The screen door opened, and Ellie walked in. She walked up and smiled at Lex and me, and then she sat down on the other side of Lex.
///
Gunner looked at me and said, "I trusted you, Will."
My heart dropped.
He pushed his hand through his hair. "Have you … have you both … have things gone far?"
I began shaking my head. "No, sir. I would never do that to Lex-ever. Gunner … Mr. Mathews, um … " I paused and took a deep breath. What in the hell do I call him now? This was twice I'd stumbled over what to say to him. "I would never do anything to make you lose respect for me, sir. I love Lex too much."
His face softened a bit, and he nodded his head. "I appreciate that, Will. But that doesn't excuse the fact that you've been making out with my daughter in my own goddamn barn for over a year! I ought to kick your ass right here and now."
"Gunner!" Ellie yelled as she jumped up.
I looked down at the floor. I couldn't deny it, and I wasn't about to lie to him.
"Daddy, I'm eighteen years old. You can't tell me what to do anymore."
Oh shit.
Gunner glared at me. "Since you seem to be interested in my daughter, cut the Gunner shit. It's sir or Mr. Mathews."
"Gunner," Ellie whispered, "stop being so mean to the boy."
He turned to Lex. "What happens in two months when you go to the University of Texas and Will goes to A&M?"
Oh hell, it keeps getting worse.
I turned and looked out the window. My father caught my eye, and I pleaded silently for him to come protect me. He laughed and shook his head.
Bastard.
Lex slowly stood up. "I've been meaning to talk to you and Mama about that. I've decided to go to A&M."
Gunner laughed and shook his head. "Excuse me?"
"Daddy, I really-"
"No. You're not going to A&M. You're going to UT." He pushed off the counter and began pacing back and forth. "We already have it all set, Alex. Just because Will is going to A&M doesn't mean you will change your whole life to follow him there."
Lex sucked in a breath of air. "What? Daddy, I'm not changing my whole life. I know what I want, but you seem hell-bent on making me do what you want."
"Oh, Alex, honey, tread easy," Ellie said.
Gunner stopped and pointed his finger at Lex. "Grace is going to UT, and you're going to UT. If this whole"-he looked at me and pointed his finger-"relationship thing is real, then the two of you can just wait for each other for four years."
Lex put her hands up to her mouth. I could see the tears in her eyes, and as she dropped her hands, I saw them ball up. I quickly looked outside and saw Grams. She walked into the kitchen and gave me a gentle smile. The way she was looking at me told me she knew exactly how Lex was feeling, and in that instant, I knew what I had to do.
I took a deep breath and stepped in between Lex and Gunner. I turned and looked at Lex. "Lex, don't do this."
She looked at me with a confused expression on her face. "What?"
I grabbed her hand and glanced back to Gunner. "Mr. Mathews, I have no doubt in my mind how I feel about Lex. I understand your concern, and if Lex going to UT puts your mind at ease, then that's what we'll do."
Lex dropped my hand. "What? Wait a minute, Will. I thought-"
I turned and placed my hands on the sides of her face. "Lex, I love you. I know our love is strong enough, and I don't want to start our relationship off like this with your parents. We'll see each other on weekends, breaks, and during summers, sweetheart. I promise you, it will be okay. I promise."
The tears forming in her eyes about made me sick.
She slowly shook her head. "I can't be without you, Will."
I longed to pull her to me, but if I wanted to live to see another day, I knew better. I used my thumbs to wipe her tears away. "I promise you, Lex, I'll love you forever."
She threw herself into my arms and began crying. I wasn't sure what to do at first, but after one look from Grams, I wrapped my arms around Lex. I looked over at Gunner, but I couldn't read his face. Ellie wiped a tear away as she walked up to us and took Lex from my arms. She began to walk Lex into the living room, but Lex stopped in front of her father.
She looked at him as she said, "I'll never forgive you for this-ever."
As she began walking away, Gunner closed his eyes. When he opened them and looked at me, I could see the hurt in his eyes, and I instantly felt like shit. The last thing I ever wanted to do was make him disappointed in me.
"Will, please go saddle up two horses. Let's go for a ride."
///
I swallowed hard and nodded my head.
As I walked past Grams on my way out, she took my arm and said, "I'm proud of you, son. Know what you feel in your heart is real. Love can weather any storm."
I gave her a weak smile and whispered, "Why does it feel like I just made the biggest mistake of my life then?"
She smiled and shook her head.
As I made my way out onto the porch, my mother and father stood up.
"I'm proud of you, Will," my father said as he slapped me on the back.
My mother walked up to me and gave me a hug. "Will, you did the right thing, honey. Don't overthink this."
I kissed my mother on the cheek and whispered, "I love you, Mama."
My father walked with me down to the barn. We began saddling up two horses, neither of us speaking.
"Dad?"
He looked up at me and said, "Yes?"
"Is Gunner gonna kill me now?"
My father threw his head back and laughed. "I'm not sure. If I saw Luke or Colt kissing Libby in my barn, I'm not sure what I would do." He let out a chuckle and then looked at me with a serious face. "I also know that I love those two boys like they were my own sons, and if I trusted anyone with my daughter, it would be one of them."
I laughed. "You'd better think twice about Luke."
My father winked at me. "That boy is so much like his father, it's unreal. They're both hotheaded and full of crazy ideas."
I let out a breath and said, "Dad, why does it feel like my heart just got ripped out, and I just let go of the best thing that ever happened to me?"
He walked up to me and pointed to a chair for me to sit down. He sat down in front of me and put his hands on his knees. "Will, I'm not going to sit here and fill your head with a bunch of bullshit. I don't know what the future holds for you and Alex. I know that when I see you look at her, I see a younger version of myself when I used to look at your mom."
"When did you know Mom was the one, Dad?"
The smile that spread across his face had me smiling along with him.
"It seems like it was just yesterday when I saw her walking into the room. Jeff and Gunner were throwing a party, and when your mother walked in, something happened. To this day, I can't even explain it. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to get to know her more. It was almost like I needed to be near her to breathe properly."
I smiled bigger. My father and mother were so in love, and everyone could see that. I wanted a love like theirs. As far as I could remember, my mother and father always showed how much they loved each other. I couldn't even count how many times Lib or I had walked into the kitchen to see our parents making out. At first, it had disgusted me … until I'd begun having stronger feelings for Lex. Then, I'd understood it-the need to always have the one you loved in your arms.
"Did you and Mom have problems in the beginning?"
My father laughed and shook his head. "Hell yeah, we did. Ask Jeff and Ari, or Brad and Amanda, or Scott and Jessie. Hell, son, you could even ask Gunner and Ellie. We all had problems, and we still do. Nothing in life comes easy, especially the good stuff. We all have troubles and obstacles we have to overcome. Will, I'm not going to tell you that it will be easy. It's gonna be hard to be away from her, but … " He looked down and then back up at me. "Neither of you have been anywhere but Mason. I know that you say you love her, and I don't doubt that. Just know, Will, that college is a whole other world. Gunner is right. If your love is strong and meant to be, then you'll be okay, son."
I blew out a breath. "I can't lose her, Dad. I can't. I love her more than I love anyone or anything."
Gunner cleared his throat, and I immediately jumped up. My father slowly stood up and walked over to Gunner. He whispered something into Gunner's ear. Gunner smiled and looked at my father as he nodded his head. When he glanced back at me, his smile faded some, but he was still smiling a little as he walked up to me. My knees felt like they were about to give out from under me.
"Um … Gunner … uh … I mean, Mr. Mathews, um … the horses are ready."
His grin grew bigger, and he let out a chuckle. He put his hand on my shoulder. "Will, just call me Gunner. I can't do the whole Mr. Mathews thing. I keep looking for my father."