Swear (Landry Family 4)

“Oh my God,” I say, as he grins devilishly at me. Before I can process anything, he buries his face between my legs.

“Ah,” I say on an exhale, trembling. My knees literally quake, my eyes squeezing shut as he makes another leisurely pass to my clit.

“Hurry up. Ah!” I voice as he dips a finger inside me.

“Hurry up?” he laughs. “Baby, I’m just getting started.”

Ellie

He takes me in head-to-toe as I fix my hair. I ran a brush through it after our detour to the bedroom, but it’s still wild.

“You look perfect,” he beams. “Go get in the truck.”

We lock up, toss my fishing poles in the back, and take off down the road a couple of hours later than we anticipated.

The windows are partially down. My hair begins to blow like crazy around the cab of the truck despite the elastic securing it. I’m trying to smash it down when he reaches behind my seat and retrieves a Tennessee Arrows baseball hat.

“Thanks,” I say, taking it and pulling it snug over my head.

Ford takes my hand, locks our fingers together, and rests them on the middle console. He holds it tight, brushing his thumb against the side of my palm. They fit perfectly together, his hand nearly encompassing mine.

“I had an interesting conversation with Camilla the other day,” he says, rolling up the windows so we can hear.

“Oh, yeah?”

“She was telling me that whoever she’s gotten involved with makes her happy. Her eyes lit up, you know?” He glances at me out of the corner of his eye. “I’ve never seen Cam like that. I keep thinking about it.”

“Is this the guy that you were looking for? At The Gold Room?”

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “The Gold Room. I mean, if that name doesn’t tell you everything you need to know.”

I laugh, giving

his hand a squeeze. “How’d the conversation go? I mean, did she come clean with you about who he is?”

“No and she won’t.”

I let him mull over whatever he’s thinking. After a few long seconds, he takes a deep breath. “In the military, I learned how important it is to surround yourself with people that you trust. You are only as strong as the weakest person in your unit. The same theory applies in life too.”

“I can see that.”

“I hope she does too before she gets in too far.” He gives my hand a final squeeze and then releases it. Grabbing the wheel with both hands, he steers the truck off the road onto an old path.

My heart leaps in my chest. “I forgot where this was!” I exclaim, not believing what I’m seeing. “It’s so overgrown now. I drove out here the other day and couldn’t find it. Oh, Ford!”

The grass is freshly cut on both sides, but the path still shows signs of neglect. It’s washed out and bumpy and the truck shakes as we creep down the trail.

I unfasten my seatbelt and lean forward to take in the place I met Ford one summer afternoon a long time ago.

The trees are green, the grass lush and tall. Flowers bloom in the opening as we approach the sparkling water.

Everything is bigger, more mature, than I recall. The tree I used to prop myself up against seems to have tripled in size over the years. I head towards the water while Ford locks up the truck.

“It’s as peaceful as I remember,” I breathe when he joins me. The air is fresh and clean, with notes of evergreen that resonate somewhere deep inside my soul. “I used to come out here and sit over there, by that giant oak tree, and just watch the water ripple for hours.”

“You were sitting right over there the first time I saw you,” he smiles, pointing towards an old dock that is half-falling into the water. “I remember riding up on my four-wheeler and seeing you. I couldn’t understand why you were here all by yourself.”

I lean against his side, feeling his heartbeat against my cheek. “I’m sure I remember that day more because I met you than why I was here, but I do remember.” My arms slide around his waist and lock on the other side. “I had a horrible time of school that day.”