Serenity Falls(31)

“I’m sorry that I fell asleep. I really only planned on taking a power nap, but obviously, that didn’t happen.”

“Why are you sorry?” A bewildered expression comes over his face.

“Because I should’ve been up to help your mom cook dinner.”

“Kenleigh, you know you don’t have to help her cook dinner right?”

“I know, but I still feel like I should help. Your mom is letting me stay here and not asking anything from me. The least I could do is help her cook everybody’s meals.”

Wes tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “My mom wants you here in the house. She doesn’t expect anything in return; trust me. Besides me not wanting to wake you up, when I told her how I found you, she insisted that I let you sleep. Don’t worry about it, okay?” Reaching for my hands and pulling me to my feet, he says, “Come on.”

As I follow him out the door, the house is dark and quiet. “Where is everybody?”

“Mom and Dad went to town for a few things.” Wes tugs on my hand and pulls me closer to his body.

The wooden floor creaks beneath our feet as we make our way down the stairs and out onto the porch. An ATV is waiting for us in the grass. Adrenaline starts pumping its way through my veins as I hop on the back behind Wes. Just as he starts it up, he looks back over his shoulder and says above the roar of the motor, “Hold on. Tight.” He shoots me a wink as he turns back around, revving the engine. I wrap my arms around his waist so that my hands rest against the lean contours of his sculpted stomach. He guns it forward and we take off. My hair sweeps back as it mixes with the wind. I shout over the whipping wind and the scream of the four-wheeler. “Where are we going?”

“Do you trust me?” He asks, yelling back.

Do I trust him? I want to say no, but something in my gut pulls at me, telling me that I do. My eyes squeeze shut while my grip around his waist tightens. I let go of anything and everything that may make me want to hold back with him. “Yeah! I trust you!” Before I know what’s happening, my head tucks against the rippling muscles in his back as we go airborne. My stomach feels like it’s in my throat as I hold in the scream that is so desperately trying to work its way out of me. The muscles in my thighs clutch the seat, forcing my ass to stay rooted to where it belongs. We both bounce as we land with a thud, but within seconds, we’re airborne again. For the next few minutes, we ride around and jump hills and speed our way to this destination that he still hasn’t told me about. But it’s okay, because I trust him.

As the ATV slows down and comes to a stop, I release my death grip from around his midsection. I take a deep breath and shake my arms out to try to put some blood flow back into them. With adrenaline raging through my veins like a hurricane, I can’t help the laugh that escapes me. I jump off the four-wheeler with shaky legs, still laughing.

“Why are you laughing?” he asks through a grin.

“That was insane.” With my trembling legs no longer able to hold me up, I fall to the ground, laughing so hard that tears are now rolling down my face. I like to live a carefree life, and rarely hold back from anything, but doing jumps on an ATV is definitely a first for me.

“Insane good or insane bad?” Wes laughs as he helps me off the ground.

“Definitely good. I’ve never done anything like that before,” I answer as my laughter subsides.

The sun has now set, and I’m not paying attention to where we are as I dust myself off. “Where are we?”

Wes grabs a hold of my shoulders and gently turns me around.

My breath catches as I come face to face with the most beautiful sight I think I’ve ever seen. A large oak tree with branches spanning out sits before me covered in white lights, casting a soft glow against the dark, country night, and shadows against the deep, green leaves. Weathered planks of wood sit tucked into the tree, displaying a tree house any child would love to have. Two miniature windows cut out in the wooden planks, portions of leaves hanging in front of them. A light flickers, fading in and out, as I look up at what is a diminutive fort. “It’s beautiful,” I whisper.

The weight of Wes’ arms surrounds my shoulders as he holds me to him. “I thought you might like it,” he answers, brushing his lips against my ear.

Goose bumps encase my whole body as I try to stop the shiver that begins to rush up my spine. I turn my head, meeting his eyes. The joy he has for this place shines through his smile. “I do. I really like this.”

“You wanna go up?” When he steps away from me, I’m left with a chill as his remaining body heat barely lingers on my back.