shushed her and continued her task at hand.
“You just got home, honey. I’ll do the dishes.”
“No, you won’t. You cooked. I’ll clean it all up.”
“Fine, I won’t argue with you,” her mom replied reluctantly.
“We’ve got plans. We’ll see you bright and early, old man,” Brooks said as he stood from the table. The other two brothers followed suit, each kissing their mother on the cheek before they left the room.
“You want to go into the den and cuddle on the couch with a movie?” Sawyer asked his wife as he stood.
“You don’t have to ask me twice. I get to pick the movie, though,” she replied with a smirk.
Seeing the love they both shared after all these years planted a tiny seed of hope. Especially since not much love was expressed in the home I grew up in.
“Of course, you do, sweetheart,” he readily agreed with her as he walked over to the sink where Ainsleigh waited for the water to fill.
“Be ready to go at four thirty in the morning. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow,” he said as he kissed the top of her head.
“Dad, seriously. I didn’t come home just to go to work,” she groaned.
“Seriously. You’ve got someone who’d love nothing more than to see you. You returning home doesn’t steer you away from your responsibilities, Ainsleigh. Everyone chips in around here.”
“Yes, sir,” she grumbled behind a smile. I knew at that moment she realized he was referring to her horse, Sparkle. Her eyes always brightened up at the mention of her beloved horse.
“I think she missed you more than we did,” her dad said before he left the kitchen.
Walking over to where she stood with one foot placed on the side of her leg, I leaned my hip against the counter and watched as she carefully placed each dish into the steaming hot water.
“Want some help?” I reluctantly asked.
“You want to wash dishes?” she asked, as a baffled look appeared on her face.
Not exactly. But I needed to make sure I did my part around here. Lillian and Sawyer had taken me in after she left, and I was eternally grateful. But she didn’t need to know any of that.
“Sure. Why not?” I replied as I grabbed the dish towel hanging from the front of the stove.
She washed and I rinsed, dried, and put them away.
No words were spoken.
This seemed normal.
Almost domesticated.
Only it wasn’t either of those things.
It was painful.
Heartbreaking.
The silence between us held all the unspoken words we needed to have one day. The unspoken conversation was so relevant between us I was sure you could slice the tension with a knife. A day that I was sure might just break both of us even more than we already were. But today wasn’t that day.
Neither of us addressed it.
We just continued our tasks at hand. Neither of us were willing to break the tension. Neither of us were willing to be the first one to broach the painful memories that we’d both endured. Only one source of my pain was dealt by her hand.
And when we were finished cleaning up, she went her way and I went mine.