Chapter 15 – Gentry
fifteen
GENTRY
Itried my best throughout dinner to not let what I thought about how she looked show. It took all my willpower to keep everything in check.
She was so beautiful.
She was walking perfection.
And her hair. I loved it curly. She usually straightened it because of the humidity, but tonight she wore it just the way I liked, and part of me wondered, the part that I kept bottled up and restrained, if she’d done it just for me.
Who was I kidding? She didn’t have me in mind when she did something as mundane as fixing her hair, but I loved the wildness of it, and just for a moment, I wondered if it was as soft as I remembered.
Stop it, Gentry.
I had to berate myself because thoughts of Ainsleigh would lead to more heartache.
“Are y’all ready to go and get a drink?” Aspen asked as she finished putting the dishes into the dishwasher.
Everyone agreed, and the girls grabbed their phones and purses.
Ainsleigh and Aspen climbed into the front seats leaving Dylan and me to get into the back.
I looked over at him, and he kept his eyes trained on Aspen.
Interesting. Maybe he didn’t love Ainsleigh as more than a friend after all, because the soft way he gazed at Aspen reminded me of a time when I looked at Ainsleigh the same way.
He didn’t love Ainsleigh in the romantic sense.
From that look alone, I’d bet my last dollar those feelings were reserved for Aspen and Aspen alone.
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of Whiskey On The Rocks.
It was a rustic barn style building. Whiskey On The Rocks was a new establishment only being here for about two years or so.
They built the three thousand square foot barn on a six-acre lot on the outskirts of town.
Only about two acres were paved, and the rest was a field that would often hold bonfires when the weather permitted.
Since it was summer, the stage was set up outside, and they had a DJ.
The field had trucks parked in a line safely away from the stage, and people were sitting on their tailgates listening to the music.
They didn’t allow for alcohol to be brought onto the premises.
They had tents set up with makeshift bars so they could serve patrons.
The sound of music filled the night sky as we parked and exited the Jeep. Ainsleigh grabbed her friends, one on each side of her, and didn’t wait for me to follow. I tried not to let that sting as I followed them in the direction they were going.
Aspen and Dylan followed her as she walked over to the table where they were selling Jello shots, grabbed two for her friends and a beer for herself, handing the bartender the money to pay.
She hadn't been a big drinker before she left, only trying it out once and deciding that she didn’t like the way she felt afterward.
People were scattered throughout the field. Some I knew. Most I didn’t.
The ones that I did know noticed Ainsleigh the moment she walked in. They all flocked to her, giving her hugs to welcome her home.
My eyes roamed the crowd looking for her brothers who said they’d meet us here. I spotted Brooks’s truck, which was easy to spot due to the lift he had, and headed in that direction.
“Where’s Ainsleigh and her friends?” Leo asked from his spot on the tailgate, as he reached in his cooler and tossed me a water. I caught it one handed.
“Over at one of the bars getting Jello shots,” I replied as I hopped up and settled in beside Leo. I had a perfect view over the crowd of where Ainsleigh and her friends were at the bar.
“How are you doing with her back in town? What’s your motive with her back?” Holden asked from where he leaned against the truck.
“I love that she’s back home. We need to talk, but she’s not ready. We need to have that conversation sooner rather than later.” I kept my answer brief on purpose. Because in truth, I didn’t know how I felt now that she was back, and I didn’t know what I’d do when she ultimately left again.
“Good luck with that. She’s as stubborn as an ox.” Brooks laughed.
I knew that. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. She was going to talk to me eventually.
“That woman is gorgeous,” Leo said beside me, hopping down from the truck.
“You didn’t waste any time tonight,” I joked and uncapped my water, chugging it half down.
“You know me. I never do.” He laughed as he walked away, heading straight for the woman who’d caught his eye.
I scanned the crowd, but had no idea who he was referring to. There were tons of beautiful women here, but I barely noticed. My sights were stuck on Ainsleigh who was currently walking away from the bar with a Solo cup in hand and her friends close behind.
Ainsleigh and her friends walked through the crowd, and I noticed how several men turned as she walked by them.
My teeth clenched with the amount of men who had noticed her, but I kept my facial expressions neutral as she neared.
“Hey there, squirt,” Brooks said as she stood before him. I hopped down from the truck and offered her a spot to sit.
“Don’t call me that. I’m not five anymore,” Ainsleigh replied as her and Aspen hopped on the tailgate.
Dylan stood to Aspen’s right with a beer in his hand.
“Brooks, Holden, these are my friends from college, Aspen and Dylan. Holden is the one leaning against the truck, and Brooks is the taller one standing beside him,” Ainsleigh said as she introduced her friends to her brothers.
“Nice to meet ya,” Aspen yelled and waved.
“Nice to meet you,” Dylan said as he walked over and shook Brooks's hand then Holden’s.
“How are y’all liking Texas so far?” Brooks asked.
“It’s hotter than Virginia, that's for sure.” Dylan laughed.
“This is nothing. How long are y’all planning on staying?” Holden asked before taking a swig of his beer.
“We’ll be here until Sunday morning, and then Dylan and I are heading to see my cousins in Sunset River,” Aspen replied.
“You know people in Sunset River? I know the Davenports from there,” Holden replied.
“It’s such a small world. The Davenports are my family.” Aspen laughed, her expression one of shock.
“Yeah, I know Rhett. We’ve hung out a few times. Tell him I said hi when you see him,” Holden said, and Aspen agreed.
I tried to keep my eyes focused on anything but Ainsleigh. She looked beautiful tonight. The moonlight danced across her pale skin. Before I could get too lost in thought, I shook my head and focused on the conversation between her friends and brothers.
They talked about their time in college, and how they had met, but I didn’t really hear any of it.
“Let’s go dance,” Ainsleigh said as she chugged down the rest of her drink and sat the cup on the tailgate.
Aspen hopped down, and she and Dylan followed behind Ainsleigh.
We weren’t far from where everyone danced, so I walked over and stood in the crowd, keeping a watchful eye.
At first, they all danced together, swaying to the beat of each song. They were laughing and jumping around, appearing to have the time of their lives.
Five songs later, a man about our age leaned over and I assumed asked Aspen to dance.
She turned and started dancing with him. I noticed Dylan turn and watch for a second before pulling Aspen into him.
Ainsleigh turned and leaned her back toward the man’s front.
Grinding my teeth, I watched the scene unfold before me. Soon after, they were dancing in a way that should have been illegal for the public eye.
Every part of me wanted to go over there and pummel that man into the ground, but I couldn’t.
She wasn’t doing anything wrong. I hated seeing her in the arms of another man, though.
Seeing him touching her when it should have been me.
Was supposed to be only me. I didn’t have a right to feel this way.
Shouldn’t even let the feelings of possessiveness begin, because if I let them out just a smidge, they’d take over, and I’d do something stupid.
Like want her to be mine and try to make that want a reality.
One of the girls we went to school with walked up to me and started talking, but I didn’t hear a word.
My eyes remained fixated on Ainsleigh and the way she danced with him.
She was so carefree in this moment. Her head went from side to side as the beat picked up, and she had her arms in the air.
This was what I wanted for her. For her to move on and be happy.
Or that was what I told myself time and time again to convince my head what my heart wouldn’t give up. That she was meant to be mine.
I noticed the moment the dancing went from carefree to serious.
The man she was dancing with held her a little tighter, and she tried and failed to get out of his grasp.
Every part of me wanted to rush over there and save her, but I waited. She could handle her own, and if she couldn’t, then I’d intervene.
That lasted all of two seconds. The moment she broke free of his hold on her waist and went to walk away, the man had the audacity to grab her by her arm to pull her back.
I moved faster than I thought possible and let out a loud whistle that her brothers and I used on the ranch, hoping they could hear me during the break in the music.
I was at her side in seconds. She pushed him way, and he pulled her right back.
Not on my watch.
“Hey, man, let the lady go,” I demanded as I put my hand around Ainsleigh’s hip to try to get her free from his grasp.
She screamed as he pulled her arm harder.
I saw red.
I didn’t think.
I just reacted.
I let her go and punched him in his nose.
His hand let go of her arm to grab his nose, and blood spewed everywhere as he stumbled back and away from Ainsleigh.
I pulled Ainsleigh into my side and rubbed my hand up and down her arm. She tensed for a moment in my embrace and then turned her head, resting against my chest.
Just as the man stumbled away, her brothers surrounded us.