Chapter 27 – Ainsleigh #2
“I’m definitely a morning person,” he said, and I could feel the smile that graced his lips at the back of my head.
“Nope. That’s a deal breaker,” I joked. I hated getting up so early in the morning. You’d think I’d be a morning person with having to get up at the crack of dawn on the weekends to help out on the ranch, but I’d sleep in if I could.
“A deal breaker, huh?” he asked as he tickled my sides.
I laughed and instantly moved to get away from him. I hated being tickled almost as much as I hated the alarm clock going off at four in the morning.
“You can run, but you can’t hide out here, butterfly,” he joked as he pulled me back to keep me from getting too far away from him. I landed on the ground, and he loomed over top of me, his hands digging back into my sides as laughter escaped me.
“Uncle,” I screamed as I tried and failed to get away from him.
He relented as he laid beside me, both of us trying to catch our breath.
“What’s your favorite sound?” I asked breathlessly.
Turning my head to face him, I waited for him to deny my question, since it was technically his turn.
His eyes met mine as he whispered, “Hearing you laugh.”
My heart beat faster in my chest as I took in his answer. This man said the sweetest things. And I knew he meant it because Gentry Parkhurst rarely said anything he didn’t mean.
“You’re too sweet,” I responded as I rolled to my side to face him.
He turned to face me and pulled me to him. Our chests were flush against each other as we stared into each other’s eyes.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked, the game long forgotten.
All I could do was nod because Gentry asking me to kiss him was such a Gentry thing to do.
His hand left my hip to cup my cheek as he leaned forward. My breath caught in my throat as my eyes closed, and I waited for his lips to meet mine.
His lips softly brushed mine, and my heart beat faster as a sigh left both our lips. I wrapped both of my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. His lips on mine felt like a homecoming, like everything was finally right in the world.
He pulled back and rested his head against mine.
My phone vibrated on the blanket, pulling us out of our daze.
He leaned up on his elbow and reached over to grab the device, and his expression fell when he looked at the screen.
He handed it over to me without saying a word.
Glancing down, I saw the reason for his downward expression.
Kyle’s message was on the top of the screen.
I threw the phone down on the blanket with a groan.
Gentry laid on the blanket on his back, his arm underneath his head as he stared up at the sky.
“Ask me,” I pleaded. I needed him to know there was nothing going on with Kyle and me.
“Who’s Kyle?” he asked without looking at me.
This was going to hurt him to hear, and I didn’t quite know how to explain it without causing him pain.
“My ex. We broke up before graduation, but he won’t stop messaging me,” I explained.
“How long were y’all together?” He still wouldn’t look at me, and I understood. I wouldn’t want to hear about him being with someone else either.
“Six months, but I need to explain, and I need you to look at me while I do.”
He rolled to his side, and his eyes reflected the pain he felt as he stared at me, waiting for my response.
“I didn’t love him. I never did. I was with him because he was comfortable.
He made me laugh, but he never made me feel anything.
I’d only ever kissed him. He said he understood that I wanted to wait and wasn’t ready, and I walked in on him cheating on me at a party he lied to me about.
I wasn’t even heartbroken. I only shed one tear out of humiliation, never out of heartbreak,” I said as I stared into his green eyes.
“Why?”
I shook my head, not understanding what he’d asked.
“Why didn’t you fall in love with him? Why didn’t you take the next step with him?” he asked, his eyes only leaving mine once he finished asking the question. His voice broke at the end of the second one. I know it hurt to ask.
“He wasn’t you,” I whispered. It was the truth. I couldn’t fall in love with Kyle no matter how hard he tried because my heart was still here in Texas with the man I’d left behind.
I hated that he’d put space between us. I hated that Kyle had the worst timing in the world when it felt like we were having the breakthrough we needed. I didn’t want Gentry to be hurt, but I couldn’t erase the past four years. I could only hope we could move past it.
“What are you thinking?” I asked as I touched his arm, more to reassure me than him.
“Is there a chance you’ll take him back?”
“Absolutely not,” I answered with conviction. Cheating is a no-go for me. Plus, I still loved the man who laid in front of me. I just wasn’t ready to tell him yet.
“I’m sorry for ruining our date. You put so much thought into it, and it was the perfect night until now.”
“You didn’t ruin anything. You ready to head back in? It’ll be dark soon,” he said as he smiled at me, a smile that didn’t meet his eyes.
He could say I didn’t ruin the evening, but the way his cheerful mood dissipated indicated my confession put a damper on it.
We packed up and rode the ATV back to the house. Gentry parked the ATV in the barn and helped me off.
I put my hand in his to stop him from walking away.
“You planned the perfect date. Thank you for such a wonderful evening. One more question before we call it a night?”
I didn’t want the night to end and wanted to lighten the mood.
“What’s your last question?” he asked, his fingers caressing mine as his hold on my hand tightened.
“What’s your favorite scent?”
“That’s easy. Vanilla,” he said with a wink. My cheeks blushed. I didn’t miss that his favorite scent was the same as my perfume.
“Your turn,” I said as I held my breath. I didn’t know what he would ask, and after he’d found out about Kyle, I didn’t know if he’d ask anything else about our relationship, not that I’d hide anything from him. I just didn’t want our night to end with Kyle being the last topic of our conversation.
“What does your dream home look like?”
I chuckled at his odd question. Where did he come up with these? It’s almost like he stored them over the years, just waiting for the moment to ask them.
“My dream home is the house my grandparents left me in their will. I’ve always envisioned living there.
To wake up to the view of their backyard while I sip my cup of coffee.
To enjoy nights by the fireplace and days on the porch swing.
I want to fill it with as much love as they had,” I honestly replied.
“Goodnight, my beautiful butterfly,” he said as he leaned in and kissed my forehead, his lips lingered a little longer than he had the day before, and my heart swelled.
Once I was inside the house, I leaned against the back door and sighed, and a huge smile appeared on my face.
I loved that man so much I could burst.