Ella nodded. “Yes, oh yes, Trey, I do!” Tears leaked out, and she brushed them quickly away. “Sorry, not trying to be the emotional woman, but if you knew how long I’ve waited to have you look at me like this, kiss me, ask me to be with you …” She glanced out at the woods and shook her head. “I wasn’t going to tell you that.”
Trey’s heart was thudding. Ella had been interested in him for that long? He remembered that when they’d been younger, she would sometimes stare at him, or Gavin would make a comment about Ella having a little crush on him, and of course there was the bracelet she’d given him when he left. Had that continued throughout high school and college? They hadn’t seen each other much in the past ten years. “You’ve been interested in me … for a while?”
Ella nodded quickly, still not looking at him.
“And I was too stupid and thick to notice?”
Ella glanced at him then, her dark eyes bright. “You shouldn’t have noticed me. I was way too young for you, and you treated me like a sister. Well, you were nicer than any of my brothers, but I knew you didn’t return my feelings and … Ugh!” She shook her head. “I should not be admitting all of this to you.”
Trey normally would’ve teased her about him being irresistible, but he could tell this was more than a young teenage crush. “Thank you for sharing with me,” he said cautiously. “How long have you … felt this way?”
She blinked at him, so beautiful and appealing. She was the irresistible one. He couldn’t believe he’d never noticed her in this way before yesterday. He’d always thought she was an adorable, fun, and sweet girl, but she was six years younger than him. He hadn’t really seen her in the past four years as she’d grown into the alluring woman before him, except in pictures or through stories from Mama.
“A long time,” she admitted. Blowing out a breath, she studied the pool cover. “When we were little, you were like my hero. You were always so nice to me, and you and Gav were both so much bigger and tougher than the rest of us, so I looked up to you. I guess I got interested in boys a lot younger than most, and I started daydreaming about you and fancying myself in love with you. You were the hero of every romance novel I read. It killed me when you were in high school and dating different girls.”
“But you would’ve been, like, eleven or twelve.”
“I know. I’m not saying it was logical, a little girl’s fantasies.” She pulled her hand from his and wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I should not be admitting any of this to you.”
Trey tried to smile reassuringly. He didn’t want to push her away, but a twelve-year-old Ella daydreaming about him was a lot different from this gorgeous, mature twenty-two-year-old woman daydreaming about him. “You can tell me anything,” he said instead of admitting to his thoughts. “Just tell me you still daydream about me.” He winked.
She nodded soberly. “Don’t get all cocky about it,” she warned, and Trey smiled at her fire. “I dated a lot in high school and college. It’s not like I sat home on weekend nights watching your YouTube videos and daydreaming about this day happening.”
“That’s good,” he said, though unexpected jealousy reared in him at the thought of her in another man’s arms. “But nobody could compare to me, right?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Unfortunately for me, no.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close.
“No other man would tease me and make fun of me. They’d be thrilled to be the superstar of my daydreams.”
“Oh, I am. Believe me, I am. What about your night dreams?” His voice deepened. “Am I the superstar there too?”
Ella finally smiled. “Unfortunately for me, yes.”
“Unfortunately?” he protested. “Any dream with me in it must be fabulous.”
Ella had basically admitted that no man had ever compared to him. It was a huge ego boost, but it was also a reassurance that they could have a lasting future. If she’d truly wanted him since she was a child, she wouldn’t be giving up on them, even if a long-distance relationship was tough. He’d dated enough to know that what they had between them was incredible. She was the one for him, and he’d never give that up.
“Oh, they are.” Ella braced her hands on the cushions beside him, leaned up, and kissed his cheek. “But not nearly as fabulous as the real thing.” She brushed her lips across his, then lingered on his other cheek. Then she slowly kissed her way down his neck to where his pulse was hammering out of control. She smiled up at him, obviously knowing she was in complete control here.
Trey wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her onto his lap, and cuddled her in close. “I’m just catching up on the day and night dreams about you,” he murmured against her lips. “Can you give me some good material to work with?”
Ella laughed softly, but he cut it off by capturing her mouth with his. The kiss was unreal, and he could’ve gone on kissing her until Gavin and Austin came back to pull them apart. Ella framed his face with her palms and pulled back. Trey focused on her dark eyes. He loved her. He didn’t know when he should tell her, but it hit him with something deeper than the physical attraction between them, the fact that he admired and respected her, the fun way they could tease and enjoy doing things together, and the history they had together. This love was going to last. He would make sure of it.
“Now that you know how desperately I love you,” she said quietly, “please don’t break me.”
Trey studied her. “Never, Ella. I promise I would never hurt you.”
She smiled, and before he had the chance to tell her he loved her, she was kissing him again. Trey gave in to the longing to kiss and hold her. Soon, he’d share the depth of his feelings like she’d shared hers, but right now, he was going to enjoy the moment.
Chapter Thirteen
Ella smiled as she put the finishing touches on her makeup and slid some silver, dangly earrings in, thinking about last night. Austin and Gavin came home from fishing a lot earlier than Trey or Ella would’ve liked. She and Trey had still been cuddled on the couch kissing when Gavin and Austin had come bounding out of the mountains. She’d been shocked to hear it was after six.
They’d had a fun night cleaning, frying, and devouring the delicious fish; then all four of them took a late-night swim. Trey had given her a lingering kiss at the door to her room, but Gavin had been right there to make sure they got to their own rooms. She laughed.
Trey in person was a million times better than anything she could’ve dreamt about. She still couldn’t believe she’d admitted to desperately loving him for most of her life, but he’d been great about it and he’d promised he’d never hurt her. He hadn’t told her he loved her yet and they hadn’t worked out some long-distance relationship, but she just wanted to enjoy being with him, the newness and beauty of it all. The rest would work out. She and Trey would make sure it did.
A rap came at her door, followed by Trey’s husky voice. “Ella?”
Ella hurried to the door and yanked it open. She paused and put a hand to her heart as Trey stared down at her with a look of worshipful awe.
“Oh, wow, you shouldn’t go around looking this good,” she managed to say. He was dressed in a button-down white shirt that draped perfectly on his firm upper body and navy-blue dress pants that fit far too well. His golden-brown hair was more in control than usual, and his blue eyes sparkled at her.
“You’re one to talk.” His voice got all deep and irresistible. “You’re so beautiful, El.”
Ella whirled in her blue floral knee-length dress, feeling pretty. Trey grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in, giving her a lingering kiss.
“You two stop the kissing, or I’ll have Pastor Jay call you to repentance,” Gavin said from behind them.
“Please do,” Trey whispered against Ella’s lips. “I need all the help I can get with this gorgeous woman around.”
Ella giggled.
Trey straightened, winking at her, a
nd took her hand. “Thanks for shap-roning, Gav.”
“Shap-roning?” Gavin’s brow wrinkled.
“Yeah, that’s what us bros do,” Austin said, appearing behind Gavin. “Let’s go to church so we can eat a real meal at the lodge after. I only got cold cereal this morning.”
“The boy is always starving,” Gavin said, starting down the stairs after Austin.
“I got a kiss from Ella,” Trey whispered so only she could hear. “Nothing tastes as good as that.”
Ella squeezed his hand. “You haven’t tasted your own kisses, obviously.”
Trey lifted an eyebrow at her. “I’ll take your word for it.”
They walked hand in hand down the stairs, out to the garage, and climbed into Gavin’s Lexus sport utility.
The drive to church passed quickly, as Austin told them about his football team and the best coach ever, Gavin. They were a few minutes late walking into church. Ella smiled as the heads swiveled and the tongues started wagging. She and Trey were holding hands, and he must’ve noticed the commotion, because he released her hand, wrapped his arm firmly around her back, and drew her against his side. She smiled up at him. She couldn’t have cared less that they were giving the valley something delicious to gossip about. He was more delicious than anything to her.
Mama was waiting for them. Austin excitedly squeezed in against Mama. Gavin, Ella, and then Trey sat down. Trey traced his fingers along Ella’s wrist, making her flesh tingle. “Will you wear your bracelet again for me?” he asked in a husky voice in her ear.
Ella smiled up at him. She’d forgotten about the bracelet in the excitement of being with Trey. She loved that he wanted her to wear it, almost like a promise between them. She’d given him a bracelet to pledge her lifelong devotion to him as a preteen. He’d given her a similar bracelet to start the new chapter of their life as adults who were fully choosing to be together. “I’ll put it on as soon we get back to Gavin’s.”
He grinned, but they quieted as the pastor began speaking. Trey kept his arm around her, and she stayed close to him throughout the service.
Pastor Jay gave an insightful sermon about how Paul had been shipwrecked on the way to Rome. He talked about many of the trials Paul faced and how each person could turn to the Lord during their trials, and if they kept the faith and focused on the joy of loving and serving the Lord, their trials would be swallowed up in the joy of God’s love. It was a moving sermon, but with Trey so close, Ella couldn’t imagine any trials except for him leaving her.
She looked around the congregation though and saw quite a few people she’d known and loved her entire life who had major trials. Mama had to deal with Papa’s disability and poor health. Doc Mullen and his wife, Myra, had a darling daughter who’d been killed as a teenager in a car rollover. Kaytlyn Klein’s youngest sister, Krysta, and her parents sat a few rows in the front of them. Krysta and her mom were absolutely gorgeous blondes like Kaytlyn, but Ella knew their dad was a controlling jerk. She’d also heard Kandy had gone off the deep end and the family didn’t know if she would end up dead from overdose somewhere. It was also common knowledge that the family had very little money and a late freeze this spring had stolen most of their crops again. Krysta was only a year younger than Ella, but she’d never moved away like her sisters, opting to stay and try to help out on the ranch. Ella had wondered if she’d stayed in hopes of protecting her mother from her dad.
Ella realized she’d never heard what happened between Kaytlyn and Trey that Gavin had accused him of. She’d have to remember to ask him after church. She hated thinking of him and Kaytlyn together, but everybody had a past. That was life.
Once the meeting ended, they greeted some friends as they filtered out. Austin was pretty excited about eating Sunday dinner at the restaurant, so they didn’t linger.
They pulled up to the lodge, and Austin hopped out of the truck. Tugging at Mama, he said, “It’s not as good as your Sunday dinners, but the root beer is so tasty.” He smacked his lips. “And they have fries, so you know it’s almost as good.”
Mama smiled down at him, and the love shining from her eyes made Ella wish she didn’t have to go back to Salt Lake. She was missing out on her family. Maybe she could talk to Gavin about revamping his marketing department so she could be here for Mama, Papa, and Austin. She’d noticed that Gavin was running himself ragged, and she didn’t think he currently had anyone specifically doing marketing.
Trey held her hand as they walked into the restaurant. He held the door for her and gave her a smile that had her insides humming with excitement. “So what’s on the schedule for after church?” she asked. Tomorrow, he’d be back to doing his tricks and rides for Gavin’s people, and she’d be driving home. Yet this was home. More and more, she didn’t want to leave. She really didn’t want Trey to leave.
“Are you up for a slow ride on some of the trails?” he asked.
“Am I up for it? How’s your knee?”
“It’s great.”
“How’s the head?”
“Cloudy when you’re around.” He winked, and they followed her family, who were already through the foyer and into the restaurant.
“Trey!” The relieved cry came from one of the couches. Kaytlyn Klein stood and slowly came toward them. She looked apprehensive, and though she was as beautiful as ever, her blond hair hung limply around her face, and her pretty cotton dress hung on her too-thin frame and was wrinkled as if she’d been in a car for too long.
“Kaytlyn.” He started toward her, his eyes full of concern, but then he stopped and turned to Ella. “Are you okay if I see what I can do to help her?”
Ella wanted to say no, she didn’t want him connecting with his old girlfriend, but that was selfish and untrusting of her. Kaytlyn obviously needed help and knew that she could turn to Trey because he was such a good guy and they’d been friends for a long time. “Of course. We’ll just head in. Do you want me to order for you?”
“Sure. Whatever the special is will be great. Thanks.” He bent down and gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll be right there.”
Ella smiled shakily and raised a hand to Kaytlyn, who was watching her. Although Kaytlyn obviously didn’t recognize her, she waved back. Ella walked into the restaurant, where her family was waiting. Trey was just helping Kaytlyn as a friend. It was no big deal, but the way Gavin’s brow furrowed when she walked in and the concern in her mama’s eyes made her think it might be a very big deal.
Trey watched Ella go. She was so great. How many women would act petty or jealous in the same situation? Not Ella. He turned to Kaytlyn and hurried her direction.
“Trey,” she breathed out when he reached her. She gave him a quick hug and then grabbed his arm. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
Trey nodded. He directed her toward Gavin’s office, hoping that he could help her and straighten out her implication that they’d been together. He also hoped it would be quick. His time with Ella was slipping away, and he wanted to extend it. Could he convince her not to go back to Salt Lake? Could he alter his schedule or hire Ella to work for him? Now that was an idea.
He typed in the code for Gavin’s office, swung open the door, and gestured Kaytlyn inside. She turned to him as soon as the door shut. “Oh, Trey, I’m in a mess.”
“What’s going on?” he asked. Kaytlyn had always been such a beautiful sweetheart. Their relationship hadn’t worked, as they didn’t have much chemistry between them, but he’d always be willing to help her as a friend.
She sank down into a chair, buried her face in her hands, and started sobbing.
Trey stared for a few seconds. He’d never seen Kaytlyn cry before, and she was having a full-on breakdown. He squatted next to her chair and tentatively touched her shoulder. “Kayt?”
She peered up at him from bloodshot eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m such a mess, and we drove to get here. Probably should’ve taken the plane, but I didn’t want to wait on the pilot.” She waved a hand. “I’m sure it’s just p
regnancy hormones.”
Trey reared back. He pushed to his feet and then sank into the chair next to hers. “So you are … pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“Did you really suggest to Gavin that I might be the father?” He couldn’t believe that Kaytlyn would do that. She was one of the kindest and most unselfish people he knew.
“Oh, Trey, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t want to involve you in any of this—I honestly want you to run away from me and never look back—but I don’t know who to turn to. My parents can hardly handle the ranch, and Kandy’s gone off the deep end, drugs, living on the street. You’ve always been such a good friend to me.”
Her lower lip trembled, and he was afraid she was going to break into sobs again. “Kayt … I’ll help you however I can, but I don’t understand. Who is the father?”
She shook her head, her blue eyes bright with unshed tears. “He’s dead,” she said, and her voice sounded almost dead, lifeless. But then, a spark of fire came back into her eyes. “But I’m going to protect my baby, and I’m going to protect his legacy.”
“What can I do to help you?” Trey felt so bad for her. The father of her baby was dead and she was more than distressed; it was as if she was afraid.
Kaytlyn bit at her lip and stared at him, but then she shook her head. “Who were you with?” She tilted her head toward the lobby.
“Ella Strong.” Trey smiled just saying her name. Where Kaytlyn’s life was a mess, Trey’s was going beautifully. His only stress was how to carve out more time with Ella.
“Do you … care for her?”
“I love her.” Trey had no problem admitting the truth.
Kaytlyn stood quickly. “That’s great, Trey. I’m so happy for you.” She rushed to the door, flung it open, and all but ran from the office.
The Strong Family Romance Collection Page 13