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Heart thrumming widely, I felt as if I was in the middle of a Disney movie and I’d just caught the eye of the most handsome prince in the kingdom.
“Is this real? I asked after I pulled back from him, stunned how every time our lips touched it electrified me sexually and made me feel cherished at the same time.
Gyth’s laugh and smile combined were lethal, warming me more than the searing hot sun on a hundred-degree summer day ever could.
“Baby, if it’s not real then I’m gonna live in this fantasy for the rest of my days.”
Laughter erupted from me like a volcano and heat scorched my sensitive lady parts.
“Is that a line you use on all the ladies, Mr. Elliot?”
“Nope, only on you, Sunshine.” He winked.
“Wow, now I feel special,” I joked.
But Gyth’s face was so serious when he reached out and cupped my cheek. “That’s because you are, darlin’. To me.”
My emotions and all the feelings for this man were on overload and I kinda panicked. So instead of saying what I wanted, so that he knew he was special to me too, I asked him to play more. I felt the loss as soon as he dropped his hand and picked up the song where he left off.
He didn’t question me, look mad, or even disappointed, but instead just carried on with extreme understanding.
My dog—God, I loved saying that—had stayed beside me the whole time through our interaction and dozed softly letting out a snore here and there. The sound was so damn sweet.
When the song came to an end I wanted more. “Will you play me another?”
Gyth nodded his head yes and began strumming again. Before he began to sing, he said, “This was one of my mother’s favorites.”
I was captivated by his voice and the emotion it held as he sangGrandpaby The Judds.My eyes started to fill with tears and Ash woke instantly, feeling my reaction to Gyth and his song.
Once he finished playing, our eyes met again.
“My mother was raised mostly by her grandparents because her mother was a single mom and was in and out of her life before she finally ran off altogether. My great-grandpa played guitar and sang too, and my mom said that’s where I got my love of music from.”
He looked down for a minute to collect himself. It was obvious the story wasn’t easy for him to tell. I had a feeling there was another that I wanted to hear that would be just as hard also. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and started again.
“When my mom got pregnant young, she told me she swore she would never be like her parents and she wasn’t. She was the best damn mom in the whole world, but history repeated itself in the father department. My dad left just days after she had me and never came back.”
His face wasn’t sad now, he looked angry. There was no question how much he loved his mother and as a son, was pissed on her behalf.
“We only had my grandparents for a short time. They were obviously older and passed away within a year of each other when I was very young. I do remember and have fond memories of my grandpa playing and singing to me, and I guess it stuck.”
I reached over, lacing my fingers with his, and laid my head on his shoulder. Ash whined a little, letting us know she felt it too. The story was so sad, but also beautiful because of the relationship between Gyth and his mom, as well as his great-grandparents. Then he finished.
“For so long it was my mom and me against the world. I wanted to make her proud, I wanted to give her things so she didn’t struggle, so I joined the military. I saved and helped get her a better house and helped provide for her as my father should have. Then she got sick with pneumonia when I was overseas, and she didn’t make it.”
Tears fell freely down his cheeks, and his voice clogged with sadness.
“She didn’t tell me at first, not wanting me to worry when I was away, where I could get hurt, but when it was so bad that she knew she might not make it, she wrote me a letter saying goodbye. I needed to be there—”
His voice broke and words died when he couldn’t speak anymore. Carefully moving Ash’s head off my lap, I picked up the guitar still in his hands and placed it behind us. Then I threw my leg over his leg and crawled on top of him, placing my hands on each side of his face, looking him dead in the eye.
“She knows how much you loved her. Honey, it’s clear you were the best son a mother could ask for. Cherish the memories and believe that.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him close.
“Thanks for telling me about her,” I whispered close to his ear. I wanted to know more about her and also his friend Luke, but it was enough for one day.
Ash took that moment to scoot closer and lay her head on Gyth’s thigh, right in front of my own.
