I smiled at her and pulled her lips to mine and kissed her. She let out a moan against my lips and I deepened the kiss. It was probably one of the most powerful kisses I’ve ever felt. Her love felt like it was rushing through my veins.
I pulled back away from her and waited for her to open her eyes.
“You’re not just some girl Ari. You’re the only woman I have ever loved and I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you squirt.”
Ari let out a laugh as she tossed her head back.
“Well holy fucking shit Johnson…..I think we’re in for the ride of our lives then! But I have a deal breaker.” She said as she looked over my whole body. I shivered from her intense stare.
“A deal breaker, anything…..just name it!”
“Okay………you’re gonna to have to stop playing “Truck Yeah” every goddamn time we all get in your truck.”
What?
“ELLIE! She put you up to this didn’t she, that little traitor sister of mine!”
Ari laughed as she bent down to kiss me. Just then I heard “You Save Me” by Kenny Chesney coming from my ear phones. I had to smile. Perfect fucking song. We sat there for another few minutes and just kissed each other senseless. In those few minutes of kissing the woman of my dreams, I had never in my life felt so at peace and so loved by another person.
“I love you Arianna Katherine Peterson…….so fucking much.”
“I love you Jefferson Michael Johnson. Now, let’s get the hell back on our horses. I have goddamn race to win!”
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
E llie……
Emma, Ari and I spent most of the afternoon cleaning up and packing up food from our Thanksgiving Day feast. The guys all went out to the porch and I heard Garrett saying something about a Jess person bringing in a new horse. Ari’s eyes lit up at that. Anything to do with horses and she was on board.
“Girls, why don’t y’all head on down to the main stable and check out the new filly that just came in.”
“How old is she Emma?” Ari asked as she took off the apron she had tied around her. She had been smiling from head to toe ever since she and Jefferson came back from their ride yesterday. I guess they worked things out because he could not keep his hands off her and she was the same way. Emma had to tell them to mind their manners at least five times during dinner.
“She’s three and she’s a beauty. Jefferson actually bought her for his new place.” Ari and I both snapped our heads around and looked at Emma. She realized her mistake the moment it came out of her mouth.
“Wait, what new place Emma? Why is Jefferson buying a horse?” I asked Emma.
“You mean he has not told you yet?” Ari said in a stunned voice.
“No….I have no idea what either one of you is talking about!”
Emma shook her head and looked back to the sink where she was putting away the last of the dishes. “It ain’t my place to tell you Jefferson’s news Ellie.”
Ari started to laugh. “Well it sure is shit is mine now! Jeff is buying two hundred and fifty acres of land that butts up to the north side of the Mathews ranch.”
WHAT? Why would he not tell me this and more importantly HOW!?
“How in the hell, oh sorry Emma, how in the heck can he afford to buy a two hundred fifty acre piece of land?”
Ari shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. I knew Jeff worked during the year after football season but that was only during the spring semester. Then I remembered my car! How did he afford to buy my car….with cash. Now he is buying horses? Something did not add up! No intern at an architectural firm could make that much money. I know he said he had money left over from our grandmother and he was a good saver but come on. I was getting to the bottom of this right now.
I spun on my heels and made a beeline for the stables. Ari was right on my heels. I didn’t talk the whole way there; I had too many things running through my mind. OMG…what if he was selling drugs?!
“Stop thinking so much Ellie! Christ! I can hear your damn brain working in over time now. Just give Jeff a chance to tell you. Don’t go running in and start accusing him of selling drugs or something.”
Shit….how did she know that’s what I had been thinking? Did I say it out loud by mistake? We turned the corner and I saw Drake, Aaron, Jefferson, Gunner and……a girl?
She was probably my height and weight but she was dressed in super tight ass Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots and a tight Navy Blue t-shirt. What the fuck?
Gunner and Aaron were both talking to her and she was throwing her head back laughing at something Gunner had just said. I immediately didn’t like her. I didn’t know who she was, but I knew I did not like her one bit.
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph who the fuck is the tramp dressed as a cowgirl?” Ari said as she looked her up and down. Jefferson’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw Ari. He looked over at me and smiled as he walked up to me.
“Ells I wanted to wait until it was all final but it looks like this week it will be so….Um, yeah I bought some land out here. It butts up to the north pasture of the Mathews ranch. It’s about two hundred and fifty acres.” He then looked over to Ari and smiled even bigger. “I bought it hoping to turn it into a horse ranch, and I bought my first filly today. She’s yours baby. Whatever you want to name her Ari, she is all yours.”
Ari looked stunned. I had never in my life seen Ari stunned into silence….EVER…..in all the years I had known here. She just stared at Jeff and I noticed his smile starting to falter. I looked back at Ari and she had a tear rolling down her face. Next thing I knew she was jumping into Jeff’s arms and wrapping her legs around his waist.
“OH MY GOD!!! You bought me a horse?! OH MY GOD!” Jeff started laughing as he walked over to the filly while Ari was kissing him all over like mad.
“Jesus get a fucking hotel room would you!” Gunner called out as he looked over at me and winked. He then turned his attention to miss bleached blonde tight ass jeans wearing fake ass tits cowgirl. She gave him a quick hug….HUH?......and then turned to hug Aaron. Old friend? Cousin? Who was this girl?
“Hey sweetheart, want to see the filly, she is a beauty.”
“I’m pretty sure I already got a look at her.” Gunner gave me a confused look and looked back toward the horse. Stupid ass…..
”Sure, let’s go meet Ari’s new horse.” I said as I just shook my head.
For the rest of the night no one brought up miss bleached blonde tight ass jeans wearing fake ass tits cowgirl so neither did I. It was almost like she was never there. I did corner Jeff about how in the hell he was able to buy all this shit. Turns out he took a part of the money we received from our grandmother and invested it. I guess it has been doing pretty well. He had some set aside for a car and school for me and some left over if I ever wanted to use it for a wedding.
A wedding? Okay. I wasn’t planning on that for a while. Gunner’s whole body tensed up when I laughed about needing the money for a wedding. I thought it was weird but I was still pissed about miss tight pants to care right now what Gunner was thinking.
The next morning I got up to Ari already up and gone. Gesh, second day in a row she had hightailed it out first thing in the morning. I was beginning to think that she and Jeff were sneaking off to make out or something. EEEWWW….I didn’t need that visual at all just now. Not first damn thing in the morning. I shook my head to erase the image from my mind.
I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a UT football sweat shirt. It felt like the cold front had moved through. I went down into the kitchen. 9:30? What the hell?! Why did everyone let me sleep in so late? And where the hell was everyone?
I walked out onto the front porch to see Emma and Garrett in a deep conversation. They stopped the moment I walked out.