Page 83 of On the Rocks

She needed an answer.

She needed to know what I would do.

She needed to know if she was safe, if our family was okay, or if everything was about to be blown to smithereens.

“Mmm, are those lemon squares I smell?” Dad asked, his voice closer now. He and Anthony would round into the kitchen at any moment, and either everything would be exactly as they left it, or nothing would be the same again.

Time was up.

And I had to make the hardest decision of my life.

Mom sucked in a breath when I pulled out of her grasp, but I didn’t meet her eyes again as I made my way to the island.

Just as Dad and Anthony swung into the kitchen, I slipped the ring back on my finger.

Noah

I could barely contain my excitement when Friday finally came around.

All week long, my thoughts had been tied up in Ruby Grace.

When I was working, I’d watch my hands make whiskey barrels, but in my head, I remembered the way they looked like making Ruby Grace squirm in my bed. When I was at home, I saw her everywhere — on my couch, in my bed, in my shower. When I visited Mom in the middle of the week for a surprise dinner, I thought of Ruby Grace, of how one day I would dance withherinourkitchen.

I was in too deep, too fast. I knew it. I tried to hold myself back, but it was pointless.

I’d had a taste of her, and now, I wouldn’t rest until I had all of her, too.

To pass the time that work didn’t take up, I worked on my surprise for Ruby Grace. I knew exactly what I would say to tell her what I’d done, and where I’d take her to do it.

That’s why, on Friday night, I asked her to meet me at Tank’s stable at dusk.

I was getting him ready, brushing him and giving him a snack before I got him saddled up, when I saw a pair of familiar legs making their way down the hill.

The sun was setting, the clouds turning orange and pink and purple, casting a fairytale glow over the field of wildflowers Ruby Grace walked through to get to me. I paused where I was petting Tank, breath catching in my throat at the sight of her. She had her hands in the back pockets of the tiny jean shorts she wore, her long hair an illuminated orange and floating on the breeze behind her as she walked. She was so tanned from the summer, and the white, flowy tank top she wore just accentuated that bronze glow even more.

I swallowed, watching her take each step.

The closer she got, the more my heart raced.

I let out a whistle when she was close enough to hear, and as soon as I did, a grin split her face.

“Damn, Legs,” I said, crossing my arms and not bothering to hide my eyes as they scanned her. “You should come with a warning label, you know that?Warning: this woman will knock any unsuspecting man dead upon first glance. Proceed with caution.”

She chuckled, shaking her head and stopping a few feet away from me. She crossed her arms to mirror mine. “You say that like you would have heeded the warning.”

“Oh, I one-hundred percent would have disregarded it entirely,” I said. Then, I opened my arms. “C’mere.”

A tinge of sadness touched her eyes as she stepped into me. When I wrapped my arms around her, she rested her head on my chest, a deep sigh leaving her lips.

“Long day?” I asked.

“Long week,” she answered, and her hands fisted at my back, twisting my flannel shirt in her grasp like she was in danger of me floating away. “Can you just hug me for a while?”

“For as long as you want,” I answered easily.

She sighed again, turning her face until her forehead was buried in my chest. She held me tight, and I held her tighter, gently swaying us as the sun set. And though she seemed content there,happy, even — I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

It wasn’t until Tank neighed, annoyed at the lack of attention, that Ruby Grace finally let me go.