AJ
I lifted my hand to scratch away the itch from my nose, then relaxed once again, getting back to my dream. Rhett and I were down by the lake, lying on a blanket much like we were weeks ago in the barn. His body hovered above mine as he looked down at me with those intense eyes of his. Dark piercing eyes that never, not even once, neglected to make my heart race.
I could get so lost in his eyes; they held so many promises.
His lips brushed over mine, and I felt that place hidden deep and low inside me tense. “Are you sure?” he asked, and I nodded, unable to form the words.
I was getting to the good part once again when my nose began to tickle, pulling me again from my dream. This time when I lifted my hand to scratch it, I came into contact with something or someone. My body jerked in surprise as my eyes opened and I saw April, my best friend, sitting on the edge of my bed with a big smile on her face.
“You better be glad it was me waking you up and not your sister.” Her eyes widened just a bit. “Or your dad. That could have been bad.”
“Why?”
“Rhett, yes,” she said in a breathy voice, “right there, don’t stop.” She fanned her face. “Even I was starting to get a little hot and bothered by your thrashing around and those soft pleas for more.”
I rolled away from her humored stare and climbed out of bed on the opposite side. I could almost feel her eyes boring into my back.
“So that’s all I get?” Again, I ignored her as I reached for my shorts. “Not even a small little snippet of Rhett Jackson and his abilities to soothe?”
I snickered at her choice of wording.
“Seriously, with the sounds that were spilling from you, I’d guess the guy has got himself some magical powers.”
“You’re insane.” I shook my head as I slipped one foot followed by the other into the shorts I pulled from atop my dresser. “It’s not like that,” I assured her.
“Not like what?”
I finally turned around to face her and she continued to smile wide. “It was just a dream.”
“Triggered by some really great memories.”
“Or fantasies,” I added before I could stop myself. April wrinkled her brows up, and I knew at that moment I had only given her ammo to interrogate me for more information.
“Are you trying to tell me that you and Rhett have been dating for over a month now and you haven’t…” She let the question die as she widened her eyes in curiosity. I shook my head to answer her silent question. “Seriously?”
I shook my head.
“Wow.”
Wow was right, but it wasn’t for lack of opportunity. There had been plenty of those. I was ready, or at least my body was. It was my heart that kept getting cold feet. I knew it would change everything, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that to happen yet.
I moved toward the bed and sat next to April as she watched me closely. “Do you think he’s still holding out hope that she’ll come back?” It didn’t take a genius to figure out who I was talking about; everyone in Brooklet knew Rhett and Harley were a big thing at one time. I could almost guarantee that everyone thought the two of them would grow up and get married someday. They were inseparable, or so I’d been told more times than I cared to hear. Until she left, I don’t think the two of them spent more than a day apart since they’d met.
“Is that what you think?” April leaned in so she could get a better look at me, and our eyes locked on one another’s.
“He says he’s not, that her time in his life is over, but part of me still wonders, ya know?”
“You do know that continuing to question what’s going on between you two is going to eventually come between you, right?” I looked down at my lap because I knew she was right, and I couldn’t look at her when she was telling me how stupid I was. “I’m not saying run off and sleep with him, but I am saying that you need to stop letting the ‘what if’s’ control the now. He’s with you. He doesn’t have to be. The guy didn’t commit to anyone after she left, not even once, and now he’s with you. There’s a reason for that, and no part of me thinks it’s to pass the time or fill some void he’s feeling.”
I finally looked up and met her stare.
“He cares about you, anyone that sees the two of you together could figure that out. Just stop questioning it and enjoy it.”
***
I slowed to a stop next to Rhett’s truck, and with a deep breath I climbed out of my car. Next to his big blue Chevy, my Cruz looked like a clown’s car. The comparison made me laugh remembering his comment a few days before about being able to fit my car into the bed of his truck. His truck truly was a monstrous thing that looked slightly intimidating.
As I walked around the front of his truck, I saw his mother walking down the stairs with his sister trailing close behind. They both smiled, and off in the distance I heard hammering and what sounded like a saw running.
“AJ,” Ms. Jackson hollered out, “you are just in time to help us.”
“Of course.” Though I wasn’t sure what I was so quick to volunteer for. The problem was the last time I saw her, I was dry humping her son in the barn just to my left. I was still humiliated by that fact, so at that point I would have done just about anything to make her forget that awkward moment.
“We’re taking lunch up to the guys.” In her hands she held two platters, one with sandwiches wrapped in Saran wrap and the other was a bowl of what looked like potato salad. Just behind her was Grace with a cooler in one hand and another dish in the other. “There’s more just inside the door if you wouldn’t mind grabbing a few things.”
“Sure, not a problem,” I said as I hurried off toward the house. Loading my arms up with more than I should have, I set off toward the barn.
I was amazed to see the progress that had taken place in just a couple weeks. The place that once had only big shutter-like doors now had floor-to-ceiling windows on the end where Rhett explained he’d be able to watch the sunset. The entire surrounding area was laced with wood and what looked like insulation between each board.
“Hey.” I glanced to my left to see Rhett approaching from my side, looking a little surprised to see me. He was shirtless, jeans hanging very low, almost too low, and a tool belt fastened around his waist holding various tools. There were work boots on his feet, a pencil tucked behind one ear, and his body glistened with sweat.
Before I had time to register, he leaned in and pressed a big ol’ kiss to my lips, in front of everyone. His uncles, cousins, mom, dad, and sister were all watching us with matching smiles. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as he took some of the things I held in my arms and turned around as if nothing just happened. “Let’s eat,” he hollered out, and suddenly the trance was broken.
My cheeks felt heated as I looked at the ground, hoping that everyone would be too occupied with the food to notice my embarrassment.
When I finally looked up and searched him out, he offered me a wink. I knew he’d realized he’d embarrassed me, and this distraction was his way of giving me an out.
After he made the both of us a plate, he led me toward the windows, and we sat side by side on a stack of two-by-fours as I looked around once more.
“What do ya think?”
“It’s moving along so fast.” They did have seven guys working on it all at once, so I guessed that explained the progress.
“We wanna have all the walls up by the end of the weekend so they can start painting and we can work on the flooring after. Then down to just trim, doors, and all the final touches.”
“I couldn’t really see it before,” I confessed. “You explained it, yet all I could see was a barn. Now it’s all coming together. It’s gonna be great up here.” It was so cozy already, but once the furniture and everything was placed, I imagined it to be a place that he and I could relax while watching movies, or where he could have the guys over to watch sports.
Grace joined us along with Mikey, his cousin, and before long they all had me laughing at the stories they shared about Rhett growing up. Grace also gave me a rundown of all the times her brother decided he’d take on the role of her keeper and tell her what she could and couldn’t do.
I turned my head toward him and cocked my brow, causing him to laugh. “I already get that shit from my mother, don’t need it from you too, babe.”
It was crazy the rush I got from him simply calling me “babe” in front of his family. It felt good to be here and be a part of this family banter. By the look on his face, I think he understood it too. Maybe April was right; maybe it was time for me to stop focusing so much on the possible chance that what was developing between us was only one-sided. Maybe it was time to let go and build something unbreakable with Rhett.
Make an impact that wouldn’t allow him to let go.