Page 57 of Live, Ranch, Love

I can’t stop the smile that follows. “Yeah, can’t say it’s been the worst thing in the world.”

***

Cherry gives Aurora a tight hug before launching herself at me. Dad has already said his goodbyes and is waiting in the truck. Fortunately, no one else locked horns this evening, and Dad actually managed to make conversation with Aurora, both of them pleasantly smiling the whole time as if their previous exchange hadn’t even happened.

Cherry always wraps her arms around my middle when she hugs me, reminding me of when I had a huge growth spurt in my late teens, and she was still just a little kid.

“You know I appreciate everything you do for me, right?” Her dark eyes blink at me, a sincere smile following.

“Of course, kiddo.” I give her a squeeze, then pull her into a headlock and ruffle her hair because I’m too uncomfortable with my sister being so nice.

“Get off me, you caveman!” she yells, slapping me until Mom finishes saying goodbye to Aurora and intervenes, reminding us both that we’re in our twenties. Cherry huffs, trying to tidy her hair, but she can’t hide the way her mouth twitches. “Ugh, I take back what I said. Bye.”

And then she’s out the door, leaving me with Mom and Aurora, who says she’ll meet me out the back once I’ve said all my goodbyes. Mom waits for Aurora to be out of earshot before she smiles at me, eyes crinkling at their corners.

“I like her. I think she’s good for you, Wyatt.”

“Ma, you know we’re not actually together, right?”

She waves my comment away and pulls me into a hug, scrambling like always to hold me as tight as possible, as if it’s the last time she’ll see me. “I just think it’s nice to see you’re moving on now that Holly has, with the engagement and all.”

Engagement.

Holly’s… engaged?

I expect my body to tense up, like it always does when I see her or hear about her. I expect my heart to start thrumming as the reminders of how far behind I am come racing into my thoughts, along with the memories of her leaving me.

But I feel… nothing.

Even when Mom mentioned Holly at dinner, I froze, but more because I didn’t want my ex being brought up in front of Aurora. I didn’t want to remind Aurora that I might not be totally open to her, even though nothing will ever happen between us. I was also hoping to not have to revisit the fake kiss for my own sanity.

I feel nothing about Holly for the first time.

Because of Aurora.

Who ripped into my dad to defend me.

Holly would never have done that.

A lot of girls would never have done that.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Mom. Let me know when you guys are home safe.” I give her one last squeeze and then walk her out the door, waving the truck off once it heads down the dirt road into the distance.

***

“Thank you, by the way,” I say to Aurora as I join her, leaning against the fence.

She’s still got a drink in her hand as she admires the deep orange sky fading into the looming night. Her eyes are a little glassy when she turns to smile softly at me.

“For sticking up for me to my dad.” Aurora looks down, cheeks flushing, before she drags her sparkling gaze back to me, a small crease between her brows. I turn to face the scenery ahead, rubbing the back of my neck. “It was weird… but in a good way. No one’s ever done that for me before.”

Aurora worries her lips, then takes a sip of her drink. “Well, someone should’ve. I meant what I said… But I honestly don’t know what came over me. I felt so angry.” Her laugh comes out all breathy. “I think it’s just all the pent up anxiety about this week.”

“Anxiety?”

Aurora rolls her lips together. “With the retreat. It starts in less than two days, and I think up until now, there’s always been something to work on or create, so it’s distracted me. But now that we’re basically done, I can just feel all these nerves buzzing under my skin. Even more now I’m supposed to be writing a book about it all.”

Sounds like what I feel when I’m around her.

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