The sun shining high in the sky through the thin tent walls wakes me. Aaron grumbles and buries his face in my back. I can’t contain my laughter. “Not funny,” he whines.
“Come on, you big baby,” I say, trying to sit up. His iron grip prevents me from moving.
“No. I don’t want to. I’m not ready to share you.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Kinley says from outside the tent. She smacks the top, causing the morning dew to drip down on us.
“Don’t make us come in there,” Jamie yells.
“Damn people. Remind me why I invited them again?” he asks.
“Because you are amazing and you knew it’s what I needed. Although, I’m pretty sure just the two of us would have had the same effect. But I missed Jamie and you brought her to me, so I should go out there and spend a little more time with her before she has to leave.”
“Fine, but I need a kiss first,” he says, pressing his lips to mine.
“Final warning!” Olivia laughs. They know they’re driving him crazy.
“I thought we were friends?” Aaron yells back.
“Come on.” I stand, grabbing his hand and guiding us out of the tent. As soon as they see us, they all start clapping and cheering. My face heats with embarrassment. Aaron just throws his arm over my shoulder and walks us to the same chair we occupied last night. He pulls me into his lap and snuggles into me.
“What time do you leave today?” Kinley asks Jamie.
“It’s about a five-hour drive, so I need to be on the road no later than one. Just in case I hit traffic. I have to be at work in the morning.”
“I get it,” Aaron grumbles. He kisses my shoulder and taps my thigh. I stand. “I’ll get packed up so you all can spend a little time together before she has to leave.”
That spurs everyone into action. The guys tackle the tents and cleaning up the fire, while the girls pack up the food. It takes no time at all before we are loaded up and heading back toward the house.
“I’m going to head home. We need showers and I want to spend some time with her before she leaves.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Yeah, be careful. Call me later?”
“Definitely. Thank you, Aaron. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“You can show me later.” He winks.
“Aaron, I need some time with my girl before I leave.” Jamie tugs on my arm.
“Thanks for coming, Jamie.” He reaches out and pulls her into his other side, hugging us both.
“I’ll call you later,” I tell him as we break free.
Olivia already left with David, but Mike is still hanging around. “Have a safe trip back,” he tells Jamie.
“It was nice to meet you,” she says in reply.
With that, we are in my car and heading toward town. “Holy shit, Whitney! You’re surrounded by hot country boys!”
I chuckle. “Yeah. I guess they all are pretty easy on the eyes.”
“Easy on the eyes? Are you kidding me right now? And you’ve been holding out on me.”
“How do you figure?”
“Mike! Your cousin is hot as hell.”
“He seemed to monopolize your time last night.”
“It was a hardship.” She fakes a sigh.
“I bet. How was your swim?”
“Let’s just say, I can’t wait to come back and visit and do it again.”
“He’s a good guy.”
“They all seem like good people. You’ve settled in with them. I can tell you’re happy here. That makes me happy. I miss the hell out of you, but this fits you.”
“Yeah. I’m happy here. So what’s been going on with you?” We spend the rest of the drive and morning talking about people we went to school with. Her parents are thinking about moving to Florida for her Dad’s arthritis.
“Gah! I hate that it’s already time to go.”
“I know. I’ve missed you so much. Thank you for making the trip this weekend.”
“I didn’t even hesitate when Aaron called. It was a no-brainer for me. Next time it’s your turn. You can bring the man candy with you.” She winks.
“I don’t know about all that. I don’t really know if we are there yet.”
She laughs. “Whitney, you’re there, trust me. That man is gone for you and you for him.”
“Fingers crossed,” I say, not wanting to jinx what may or may not be happening between us. “Be safe, I love you. Call me when you make it home.”
“Love you too. Make the appointment,” she reminds me.
With that, I watch her climb in her car and drive away. When I can no longer see her taillights, I head inside to get started on the week’s laundry. I’m just folding my second load when my phone vibrates.
Aaron: You okay?
He’s always worrying about me. I used to think it’s because he knows how broken I am, but I know that’s not it. Aaron cares about me.
Me: Yeah, just doing some laundry.
Aaron: Want some company?
Me: I don’t know. This hot guy I met was thinking about coming over. Can I get back with you?
Aaron: I’ll be there in twenty. He needs to know you’re spoken for.
Me: Am I?
Aaron: Mine.
His.
Good to know he’s on the same page as my heart.
Me: See you soon.
Tonight I’m taking Whitney on a real date. We usually just hang around the farm. She seems to love it here. More often than not, we end up at our spot, as she still likes to call it. That’s fine, but I realized earlier this week that I have yet to take her out and show her a good time, traditional style. She deserves that. She tried to argue when I told her about it, said she always has a good time with me. I’m glad, but I want to give her a night out on the town as well.
I knock on the door and wait. When she pulls it open, my eyes take their time roaming over every sexy inch of her. She’s wearing tight jeans, a lacey top that shows me just a hint of cleavage, and her boots, the ones I bought her. She’s fucking gorgeous. “These are for you,” I say, handing her a bouquet of wildflowers once I’ve memorized every curve. Her face lights up. “You’re beautiful as always,” I say, leaning in to kiss her.