Page 88 of Home Is Where You Are

“I didn’t love him. I never did. I was with him because he was comfortable. He made me laugh, but he never made me feel anything. I’d only ever kissed him. He said he understood that I wanted to wait and wasn’t ready, and I walked in on him cheating on me at a party he lied to me about. I wasn’t even heartbroken. I only shed one tear out of humiliation, never out of heartbreak,” I said as I stared into his green eyes.

“Why?”

I shook my head, not understanding what he’d asked.

“Why didn’t you fall in love with him? Why didn’t you take the next step with him?” he asked, his eyes only leaving mine once he finished asking the question. His voice broke at the end of the second one. I know it hurt to ask.

“He wasn’t you,” I whispered. It was the truth. I couldn’t fall in love with Kyle no matter how hard he tried because my heart was still here in Texas with the man I’d left behind.

I hated that he’d put space between us. I hated that Kyle had the worst timing in the world when it felt like we were having the breakthrough we needed. I didn’t want Gentry to be hurt, but I couldn’t erase the past four years. I could only hope we could move past it.

“What are you thinking?” I asked as I touched his arm, more to reassure me than him.

“Is there a chance you’ll take him back?”

“Absolutely not,” I answered with conviction. Cheating is a no-go for me. Plus, I still loved the man who laid in front of me. I just wasn’t ready to tell him yet.

“I’m sorry for ruining our date. You put so much thought into it, and it was the perfect night until now.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. You ready to head back in? It’ll be dark soon,” he said as he smiled at me, a smile that didn’t meet his eyes.

He could say I didn’t ruin the evening, but the way his cheerful mood dissipated indicated my confession put a damper on it.

We packed up and rode the ATV back to the house. Gentry parked the ATV in the barn and helped me off.

I put my hand in his to stop him from walking away.

“You planned the perfect date. Thank you for such a wonderful evening. One more question before we call it a night?”

I didn’t want the night to end and wanted to lighten the mood.

“What’s your last question?” he asked, his fingers caressing mine as his hold on my hand tightened.

“What’s your favorite scent?”

“That’s easy. Vanilla,” he said with a wink. My cheeks blushed. I didn’t miss that his favorite scent was the same as my perfume.

“Your turn,” I said as I held my breath. I didn’t know what he would ask, and after he’d found out about Kyle, I didn’t know if he’d ask anything else about our relationship, not that I’d hide anything from him. I just didn’t want our night to end with Kyle being the last topic of our conversation.

“What does your dream home look like?”

I chuckled at his odd question. Where did he come up with these? It’s almost like he stored them over the years, just waiting for the moment to ask them.

“My dream home is the house my grandparents left me in their will. I’ve always envisioned living there. To wake up to the view of their backyard while I sip my cup of coffee. To enjoy nights by the fireplace and days on the porch swing. I want to fill it with as much love as they had,” I honestly replied.

“Goodnight, my beautiful butterfly,” he said as he leaned in and kissed my forehead, his lips lingered a little longer than he had the day before, and my heart swelled.

Once I was inside the house, I leaned against the back door and sighed, and a huge smile appeared on my face.

I loved that man so much I could burst.

twenty-eight

AINSLEIGH

“Good morning, Mama,” I said with a beaming smile. I woke this morning with a pep in my step. I opened the butterfly that Gentry gave me last night when I woke up, and I couldn’t stop smiling over the words inside.

You’re the most beautiful girl in the world, and I’m blessed to get to call you mine.