Page 27

Chapter 26

Ainsley

I feel the warmth of the sun before I open my eyes and the rough, warm hand across my stomach. My eyes flicker open as I replay the events of last night, looking around at the mess of clothes strung across the room. Shawn and I both passed out after the most intense orgasms of our lives, but also, sleeping after getting high is so heavy, it always makes me feel like a sloth the next day.

The sun from the back bedroom window is open, just peeking up over the water outside. I smile as the birds start softly chirping.

Bliss.

I have never been this happy. This content. This peaceful. I want to stay like this forever.

I slowly slide it out of Shawn’s hold and tiptoe to the door, hoping to let him sleep in, which is so rare for him to do now with training during the week. I should have known that bringing Shawn to Mimi’s would be like riding on cloud nine, my serenity at an all-time high as I bring the two worlds that mean the most to me together. I throw on one of Mimi’s old pairs of overalls over my yellow Calvin Klein sports bra and undies. Grabbing water from the fridge, I look down to see Luna and Blaze at my feet.

“Oh, good morning, my loves. Do you need to go potty?”

I whisper as I walk towards the front door, throwing on my brown leather slides. Once outside, I let the dogs do their business before heading to the garden shed by the lake. I throw my hair in a messy bun on top of my head and look around, searching for what size clay I want to use. Grabbing one kilo of clay to get me started, I pick it up and head to the throwing wheel sitting in the perfect spot, surrounded by tulips of all colors in the garden overlooking the lake.

I sit down and take a swig of my water before pouring some onto my wheel and hands. Picking up my clay, I throw it hard into the center of my wheel. Luna and Blaze come to sit on either side of me, as I take in the lake in front of me before I decide what I want to mold today. Joyful tears form in my eyes. This place, these people, the dogs, and Shawn. This is where I’m meant to be. They all make up who I am, and I’m so overly grateful for it all. I take a deep breath in of the fresh flowers, musty clay, and crisp water surrounding me and find my center.

Looking back at my clay, I press my foot slowly on the wheel and use the heel of my hand to press into the clay, taking it down and then adding my fingers around it to round my clay. I pull out one side for a petal between my fingertips and stop to make sure I’m going at the right angle.

A throat clears behind me, and I swivel around as hairs come loose and spin in my face. Shawn is standing in the garden in nothing but gray sweatpants, slides, and a steaming cup of tea. The sun is shining off his abs and I suck in a breath and swoop my hand over my face to move the hairs that came undone.

“Whatcha doing, Lee?”

He says with a small smile as he takes a sip of his warm cup and slowly walks towards me.

“Oh, um, I decided to let you sleep. So I took the dogs out and came to throw in the garden. It’s so nice out this morning.”

Pulling over another wooden stool Mimi uses to sit on when planting, he brings it next to me. He takes his other hand and wipes some clay I must have smeared on my cheek when moving my hair off my face.

I can’t stop staring at him. Sitting on this tiny-ass stool, petting Luna like he wasn’t just making me see stars last night. This man makes my entire chest tight. The way the sun hits his skin and his laugh, like it’s made just for me... It’s everything.

“I see that, but what are you making?”

He interrupts my thoughts, gestures towards my hands, and I look back at my somewhat manipulated clay.

“I was going to make a big sunflower,” I say with a shrug.

“Mhmm, I like that idea, Sunshine. Big and bright like you.”

I feel myself turn red. Why? I have no idea. I literally had my fingers in his ass, but when he says I remind him of a flower, I get all flustered.

And that’s when it hits me. The feeling that has me questioning my body and heart’s instant pull to him, even as a kid. Something I haven’t wanted to admit in fear of seeming like a lovesick silly girl.

I love him. Like, for real.

Not in a ‘this is cute’ kind of way, but in a deep, soul-shaking, no-turning-back kind of way. The type of love that feels like it’s been there all along, waiting for me to stop running and just be .

I don’t just love how he looks at me; I love how he sees me. All of me. Even the messy parts, I’ve been scared to show anyone else. The way he fits into my world, like this garden, his dogs, and this moment? It’s all so right.

My chest twists in on itself, and I do my best to focus on the clay instead, letting my hands move on autopilot. If I look at him for too long, I might cry, and we don’t need that today. But man, if this isn’t what they mean when they say, ‘home is a person,’ I don’t know what is.

I stop again when I feel like I have most of the petals done. I grab my wire and scrape the bottom of the clay, releasing it from the wheel.

“It’s stunning, Lee. Can you show me?” He whispers, staring at the clay creation in my hands.

“You want to throw?” I question in genuine surprise.

No one has ever asked me to teach them to throw, except for the kids at the local studio. When it comes to friends or family, Millie and Mimi already know how to throw, so no one has ever asked. I don’t know why that makes me more anxious than usual, but the swarm of flutters takes over.

“Sure! Let’s see if I’m as good as making those mud bowls at the park we used to do together.”

I swallow slowly and nod, standing up to have him take my spot, reminding myself I have been doing this for years, and he has never touched clay before. This will be fine.

“Come sit here. I will sit on the side of you to help guide your hands over the clay.”

I say as I step around the back of him. He sits down on the stool in front of the wheel and looks at me, raising one eyebrow.

“Oh, I’d let your hands guide mine anywhere.”

Just like that, his words cover me like a cool breeze, exactly what I needed to steady my nerves.

I slap his arm as we both let out a laugh. Bending down to pick up the clay in one hand, and the water bottle in the other.

“Make a boat with your hands.”

He does, and I pour some water on them, then on the wheel again, making sure the surface isn’t too slick. I throw the clay in the middle of the wheel with force.

He looks at me in surprise. “Okay, aggressive much?”

I laugh and twist the clay to make sure it is firm in place.

“You have to throw it on there hard to get it to stick as you start to mold it.”

He nods and uses both hands to cup around the clay on the wheel like I had done.

“Easy there, Superstar. You want to start with using the outer edge of your dominant hand only. Then, take your other hand as a guide and stabilizer. Like this…” I show him how to push into the clay before spinning the wheel slowly.

He moves his hands, and I place my hands over the top of his, applying light pressure so he can feel the movement.

“The trick is to keep your hand in one place, applying the same amount of pressure as the wet clay spins. Ready?”

He eyes the clay like he is about to make it his bitch. “Let’s do the damn thing.”

I laugh slowly, letting him press his foot on the wheel as he stays steady molding the clay. Finding a rhythm, he increases the speed of the wheel, and the clay slips from his grasp.

He throws his hands up in the air. “How do you control that thing?”

I’m grinning like a fool because the same thing happens to most people the first time they throw.

“You will get used to it. It’s a new feeling. Just stay relaxed and go at a slow, steady pace. No need to go faster yet. Want to go again?”

My intrusive thoughts remind me to also keep things slow and steady with Shawn, not just the clay. I feel like the faster we want to press on our wheel, the more out of control we will become, and I refuse to let us fly off the wheel.

“Yeah, let’s do it!” He nods in full confidence of the situation before him.

I take a deep breath and place my foot on the pedal this time, and the wheel spins, placing my hands on top of his again so he can feel the control that you have to give to the clay. After a minute, I wrap my fingers around his and guide him to try pulling out the edge of the clay with two knuckles. He pulls with me for just a second or two, and then I bring the wheel to a stop.

“And Voila! You have a shallow bowl.” I add, looking back at our little bowl, no bigger than the size of his palm.

He sits back and looks at his bowl, letting the birds sing and bees buzz around us.

“That was so fucking cool. I can see why you love this so much! Can I keep it?” He says, but he pulls in his shoulders to his ears in discomfort as the insects swarm around us.

I wipe my hands on my denim overalls and go to wire his work of art off of the wheel.

“Well, I need it to dry out, glaze it, and fire it in the kiln. Then I’ll bring it to you.”

He looks at me and then back to the art we created. Clearly so excited about the idea of having a finished piece of pottery. I lean down to pick it up and hear a bee buzzing over my shoulder. I shrug and walk away from it without a second thought, entering the shed to let the clay art dry.

Setting down the flower and bowl on two different shelves, I rinse my hands off in the sink before I hear a booming yell taking over the yard, then a loud crash, followed by dogs barking. I turn off the faucet, take off running back to the garden, and immediately stop and take in the scene before me as I drop to my knees in laughter.

Shawn has knocked over the stool and water bottle and is sprinting from the bee, with Luna and Blaze barking at his side as he runs straight for the dock. Having lost his slides, I look up just in time to see him haul himself into the lake, dogs barking down at him as he swims around. I hear the sliding of the back doors and small chuckles as I pick myself up and walk towards the dock with tears streaming from my eyes. Shawn looks at me and shrugs, spitting out water from his mouth.

“I don’t play around with bees!” He says matter-of-factly.

“Clearly!”

I lean down to help him out of the water, and as our hands connect, his grip tightens. I shoot daggers into his eyes with mine. Mouthing ‘don’t you dare’ at him as he smiles and pulls me towards him into the cool water. That triggers Luna and Blaze to jump in after us.

“OH HELLL YEAHH! Lee and Books are already enjoying our day on the water!”

We look over to see Bouch and Soph standing on the back deck. Bouch is wearing nothing but bright purple swim trunks and a backwards Muttonhead cap. Soph crosses her hands over her chest in an all black one piece that sculpts every inch of her body, her hair in a high pony and silver-rimmed aviator sunglasses.

I go to climb out of the water, but Shawn pulls me back. He leans down to my ear. “Your sports bra under those overalls isn’t hiding much and now my dick is hard.”

I laugh and push myself back into the water.

“Yo! Did you guys have breakfast?” Shawn calls out as I float.

Soph speaks up. “About to! Liam and Mils are making food now. You two dry off and meet us inside.”

She grabs Bouch’s arm and pulls him inside the cottage.

Once the coast is clear, we haul our asses out of the water and run to get changed. The day is just getting started, and I already know I’ll never want this weekend to end.