Silence settles over us, only the sounds of crickets in the darkness.
“You should know that since that night with you, the first time, I haven’t been with anyone else. I’ll admit I tried, but though I hate to admit it, it felt wrong.”
“So you tried to forget?”
“I did,” I confess as I look down to avoid his eyes. “It didn’t work.”
“What do we do now?”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes when I feel his hand slide over my arm once more.
“We keep trying this, but know that we will probably be doing this bickering thing the entire way through. I’m not an easy person Aaron, I know I’m a pain in the ass.”
“You are.” I look up to find him smiling. “But I deal with pain in the ass people all day every day, I’m not afraid of a difficult situation.”
“Now I am a difficult situation?”
“Hell yeah you are, the most difficult one yet.”
I push on his chest and he grabs my wrists pulling me in close. “Kendall,” he says in a low husky voice and I pause giving him my full attention. “You have to be willing to bend babe, I can’t do this all on my own.”
“I know.” And I did. “And I will try. You have to be patient though, I’m going to need a lot of second chances.”
“And thirds, fourths, and fifths,” he says, kissing my forehead with a laugh.
I never thought I’d be the kind of girl to fall in love with forehead kisses but this man just proved me wrong.
“Yeah, all of those, just do me a favor.”
“Anything.” He leaves his lips resting just barely against my temple.
“Don’t lose faith in me, because even though I act like I don’t, I do like being with you.”
Aaron hugs me and I let him. For the first time I stop fighting against something I want. I stop looking for all the ways it could go wrong and accept that this, it may be the first right thing I’ve done in a very long time.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Aaron
“You missed a spot.”I look over the hood of my truck to find Kendall standing there with her arms crossed and her hair piled high on top of her head.
I’d gotten up early, and after one look at my truck sitting in the drive I knew I needed to wash it off. Yesterday’s job site was full of mud and it appeared I’d managed to bring half of it home with me.
“Right there.” She leans in and points and I pick that moment to turn the hose. She squeals, shocked by the cool water and jumps back.
“Was that the spot?” I ask with a chuckle while watching her dry off her face.
“You did not just do that.” I’d be a little worried if she wasn’t laughing herself. Her white tank top is fused to her chest and hiding nothing.
“I did.” I reposition my body and hold the hose like at any moment I am going to shift it upward and hose her again. “But it still looks like there are a few dirty spots I need to rinse.”
“Aaron,” she goes for the warning voice. That tone that is supposed to make me stop what I am doing or about to do and really weigh out all my options. It is supposed to make me consider the consequences and make the best choice.
It doesn’t work.
I flip the hose, Kendall hides behind the fender and I start to walk around the front of my truck. When I get there I find she is gone and before I have the opportunity to look she jumps on my back from behind. Her legs circle my waist, her wet front plastered to my back.
“Give me that.” She reaches for the hose and I hold it out away from us further.
