Serenity Falls(46)

I walk over to them. My heart beats faster when he looks up, and our eyes catch. He stands there in a pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt that fits snug across his chest. I want so badly to reach out and touch him, but I won’t. We haven’t seen near enough of each other since camp started. As I approach Bailey, John, and Wes, broad smiles from all three greet me.

“Where’s Liam?” I ask.

“He needed to help Sarah with something in the barn, so I offered to take John to the corral,” Wes replies as he flashes me his award-winning smile.

“Yeah. I was talking to Wes about helping me soup up my wheelchair later. What do you think, Bailey? We were talking about painting some flames on the back, you know, since I’m a speed racer in this thing,” John says, laughing. I laugh, too. It’s impossible not to. Even though he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of four, he’s gone through lots of therapy, and seven years later, he is still full of so much joy.

I watch the smile on Bailey’s face as she nods her approval. “I like that idea. Do you think I could help?” She looks between Wes and John.

When I was finally able to meet Liam, Sarah, and Jackie’s kids on Monday afternoon, I made sure to introduce Bailey. At first, she just stood there with her head hung down, not saying a word. But John was relentless and eventually got her to open up. “Heck, yeah. Wait, can you paint flames?” Wes asks, his eyebrows raised in Bailey’s direction.

“Of course, I can. Art was always my favorite subject. I drew and painted all the time. One time, I entered this contest for my county. Whoever won first place was able to have their work displayed in the town hall.”

My heart swells at the fact that she is opening up. I know this is not easy for her, but I like it.

“I drew this picture of my brother at one of his football games. He was standing on the field next to the ref, waiting for the coin to be tossed. I was always so proud of him. He always had this look on his face while he waited to see what fate the coin would produce. He cradled his helmet tightly under his arm. I just knew I had to get the image down on paper.” The look on her face is the one a little girl who adored her big brother.

Wes squeezes the top of John’s shoulder. “Okay. I think since Bailey here seems to be a pro in the art world, and I can’t draw for shi—nothing, she should help you.”

“You don’t wanna help?” Confused, John looks up over his shoulder at Wes.

“I do, but I don’t want to mess up your wheels man. You don’t wanna be cruising around in this thing with what I think looks like flames, but actually look like ribbons, do you?”

John’s eyebrows dip in concentration, before his face lights up with a wide smile. “No. You’re right. Plus, I can’t pick up girls if I have ribbons running along the sides and back of my wheelchair.”

Wes lets out a boisterous laugh. “Girls? Dude, girls are trouble.”

“Maybe. But I still like ‘em.” John shrugs his shoulders.

With a smile, I shake my head at the conversation between Wes and John. “Do you mind if I help John?” Bailey asks me.

“No. That’s fine.”

“Thanks. I’m just gonna take John over to the arts and crafts area,” Bailey says as Wes slides over for her to take his spot behind John.

“Sounds good. I’ll come find you guys in a bit.” With that, Bailey wheels John away.

My eyes turn to Wes. I cross my arms over my chest as I try to conceal my smile and give him a pointed look. “Girls are trouble, huh?”

His eyes take me in, scanning my body from head to toe. In a pair of khaki shorts, a red tank top, white sneakers, hair pulled back into a bun, and no makeup, he still makes me feel like I’m irresistible to him. “Oh, yeah, definitely trouble.” He cocks his head toward the barn. “Come with me?”

With a nod, I follow him. We walk side by side into the empty barn. There are no people milling around; most of the horses are gone, from what I can see. Without warning, he yanks me sideways into an empty stall, and I stumble over my own two feet before my back collides with rough wood. “What the—” I gasp out. But before I can comprehend what just happened, Wes’ lips crash down on mine.

My mind goes blank. The only thing that consumes my thoughts right now is our mouths devouring each other. My hands glide up his chest, feeling each and every ripple of muscle under his shirt, over his shoulders, around his neck, and into his hair, I hold him to me. His solid, hard, unyielding body presses into mine as a deep groan escapes him. His strong hands find my backside. He palms my ass as he lifts me off the ground. My legs wrap around his narrow hips as he presses me harder into the wall behind me. Lost in the moment, I flick my tongue against his upper lip, begging for entrance into his mouth.