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She’s the most important thing to me, which means I’d sacrifice everything else to make sure she’s happy. I just haven’t figured out a way to tell her all of that without sounding like the obsessed, love-sick cowboy I am.
We stop outside of the barn and I dismount first before I offer my hand to help Kennedy off next. I debate telling her how I feel right then and there, but she yawns, turning to head into the barn before I can stop her.
I hurry to follow her inside, and we start to untack the horses in silence. She’s humming under her breath again, and I try to rehearse what I want to say in my head as we work. I guess that I could tell her right now that I love her but I want to be looking into those big beautiful blue eyes when I say those three little words for the first time so I wait.
I get Kirby brushed out and back in his stall in record time, and hurry to help Kennedy with Tin.
“Thanks,” she says when I take the saddle off and grab a brush to work on Tin’s other side.
“No problem. You did really good tonight.”
She hums, her cheeks flushing slightly at the compliment. "I think it's starting to come back to me, you know. Kind of like riding a bike."
I lead Tin back to her stall while Kennedy grabs two flakes of hay for each horse. They have water and fresh straw in their stalls from this morning so they should be good until tomorrow.
My beautiful girl smiles as I take her hand and start to lead her toward the front of the barn.
“I had fun tonight. Thanks for taking me there,” she says quietly.
"Of course. I'm glad I got to show you it."
She smiles at me and my heart kicks in my chest.
It’s time, it seems to say, and I take a deep breath.
“Kennedy,” I start and she stops, frowning at me when I take a deep breath. “I need to tell you something.”
ELEVEN
Kennedy
My heart racesin my ears as I wait for Wyatt to finish that sentence.
“About what?” I ask, my palms starting to get clammy as I hold my breath.
“Kennedy, I love you,” he says in a rush. I exhale so sharply that I scare both of us, but I can’t help it. My heart stutters in my chest, then pounds against my ribcage in double time.
"What?" I ask, feeling kind of lightheaded and wondering if I misheard him. Maybe I just wanted him to love me so much that I imagined his confession.
“I love you,” he says again, his emerald eyes locking onto mine. I see devotion, awe, and a tentative hope swirling in his bright green eyes, as well as a raw vulnerability that matches my own.
“You do?” I whisper, tears stinging the back of my eyes.
“Of course, I do. How could anyone not love you?”
I think back to my so-called friends back in Kentucky, the ones who haven't bothered to text or call me since I got here, and all of my classmates and other boys who overlooked me because of my size. It seemed pretty easy for them, but Wyatt is different.
He’s seen me from the beginning. From the moment I walked through his door, he’s made me feel beautiful and desired.
I’ve been falling in love with him a little bit every day or maybe I fell in love with him the moment I saw him.
“I love you too,” I tell him, the words instantly unlocking the pressure that’s been mounting in my chest all week. My cowboy relaxes before my eyes, his shoulders melting down as he cups my face so gently.
“Say it again,” he demands. I laugh through my tears as I oblige.
“I love you, Wyatt Ford”
“Thank fucking God,” he whispers before pulling me into him and sealing his lips over mine. I taste promises of forever in his kisses, each one washing over me, pulling me under the tide and washing me out to sea. I’ll float forever as long as Wyatt is by my side.
