Unfinished Business

22

Song for this chapter- Sinning With You by Sam Hunt

Eight years earlier...

Springtime in South Carolina is the prettiest time of year. Granted, I've learned that while the temperature adjusts to getting warmer, it's always best to check the weather before picking out my outfit for the day. While one morning it could be eighty degrees outside, the next it'll be back in the fifties.

But today, the sun is beaming down on my back as Dolly gallops down the trail. Wyatt wanted to race, but he should know better than that. Dolly is competitive, just like me. She'd never let him win.

The wind is running through my hair, blowing the strands every which way as the familiar sound of Wyatt's laugh carries behind me. I've grown to memorize it, and especially hearing it on a day as beautiful as this? I don't think I'll ever be able to think of a better moment than this one.

Pollen lines the leaves of the sycamore trees on either side of us while hundreds of azaleas and magnolias are in full bloom. This truly feels like I'm in some sort of storybook or fantasy land. I'm riding on a horse between an exotic garden of flowers next to the hottest cowboy I've ever seen. I'm officially in a Hallmark movie.

"Let's go this way," Wyatt says as he winds down from his spurt of laughter. He nods his head to the right, so both of our horses veer in that direction at a slow trot. "God damn it's hot as hell." Reaching up behind his neck, he grips the neckline of his t-shirt and drags it over his head while his free hand continues to hold the reigns. I'm practically drooling at the sight of his muscled back.

"That's not fair, you know," I say to his back. "Now I'm going to be very distracted during our little outing."

Glancing over his shoulder, he gives me a cocky grin. "Are you? I hadn't thought of that."

I gasp. "Wyatt! You did that on purpose!"

"And if I did? We're going to the pond. Is it wrong of me to want to fool around with my insanely hot and insatiable girlfriend when we get there?"

My cheeks are on fire as I close my mouth and continue to follow behind him. I don't know how he does it, but ever since we started messing around, he's gained such confidence that it's difficult to ignore. Now, he's spewing dirty sentences like no tomorrow, and a woman can only be so strong. I can't remain immune forever to the handsome and dirty-mouthed cowboy, and I'm terrified that one of these days, I'm going to break.

Having sex with Wyatt is something I know for certain that I am completely and full-heartedly ready for, but our future stops me each and every time. Even though Wyatt has said he's ready to take that next step too, what if things don't work out between us? Wyatt would give himself to me because he knows I'm going to be his wife, but what if I'm not? What if the long distance will be too much for us when I go off to college? And even worse, what if I don't want to return to Darlington? I don't want to take away something so important and meaningful to him and have him regret it. I don't ever want to be the reason for his pain.

Up ahead, the clearing of the pond begins to come into view, and the sight of it takes my breath away. There are hundreds of purple flowers scattered in front of the pond with grass that reaches up to my knees. I'm still gaping at the view while I dismount and allow Dolly to graze on some of the nearby grass.

"Wyatt..." I'm struggling to find words. "This is incredibly beautiful. I don't even know how else to describe it."

He grins, still shirtless. It's an effort not to stare at the hard planes of his chest as the sunlight hits it. "The flowers are called Purple Deadnettle. Springtime is my favorite time to come to the pond for this right here. It's tempting to take a dip." He thumbs to the pond behind him.