Page 110 of Strung Along
And if that isn’t the cold hard truth. I brought the media the first time, and I’ve done it again. I’ll do it another dozen times by the time my career comes to an end. It’s unfair, and I’ll feel guilty about it for the rest of my life.
“They lead themselves here on a damn witch hunt. This isn’t on you, and we all know it. Anna knows it too.”
“What am I supposed to say to her? I can’t promise this won’t happen again.”
“So don’t. She doesn’t expect that from you. There’s no doubt in that woman’s mind about you. Not your career and not what might come from it. She knows who you are. Has for a while now.”
I’m as convinced as I’ll ever be without speaking to her myself.
“Thanks, Grandpa,” I say, and I mean it.
He nods, and we reach the house a beat later. My limbs are weighed down as I step out of the truck, but the moment the screen door flies open and Anna appears in the doorway, I’m more awake than I’ve ever been.
She stands there staring at me for a long, strained moment, and then her boots are clunking down the stairs. We don’t run to one another; we don’t rush. I wait for her like it’s the mostnatural thing in the world, taking her in my arms when she gets close enough for me to smell her perfume.
“You’re actually back,” she breathes, face buried in the crook of my neck.
I wrap my arms fully around her body and kiss her head over and over again. The fur collar of her jacket tickles my jaw, and I lean into that feeling, not giving a rat’s ass at the discomfort of it.
“Only place I want to be is right here,” I reply softly.
“I told myself I’d pretend to be upset with you for coming back, but I’m too happy to do that right now.”
“You can give me shit later, sweetheart.”
I lower her to her feet and release my hold enough she can slip from my arms. Her grin is blinding, cheeks pink from a mix of the cold and her signature flush. She’s wearing my jacket unzipped, exposing the ratty jean overalls beneath, tucked into the tops of her boots. I blink repeatedly, checking her out in the new clothes.
“Been playin’ in the mud?” I ask, both dumbfounded and surprisingly hard.
“More like hay and cow shit. Wade was helping me muck out Banana’s shed this morning.”
I glance at my grandfather. He looks right back, an unmistakable pride sparkling in his eyes that hits me right in the gut.
“She’s better at it than you ever were,” he says.
Anna beams. “Thank you, Wade.”
“Don’t let him slack off on the muckin’, darlin’. Put his ass to work with that damn cow of yours,” Grandpa tells her.
I laugh, holding Anna close. “That damn cow of ours is growin’ on you, old man. I’d bet it’s only a matter of time until she’s parked up in the house with you and Grams on the daily.”
“When pigs fly, boy.”
“Brody told me weeks ago that the sky would fall before you accepted cattle as pets, but don’t think I didn’t notice the extra chunks of apple you slipped her earlier,” Anna teases.
“Is that where all my apples went?” Grandma asks, slipping onto the porch from inside. She pins her husband with a glare, but it’s harmless. “Come to think of it, they’ve been going missing for quite a few days now.”
Anna giggles, turning into my body. She tips her head back, and her eyes shine so bright as they meet mine. “I missed you.”
Her lips are parted in waiting when I kiss her. She feels at ease enough here to let me kiss her in front of my grandparents. I take her cheek in my hand and stroke her jaw just once, needing to feel her soft skin, before pulling back.
“Are you up to grabbing some stuff from your place?” I ask her.
She bunches her brows. “Am I staying here longer than just last night?”
“It would probably be smart to make sure that man is gone before sending you off on your own,” Grandma says. Grandpa grunts his agreement.
“I doubt he’s going to do anything other than be a creep and stand outside for a few hours,” Anna argues.