Lost Rider(109)
A familiar rush fills my body when I think about the future. The only thing that gives me more happiness than that is the woman sitting right next to me. I still can’t even really believe how much has changed since I rolled back into town angry about what I thought I had lost, only a mere half year ago.
“Where are we going?” Leighton asks, holding on to the door handle when we leave the road and start bumping through the field.
Instead of answering her, I look over and give her a wink. She just laughs and rolls her eyes. When we reach the fence that separates our property and the schools, I jump out to open the metal gate. We haven’t gotten to laying down the gravel for the road, so after I climb back in and pull the truck through, I make a mental note to have them come out sooner than later. If I keep driving my truck through this shit, Quinn will kill me. She’s already had to replace my shocks once.
It doesn’t take long to get us where I want to be. The same field that has always been so special to the both of us, that holds so many memories. I steal a glance at Leigh, seeing her eyes spark and the happiness she’s feeling making them burn bright.
She doesn’t wait for me to open her door; instead she jumps down and meets me at the front of my truck, looking around at the picnic that I had set up before coming to get her.
“Are you being romantic, cowboy?” she smarts.
“Depends. Will I get lucky if I am?” I quip.
“Since when don’t you get lucky?”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Come on, darlin’.”
I would have done this a long damn time ago, but I wanted to wait for the bluebonnets to bloom before bringing her out here again. She doesn’t mention it often, but I know seeing them makes her feel like she’s closer to her parents. I wanted her to have that comfort when I brought her back out.
“Thank you,” she says as she drops to the plaid blanket that I’ve spread out in the one spot where there aren’t any flowers, the brilliant blue that surrounds her painting one hell of a stunning picture. I swallow the thick lump of emotion and bend down to open the basket. I grab the bottle of the champagne I bought in Austin a few weeks back. I couldn’t tell you if it’s good shit or not, but seeing as it cost me a few hundred bucks, I’m guessing it is. Leigh leans back, bracing her weight on her hands, and gives me a wide smile. “Daddy would love seeing the James name up there.”
I make a noise in my throat and continue to pour our glasses before handing her one.
“I know you think it should be Davis up there, Leighton, but it’s important to me that I start this new chapter of our lives without it. I used to think that being a Davis is what defined me, but I know now that isn’t the case. A name only holds the power you let it. I’m the man I am today because I fought not to become him and it was because of you that I finally had the tools to win that fight. To me, that is everything. It’s you and me, Leigh, for the rest of our days.”
“Honey, all I did was love you.”
“And that love saved me,” I tell her honestly.
I let the silence linger as I wait for her to take a sip. I’m half tempted to down my whole glass, but I just swallow a small bit before sitting the glass on the top of the basket.
“Come with me?” I ask, taking her glass and sitting it in the other cup holder on the lip of the basket before standing and holding out my hand.
Her lips curve into a small smile, and she takes my proffered hand to help her stand. I pull her from the blanket and walk toward the end of the field. The small raise in the land gives us the perfect view of the school beyond. You can’t see everything, but a good portion of the school’s land is visible from the field’s higher elevation.
“You know, when I made my way back home, I dreaded every second it took to get me here. I was so fuckin’ angry, baby. I couldn’t even see past that for one second. Because of that, I didn’t see a future for myself anywhere. I was lost, so fuckin’ lost, Leighton.” I take a deep pull of air, looking beyond us while searching for the right words. She moves closer and wraps her arms around me. “I ran from you and I knew deep down inside me it was wrong before I even left this place. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you were willing to forgive me for that. I will never be able to express how much that forgiveness saved me.”
“Honey,” she whispers, looking up and tightening her arms around me.
“You saved me, Leigh. You brought me back and showed me that I wasn’t as lost as I feared I was. All that darkness and pain around me, you are the reason I beat them back. Trust me when I say this, your love gave me a reason to live again, and I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know how grateful I am to have that gift.”