doesn’t matter. Never brush shit under the rug. You talk it out, and we’re gonna talk it out.”
“I’m not mad,” she assured me, shrugging before a small smile spread across her lips. “I may have been just a little jealous of her touching you. But I’ll get over it.”
I chuckled and pulled her face to mine before kissing her softly and leaning back to rest my forehead against hers. “Jealous, huh?”
She held up her hand, indicating a small space between her fingers. “Maybe just this much.”
Tracing her lower lip with my thumb, I stared at her. Her beauty made my chest feel like it was tightening, restricting the amount of air I could get inside my lungs. She came into my life when I needed her most and revived my heart, and I had such a need for her now. I wanted Amber more than my next breath.
“I love you, darlin’. You know that, right?” My hands ached to touch her, and my body ached for her closeness.
“Yes,” she replied in a breathy whisper.
“Believe me when I tell you that you have nothing to be jealous of.” I leaned closer and just barely skimmed my lips over hers. “I am completely yours, sweetheart. I have no room left for any other woman. You’re all I want.”
“I love you,” she whispered just before my lips covered hers. Her body relaxed against mine, in turn making me feel relaxed.
If I didn’t have a party to get back to, I would have carried her to my truck and taken her home with me right then. The desire to make her feel my love was overwhelming, yet I fought the urge.
I pulled back to look at her just as her eyes began to flutter open. “Come on back to the party,” I said. “I have some people I need to introduce my girlfriend too.” I winked, and she smirked at me as I dragged her off toward the house.
As we rounded the barn, we both stopped dead in our tracks, stunned at the scene before us.
Jackson had Bailey pinned against the side of the barn, her skirt bunched up around her upper thighs. One of her legs was wrapped around his waist as he palmed her breast through her shirt. For a moment I was a little envious and wanted to drag Amber off for a little foreplay of our own, but then reality hit.
“Jackson,” I growled.
He and Bailey jumped apart like two teenagers whose parents had caught them necking.
“What the hell are you thinking?” I asked. “What if Ma had found you? She would kick your ass if she caught you mauling Bailey against the barn.”
Amber placed her hands on her hips, glaring at the two of them. “After the things I heard about you in the last thirty minutes, the last thing I’m gonna do is allow you to make my best friend another notch on your bedpost.”
Of course Jackson looked at me in alarm. “Don’t look at me,” I declared. “You need to find Noah. I didn’t say shit.”
“I’m gonna kick his ass,” Jackson mumbled as he spun around and stormed off.
Bailey looked down at her feet, embarrassed.
“Hey, Bay,” I said. She lifted her head, but her eyes still held that look girls get when they’re holding back tears. “For the record, Jackson isn’t as bad as Noah likes to make him sound. He just hasn’t found the right girl yet.”
My chest tightened when her eyes glistened. I hated when girls cried. It made me want to give them whatever they needed to get them to stop. That’s why I was loving my girl even more when she placed her hand on my arm.
“Ryan, can you give us a few minutes?” she asked.
I nodded and kissed her forehead before walking away.
As I got closer to the house, I saw my dad standing between Noah and Jackson just off to the side of the house. Noah was chuckling as Dad lectured them. “Now dammit, boys, you two are grown-ass men. Well, you’re supposed to be anyway. Act your damn ages and get over this shit.”
My pop looked like he was on the verge of blowing a fuse. He was not a small man, yet being referee to my two brothers made him seem short by comparison.
I took a few long strides to lend my dad a hand. I wasn’t sure how much help I would be, but it was worth a shot.
Noah leaned in and hit the bill of Jackson’s hat, causing