Chapter 33 – Ainsleigh
thirty-three
AINSLEIGH
Today had gone by surprisingly fast.
I’d accomplished a lot with Loretta, and felt more confident about taking over her position.
We’d spent the day with her shadowing me, and while I’d made a few errors that were easily corrected, she praised me for how quickly I’d picked everything back up.
I’d even used the drone and made a few videos that I’d discussed with my dad and updated our social media and websites. The videos were getting positive comments and were gaining traction, which made me feel even more accomplished.
Just as I was shutting down the computer for the day, I heard the office door open.
“Hey there, butterfly. You just about done?” Gentry asked as he stood in the doorway.
I scanned the room one last time making sure I hadn’t missed anything and grabbed my bag.
“I’m ready,” I said as I turned to face him, giving him a big smile. I walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss before I set the alarm.
We walked hand in hand out the door over to Gentry’s truck that he’d left running.
“Happy looks good on you, butterfly,” Gentry said with a laugh as he put the truck in drive.
“Words can’t describe how good it feels to be truly happy and not faking it ’til I make it,” I confessed as I looked over at him. He came to a stop at the end of the drive and looked over in my direction. So much love stared back at me, but I didn’t question it. Instead, I embraced it.
“You want pasta for dinner?” I asked, suddenly starving from the busy day.
“That sounds great. We can finish anything you didn’t get to yesterday as dinner cooks,” he suggested. He knew me so well.
A couple of minutes later, we pulled into the driveway of my new home.
He shut off the truck, and got out. I made sure I waited until he rounded the front and opened my door for me.
He smiled at me as he held out his hand to help me down.
I took his hand and grinned at him as I got out.
He shut the door behind me and we walked over to the porch.
My steps faltered as I looked over to the porch swing.
I couldn’t wait to have a lazy night out here with Gentry just taking in the sounds and the night sky.
“What’s on your mind, butterfly?” he asked as he looked over at me.
“Just thinking of our future here,” I confessed, excited at the mention of having a future with this amazing man.
“Good thoughts I hope,” he replied with a wink.
“The best thoughts,” I countered as we continued our walk up the steps and into the house.
I hung my bag on the hook by the door and walked into the kitchen.
Grabbing a pot from the cabinet, I filled it with water and placed it on the stove. I turned the burner on high and sprinkled some salt in.
Gentry walked up behind me and caged me in, his hands on either side of me gripping the stove handle.
“I love seeing you back here,” he said as he kissed the side spot where my shoulder and neck met.
I leaned into him, and sighed.
“Words can’t describe how happy I am in this moment,” I told him.
“I’m happy you’re happy. What all do you need to finish that you didn’t get done yesterday?”
He pulled back and I turned to face him, letting him know that I just needed help hanging some photos and changing some curtains. The water began to boil so I grabbed a box of pasta and poured in the contents, giving it a quick stir and set a timer so we didn’t forget.
We worked in relative silence as he helped me finish the few tasks I had. Since the house was fully furnished, I didn’t need to worry about much other than making this place feel like my own.
My stomach growled as the timer went off for the pasta.
Gentry walked into the kitchen and finished getting the pasta ready and dumped the jar of alfredo sauce into the pan. He let it warm a bit before he plated our food and brought it back to the living room for us to eat.
“Let’s get you fed before you wither away,” he joked as he handed me the bowl.
We sat on the couch where I devoured the meal.
“Slow down, the food’s not going anywhere,” Gentry said as he chewed.
“I’m just starving,” I confessed after I finished chewing my last bite.
“How’s it feel to finally be in your own place?”
“It feels like freedom. Like I’m finally taking the next step in the right direction of where I’m meant to be.”
We hadn’t discussed him moving in here, but we’d get there. We’d wasted enough time already. I didn’t want to waste a second more.
I took the final bite of my pasta, ready to make my next confession. I needed to tell him how I felt about him. I didn’t want to waste another moment or have him question my feelings for him.
“Thank you so much for helping me today.” I didn’t want to just throw the three words at him. I wanted the moment to be meaningful.
“I’ll do anything for you, beautiful,” he replied with a grin as he took his last bite of food.
“Gentry, I…” Just as I was about to tell him, his phone rang.
He pulled it out of his pocket, my dad’s name on the screen.
I couldn’t hear what my dad had to say, but I could tell we weren’t going to finish this conversation as Gentry’s posture straightened, and he got to his feet.
He ended the call and turned to face me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t have to go because I needed to tell him how I felt.
“There’s an emergency in the kitchen,” he said as he turned toward me.
“Will you come back over later?”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I’ll message you and see if you’re still awake,” he said as he kissed me on the lips.
He rushed out of the house, and I followed, leaning against the doorframe. I watched him leave, not moving until I saw his taillights disappear down the drive.
“I love you, cowboy,” I whispered into the open air, wishing I was saying the words to him.
After I finished cleaning up the mess from dinner, I plopped down on my bed completely exhausted.
I checked my phone for a message from Gentry, only one never came.