32. Ashton
ASHTON
G riffin grasps my hand as we traipse through the tall grass and I’m grateful he suggested the change in clothes to jeans and sneakers. The sun shines brightly through the sporadic clouds, giving us ample light for our exploration.
We approach a small, yellow cottage on the large acreage property.
It has a charming front porch with a white railing and matching white shutters.
Two faux windows peek out from the grey shingled roof.
Small flowerbeds on either side of the porch steps boasts a budding garden.
While the home appears several decades old, the property looks well cared for.
I’m more confused than ever. “Are we trespassing on someone’s property?”
Griffin looks over his shoulder at me. “What do you take me for? Some kind of criminal? No. It just so happens this particular property is for sale.”
“Are you looking to buy another house? Where are we?”
We flew for roughly thirty minutes, but I have no idea what that means in terms of how many miles we’d traveled.
Griffin stops, places the basket on the ground, and turns toward me. His voice is soft, his expression vulnerable. “I thought this might make the perfect property for your rescue center.”
A jolt of surprise rushes through me. I process his words. Excitement races through my veins. I rotate to absorb the property in a whole new light.
The cute house probably has two rooms, plenty for me and perhaps a roommate if needed for rent.
Or perhaps a visitor, should one in particular want to come and stay with me.
Though, I have a hard time imagining Griffin shrinking his larger-than-McMansion life to this.
..for me. Then again, maybe he isn’t factoring himself in this scenario, and this is meant solely for me, without him.
My heart lurches at the thought, hesitant to even consider that situation.
I spin, turning my back to the cottage. In the distance, there’s a wide ranch-style stucco home with a large back porch supported by thick wooden beams. The two houses are contained within a wooden farm-grade fence.
Both sit a good distance apart, allowing for privacy, with the fence marking them as within the same property.
My mind whirs to life with ideas and possibilities. The spacious landscape would allow dogs to run free while staying contained. “Can we see inside the houses?”
“Absolutely. I told the real estate agent to meet us here”—he glances at his watch—“in about ten minutes. They’re probably parked in front of the property.”
As if on cue, lights illuminate within the ranch home’s windows.
I squeal. “This is amazing! I love it already.” I clutch his arm and peck his cheek.
He chuckles, his shoulders relaxing. “I hoped you’d say that.”
I drag him toward the big house. “Come on, come on. Let’s go!”
His laughter trails behind me.
Half an hour later, we’ve seen the entire property—both the ranch home and the cottage at the back of the property. And it’s official.
I’m in love.
Not just with the property, but also with the man who took the time to research and find this place for me.
We settle onto the picnic blanket Griffin secretly brought, along with an entire picnic spread.
I sip from a glass of wine. The sun sets in the distance—far, far in the distance, over the mountains.
The space—absent of buildings, traffic, and smog—takes my breath away.
I can’t help but imagine watching the sunset over and over at this very property.
I’m both giddy and apprehensive at the possibility.
Griffin unpacks a smorgasbord of cured meats, cheeses, and fruits from the insulated basket. “Since the property has been empty for a while, I’m betting we could get a pretty good deal on it.”
I take a bite of one of the cheeses. “Yeah, but how do we know we’ll make enough from the gala? What if they have an offer before then? The gala isn’t for another two weeks.”
“I could loan it to you?”
I shake my head. “Absolutely not. I couldn’t ask that of you. And I wouldn’t.” I poke his chest. “Get that out of your head right now.”
He smiles but rubs his pectoral like I’ve done some real damage. “You know it wouldn’t be a burden. In case you hadn’t heard, I’m kind of a big deal.”
I lean over the tray of food, resting my weight on both my hands, getting close to his face. “I know. You’re a big deal to me . And still, I won’t ask that of you.” I kiss his lips and whisper, “But thank you for the gesture.”
His lips quirk. “You’re welcome.” His voice has a tinge of surprise to it.
“What?”
He brushes crumbs from his lap. “Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. You have a look.”
He smirks. “A look, huh? How so?”
“Like you want to say something, but feel as though you can’t or shouldn’t.”
He tilts his head and studies me, then brushes a thumb along my jaw. “I don’t deserve you, you know that?”
I shrug, leaning into his touch. “Of course you do. You’re kind, generous, funny, talented— and also happen to be pretty good-looking, but that’s just icing on the cake.”
His thumb travels from my jaw to my chin. He leans in. “Thank you.”
He leans across the space between us and kisses me with such a slow gentleness, it’s as though he’s trying to convey a message solely through his lips.
He pushes our smorgasbord away and scoots closer to me.
We slowly ease into lying on the blanket.
His fingers trace along my neck down to my collarbone and back up, tangling into my hair.
I wrap my arm around his waist, our bare feet and legs intertwining as we draw closer. His heart vibrates against mine. His cedar scent envelops me in comfortable familiarity.
With each kiss and caress, I fall more in love with this spectacular man that does so much for me. With each press of his lips to mine, my heart aches to say those three little words. I love you.
And yet, despite the rightness of those words, I can’t bring myself to say them aloud. I’m scared it’s too fast. I’ll be too vulnerable—even if I’m already in so deep. I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.
Instead, I say what I can confidently share.
I pull my lips from his and rub my fingers against his jaw.
“I could say the same to you, you know. I don’t deserve you.
You’re a good man.” And as I say the words aloud, the truth of them resonate through me.
“I know you think you have to prove yourself in your career by taking on some big film role, but you know, it’s not about the roles you play.
” I trace his jaw with my fingers. “It’s about who you are.
And to me? You’re one of the greatest people I’ve ever met, and I know you’ll leave a big impact on the world—no matter where your career takes you. ”
He lifts my hand, pulls it to his lips, and kisses my palm. “Thank you for that. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
He falls onto his back and tucks me next to him, my head resting on his arm. We both stare at the sky, the colors softening as the moon becomes more prominent. The temperature drops, and I savor his warmth.
As we lay together in silence, my mind wanders to one problem. If I take this ranch, how will that affect us? Can we sustain a long-distance relationship? Would he even want to?
His hand grazes up and down my bare arm, causing chills across my skin.
“What about The Rescue Ranch?” He lifts his arm upward as though he can write the words in the sky.
I sit up slightly and rest my chin on his chest. “For this place?”
He nods, smiling.
I study the landscape—its wide-open space, the long, sweeping porch of the main house, the tall grass outside the fence swaying in the breeze—and smile. “The Rescue Ranch. I like it. Has a nice ring to it.” I stretch and peck his lips. “It’s perfect, actually.”
“You’re perfect.” He slips his hand behind my head and gently pulls me to him.
His kisses are like a slice of heaven, his lips smooth and tender. It’s as though all time has stopped. The world fades away, and it’s just the two of us in this blissful state of happiness that will never be punctured.
Until the familiar whirl of the helicopter’s blades arrives.
Griffin takes out his phone and turns on his flashlight, waving it in the air. “There’s our ride. You ready to head back home?”
The word home cracks something in me. While I’ve been sleeping at Wren’s house the past couple of weeks, every other moment I’m not working is spent at Griffin’s.
At some point, his house has started to feel like home, and now I’m potentially going to leave it—and him.
If I were to live on this new property—three hours away from him and his busy lifestyle—the odds of us maintaining a long-term relationship are grim. We’d barely see one another.
Emotion clogs my throat, but I nod up at Griffin and let him guide me. He tugs me close, and we run against the powerful wind produced by the spinning blades. After ducking into the helicopter, Griffin helps me buckle.
As we lift into the air, I glimpse the property one more time. My heart swirls with hope and anxiety as my biggest dream is on the cusp of coming true. Though, the cost of it may be more than I’m willing to pay—losing the person that made it all happen.