Cherished by Kelly Elliott
Grace held up her hand. “No…it’s fine, Uncle Gunner. If Colt is afraid of being beaten by a few girls, then we are more than happy to sit this one out.”
“We are?” Libby, Alex, Lauren, and Taylor all said at once.
Maegan did a fist pump and started to walk away. “Yes! I hate football.”
Amanda busted out laughing. “God, it kills Brad that Maegan hates football…that she hates any sport really.”
“Oh, gesh, if Grace ever told Jeff no to football, I think he would curl up into a ball in the corner somewhere and cry his eyes out,” Ari said as she put cheese on some of the burgers.
Ellie and Heather both laughed.
“Same here. Gunner would resort to bribing Alex in some way or another,” Ells said.
Heather went back to cutting tomatoes. “I’m just glad I have a daughter who can throw a football, and she still stops to make sure her hair is pinned up to her expectations.”
As the day went on, more football was played, and more screaming girls ran by as Colt chased them with a garden snake in his hands.
I saw Scott standing off to the side, leaning against a tree. I walked up to him and put my arms around his waist.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
He looked down at me and smiled. “How blessed we are.”
I leaned my head against him. “Mmm…that we are. Very blessed indeed.”
I looked out to each of our friends and smiled. Jeff was attempting to talk Ari into sneaking off somewhere to make out. Gunner had Ellie on his back while Josh carried Heather on his back as they ran after the kids in a race around the barn. Brad and Amanda were lost in their own little world, talking to each other.
When Scott brushed his hand up and down my arm, I felt that familiar tingle. Even after all these years, his touch affected me still.
“What are you thinking about, baby?” Scott asked as he pulled me closer to him.
I looked around again. Nine beautiful kids were all running around, playing and laughing, and each one was healthy and happy. We had eight amazing friends who had been there for each other through the good times and the bad times. Not once had any of us ever turned our backs on each other or ever stopped to ask questions. I felt the tears building in my eyes as I looked at each of them. They were more than friends. They were family.
I turned and faced Scott as I smiled. “I’m thinking how we each got everything we’ve ever wanted.”
He smiled and nodded his head. He lifted my chin up and kissed me softly on the lips. He put his arm around me and led me back toward everyone. I watched Gunner and Josh attempt to grab a hold of Ellie and Heather.
Gunner yelled, “It’s tickle-the-moms minute! Grab a mom and tickle them for a minute!”
Scott held me tighter. “You have a thirty-second head start.”
I pushed him away as I began laughing, and then I took off running.
Nothing in this life made me happier than just being right where I was with the people I loved.
As I made my way to Ellie, Heather, Ari, and Amanda, we all formed a circle and tried to keep the rest of the crew away from us. The next thing I knew, we were all rolling around on the ground, laughing and tickling each other. When Ari threatened to pee on someone, the kids disappeared, and we all started laughing.
Ellie fell back and looked up at the sky, laughing. “Holy hell. I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.”
Ari let out a sigh. “Well, my mother would kill me if she knew I wasn’t quoting the great Katharine Hepburn, but I love this quote.”
We all turned and looked at her as she continued to look up at the sky with a smile.
“I believe it was Ben Sweetland who said, ‘Happiness is a journey…not a destination.’ ”
The End…almost.
“Will, if my father catches us in here, he is going to be really upset,” I said as I looked back at the barn door nervously.
“Lex, we’re both leaving for college in a few months. Don’t you think you need to let your dad know what school you picked?” Will asked as he reached for my hand.
My father had it all planned out. I was going to the University of Texas like he did and getting my degree in marketing, but I had other dreams. Will was going to Texas A&M to get his degree in agribusiness, so he could help Jeff and my father run the ranch. I’d been accepted into both schools, and my parents were just waiting on me to say yes to Texas.
It was Luke’s, Colt’s, and Will’s dreams to take over the ranch someday, and I had no doubt in my mind that they would be great at running it.
If only Luke and Will would stop fighting…about me.
Luke hated that Will and I were sneaking around, seeing each other, and he’d threatened to tell my father on more than one occasion. The fights that Luke and Will had been in always drove me insane. Each time, one or the other would end up with a black eye and then would blame it on a football game.
It wasn’t like my father didn’t like Will. He loved Will…like a son. Daddy had dreams for me though, and those dreams didn’t include a boy who would be working on a ranch. His dreams were of me moving to the city and getting to experience all that city-living would offer. Then, I could decide if I wanted to come back to Mason or not. Colt wasn’t being told what he should do, and Luke was already at Texas A&M.
I didn’t think it was fair. I wanted what my mother had. I wanted to live on the ranch, waking up every day to work in the garden. I wanted to see my husband off to work with a kiss every single morning. I wanted the life my parents had, and I couldn’t figure out why my father didn’t want me to have that life. He and my mother were so happy.
Will moved his lips to my neck, and his hot breath on my skin caused my stomach to drop.
God…just being around him makes my body do such crazy things.
Grace had said I was just horny and that Will and I needed to at least move on to a little bit more than kissing. She’d said we needed to cop feels here and there. Will was such a gentleman though, and he’d never once pushed me into doing anything I didn’t want to do. There had been so many times I’d wanted to tell him to touch me, to just ease the tingling between my legs, but I’d known that wasn’t what either one of us wanted…at least not yet.
I could hear Grace’s voice in my head.
My god, you’re eighteen. Stop piss-assing around about it, Alex. I swear, y’all have liked each other since, what…we were ten years old?
I was eighteen years old, and Will was seventeen. He would turn eighteen in August.
I had to smile though because Grace was all talk. She liked Michael Clark, but she was too damn afraid to even look at him.
“What are you smiling about, Lex?”
Will was the only one who called me Lex, and I liked it that way. It felt special, like it was something that was just between the two of us, something only we shared together, and we could do it in front of everyone. He had called me that since we were about ten years old.
“Us.”
He pulled away and looked at me. “Us? What about us?”
I felt my cheeks turning red, and I was almost positive Will could feel the heat coming from them.
“You’re blushing, Lex. Why, honey?”
I looked down and away, but he brought his finger up to my chin and forced me to look at him.
“Alex? What about us?”
“I’m tired of hiding. I want to tell our parents that we’ve been dating. I want to tell my dad that I’ve decided on A&M, and I want…I want…”
His smile was from ear to ear. “You want, what, sweetheart?”
Oh god. His voice alone sends me over the edge.
“I want more…” Damn it. I can’t bring myself to say it.
“More of what?” he said with that stupid smile of his.
When he tilted his head and gave me that dimple smile, I knew he was teasing me.
I took a deep breath and quickly let it out. “I want to make love.”
Oh no. What if he doesn’t feel the same? What if my feelings for him are stronger than his feelings for me? Oh. My. God. What if that’s the reason he’s never pushed me into anything more?
I instantly felt like a fool. I pushed past him and started to walk away.
“Wait, Lex…please just wait a second.” He reached for my arm.
I felt tears burning my eyes as I looked everywhere but at him. “I’m…I’m sorry. I should have just kept my mouth shut. Obviously, you don’t feel the same way, so…”
I was cursing Grace inwardly for even planting this in my head, and I was already hatching a plan to bitch her out the next time I saw her.
Before I knew what was happening, Will was backing me up until I came to a stop against the wall of the barn. I looked up into his eyes. He had the most beautiful blue eyes. His hair was wavy and light brown.
I want to run my hand through his hair so bad.
He looked just like his father, and he was probably the sweetest guy I knew—besides Luke and Colt, who were both hopelessly romantic.
He ran the back of his fingers down my face and smiled. My cheek almost felt like it was burning where he’d touched me. He bent down like he was going to kiss me, but then he stopped just short of my lips. His eyes darted down to my lips and then back up to my eyes.
“Lex, I love you,” he whispered.
I sucked in a breath of air and fought like hell to keep the tears from falling. It wasn’t the first time he’d ever said it to me, but this time, it felt so…different. I felt a tear fall, and he quickly brushed it away with his lips.
He let out a low, soft moan. “You have no idea how hard it is for me not to make love to you every time I’m with you. I want nothing more than to be with you, but I want it to be right. I want it to be perfect for you, and we won’t be sneaking into a barn or doing it in a car. You deserve so much more than that, honey. I want to make you feel special the first time we make love.”
Wow. Oh…just wow. I felt my breathing getting faster. I looked at his lips as I licked mine.
He closed his eyes. “You drive me mad with desire, Alexandra. You have to know that.”
Oh dear God…I think I might have my very first orgasm…right now…right here.
When he opened his eyes, they were filled with something I’d never seen before. The intense feeling of need I had for him grew about a hundred times.
I tried to talk but nothing would come out, except for a whispered, “Will…”
When his lips touched mine, I let out a moan. I opened my mouth to him, so our tongues could explore each other like we had done a hundred times before. I brought my hands up and ran them through his hair. When he pushed himself into me, I felt his erection, and I wanted to wrap my legs around him so badly. He pulled his body away some, but the kiss started to turn more passionate…until I heard someone clear his throat.
I snapped my eyes open right as Will moved back and scrunched up his face.
“Shit,” he whispered low enough, so only I could hear. He took a few steps away from me as he ran his hand through his hair.
Lord, help me. I wanted this boy so badly, and even though I knew we had just been caught making out in my father’s barn, my desire for him was so intense I wanted to cry.
I never took my eyes off of him. He winked at me, and then he turned to the side.
“Dad, Uncle Gunner, um…I mean, Mr. Mathews, um…I mean, sir…”
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Oh…holy…hell. My father.
I tried to compose myself as I pushed myself off the wall. I turned to face my father and Uncle Josh. Even though Josh wasn’t really my uncle and my father wasn’t Will’s uncle, we had always called them that. I’d wanted to giggle when Will had struggled on what to call my father, but when I looked into my dad’s eyes, I knew that wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do.
“So…” Uncle Josh started to say as he shook his head and smiled at Will. “Damn, boy…you picked the wrong girl to be caught making out with in her daddy’s barn.”
I glanced quickly over at Will, who looked at my father and then back at his dad. He smiled slightly, but then he quickly looked back at my father and swallowed hard.
My father cleared his throat and said, “Alex, Will, I think y’all need to head on up to the house and wait for us on the back porch.”
Will and I looked at each other, and at the same time, we said, “Yes, sir.”
As we walked out of the barn, Will grabbed my hand right in front of my father.
He looked at me, winked, and whispered, “I think that went well.”
I just stared at him with my mouth hanging open. “You must have a death wish upon yourself.”
I wanted to say thank you so much for sharing this incredible journey with me. I will forever have Gunner, Ellie, Jeff, Ari, Josh, Heather, Brad, Amanda, Scott, and Jessie in my heart. I hope you feel the same.
I walked back outside and looked around. Lark was sitting at a table, and two of my college friends were talking to him. He looked bored out of his mind, and I didn’t think he was even listening to them.
Billy Currington’s “Must Be Doin’ Something Right” started playing, so I walked up to the table. I smiled at the girls and looked at Lark. “I think the best man and maid of honor should dance together at least once, don’t you?”
He looked up at me and smiled. “Yep, I think so.” He set his beer down, grabbed my hand, and practically dragged me to the dance floor. As he pulled me close to him, he said, “Thank God you showed up when you did.”
I giggled as we started to two-step. “Why? You aren’t enjoying yourself?”
“Sorry, but the girls you went to college with are either bitches or boring as hell.”
I placed my head on his chest and closed my eyes. When I felt his chin rest on top of my head, the butterflies in my stomach went crazy.
I looked up at him. “So, what type of girl are you looking for anyway?”
The left corner of his mouth moved up just a bit further when he smiled. It almost felt like my knees might have wobbled for one quick second.
“What do you mean?”
I hit him in the stomach. “You know what I mean, Lark. What kind of girl is it going to take to get you to settle down? You know, for you to stop your man-whoring ways?” I asked with a wink.
“Why do you want to know? What makes you think I even want to settle down with someone?”
He instantly took the offensive approach. I shrugged my shoulder, wishing I hadn’t even brought it up. I looked away and tried to act like his response hadn’t bothered me.
“Are you wanting to apply for the position?” he asked as he pulled me closer to him.
“Um…I thought you just said you weren’t looking for someone,” I said, my voice sounding so small. I was kicking myself for letting him catch me off guard like that.
“If I was, you’d be my type, Azurdee. Your innocence just pours off of you, and it’s sexy as hell,” he said in almost a whisper.
I smiled even though I tried desperately not to. “Oh yeah?” I said, trying to be calm even though my heart was racing a hundred miles an hour.
He looked down at me as he gave me a slight smile, and then he looked away. “But I’m no good for you, Azurdee.”
My smile faded. The anger started to build up inside me. “Don’t you think I should be the judge of that?” I asked in an angry tone.
He looked back down at me and laughed. “You have no idea what you are saying. You know nothing about me, Azurdee. Why would you want to be involved with someone you know nothing about? I have secrets, and I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”
I saw the hurt in his eyes, and all I wanted to do was make it go away. “I know everything I need to know about you. Everyone has secrets and has made mistakes in life.”
“Is that so?” he asked in such a seductive way.
“Ah…yep. Isn’t that what
He threw his head back and laughed. “That is one of the best parts. Sex is the other.”
I felt my face blush. If he ever knew I was a virgin, he would probably run away as fast as he could. He looked at me, and the look in his eyes caused goose bumps to pop up all over my body.
“Trust me, Azurdee, you need to just stay away from me. I’m no good for you.”
I pushed him back. “I think you just say that because you’re afraid of being in a relationship with someone.”
He tightened his eyes as he glared at me. The hurt in his eyes was replaced by something else, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Anger? Lust maybe?
He pulled me back into him. The song had changed at some point, but we were still dancing slowly.
“Do you want to be with me, Azurdee?”
Oh god. He just came out and asked it. What do I say? Do I tell him the truth?
I looked into his eyes and whispered, “Yes.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Azurdee, no, you don’t.”
“Yes. Yes, I do. I want to be with you, Lark. I want you to make love to me.”
He opened his eyes, and the look in them caused me to suck in a breath of air.
He placed his hand on my face and whispered, “You don’t know what you’re saying, baby.”
I put my hand on top of his. “Yes, I do. I want you, Lark. I want to get to know you…please let me.”
He looked into my eyes for what seemed like forever before he finally gave me a small smile. “If I do this, Azurdee, you need to know what you’re getting into. I’m…I’m not sure if I can be what you want me to be.”
I swallowed and nodded my head. “I understand.”
He’s just scared. That’s all. He needs someone to love him.
He pushed his hand into my hair and grabbed it. “Once you’re mine, you’re mine though, Azurdee. I won’t share you with anyone.”
I smiled. “I won’t share either, just so you know.”