"We'll figure that part out. That's just details."
Liv nods. "Really? You'd be okay with that?"
"Would I be okay with that?" I ask her. "Fuck, Princess. I’d love that. I want to be in the stands cheering for you. I want to help mend your broken heart however I can."
She leans down and kisses me, and I wrap her in my arms. "I love you."
"I love you too," she says.
"You still haven't answered my question, not completely, not properly," I tell her.
"Well, you haven't actually proposed properly. You asked me mid-fuck if I’d marry you. There was no down on one knee."
"Is that what you need?"
She nods. "Kind of."
"All right. I'll see what I can do."
She smiles. "Good. We can do all that later though," she says.
"Yeah? You're not in any hurry?"
"Well, I have other things I'd like to do first."
"Such as?" I ask.
"Well, you told me you wanted a titty fuck. Can't I tell you what I'd like?"
I grin. "Damn, girl. What would that be?"
She laughs. "Well, I've always been curious about sixty-nine."
14
Liv
The next day, Ledger and I pack up our bags to head back to Buckle Down Ranch.
I told my aunt and uncle I was just going to be spending the night at Starborn for one night and I don't want to be rude and worry them at all. Especially after all their hospitality in letting me stay with them for the last few weeks.
Ledger is smiling as we load up the things in my car. "What’s up?" I ask. “You're grinning like a fool.”
"I'm just happy. I got to spend all night with the girl of my dreams, the woman I'm going to marry.”
I roll my eyes. "After that proper proposal," I tease.
He chuckles. “Right. After that.”
His parents, though, surprise me by joining us out on the front porch. They're dressed and have jackets on. His mom is carrying a designer handbag.
"We’re all ready," his mom says.
"For what?" I say.
She smiles. “Ledger asked if we wanted to come as well. We're planning on having lunch down at Buckle Down with your aunt and uncle today.”
"Really?" I look over at Ledger. “You planned this?”
He nods. “Sure did.”
"Great," I say, still a bit taken aback that he didn’t mention it. “You're going to love John and Louisa. They are the best. I can't wait for you to meet them.”
When we arrive at Buckle Down, my uncle is right outside, ready to greet us. I give him a hug before introducing him to Ledger's parents. My aunt joins us on the porch, but then I see there are a few other people coming out of the house. "Who's here?" I ask, wondering if maybe my cousin came home from college for the weekend. “Is Clara here?”
“No, it's not Clara,” Aunt Louisa says, smiling as my mom and dad emerge on the front porch of the ranch house.
"Hi, Livingston," Mom says, wrapping me up in her arms.
Dad is here too, and he gives me the next hug. My jaw falls open. “How in the world are you guys here?" I ask. “How did you take time off work? I didn't know you were flying in.”
"We got here early this morning," Dad says. “We caught a red-eye.”
"You did?" I look over at Ledger. “Did you know they were coming?”
He grins. “I might've known something about it.”
"Oh my gosh," I say. “It’s only been a few weeks, but it feels like it's been forever.” I give her another hug, and then I give my dad a squeeze. “It’s really good to see you.” Suddenly my heart is overflowing with emotion for my parents, for my aunt and uncle, for Ledger's family too.
The last few days I’ve come to realize, in new ways, how my parents have done so much for me. And maybe I never saw it quite in the right way. Maybe they gave me horses as their way of loving me the best that they could.
I want to tell them that somehow, but I don't exactly want to do it in front of everyone else. Still, I feel like it's important to put it out there. I don’t want to wait until tomorrow. There is no guarantee of that.
I ask to step aside with them for a moment as my aunt and uncle meet Ledger's family, to have a word with them. "I'm really glad to see you," I tell them both. “I know I left home really upset. I didn't leave my room for a few weeks before that and was just a complete mess. And I appreciate you both trying to figure out what to do with me by sending me here to the ranch. That was a really wonderful act of loving kindness you showed me.”
My dad, stoic as ever, says, "Well, we know you've always had a soft spot for your aunt and uncle."