Rounding Third - Michelle Lynn Page 0,76
Ella says, kissing her on the cheek and waiting for me to say my good-bye.
“Bye, Mrs. Keaton.”
She waves us out, airing her hand toward the door. I let Ella in the truck, noticing her dad has disappeared into the barn. Mrs. Keaton stands and watches us the entire time from the screen door.
We drive down Route 12.
“Man…” Ella fidgets, bringing her leg up and under her body, looking over at me.
Relief floods both of our faces.
“I never would have guessed that it would go down like that with my parents.”
“Me neither.” My hands tighten and then loosen on the steering wheel. “I’m in utter shock. In the barn, when your dad saw me, he was pissed. His face was beet red with anger in a second. I thought he was going to use a pickaxe on me.”
She laughs. “What changed his mind?”
“You think he’d really hurt me?”
“Yeah. The way his face looked, coming out of the barn, I had visions of me running away from my family in a white dress and veil. We’d be telling our grandchildren some great love story.”
My heart has no room for more happiness in this moment. She would have risked losing her family for me.
“What?” Her voice calms, and she places her hand on my bicep. “You look serene.”
I glance to her and then back to the road. “You’re a self-esteem booster, that’s all,” I say.
She smiles bright.
“All those girls who fawn over you and post pictures of you on Instagram should boost that ego a little more,” she says whimsically.
I have no reason to sense that she’d ever be jealous of other girls. Since we were fifteen, she’s known that there’s absolutely no one else I’d ever be interested in.
We’ve never talked about our two years apart. There have been girls—I can’t lie—but none of them panned out, and from the start, I knew they wouldn’t. My heart belonged to Ella Keaton well before I ever had control over it.
I pull the truck into a parking lot at an abandoned fast-food restaurant.
“What are you doing?” She glances at the clock on the dash. “You’re going to be late already.”
I say nothing as I turn off the ignition and face her. I stare long and hard into her vibrant blue eyes, the same eyes that give me encouragement, love, and support. I grab both of her hands, bringing them up to my lips.
“You are the only one. You know that, right? The girls who come up to me and take pictures, I’m not interested in any of them.”
She glances down, releasing one hand and nibbling on her fingertips.
“You’re hiding something,” I say.
Her eyes fly up to me.
“I know that nervous habit, Ella.”
“I know.” She releases her other hand from my grasp and swivels in her seat. “I do know, deep down, but sometimes, it’s hard.”
“Never doubt me.”
“I try not to, and I know the pictures are bullshit, but earlier today, in the Student Center, I saw the two girls walking in with you.”
I rack my brain. If Ella observed me all day, she’d see that I turn down every girl that approaches me
“The ones who wanted to buy my lunch?” I ask.
She scoffs. “Seriously? What is wrong with these whores?” Her voice is angry.
The jealousy is nice to see; however, I never want Ella to be unhappy, but the girls are something I have no control over.
I chuckle, and she shoots me the evil eye.
“I accepted and told them my girlfriend would appreciate me saving money, so I could buy her a nice dinner.”
Her slow smile spurs my own smile.
“You didn’t.”
“I’ll always tell someone who I belong to, and that’s you, Ella Keaton. I belong to you. My heart isn’t mine. It’s yours. Always has been and always will be.”
She unclicks her seat belt and crawls over to my side. My hand falls to my seat controls, and I slide it back, giving us room.
“Tell me,” she says.
My hands fall to her ass, pushing her into me more.
“I like you,” I answer.
She shakes her head. She’s replaying the way I told her I loved her the first time. I let it slip out and took it back immediately so as not to seem like a douche who confessed his love too quickly. Ella though pushed until I confessed again.
“Tell me,” she continues.
Instead of the terrifying feeling that took over me the first time around, I’m enjoying this one.
“I like you a lot.”
“Crosby.”
“Ella.”
“Tell me.” Her voice is growing more demanding, which only results in hardening