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And I know she’s had a rough go of it. Life has given her a shit hand, and now, she’s folded on that part of her life and wants to start a whole new game. I only hope she lets me play and realizes how special this thing we have between us really is.
“What are you looking at?” She says, stepping Oreo next to Bambi.
“You look like you were having fun out there.”
“Maybe.”
“You might be a little sore tomorrow,” I say. “Horseback riding can kill your ass and hips the next day.”
“Eh, I have a big butt to cushion me,” she giggles.
“Oh, believe me; I’ve seen that juicy ass of yours.”
Her skin flushes slightly. “Maybe tonight, I can ride something other than this horse.”
Jesus, this woman is going to kill me.
Chapter Nineteen
Andi
“What if she hates me?” I ask Jonas while nervously checking myself out in the mirror.
I’m not quite sure what I was thinking earlier when I agreed to have dinner with Jonas and his family. Riding a horse apparently gives me a false sense of confidence and also makes me say dirty things about riding Jonas.
This town is doing strange things to me.
Walking up behind me, Jonas wraps his arms around my waist and gives me a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Baby, they’re not going to hate you. How could they?”
“Because I don’t fit in here, Jonas. I’m the city girl who sticks out like a sore thumb. I can only imagine what rumors about me have already begun swirling around this town.”
He leads me over to the edge of the bed and sits me down before kneeling, so we are even at eye-level.
“They won’t hate you. They’ll be crazy about you becauseI’mcrazy about you. And who the fuck cares what people in this town say? Let me tell you something, Andi. People in this town have talked about my family and me for years. Most of what they think isn’t true, but after a while, we stopped defending ourselves.”
I’m about to ask him what he means. What could people possibly be saying about his family? But he starts talking again before I have the chance.
“My point is that you can’t let what people say get to you. My family will get to know you and make their own assumptions, and when they do, they will be crazy about you too.” He pushes one of my curls out of my face. “Stop worrying so much. But you know that you can still back out if you want.”
A small part of me wants to take him up on that, but the fact that he’s willing to let me out of it makes me want to do this for him.
“No, I’m fine. Just a little worried, I guess,” I paste on a weak smile.
“Like I said, they’ll love you. Just don’t be afraid to hold your own.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“I mean, my family is loud and crazy, and although we try to have those good Southern manners, we have no filter most of the time. We give each other shit constantly. Don’t be afraid to join in.” His smile is so infectious that it makes me grin too. This time, it’s not pasted on.
I take a final glance in the mirror. I opted for my sundress since all of the new clothes I bought are dirty now, and I figure it might be rude to show up in a tank top and leggings. I’d like to look at least halfway decent.
Ten minutes later, we are in his truck heading in the direction of his mother’s house. He sets his hand on top of mine and gently rubs my fingers with his.
Butterflies fly around in my stomach, and I try to calm them. Earlier, I told Jonas that I worried that his family wouldn’t like me. That’s true, but it’s only part of it. I’ve spent years thinking maybe I wasn’t good enough for the man I was married to. When his mom was around, I always tried to put on a good front and be the “perfect wife,”…whatever the fuck that means. She and I were always so close, and I guess I worried that Michael might rub off on her, and she would start thinking I wasn’t good enough for him.
I see now that Michael was a piece of shit, and he was the one who wasn’t good enough for me.
