Page 76 of Broken Play
She bumps against my shoulder. "I love yourconfidence."
"Thanks."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the smile spreading across her face. The leaves rustle, but the sound seems unnatural. I've been here dozens of times and have never heard that noise.
Sutton asks, "What?"
"Shh..." I wait until I hear it again. "I'm going to go check it out."
"No, don't leave us. What if it's a mean animal?"
They wouldn't know how to get back, so my feet stay firmly planted, and I keep Paulina beside me while we eat cookies and watch the waterfall. Afterward, we head down to the bottom and swim in the clear blue water. Sutton's body sizzles, and I go under the water several times to coax my erection down.
As we splash and swim, their smiles reflect pure enjoyment. Paulina gets on my back, asking me to take her out deeper. Sutton wades beside us. It feels like a family—my family.
I wonder if I should talk to Dad and ask his opinion about how to handle this. Because if I'm in, I want to be all-in, not hiding in a diner an hour away or at my grandmother's ranch that's even farther.
Out in the open.
Holding her hand in the stadium.
Wining and dining her at restaurants.
Taking her two-stepping.
Family gatherings where she sits on my lap while we watch the deer prance through the grass.
It's our cue to leave when the sun falls behind the trees. We throw our clothes over our swimwear and hike back up the half-hidden trail. Sutton shakes out her hair, thenbrushes it with her fingers, and it may be the prettiest she's ever looked. Maybe it's because she's completely at ease, relaxed. No worries. No boardrooms. Just sun-kissed and free.
Paulina falls asleep as soon as we get in the truck. Sutton drops her head back against the seat, her head falling to the side as she stares at me. "Thanks for sharing your special place with us."
"I wanted to have a distraction for Paulina, and...I wanted you to see a place that's special to me."
Sutton shakes her head. "When was the last time you were at the waterfall?"
I clam up, not wanting to talk about it. "It's been years." Sutton doesn't press. I like that about her. Her intuition always seems to be on point. I'll share in my own time, on my own terms.
"Did you feel like you needed to be centered today?" she asks, looking back over her shoulder at Paulina while squeezing my thigh.
Answering that question brings on emotions I don't want to voice with a sleeping preteen in the backseat. "I wanted my mom to see you. I feel like if my mom is anywhere, she would choose her heaven to be in the exact spots where we sat and swam."
We swing by Hooked Hearts Ranch to sign the papers and load up the horses, but as I latch the door, I catch Sutton's lazy smile—and suddenly, the only thing I want more than a new horse is her.
Backing her against the door, my hand runs up her neck. I tangle my hand in her finger-combed hair and kiss her harder than a bull rider gripping the bull at the buzzer.
Breathless, with my heart racing, I have the overwhelming urge to tell her everything.
My outwardly picture-perfect life.
Not so perfect.
Her hands glide up my body, cupping my jaw. "You can trust me," she says as if she feels the weight of my thoughts. "I love you, too, Greyson O'Ryan."
FORTY
SUTTON
Miami. Tennis. My best friend. My nerves buzz as I confess to Anna that I told Greyson I love him—then panic hits. My wrist is bare. My lucky gold tennis racquet bracelet is missing.
