Macintyre Farm

Fifteen

SEBASTIAN POV

The leftover lasagna was amazing, though the way Andy kissed me when I jumped to help her after burning her hand put me in a daze.

I knew she liked me.  It was obvious in how we interacted, in the way she gave her trust so willingly, as well as the affection she returned.  Andy was taking my hand, teasing me more, not to mention our doubles bareback ride on Maverick.

My heart was racing both from contact with the woman I loved as well as racing at top speeds through the fields.

Who would have thought a few months ago that we would be at this point?  Even when I tried to figure out a plan forward I never imagined it would happen this fast.

Austin had a shit eating grin on his face while we enjoyed our second dinner.  We kept things quiet, though, and finished up then loaded the dishwasher before he headed up to bed.  Andy mentioned we could do quesadillas the following day which we agreed sounded great.

I grabbed 2 beers and opened them then handed one towards Andy. "Can we talk so we're on the same page? I mean, clearly there isn't much to discuss but I just want to be sure..."

She nodded slowly while holding eye contact and took the bottle before we headed to the porch.  I could tell by her posture that she was nervous but also knew we would both feel better after discussing a couple things.

I needed to tell her about Delia.  Andy deserved to know more about my past.

The side door where we always took off our boots was furthest away from the master bedroom as well as Austin's room upstairs.  Andy took a seat on the steps about halfway down then leaned back on her elbows while staring at the sky.

I saw a falling star and she gasped, clearly noticing the same thing.

Our silence helped me gather my thoughts.  As much as I tried to convince myself that I knew how she felt, I didn't.

Clearly.

Tonight took me by surprise. She trusted me fully, even though we had barely known one another for 3 months. Taylor lamented how it took a few summers before they went riding together alone so I knew our connection was different.  He also grew up nearby and helped here and there before officially joining their crew so they had years of friendship before truly feeling that security.

"When I was little, Dad raised me to take care of myself. Of course Austin did his fair share of protecting, but even when I started horseback riding and had the skin rubbed raw on my inner thighs it was expected that I'd keep going."

I turned to look at Andy as she spoke, the way she was offering so much information still foreign to me.

Silence was how she communicated.  Patience and generosity, even the way she immediately grabbed me a glass of sweet tea seconds after I arrived and set it by her Dad's spot at the table when I said that's what I wanted to drink.

This girl did not need to use words.  She was able to show me how she felt every day before I even realized how invested I was.

Andy's eyes met mine for a moment as she sighed, "I'm trying to get used to relying on someone so thanks for being patient with me."

"I mean, I've been the same way but you started looking out for me minute 1. Now I'm playing catch up."

She chuckled softly then clinked her beer against mine. "Well, I can work with that angle."

I nodded then asked, "So, I was thinking maybe we should share about anyone in our past just since... I mean..."

"They told you?"