Trent made a “humph” noise and mused, "Then you're a lot wiser than I am, Grace. I would have lost it."
"Well, I am older than you."
Trent snorted and shook his head. He was still holding her hand in his, thumbing over her knuckles with a gentle touch. His kindness prompted Grace to announce, "Geez! I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For this blabber-fest I just threw on you. We were having such a nice night and then I just sort of dumped my baggage on you."
"You didn't dump your baggage on me; you told me something really important," he said.
"I just...I hope you don't think of me differently now. I don't want you to pity me or think that I'm—”
Before she could finish her thought, Trent silenced her with a finger. He smiled gently and said, "The only thing I think about you is that you are amazing. You're way stronger than I could ever be. You went through something completely traumatizing and you've come out on the other side as one of the most seemingly adjusted people I've ever met."
"Boy, do I have you fooled," she said with a laugh.
They talked for a few minutes longer, then Grace asked Trent to resume the movie—but everything was different now.
They’d gotten close on the couch. So close that half of her back was on his chest, leaned into him as they sat close. Their chemistry was palpable, and by the end of the movie, Trent had tilted her chin up to him and said, “You wanna know something?”
“What?” she asked.
“I think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world.”
Grace’s heart skipped as his fingers continued to tickle her skin.
“I am really attracted to you,” he said.
“Then the feeling is mutual,” she flirted back.
“Some days it’s all I can do not to kiss you,” he said, his voice husky and quiet.
Her breathing quickened as she tilted her back to give him a better reach of her mouth as she said, “Then do it.”
Trent shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Then why say it at all?”
“Because I’m starting to think I’m getting obvious,” he said with a smirk.
He wasn’t getting obvious. At least, not to her. She didn’t have any idea that he wanted anything more from her than to win a horse race.
“I just wanted you to know I’m aware of it.”
“Of your incredible attraction to me?” she teased, and he nodded.
Trent let out a barely audible breath, then said, “That I like you.”
“I like you, too,” she said.
“I guess Bill and Maisie weren’t so crazy after all,” he said.
“We can never tell them that,” she joked. “Their egos would skyrocket.”
Trent laughed. “Even so...I don’t think we should act on this.”
“Me neither,” she agreed.
“I’m not ready, and I don’t think you are, either.”
Grace nodded. “We both have a lot we’re dealing with right now.”
“Right,” he said.
“Right,” she said.
And then, without a second thought, Trent brought his mouth to hers and pulled her into the most magical kiss she had ever experienced.
9
Trent
Against his own suggestion, Trent was dating Grace. He couldn’t help himself. Every day spent without making things official with her, without kissing her or holding her, were days that seemed to drag and drag. He loved being around her, and he knew Bex did, too...so what was he waiting for?
Being around Grace was like taking a breath of life for the first time. It was like eating after months of being deprived. He felt alive again.
The pair had done the run from the ranch to Flour Bluff on their horses. They’d done this a couple of times now and had their timing down pat, including breaking for the horses.
At the end of the course, Bill met them with a horse trailer so the animals didn’t have to walk the nearly five hours back.
In a car, the bluff was only twenty-two minutes from the ranch, and the pair were back in time for dinner.
They’d gone to North Beach at Corpus Christi and walked around the sand after dinner and spotted a couple waiting in line at the Ferris wheel.
Watching the stranger’s body language, Grace asked, "What do you think...first date? Third?"
"Hard to say," he said, humming and hawing. "Looks like a third, to me. Third or maybe even fifth."
"Ah, the early dates. The ones where you're still making false promises and acting like you adore all this stuff you secretly can't stand," she grinned.
"What? Nobody does that," he laughed.
"Are you kidding me? You've never told a girl you were into something you weren't just to seem cooler or more desirable to her?"
Trent frowned. "What? No! I've never done anything like that."
"I don't believe that for a second," she giggled, shaking her head at him.
"Seriously, I've never done that!"
It was the truth. Trent had never changed who he was to fit someone else’s ideals—not even his parents. And for that matter, he never needed to. He'd met his wife so young that he didn't have to pretend to like the things she liked because he did like the things she liked and vice versa.
He could have explained this to Grace but talking about Lily felt like a big no-no now. He'd been completely comfortable discussing relationships in the past with Grace, but now that she was his girlfriend, he felt like talking endlessly about Lily would probably make her feel uncomfortable in the same way that her talking about Aaron made him feel a slight tinge of jealousy.
"Trent, nobody goes into a relationship honestly," she said with a scoffing laugh.
"Yes, they do!"
"No," she said. "They go in on their best behavior."
"Maybe they go in honestly wanting to be on their best behavior and show their potential partner," he dared.
"Nah," she said, dismissing him without hesitation. "They all go in with a false sense of confidence and are all 'I love what you love!' and then before you know it, you're five years in and your girlfriend who just loves hiking hasn't hit the trails once with you."
Trent frowned. Was that really what relationships were like?
"I don't want that," he said, assessing her take on love.
"I don't want that either," she laughed.
"Well, let's have it then."
Grace stopped in her tracks, her hand in his, and said, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I want five honest likes from you—Go!"
"Oh, uh, okay! I like portobello mushrooms but basically no other kinds. I order my steak rare because I think it makes me look cool but I actually like mine well done. I hate when people lip-sync or scream-sing in their cars, hate when people make spitty-noises with their mouths, and I have an unhealthy obsession with plants," she said, rushing through her words as if she were in a race. "Now, you!"
Trent walked along the beach with her, his shoes in one and hers in the other. His eyes went skyward, thinking, and then he answered, "I like classic rock music and basically no tunes from the twenty-first century. I like romantic comedies even though I think they're unrealistic. I hate musicals, love baseball, hate shows that have a laugh-track, and usually have a pretty black and white view of things."