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Colt’s admission, though reluctant, was at least a step in the right direction—a glimpse into the reasons behind his facade of being fine. It offered me something tangible to work with.
I reached over, taking his hand and bringing it to my lips. “Never baby. You can push me away time and time again, but I promise I’m not going anywhere.”
I stole a glance at Colt, catching him biting down on his plush pink bottom lip, attempting to stifle a smile at my declaration.
“Baby huh? Someone’s being a bit presumptuous,” he huffed.
“Nothing presumptuous here. I’m simply manifesting.”
11. “Little Wonders”
Colton
Gray’s response to my earlier confessions left me bewildered. He’d been pissed, not with me, but on my behalf, for what I had endured. Which, sure, tracked with everything I knew about Gray and his overprotective tendencies. I shouldn’t be shocked he felt that strongly about it. But those feelings of surprise still bubbled up, considering even the countless social workers I’d crossed paths with during my formative years had been sympathetic but maintained a professionally detached demeanor. To them, I merely signified a job to be handled, not someone to invest emotions in.
My introspective musings came to an abrupt halt when Gray’s truck crested a hill, revealing scenery that stole my breath away. We entered a lush valley oasis, complete with a magnificent waterfall cascading into a vivid blue body of water. A spring sat nestled amidst lush greenery and a light mist rose from the water’s surface, its pristine beauty heightened by the late springtime. Wildflowers carpeted the fields flanking the dirt road, imitating a scene straight from the pages of a fairy tale.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Gray shot me a knowing look, his trademark goofy grin wreaking havoc on my composure, a fact I still refused to acknowledge aloud. “This spring used to be the hangout spot back when my folks were our age. All summer long, they’d haul out hotdogs and kegs and party every day in the water. Now, hardly anyone our age knows it exists. It became private property about fifteen years back and people forgot about it pretty quick.”
“If it’s private property, then what are we doing here? I’d rather not end up as target practice for some trigger-happy redneck enforcing trespassing laws,” I quipped, unable to resist the urge to be sarcastic.
“Don’t worry, I know a guy.” Gray reassured me with a wink, clearly enjoying the secretiveness. He should have known by now that I never let things slide.
“Oh do you now? And who exactly would that be?” I grumbled. The thought of Gray pulling strings to gain access to a place restricted to a select few made me uneasy, especially considering the town’s not so subtle infatuation with my man.
“Well, if you must know. The proud owner of this fine piece of real estate is none other than Remington Hunterberry the fourth.” Gray chuckled at my perplexed expression. “Otherwise known as the wise cracking Remy, or in his words, my bestie.”
“How the fuck does Remy own this place?” I exclaimed.
“Well, good ol’ Remington Hunterberry Junior decided to snatch up this land basically to be a dick and deprive the locals of a spot that brought everyone joy. Grandpa Rem was as conservative as they come, so he despised the idea of ‘the youth’ drinking out here. His favorite thing in life was enforcing his world views on others and throwing his exorbitant amount of money at the problem to make it happen. He was a complete asshole and richer than God.”
“Sounds like a fun guy,” I deadpanned.
“Oh totally,” Gray confirmed. “The only other thing he cared about was Remy. For some reason, he loved him. Which makes about as much sense as a pair of pants on a zebra, if you ask me. Then, when he died a few years ago, he left his entire estate to Remy. Including these springs. Guess Remy kept his extracurricular activities with the same sex on the down low.”
Huh. Didn’t see that one coming. Remy’s penchant for camouflage and cowboy boots did a stellar job of hiding, pun intended, the fact he was loaded.
“Anyway,” Gray continued, “Remy loves this place. It’s where he comes when he wants to be alone with his thoughts. So, since it’s not really common knowledge anymore and even less well known that he now owns it, he decided to keep it as private property. But, he insisted that I could use all the magic this place has to offer if I wanted to impress you enough on our first date that you may even let me take you on a second one after today.” He offered me a shy smile, seemingly still worried I may turn him down again after today.
Which frankly became an impossible idea to entertain with that declaration alone. “You asked Remy to help you plan our date?”
“Umm, is that bad?” He self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck, his telltale nervous tick. “I mean, I tried planning it myself because I know you don’t love people knowing your personal business. But, you know, I like to run things by Rem when they’re important to me because I tend to go overboard. I didn’t want to scare you away and Remy gives great advice,” Gray explained, sincerity shining in his eyes.
A part of me bristled at that. “What exactly did you tell him?” I asked evenly, trying to keep a lid on my anger until I knew whether I’d be overreacting. Gray's exuberance was something I'd begun to find endearing, but even I had my limits.
“Nothing bad, I swear! Basically all I’ve told him is enough about your likes and dislikes so that he could give me accurate advice on how best to romance you; I really want you to feel special.”
He sounded so earnest. Well fuck. Now I really couldn’t be pissed, even if I didn’t love the idea of Remy, of all people, knowing my business.
“Are you mad?” Gray asked hesitantly when I stayed silent.
“No, I think it’s sweet,” I told him.
Okay, maybe sweet was stretching the truth, but I didn’t want to ruin our date by making Gray feel guilty. And it wasn’t a total lie either. Even I could tell it meant he cared and wanted this to go well. I suppose it was better than having too much of an ego to ask for help and then planning a date I’d absolutely hate.
Was this what being mature felt like? I think Gray might be rubbing off on me.
Gray visibly relaxed at my statement, confirming I’d made the right decision. He even managed to look a bit sheepish. “I just didn’t want you to think I hadn’t put any effort into planning something special for you. Because I want today to show you how special I think you are and how you deserve to be treated.”
