“There she is.” He kisses my shoulder. “I wouldn’t have let you miss it. This is why I brought you up here in the first place. I wanted you to witness this.”
“All I see is darkness and stars,” I say, knowing it will get him riled up.
He tickles my side. “Patience, gorgeous. It’s worth the wait, I promise.”
“Do we get to lie like this until it happens?”
He chuckles in my ear. “Yeah, babe, we can lie just like this.”
Feeling brave, I reach behind me and stroke him. “And if I wanted to re-create last night?”
He groans. “Whit, we can’t. I only had one condom, so please, for the love of God, remove your hand from my dick.”
I can’t help it, I giggle.
“Not funny, Whitney. I want you. I always want you, and after last night, now that I know how it feels to be a part of you, it’s taking all of my willpower to resist you.”
Taking mercy on him, I stroke him one last time and then release him. He releases an audible breath that fans across my cheek. Rolling over, I place my hands on his face, which is covered in even more stubble. “I like this look on you,” I tell him.
“You do, huh?” he asks, pulling me to his chest.
“Yep,” I say, popping the p.
“I guess that’s going to save me some time each day.” He winks.
“Why’s that?”
“Shaving.”
“You don’t—I mean, not because I said—”
He places his hand over my lips. “Shh. What my girl wants, she gets.” He kisses the tip of my nose.
I snuggle into him. “What are your parents going to think about us sleeping up here?” The thought didn’t cross my mind last night. As soon as he kissed me, it’s like my brain short-circuited.
He laughs. “Dad told me to hold you tight.”
Raising my head from his chest, I look at him. I need to see his face to see if he’s being serious. “No!”
“Yeah, he did. He knows how I feel about you. He and Mom used to sneak off up here. I’m an adult, and they know I don’t bring girls here to the farm, not to the places that mean so much to our family. That alone tells him what you mean to me.”
“Aaron! How am I going to face them?”
“Relax. It’s not like they’ll know I made love to you, and definitely not for the first time. Besides, they know I’m gone for you. They probably assume it’s happened before now.”
“Gah! I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be,” he says, kissing my lips. “Just be you, Whit. That’s more than we could ever ask for.”
Aaron Mills and his sweet words get me every damn time.
Aaron sits up and hands me the shirt he was wearing last night. I give him a small smile of gratitude as I slip it over my head. Legs open wide, he taps the space between them. I take the hint and climb over his legs and settle back against his chest. Aaron wraps his arms around me and rests his chin on my shoulder.
“Charmer,” I say, resting my hands over his.
“Lover,” he counters.
I don’t have a reply to that one. He is that and so much more.
“Here it comes,” he whispers.
Wrapped in his arms, I stare out at the skyline as the sun rises, taking the sky from darkness to light in an array of colors.
“I love you,” he whispers just as the sun peeks over the trees.
This. This is living. This is taking chances and risking a broken heart. This moment is worth that. Mom was right. The ache in my chest is still there, but not like before. I can think about her, about her final words, and not become a blubbering mess. Aaron helped me with that. He’s helped me heal, let me mourn and remember her. She would have loved him. I’m sure she’s looking down on me now with a big-ass smile on her face. I know she’s thrilled that I’m in love with him and freely letting him love me, without reservations. He’s the love of my life.
“I love you too,” I tell him. His body relaxes. We spend the next hour or so just sitting in this hayloft, staring at the morning sky. Holding on to one another, embracing the turn that our relationship has taken in this place.
“Let’s get you some breakfast.”
“Aaron, I should just head home.”
“No, you shouldn’t. I promise you, Whit. They couldn’t be happier that we are together. You have nothing to worry about.”
“But I—”
He places his finger over my lips. “Trust me, baby. I know how uncomfortable it would make you if that were the case, and I would never put you in that situation. Come have breakfast with me and my parents.”
“Okay,” I agree, because after that, how could I not? Quickly, we get dressed. I have to give him his shirt. He tries to insist that I wear it, but I refuse. Not that I don’t want to stay covered in his scent, but his parents would for sure know then, and yeah, we may be adults, but I’m not feeling that adventurous. Aaron throws the blankets and pillows over the side and they float to the floor below. “What about that?” My face heats as I point to the used condom and its wrapper.
“That, I will come back up and get. Let me go first, and you come after me, that way I’ll be there to help you.”
“You just want to look at my ass while I climb down.”
“I’m trying to be a good boyfriend, making sure you get down safely.” He smirks.
“Uh-huh.” I laugh at him. He pulls me in for a kiss, then starts down the ladder. I wait for him to get a few rows down before I start as well. Once we are both on the ground, I get yet another kiss, this one much longer than the previous.
“Be right back,” he says. I watch as he grabs a handful of paper towels from a nearby counter and heads back up the steps. He’s back in no time, tossing the gob into the trash. We gather the blankets and head back to the truck.
“Ready?” he asks when we pull up outside of the house.
“Yeah,” I say with more confidence than I feel.
Aaron chuckles and climbs out of the truck. I don’t wait for him, like I know he expects me to. Instead, I climb out and meet him at the front. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me to his chest and kisses my forehead. “I love you, Whit. They can see that, and that’s all that matters to them.”