The smell of turkey hit me as soon as I stepped into my house. My mother's humming floated down the hall making me smile at the familiarity of it. It felt good to be home.
"Hello," I called out. A squeal sounded right before my mother appeared, hurrying toward me with a huge smile and arms opened wide.
"My baby's home," she said, wrapping me up in a tight hug. She held me away, looking me over like she hadn't seen me for two years rather than two months. "You look good," she smiled.
"Thanks, Mom." I'd lost some weight after everything, and I knew it had worried her. But I'd been good lately, gaining back some of it so I didn't look sickly anymore. "Where’s Dad?"
She waved in a general direction. "Probably watching sports." grabbing my hand, she started dragging me toward the kitchen. "Come sit and tell me all about school. I can't wait to hear everything."
I couldn’t help but laugh as I took a seat at our table. "Uh, Mom? We talk every week. You already know everything about school," I pointed out.
She giggled. "I know, but I'm sure there are things you're leaving out." She gave me a pointed look.
"I have no idea what you're referring to," I said with an innocent look.
She rolled her eyes, turning to start poking at the potatoes. "You know exactly what I mean. Boys, Ella."
I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Mom said boys like I was still ten and got all giggly over the opposite sex. She smiled, probably not realizing I was laughing at her, not with her.
"There are no boys to speak of," I finally said once I got my laughing under control.
Her brow puckered. "None? Well that's too bad," she said with a frown. "I want grandchildren one day, Ella. These things take time, you know."
I groaned. "Dear God, don't start this already."
"Start what?" Dad asked, strolling in and dropping a quick kiss on the top of my head.
"Talking about grand kids and all that," I answered.
He rolled his eyes at me behind her back. "Don’t pressure our daughter, Evelyn. When she finds a good boy, she'll know. Someone smart and hardworking, like that Gage boy."
I literally flinched at the mention of his name. When my mom turned to face me with her eyes all wide in excitement, I braced myself. My gut told me whatever words were about to come out of her mouth I was not going to like. Neither of them knew what had happened between Gage and I over the summer. Now I sort of wished I’d told mom so she’d know not to mention him around me. I inwardly braced myself.
"Oh I forgot to tell you! The stand Gage set-up is apparently doing fabulously. We're so happy he's keeping everything Nan worked so hard for going strong."
Excuse me?
My stomach dropped like I had just jumped off a cliff and was free falling to an unknown bottom waiting for me. "What?" I tried, my voice cracking. Clearing my throat, my hands gripping the table, I tried again. "What are you talking about?"
"The farm," mom replied, as if it were obvious.
“What about it?"
They both stared at me like I was some stranger sitting in the kitchen.
"Well?" I pushed.
"Gage Hunter."
"Yes, I know him. What does he have to do with the farm?"
"He bought it, honey. Didn't he tell you? Nan and him had everything signed just that evening before she - passed," she replied, choking on the last word. "Gage has been running it this whole time, and set up a little stand where he sells fruits and vegetables. It's doing really well."
Gage bought the farm? Gage bought the farm. How was that even possible? It didn't make any sense.
"How?" was all I managed.
"He used the money he'd saved up for college. And apparently there was some money from his mom, so he was able to put down a decent down payment."
Why hadn't he told me? Oh, right. Because I refused to even speak with him. Suddenly I remembered him saying he couldn't explain everything yet, just as I'd been going in to speak with Nan. Ells, yesterday was not what you think it was. Trust me.
Oh my God, no. Was that what he'd meant? My mind raced as I tried to make sense of all this. Digging into my purse, I pulled out my phone and dialed.
"Hey, girl!" Jaiden said when she picked up.
"Jaiden, do you know what Julie does for a living, perchance?"
"Real Estate, why?"
Holy shit.
The phone slipped from my hands as I stared straight ahead. Mom and Jaiden were both calling my name, but I just sat there, letting the truth wash over me again and again like a crushing wave.
I was such an idiot.
This was stupid. What was I thinking? What if he'd moved on? What if he already had a new girlfriend and wanted nothing to do with me? At the very least I should have called, not just jumped in my car and driven two hours to the country.
I slowed down, turning into the driveway that was so achingly familiar. I felt tears instantly spring in my eyes. Had it really only been two and a half months since I'd been here last? I drove up, the old, red bricked house coming into view. If I thought things would look different without Nan here, I was wrong. It all looked exactly the same. But it wasn't. It was missing such a big part that it hurt to even think Nan wouldn't be waiting for me inside her kitchen like she always had been, cooking and baking, and just being her wonderful self.
No, it wasn't the same at all - and yet it was.
I parked in my usual spot, beside Gage's massive truck. Knowing that he was home had my heart racing and my hands shaking. I put the car in park and just sat there.
What was I doing? Suddenly this really didn't seem like such a good idea. I'd jumped to conclusions, just like Jake had warned me not to, accused Gage of cheating and basically insinuated he had a whorish lifestyle, and then left his life for months, causing us both pain. All over a misunderstanding.
Or, at least, I was starting to think it had been a misunderstanding, if my suspicions were correct. What if he took one look at me and ordered me off his property? It was his now after all. This may have been where I spent my childhood, but I no longer had any rights here.
What if he was in there right now with some other woman? I should have called. I was such an idiot - even more so than I'd thought. I glanced up in the rear view mirror and froze.
Gage stood on the porch, watching me with an unreadable expression on his face.
Crap.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and got out, clenching my hands down at my side to try and stop them from shaking so bad.
It was quite possible I was about to get my heart broken for the second time, and I wasn't so sure I'd be able to handle it. I kept my eyes on the ground until I stood a few feet away from the porch before lifting them to look at him.
I'd forgotten just how handsome he was. For the past couple of months I'd been around the academic sort. Apparently I'd forgotten just how fit and strong Gage was. My eyes roamed over him quickly, taking in as much of him as I could before he told me to turn tail and leave. I met his eyes again and we just stood staring at one another like we had when I'd come here the last time.
"I wasn't sure if you were going to get out of the car for a moment there," he said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," I said with an embarrassed smile, looking back at my car. "I just...needed a moment."
We reverted back to silence, regarding each other. I didn't know what to say now that I was here.
Thankfully Gage spoke first again. "What are you doing here, Ells?"
I glanced around. Looking for what? I don't know. It wasn't as though my courage would just be hanging from one of the trees surrounding us. I turned back to him, taking another deep breath.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I said.
He cocked one eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes were guarded and wary, and I hated it. This wasn't my Gage.
"You wouldn't speak to me," he replied.
Right. That was a stupid way to start this. "I didn't know," I said, gesturing around us.
"I had no idea you'd bought this place until my parents told me this morning."
He nodded. "Well, now you know. Nan was going to tell your herself, but...well, obviously it hadn't worked out the way we planned."
I swallowed down the tears already clogging my throat. "And Julie?" I forced out.
His mouth thinned, his nostrils flaring. "The real estate agent," he said flatly.
"I figured," I whispered, my cheeks heating with shame. "Gage, I..." I shook my head, looking away as everything around me turned blurry. I couldn't get the words past the burn in my throat.
"You what, Ella?" he asked, stepping off the porch and approaching me with a fierce look in his eyes that had me taking a step back.
Was he going to kick me off his land now? Would he tell me how stupid I was to come back? How little he thought or cared about me?
Every thought only made me want to cry harder. He stopped in front of me, his jaw firm as he seemed to clench his teeth, waiting for my response.
I bent my head back to look up at him. He stood so close I could smell his familiar scent. I wanted to crush myself against him, but I knew I couldn't. His eyes searched mine.
"I'm so sorry," I said, my voice breaking. "I should have trusted you and let you explain instead of thinking the worst."
"Yeah, you should have," he said.
I looked down, wiping furiously at the tears wetting my cheeks. His voice sounded so cold and detached, proving I'd lost him because of my idiocy. It wasn't surprising. Gage was a catch, any girl would be happy to be his. There had probably been a line-up waiting once I'd left town.
I tried to get my tears under control before looking back up at him. "Right, well that's all I wanted to say. I just wanted you to know I'm sorry for being such an ass," I said, offering him a watery smile.
"That’s it? That's all you wanted to say?" he asked, sounding pissed.
Now what had I done? I nodded, not knowing what else he wanted me to say. After an awkward moment, I turned to leave, heading toward my car, leaving Gage standing there watching me.
Just as I reached it I heard him growl in frustration. I looked back to see him barreling toward me, eyes narrowed. I backed up, hitting the driver’s side door just as he stopped in front of me, each arm flinging out to trap me.
"Jesus Christ, Ella. You come all this way just to apologize? That's it? Really?"
"W-what else is there?"
He looked up at the sky. "So fucking stubborn," he muttered before looking back down at me. "What am I going to do with you?"
Then his mouth crashed down onto mine as his arms wrapped around me to pull me against him. I moaned loudly as I gripped his hair, pulling him closer. I couldn't catch my breath as he continued to ravish my mouth, but it didn't matter. Breathing was inconsequential compared to this - being with the one person who completed your world, made it whole.
I gasped as he lifted me easily into his arms, wrapping my legs tightly around his waist. He started walking us toward the house.
"Where are we going?" I asked, pulling away from him.
"I'm going to show you what I did with your room," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "And introduce you to my new king size bed."
And boy did he.
Epilogue
Gage
"Ella!" I shouted, pulling Tut to a stop. A flash of yellow beneath the willow tree ahead gave her away. Smiling to myself, I hopped down and walked as quietly as I could to where she hid. As I drew closer I could hear her giggling to herself.
She'd left a note in the kitchen - along with her panties - telling me to come find her. It was our nine month anniversary and apparently she was going to be my present - not that I was complaining. Nine months of living together and I still couldn't get enough of her.
After making up - for days - Ella had finally admitted to me how much she hated school – “and what was she doing there anyway?”. My heart had soared at the idea of her living on the farm with me, but I had been terrified to even ask, in case she said no. It would have killed me.
After only a month of doing the long distance thing, and Ella growing increasingly depressed over school, I'd finally just come out and asked. I had barely gotten it out before she said yes. It had been one of the happiest moments of my life. And since then things had been perfect.
Sure, we still fought now and then again, but we always worked through it, and we never went to bed angry at each other. There was also always make-up sex, which suited me just fine. We worked hard and played hard, and nothing in this life was as good as the two of us.
Walking around the back, I tied Tut to a tree, putting my finger to my lips to keep him quiet - not that he understood. And even if he did, it's not as though he'd listen.
Sneaking through the branches, I stood back and watched as she tried to peek out, her eyes scanning the grounds for me. God she was cute as hell. The little yellow dress she wore had my mouth watering, especially knowing there was nothing under there to stop me.
I moved behind her, bending my head so my lips were by her ear. "Looking for me, sweetheart?"
Ella squealed and jumped, turning around with her hand gripping her chest. "Damn it, Gage. You scared the crap out of me!"
I pulled her against me, smiling at the fake pout looking up at me. My thumb brushed along the rosy blush coloring her cheeks. "That’s what you get for hiding from me," I said, slipping my hands under the hem of her dress to grip bare skin. I growled in appreciation as Ella giggled, pressing herself closer.
"I made us a picnic with all your favourite foods," she said, blinking up at me innocently.
"Food can wait," I said, moving us down to the blanket she had laid out. "I have something much more pressing to do than eat."
Her laugh turned into a moan as I settled myself against her. We kissed slowly, breathing each other in. I could spend an entire day just kissing this girl. I pulled away, kissing a trail down her neck, tasting the sweet, saltiness of her skin.
"Gage?" she breathed, her fingers lacing through my hair.
"Hmm?" I continued my path across her collar bone and down between the swell of her breasts.
"I have something I need to tell you."
Slipping off one strap of her dress, I dropped a quick kiss there before doing the same to the other. Pulling the fabric down, my mouth literally began to water as I bared her to my sight.
"Gage?"
"Hmmm?" I said, looking back up at her face.
She laughed. "I said, I have something I need to tell you."
"Oh? What is it?" I asked, distracted by the feast before my eyes. I leaned down and sucked one nipple into my mouth making her gasp and arch against me.
"Remember when I was sick a little while back?"
"Mmm hmm." I moved to the other one while my hands pushed the dress further down her body.
"Well, it turns out - I'm pregnant."
I froze for a moment before pulling back to rest my elbows on either side of her head, and stared down. "What did you just say?"
She bit her lip nervously, her eyes searching mine. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father."
Holy shit.
"You’re pregnant?" I said, my voice just about a whisper. I pushed off her, my eyes looking at her flat stomach in wonder. Leaning down, I placed my lips there, my mind racing to comprehend just what was happening.
"Gage?"
I looked up and saw the uncertainty in her eyes. She was actually worried I wouldn't be happy about this. Crazy girl. Smiling I moved back up, making sure to keep my weight off her.
"I'm going to be a father," I said, feeling my smile stretch to epic proportions.
Her eyes filled with tears. "Yeah, you are," she said with a smile.
"We’re going to be parents." I couldn't believe it. "God, I love you."
A tear escaped as she took a deep breath. I brushed it off with the pad of thumb. "I love you too." she replied. "Are you happy, then?"
"Are you kidding me? I've never been happier.
" I bent and kissed her deeply, meaning to pull back again, but her arms wrapped around my neck, keeping me close and the kiss suddenly became urgent. I needed her - now.
Afterward we lay on the blanket, another one covering us even though the air was mild. My hand held her stomach reverently. I had my whole life right here, and I had never been happier. If only my mom were here to see what I had accomplished. I could just imagine what she would have been like as a grandmother.
Ella rested her chin on my chest. "what are you thinking about?"
"My mom," I admitted. "She’d be so happy for us."
She smiled. "She is happy for us, wherever she is."
"Yeah, I guess she is."
"My mom is going to be so excited, she's probably going to be up here every weekend."
I grimaced at the thought. Not that I didn't love Mrs. Page, but every weekend?
Ella laughed at my expression. "Don’t worry, I'll keep her in check."
She laid her head back down, her fingers tracing light circles on my chest. "We’re going to be okay, right?" she asked after a moment.
"Ella," I said, pulling her in closer and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "We’re going to be absolutely perfect."
The End
Have you read Olivia and Colt’s story? Don’t miss out!
Brush Strokes is available now!
Art student, Olivia Banks, was living her dream at an exclusive school when everything came crashing down around her. Now back in the small town she grew up in, she's forced to spend her senior year at her old school where she's known as the 'freak', all because she'd rather focus on her painting than the trivial drama of high school. But things aren't the same as they were when she left. And the one thing that is turning her life upside down the most just happens to be the resident bad boy, Colt Morgan. Her senior year was supposed to fly by so she could pack up and leave again, but what happens when there's suddenly a reason to want to stay?
And keep a look out for the next books,
Deciding Love
Chloe Morgan had a pretty simple life, until her father moved them to a new town and a new school for her senior year. Learning to adapt isn’t easy, especially after finding out she has an older brother she never knew about. All Chloe wants to do is get through the year in one piece. Except things get even harder when her new friend’s older brother, Kyle Briggs, keeps ruining all her well laid plans. It’s a love/hate relationship. She’s just not sure where the emphasis lies – on the hate …or the love?
Simple Beginnings Page 21