Chapter 33
SUTTON
Despite taking the day off to spend with Kelsey, I still ended up spending my morning and early afternoon in the kitchen. At least it was my apartment’s kitchen and it was by choice. I also had Felix and Oscar with me which was fun, although they were less than helpful.
Now I’m waiting at the trailhead, which has become one of my favorite places to spend time ever since my first night in town, when Kelsey walked with me along the creek.
While it’s beautiful, the trails that lead into the mountains, out of town, were the perfect paths to unwind after the stressful nights at Gloria’s, especially in those early days.
Last week, when we came out here together, she hiked faster than me, and I don’t think it’s solely because she knows these trails like the back of her hand.
I think she loves clearing her mind by letting the trail guide us to the right level of physical exertion and natural beauty to take the edge off after a stressful day.
When I see Kelsey walking down the path to the trailhead, I’m very aware of a different kind of natural beauty.
Her long black hair is pulled into a ponytail and she’s wearing a strappy, baby blue sports bra.
I've noticed that she’s been wearing more colors lately.
She always looks stunning, but I love the way color pops against her creamy skin.
What really has my heart working overtime right now is her shorts.
She’s in a pair of black high rise spandex shorts that leave her thighs on display and I can only imagine what the view from behind is like.
I know my heart is doing its job because my cock starts to swell in my shorts, which is not what I need right now.
“Hey there,” she says when she reaches me at the trail sign. I strain to look away from her legs and when I do, she flashes me a mischievous grin that tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing to me.
I step to her and drop my hands to her waist, hooking my fingertips into the top of her shorts. I give her a quick kiss and whisper into her ear. “Truce.”
She squints back at me. “Truce?”
“Mmhmm,” I nod slowly. “If we’re going to see who can find shorter shorts, I feel like we won’t be allowed in public anymore.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Alright, dork.”
I give the wide waistband of her shorts one playful tug before letting them snap back. She lets out a little gasp and I smirk back. “So you’re ready for a hike?”
“Yep.” Her eyes linger on the large backpack slung over my shoulder. “I’d ask if you are, but it looks like you might be overprepared for a short hike.”
“Supplies for later. You can never be too prepared.” I pat the bag and sling the backpack cooler over my other shoulder. “Now come on. Let’s get going. I don’t want to get stuck out in the dark and run into Agnes later.”
I turn and start to walk down the tree-lined dirt path along the creek, gesturing over my shoulder for her to follow.
She catches up to me and starts to walk at my side. “Wait. You actually met Agnes?”
I keep a steady pace down the trail. “I wouldn’t say met so much as I would say stumbled upon. I’m not sure the moose I saw was specifically Agnes, but you weren’t kidding, they are huge. Those antlers? Holy shit. Yeah, I got the hell out of there.”
She laughs so hard I almost worry something is wrong with her.
I look her over just to confirm she’s fine, but end up letting my eyes linger on her bare legs.
Something about those short shorts with her hiking boots and calf length socks is definitely doing it for me right now.
She turns and smiles at me, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder, which makes her bangs flop around.
My mind goes right to picturing her looking up at me with her lips wrapped around my cock while I fist her ponytail. Yep. This is going to be a long hike.
“What’s so funny?”
“You didn’t see Agnes if you saw antlers. That was a bull moose. Seriously, between Oscar and now this, I’m wondering if you know anything about animals and biology.”
“Funny.” I snort a laugh. “At least I know how to tell if the brakes on my car are shot.” I flick my eyebrows at her.
Her lips part in a mock gasp, still walking alongside me. “What? I’m just a girl. They didn’t teach that in school like they did with basic biology.”
“Not just a girl—a very pretty one,” I correct her. “Just like I’m a pretty boy. So I guess we have being pretty in common at least. Maybe together we make one functioning adult.”
“That’s wishful thinking.” She smiles warmly back at me and we continue walking along the creek away from the trailhead.
On my solo hikes, I quickly pieced together that the main trail feeds a multitude of others—venturing off into the mountains above us.
I feel like I’ve checked out enough to already have some favorites, but after our last hike, I learned there are so many I’ve yet to explore.
Unlike last time, I can see that she must be tired today. Instead of bounding ahead of me because she can hardly contain her love for this place, she’s staying right beside me and I can tell there’s just a little bit of energy missing from her step.
“So what’d you get up to while I was gone besides keeping Oscar company? Was dinner with your parents good?”
“Yeah, it was great.” She keeps hiking along the trail, looking ahead for any hazards. “And I did work a couple shifts at Gloria’s and picked up some extra hours with Monica.”
“I know you work hard, but why have you been picking up so many extra shifts? If you think you need to do all of that to pay me back for the apartment, you don’t.
Just do what you can. Seriously, I hope you’re doing it for something fun, like saving up for a new car?
” I tease, even though I wish she would get anything safer than her old car.
I’m still letting her borrow my car with the excuse that I don’t use it enough, but secretly it’s because I want her to have any comfort that she can. “Or did you just miss me that much?”
She shoots me a playful glare. “Getting a little cocky now, aren’t we?’
“Oh no. I’m not cocky. I know you missed me. I just wanted to hear you say it, but there’s got to be more entertaining stuff to do while I’m gone than work.”
She huffs a laugh and continues on the trail. I watch her, being careful not to trip because it’s hard to take my eyes off her. She rocks her head side to side and gnaws at her cheek and I can tell she’s mulling something over. Finally, she takes in a deep breath and sighs.
“And no, it’s not to pay you back or anything fun. My rent is about to go up and I’m trying to save as much as I can, which means working extra shifts when there’s an opportunity.”
“That sucks. I know this place isn’t cheap.
” This is a topic that I’m positive I should tread lightly on given our history, but I still don’t want to see her struggle, ever.
I also know from seeing her work with Rich and at the coffee shop over the years that she is incredibly hardworking and stubborn, which can be a dangerous combination and lead to serious burnout.
She nods. “Tell me about it.”
I don’t say anything though because I have the feeling she just needs to vent right now.
She groans. “Like really, I bust my ass and had to settle for that place in Rodgers and now the boom that’s happened here is bleeding into the surrounding towns too.
Even when the pass opens back up, I’m still going to be struggling.
I’ll be spending all my time working or commuting and never actually get to enjoy this place like this.
” She gestures out toward the surrounding landscape.
“At what point do I just give up on that dream?”
I can see the hurt in her eyes and I literally hear Sly’s words about a hero complex in the back of my mind.
That’s not enough to stop me from doing whatever I can to help her though because I know she’s probably stubborn enough to keep overworking herself and I don’t want to see that happen.
Or god forbid she actually does choose to leave Jackson or the area all together.
I don’t even let myself think about that and blurt what deep down I probably want to happen anyway.
And selfishly, I want her to have time off to spend with me. I want those hours all to myself.
“Move in with me.” Shit. I did not just ask her to move in with me. She probably thinks I’m unhinged.
She stops and turns to me but doesn’t say anything. She just arches a brow and looks at me in confusion.
Yep. She thinks I’m crazy.
“I meant move into the studio apartment.”
She squints at me. “I kind of already did?”
“Yes, but you could make it permanent. I know it’s smaller than your place in Rodgers, but it’s yours if you want it. I’m not planning to ever rent it to anyone else.”
Her confused look fades and the corners of her mouth lift up into the weakest of smiles. “I told you I don’t want a handout, but thank you. You’ve already done more than enough for me. And we’re dating. I don’t want to confuse that by moving in with my new boyfriend.”
Part of me wants to stop and jump for joy that she just called me her boyfriend.
I was worried when Monica called her my girlfriend earlier today, but hearing Kelsey say it so casually makes that worry fly out the window.
Even with that relief, I still can’t ignore that I’m concerned about her burning herself out trying to afford to live on the other side of the pass.
“Then it won’t be a handout. Pay me rent, and I’ll give you a lease that I promise won’t go up and will be whatever you think is fair. OK, girlfriend?” I ask.
Her lip twitches like she’s trying to hide a smile, then she raises a brow and studies me. “You’re serious about this? What if,” she gestures a finger back and forth between us, “things don’t workout?”
That thought guts me and I choose to ignore it. “This is the least I can do to help make up for Slade’s dumbassery.”
“I don’t know. This just feels… big, and as much as I’d love to live back in town…”
I know better than to push her right now, so I leave the ball in her court.
“Just think about it. I’ll feel bad charging you rent when you’re just going to end up in my bed anyway, but I know you’re fucking stubborn so you can tell me what’s a fair amount.
I love having you and Felix there. I even think Oscar likes having you two around. ”
She laughs and any sign of hurt or worry is gone, making it feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest. “Alright, I’ll think about it for the sake of Felix because I think he likes being around you and Oscar too.”
I grab her hand and step close enough that I can still smell that coffee and cinnamon scent on her.
“Good. I can live with my girlfriend at least considering to officially move into the apartment next to me.” This time she doesn’t hide her smile.
So I lean down and kiss her. “That’s what we’re doing, right? Dating? Boyfriend and girlfriend?”
She hums contentedly. “Yes, I’d like that.” She smiles before looking back up the trail. “So where are we going exactly?”
“Up there. I was planning to take that path.” I tip my chin toward the narrow, worn path that forks to the left off the main trail. I’ve taken it a few times and it’s definitely my favorite.
She lets out a small hum. “Interesting.”
“Interesting, why?”
“Because this is one of my favorites. No one ever takes it because it’s tough, but it has the best views.”
“That’s funny because I already have the best view.”
She gives me a quick kiss before letting go of my hand.
This time she bounds ahead of me on the trail with some extra pep in her step.
I let her take the lead not just because I love seeing her backside in those shorts, but also because I love seeing this side of her—the excited and carefree one that she so often keeps hidden.
I admire how headstrong and determined she is to stick to her principles and do things on her own.
It just makes it that much more special when she lets me see this side of her.
That realization has me starting to see that I don’t just love the parts of her I’ve seen from a distance for years, but maybe all of her.
It doesn’t matter that we’ve only been dating for weeks. This woman has been in my mind, in my life even if she didn’t want to be, driving me mad for years, and owning my every thought and dream. I don’t need more time to tell me what I already know deep in every fiber of my being.
I’m helplessly in love with Kelsey. I look up the trail again and watch her run off with my heart.