AJ
“He’s out riding,” Rhett’s grandfather said as he pointed off in the distance. “Been gone for close to two hours now, so I’d guess he’ll be back anytime. Why don’t you come inside and wait?”
“Do you care if I walk out toward the fence, maybe look at the horses?”
“Not at all. If you wanna take one and go out and look for him, I’d say take Milly. She’s gentle, and Grace prefers her over all the others.” He brushed his dirty hands off onto his coveralls. “He went out toward the lake, always takes the same route when he rides. Look for the tallest peak and that’s probably where you’ll find him.”
“I think I’ll just wait it out for a bit.” I offered a smile. “Haven’t gone riding since I was about ten years old.”
“It’s like riding a bike, sweetheart.” He chuckled. “But if you wanna wait it out, go on ahead. If you need anything, you head on up to the house.”
I thanked him as he walked off and began climbing the stairs of the wraparound porch to the house. My stomach had been unsettled all day as I rehearsed over and over all the things I wanted to say to Rhett. I’d gone through the pros and the cons of my actions versus his. I tried to blame him, then I tried to blame me, but in the end, I’d settled on the fact that maybe both of us had gone about things wrong. It was just easier that way than passing blame.
I walked up to the wooden fence surrounding the large span of land that the horses had free rein of and leaned against the post. There was one in particular, brown, with a white spot that covered one half of her face and trailed down along the same side of her neck. She walked along the far side of the fence, slowly placing one foot in front of the other. Her head turned toward the lake to the right, almost as if she was lost in deep thought.
To be that peaceful and content.
The sounds of hooves beating the ground caused me to step back and look around. Off in the distance, I could see him; the movement of the horse he rode slowed to a simple walk as he looked back at me. He wasn’t smiling, but he was staring at me as if he wasn’t sure I was really there.
There had only been a few times I’d seen Rhett in cowboy mode, and that was when he was helping out here at his grandfather’s. But none of those times had he looked as breathtaking as he had now. He wasn’t the kind who wore the cowboy hats; he opted for the baseball cap instead, turned backward, his face completely viewable. But it was the tight t-shirt that hugged his arms, shoulders, and chest. The snug jeans that fit him perfectly and made those muscles of his thighs even more mouthwatering. His worn, rugged cowboy boots were tucked into the stirrups on each side of the horse, and for a minute I felt like it was impossible to breathe. I found myself tearing up at the idea of walking away from him.
I knew I couldn’t, not with my heart intact.
He slowed to a stop about ten to fifteen feet away and slid from atop the horse. I still wasn’t sure what to say, or even if I’d be able to speak if I tried. But he didn’t give me a chance, and I was grateful.
Rhett moved toward me, cupping the back of my neck and pulling my lips in to meet his. Giving into the need to feel his body close to mine had never felt more exhilarating than that moment, and his mouth continued to demand my own, his tongue devouring and conquering. This kiss was not a sweet reunion kiss, but a claiming one. I knew it was his way of telling me everything I’d denied last night.
“You can fight me.” He practically growled the words, still holding the back of my neck in his hand. Our foreheads were pressed firmly together, and he showed no signs of releasing his grip. “You can try to look for all the fucking wrongs, AJ, but in the end, you’ll understand that you are all I want. You’re all I think about, and that's never gonna change.”
My eyes began to burn as I closed them tighter to fight off the tears.
“I won’t let you push me away.” His voice was so demanding, so direct. “Nothing and no one is gonna change my feelings for you. I love you now, I’ll love you next week, and I’ll still fucking love you ten years from now.”
“Will you love me when I’m fat with swollen ankles?”
Rhett leaned back, looking at me with wide eyes before he pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth in a sweet kiss. “I’ll love you no matter what.”
“Even when I’m screaming at you through the pain of each contraction?” Suddenly his arms were holding me securely as he rocked me from side to side. “Yes, because even though you’ll feel like you hate me then, I’ll know you actually love me.”
“I’m sorry I left last night.” I buried my face in his chest and breathed in his cologne I loved so much. “I should have stayed so we could talk it out.”
“Yes, you should have.” I lifted my head and looked up at him to find him smiling down at me. “But I understand. You need to understand that she was my past, and you and our baby are my future. Even if that test was negative, you would still be the woman I chose. I adore you, AJ. You’re the one I see myself building a life with. Please understand that.”
***
I lay sprawled out on Rhett’s bed as I watched him walk toward me. Reaching over his head, he began to gather his shirt at the back of his neck, and slowly it began to lift, exposing his stomach and then chest.
Evidence of years of helping his grandfather and even Reed couldn’t be missed. His stomach was taut and defined, arms that when I was wrapped in them I felt so safe and adored. He was my perfection, everything I’d imagined and more.
He dropped his shirt to the floor and reached for the buckle of his jeans, unfastening them, but leaving his jeans in place. Call me crazy, but seeing the waistband of his boxers peeking out of the now unzipped jeans, his defined abs, and that mouthwatering little dip on each side near his hips, never failed to make my head feel hazy.
I remained in place, allowing him to crawl over me and lower his body to mine. The way he positioned his body weight to the side, careful not to put too much pressure on my stomach, made my heart flutter. He’d always been so careful with me, so alert of what I was feeling at the time, or what I needed. He was a dirty, and sexy, and demanding man, but I handle each one of those needs in a way that made them perfect.
“I’m not scared,” he whispered as he kissed along my jaw. “Becoming a father, it should terrify me, but it doesn’t.” I closed my eyes when his lips pressed to my own in a sweet, gentle kiss. “I know it’s because of you. Because I feel like with you next to me I can do anything.”
I cupped his face with my hands, and for a few silent seconds, we just stared at one another.
“I can assure you that you’re gonna be an amazing father. Our little one is the luckiest baby in the world, because not only is he or she getting you, they’re getting your family and even mine. They’ll be drowning in love.”
“Yeah.” He nodded, his eyes scanning my face. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Allison Jo.” My vision clouded with unshed tears, and my throat bobbed as I attempted to gain some control. “Thank you for loving me.”
“It’s impossible not to,” I confessed.
I was so in love with him that I think it was a borderline obsession. The man was everything I’d ever wanted and more.