"My turn to ask a question while we're playing truth." He swipes away my tears. "What is special about the heart anklet that you never take off your ankle?" Stunned, I look at him. No one has ever asked that before. It's always been my little secret. Something I cherish and keep to myself. I don't know if I want to give away everything about myself, but something won't let me keep anything from him.
"My grandmother gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday. She told me I was at the age I would start becoming a woman and my heart was ripening, eventually to be picked by someone special. She told me I would always hold my heart until I was ready to let it go. That I wouldn't be able to control it, but I would know when it was time. This was to symbolize that I always have it in my possession until then. I haven't taken if off since the day I put it on."
Without warning he moves over me, pressing his lips to mine. "One day, it's going to be mine. I'm going to make it mine. If you don't believe anything else I say Kinzleigh Baker, believe that. We may be only seventeen, but I've never been surer of anything in my entire life. We can fight it or we can embrace it, but it's meant to be. My heart is meant to beat for you and yours for me. There's a reason we met and there's a reason you're here with me."
"How do you know? What if all this is just a fling? This is moving so fast. I can't risk letting go and getting hurt. What if I let myself go for you and I get left behind? I've been left behind by someone I loved more than anything in this world. I've had my heart shattered and it won't survive going through that again. That's why I'm so worried about Konnor. I can't keep from loving my family; just pray hard not to lose them. I won't give up my dreams for anyone, including you."
"I would never ask you to do that. All I'm asking is for you to trust me and don't hold back." This has become my reality. Staring into the eyes of the most beautiful boy I've ever seen, asking me to trust him. A million different thoughts are running through my head. Some things Grams has said, some Presley or Konnor even, and last but not least Adalynn.
My mind tells me to protect my heart, but my heart says to let it lead. My soul already knows the heart has won. One of these days, I may look back and be forever lost in a dark realm of heartache and pain, but at least I'll know that for a little while I got to experience the light; to love and to be loved. The one thing I'm sure of is that I'd rather fall with him and wake up at the bottom alone, than to have never experienced him at all. "I trust you, now shut up and kiss me."
CHAPTER 17
Breyson
Today is Kinzleigh's birthday and I've spent days thinking about what I want to do. It's Saturday, October 5th and if we didn't already have enough in common, our birthdays are only three days apart. I usually help my grandfather out on his ranch most Saturdays and summers for extra money, even though my parents pay for everything, but I haven't helped any since school started. All of my time is spent for football or with Kinzleigh and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Life is pretty damn perfect right now. I walk into the kitchen to fix a bowl of cereal and Braxton is already sitting at the bar. "Sup? You coming today or what? You need to break in that sweet, little Miss California princess. It's time she knows what the country kids do for fun." His hair is sticking up all over the place and he's sitting in his pajama pants.
Taking a seat on the stool next to him, I grab a bowl and pour it full of cereal, followed by the milk. "Shut up. She'll get there. Besides, I like her just the way she is. I'm going to pick her up before we load the four wheelers on the trucks. I think she's with Adalynn right now shopping for a homecoming court dress and outfit for the dance. She said Adalynn was buying her cowgirl boots. Today is her birthday and I'm not sure what to get her yet. I'm kind of out of my element with buying stuff for girls because I've never done it before. What do you get a girl that has everything?"
He turns and his lips curve upwards. "You know they say diamonds are a girl's best friend. Hope you've been saving that paycheck from working at Pop's because you're going to need it." He's fully grinning now.
Placing my hands on the back of my head, I stretch over the back of the stool. "I don't know, she's not like most girls. Knowing her, she'll probably get offended. She is completely opposite of what you think she is going to be, looking at her. I've made that mistake once already."
His brow rises into his forehead, "Dude are you kidding? The girl lived close to Los Angeles and Hollywood all her life in a rich family and then came to the south amongst the rednecks. Get her some bling. Show her southern boys are better than California boys."
I pull at my hair unsure. "I don't know. We've only been dating about two months. I don't want to freak her out. She isn't the type of girl to get all mushy. She gets freaked out about relationships easily. I won't lose her by being pushy or overbearing."
He looks down and crosses his arms across his chest. "I know what you mean. Just go with something besides a diamond. What's her favorite color?"
"Pink; pretty much every girl's favorite color." I begin eating my cereal before it gets soggy.
He cracks his neck to each side. "Get her a pink Sapphire ring or earrings. That says happy birthday without going overboard. Probably has a better price tag too."
"I'm not worried about the money. I've been saving for years just from working at the ranch and I've been investing it since. I could support myself through four years of college without having to work or dipping into our trust fund if I needed to and I still have at least a year to save more but something like that could work. Do you want to go to the mall with me? We have plenty of time before we have to load the trucks."
Looking at the clock on the wall while shoving his food in his mouth, he nods at me. We've had it planned for the last couple weeks to go riding down at Red Creek. I think maybe tonight is the night I give in to Kinzleigh. We've been together every possible second since the day I saw her in the hallway and she hasn't held herself back much since I asked her to trust me. I know it's a big step for her and life couldn't get any more perfect than it is right now. I've already gotten the house to myself for the night since my parents are gone. Every time I see her she gets more beautiful and I can't stand it anymore. I can barely control myself with her as it is.
Flipping open the little black box, I look at my new purchase. I ended up finding a pink sapphire ring. The center stone is square and the largest and sits above a row of the same pink sapphire's but in two different shades of pink and smaller. There are also small round diamonds embedded in the band that holds the center stone. I've never bought a girl anything before. Never as in ever. Kinzleigh is the first girl I have ever wanted any kind of relationship with and she is identical to me. It's funny how that works.
I begin to get really nervous of her reaction the longer I stare at the ring. "Why don't you put that in your pocket? You look like you're about to puke. It's not like you're fixing to ask her to marry you." Looking at Braxton, I close the box and slide it in my pocket.
"Would you shut up? That'll never happen anyway. Neither one of us ever want to get married and I've never bought anything for a girl before so give me a little credit where credit is due. I am allowed to be slightly freaked out. I don't see you giving girls gifts." Pulling out my phone, I begin scrolling through the contacts until I reach the one I'm looking for.
"Sure, that's what they all say," he mumbles under his breath as I press the call button. The phone rings a few times before the line picks up.
"I thought I told you that you needed to learn to share. This is not sharing Breyson. You get the birthday girl later. It's my turn. What do you want?" Adalynn feigns boredom into the phone. Who would have ever thought she had a bitchy side disguised with all that sweetness, even though I know she's only joking? "It's getting a little sickly Brey. You need to take your manhood back before it's lost forever."
I can hear Kinzleigh in the background asking various questions to, I assume the store associate, about the boots being uncomfortable. So much sass in such a small body. It makes
me smile. My California girl being southernized. I can totally picture her stomping around the boot store complaining about her feet hurting. All I ever see her wear are sandals, flip flops, or sneakers. "What is she doing?"
She pauses for a moment and then continues. "Well if you must know, she is being quite complicated. I keep trying to tell her she has to break them in because the leather is new, but she's not having it. I am starting to really feel bad for the store associate. There are boot boxes everywhere. We finally got her a dress for homecoming, after nearly pulling her hair out that she is in fact participating in the homecoming court. I must say you're going to be picking your jaw up off the floor when you see her; however, we still have to get her an outfit for the dance to go with these boots I'm making her buy so I guess you'll just have to wait a little bit longer." My heart speeds up as I remember how she looks dressed up. My mind reminisces back to the night on the pier and suddenly waiting until we're alone tonight seems like an eternity.
"Will you give her the phone please?" Braxton is looking at me with a look of amusement from me trying not to get frustrated.
"Um, no. You can talk to her when we're done. You'll get her all by yourself on that big comfy four-wheeler so don't get your boxers in a bunch. Tell Braxton I'm riding with him. We'll meet you at your house when we're done and I'll leave my car there." I clench my teeth trying to refrain from getting my temper revved up. I don't like anyone telling me I can't talk to my girlfriend. If it wasn't her birthday and Adalynn hadn't been such a good friend to her I'd have something to say about it.
"Fine. Will you at least let me know when y'all are on your way?" I lean my head back against the headrest, waiting on her to respond.
"Uh huh, sure thing. Kinzleigh Baker, put those boots back on!" I jerk the phone away from my ear as she shouts through the phone. "Gotta go. Bye lover boy." Just as the last syllable gets out of the phone, the call disconnects.
Braxton and I are pushing the four wheelers out of the garage when I hear tires pull in the driveway. Looking up, Adalynn's Nissan Maxima comes to a halt. Finally, I don't have the patience for girls and their shopping habits. I'm already sexually frustrated and haven't seen Kinzleigh all morning. I question my sanity each time I see her and won't allow myself to have her. She hasn't made it easy on me either. The girl has some serious seduction skills for being so innocent or maybe it's just her. Hell I don't know, but I can't stand it any longer.
Walking over to the passenger side, I pull the door open and grab Kinzleigh's hand, freeing her from the confinement of the car. Once standing on her feet, I slam her body against mine, placing my palms low on her back, right above her bum. "What are you doing," she asks heatedly against my neck.
"I've missed you, woman. I need some lovin' and tonight I'm going to get it." She leans back and looks up at me with slightly widened eyes.
"Does that mean..." she trails off and bites her lip. I nod. "It's about damn time. I think you're trying to kill me. You can't give me a taste of the batter and then deny me the cake." She grabs a handful of my ass in her hand. "I seem to remember this is extremely sexy bare." She winks. "You know I'm a sucker for your hind parts. That uniform you wear has got me all worked up so stop denying the me the goods."
Only Kinzleigh is going to reference my member to something sweet. That can't be good for a man's ego, no matter how she meant it. If she wasn't so damn cute I might be offended. "He might not like you referencing him as something so sweet," I purr closing in against her neck, just below her ear. "If you want him to come out and play, you're going to have to imply he's something a little more masculine."
Slipping my tongue out to taste her skin, she rolls her neck giving me better access. Trailing my tongue down her neck, I stop and nip the area connecting her neck and shoulder. She smells citrusy but clean. Her skin reminds me of lemons and her hair always smells like coconuts. The combination of the two slightly mixing is intoxicating.
Skimming her fingers beneath my shirt, she begins panting. "Um guys, can y'all get a room if you’re going to mentally sex each other? It's disturbing." Kinzleigh jumps back at the sound of Adalynn's voice, slapping her palm to her chest. Looking around, biting her nails, she looks embarrassed to be caught. It makes my chest twinge a little.
Turning to scold them, I find Adalynn standing next to Braxton and both of them have smug looks on their faces, arms crossed over their chests. They should be the ones ashamed, standing there watching us. I grab her hand, lugging her towards the house. Passing them, I leer at Adalynn. "I can't help it if you two don't have anything better to do than spy on us. Maybe y'all should get everything ready. I'll be back to load my four wheeler after I coax my girl to give me the kiss I've been missing all morning now that you've embarrassed her."
Once inside the door, I propel her towards the stairs making way towards my bedroom. When we reach the top of the stairs, she looks around. Knowing what she's doing because I've studied her, I say, "They're not here. It's their rotation at the hospital. They try to get the same schedule now that we are older so they can see each other more."
Gripping the door knob, I open the door. She all of a sudden looks unsure. "What if they find out? I don't want to be labeled a slut to your parents like other girls that's been here. I haven't even met them yet." She thinks I've brought other girls in my room. Damn blasted reputation I've made for myself with girls pisses me off now. If only she knew.
Turning around to face her, I cup my hand on the back of her neck, tugging her towards me, inside the room. Shutting the door with my foot, I bring her lips just an inch from mine. "If you don't listen to anything else about me, I want you to hear this." I make connection with her eyes and hold us together. "I would never do anything to make you look slutty. You've never been like any other girl to me. Even if my parents did come home and found us in here, they wouldn't think anything of you for several reasons. One, if they were mad at anyone it would be at me because I know better. Two, I've never brought a girl to my house and especially not my room. That is a dead giveaway that you're not like other girls."
She closes her eyes as I brush my fingers down her shoulder, tracing her body down to her thighs. Clenching each hind leg in my hands, I pick up her. She wraps her tiny arms and legs around me for support. "I'm the only girl that's been in here?" I can see the shock written all over her face. Nodding my head, I turn around and carry her across the room in the direction of my bed. "You never cease to amaze me. Why would you bring me here and not anyone else? When will the special treatments stop?"
Laying her down on the bed, I lay over her bracing myself on my hands and knees. Her eyes are exquisite. If you look close enough you can see the smallest black dots in the green of her eyes, almost freckle like. They are a narrative into her soul if you read between the lines. "Because I love you." I watch her, scouting for her reaction.
Her breathing stills and she closes her eyes. As her eyelashes meet, a tear falls down the side of her face. Leaning in, I swipe it with my tongue. "I need you to look at me right now." She opens her eyes and when she does it's there. She loves me too. I've spent the past two months learning her emotions. I know exactly when she is blocking them and when she is letting them show. Every day I wake up wanting more. It's only been two months, but I know she's the one for me.
We can spend the rest of our lives just dating or not having any titles at all, I don't care. As long as I get to wake up every day, knowing I am going to spend it in her presence that is good enough for me. We both have the same outlook on life. We have dreams to pursue, not needing marriage or kids to be happy. "I know it's only been two months and that seems sudden, but it's one thing I'm absolutely sure of. I can't stop thinking about you, I can't get enough of you, and I sure as hell can't bear the thought of losing you. I didn't tell you expecting you to say it back and I will never ask more of you than you want to freely give. I don't want you to say it back unless you mean it and you feel the same way. I just thought you should know."
&nbs
p; She lays there looking up at me, eyes scanning my face, for what seems like an eternity. "What happens when we graduate? You know I have dreams and so do you. You can't love me Breyson. We can't love each other. It'll only tear us apart in the end." She begins crying. "You don't want to love someone as selfish as me. I won't give up my dreams. I won't settle. I would never allow you to do that either. This was supposed to be simple, a fling. You're not supposed to fall in love with me." The last sentence comes out in a whisper.
That right there is exactly why I love her. She doesn't ask me to, nor does she want me to. She wants me to follow my dreams instead of changing them. That reason alone, I would follow her around the world. I would choose any football team in the continental U.S. I would do that for her. It's always been my dream to play college ball at Louisiana State University, but for her I'd change.
I'll never love another girl. She's it for me. She's my soul mate. If I can't have her, I'll spend the rest of my life alone. I'll fight hand over fist for her. I'd kill for her. I have found the one that makes me want to live. I will never find another one like her. How could she ever think she is selfish? She is the most passionate, selfless person I've ever met. "I can and I do love you; I will. I'm not worried about what happens when we graduate as long as I get to be with you. I would never ask you to settle and you're not selfish. You may not know you love me back right now and that's okay. Just know that either way, I still love you anyway. Let's not think about our future. It's okay to just have each other and the rest will work out. Happy birthday baby."
I lean down and kiss her lips, all while reaching in my pocket for the ring. "I have something for you, but before I give it to you promise me you won't jump to any conclusions. I am aware that we're only eighteen so give me a little credit before you freak out."
Accepted Fate Page 29