Serenity Falls (27 page)

“But
it’s the last day of camp,” I argue.

“I
know, but it’ll be okay. Bailey will probably hang out with John anyway. She’ll
understand. Plus, it’s your birthday. Go have fun. Actually, I insist that you
have fun.”

Something’s
off. I can feel it. I don’t know what, but I’m sure I will find out. I look
from Wes, who will not meet my eyes but squeezes my hand in reassurance, to
Mrs. Sandy, who’s smiling at me over the rim of her coffee cup as she takes a
sip, to my Aunt Brenda who also wears a smile and pats my knee. “How about we
go and get mani/pedis?” My dear aunt is up to something.

“Okay.”
I decide to go with the flow.

Then,
the impossible happens. “Here, take my truck.” Wes pulls his keys out of his
pocket and hands them over to me.

“All
right. What’s goin’ on?” I ask skeptically.

“Nothing,”
Wes answers too quickly.

“You’ve
only let me drive your truck once. Why are you letting me drive it now?”

“Because
it’s your birthday. And because I love you and trust you. Is that enough of a
reason for you?”

“Uh-huh.
Sure.” I turn my gaze to Mrs. Sandy in hopes that she’ll answer my question,
but instead, she snatches up my half-eaten plate of food, and heads into the
kitchen.

“Kenleigh,
just go have fun,” Mrs. Sandy says as she turns on the kitchen faucet, drowning
out my response.

I
nod and look at my aunt. “You ready?”

“Whenever
you are.”

I
scoot my chair away from the table, and look at Wes before I get up. “Thank
you,” I whisper, leaning in for a kiss.

“For
what?” he mumbles against my lips.

“For
this. Everything.” I smile at him as my heart swells with the love I feel for
this man.

“Like
I said, there isn’t anything in this world I wouldn’t do for you. Now, go have
fun, and I’ll see you in a few hours.” He kisses me once more before he starts
helping clear the rest of the dishes off the table. “By the way, my manager
called this morning and asked me if I wanted to ride next weekend.”

“And
what did you say?” I ask, a little nervous and concerned. I’ve never seen Wes
ride before, and it would devastate me if something happened to him like what
happened to his friend.

“I
said yeah. All the proceeds go to charity. There was no way I could turn it
down.”

“Okay.
Thanks for telling me. Now I have a week to prepare myself for seeing you ride
for the first time.” Did he really have to tell me this today? Now, I’m going
to worry all week.

“Babe,
I’ll be fine. I promise. Now go and have fun.”

“All
right,” I reply before looking at my aunt. “Just let me get my purse.”

The
massage chair in the nail salon kneads my back while my feet soak in the basin
below. My eyes roll into the back of my head as I groan with relief. “I think
this was the best idea you have come up with in a long time.” I look to my left
where my aunt sits next to me.

“I
know. I needed this, too.”

I
nod, agreeing with her. “Me, too.”

“How’s
camp been going?”

A
smile tugs at the corners of my lips. “Great. It’s just gone by too fast. I
can’t believe it’s the last day already.”

“Are
you okay?” she asks, sensing something else is wrong.

“I’m
just worried what will happen between me and Wes when this summer is over. I’m
only here for another two weeks before I have to go back to San Antonio.” I
groan, because I sound like a broken record, but I just can’t quit obsessing
over this.

“Have
you talked to him about it?”

“I’ve
tried. Every time I bring it up, he finds a way to evade the conversation. I
don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Well,
dropping out of school isn’t an option.” My aunt reminds me that school needs
to come first.

“I
know.” I lean my head back against the chair and stare up at the ceiling tiles.
“This so wasn’t what I was planning on when I came here this summer.”

“Planning
on what? Falling in love?” I nod, turning my gaze to meet hers. “Oh, honey!”
She chuckles. “No one ever plans on falling in love. That’s why they call it
falling. It’s unexpected, scary, fun, exciting. Falling in love isn’t a bad
thing. Many people wish for what you’ve found every day.” For some reason, I
think she’s speaking from experience.

“Are
you one of those people?”

“Yes.
But my time will come. I decided long ago to quit looking for love, and let
love find me.”

My
eyes flutter open, and I just sit here for a few seconds, taking in my
beautiful aunt who has given up everything for me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“When
Wes called me, I didn’t know who he was at first, but then he told me about the
ranch and who he was to you. It made sense. You know, all of this was his
idea.”

“He’s
amazing.”

“You
must be very special to him to do all this for you.”

“I’m
beginning to think I am. Don’t get me wrong. I know he loves me, because he
proves it every single second of every single day.”

“And
you do the same for him?” she asks. There’s no hint of skepticism in her tone,
just genuine curiosity.

“I
hope so. I know when I was in high school, I said I ‘loved’ Jarred, and in a
way, I did, but not like I love Wes. With us, it’s fun, never boring. He is so
romantic, and we don’t fight. It’s just…”

“Easy,”
she replies, finishing my sentence.

“Exactly,”
I exclaim with a smile.

Reaching
over, my aunt takes my hand in hers. “You know, you remind me so much of your
mother. Not just by your beauty, either. You have so many of her qualities,
Kenleigh. You’re honest, sweet, sincere—genuine. I can see why Wes has fallen
in love with you. How could he not?”

Damn
it.
I am so sick of crying. The sting
of tears pricks the backs of my eyes. With a couple of deep breaths, I will
them away. If there is anyone in this world I would want to be like, my mother
would be it. “Thank you,” I barely whisper around the ball of emotion in my
throat.

“Now,
tell me about school. How was your freshman year?”

“It
was… different that’s for sure.”

“You
mean, it wasn’t full of parties, drunken nights, and sex,” she says playfully.

I
laugh at her description of college life. “Actually, it was all that, and so
much more,” I tease.

“Well,
at least you’re experiencing college the right way.”

This
right here is what I miss. My aunt and I can joke around about this type of
stuff and it’s never taken out of context. We’ve always had an open and honest
relationship. She’s known the few times I’ve drank before. She also knows that
I’ve never done drugs. Now, telling her about when I lost my virginity? That
was a little difficult, but she was glad that I was honest and upfront with
her. After I began to deal with my depression in a healthy way, we sat down and
had a long talk. My aunt informed me about how worried she had been, and told me
that if I ever needed to talk, she would always be there for me. And she has
been every step of the way.

“Have
you decided on a major yet?”

A
blast of cool air hits my feet when the nail technician pulls my foot out of
the warm water, and places it on the padded end of the ceramic basin. “I think
so. I’ve been asked that a couple of times this summer, and every time, I’ve
said I think I’m gonna do nursing.”

“That’s
great. I always knew you were gonna make something of yourself. You know,
really go places with your life.”

I
peek over at my aunt as her nail tech massages her feet and calves. “I know
it’s going to be tough, but I know I can do it.”

She
nods. “There will be lots of late night studying.”

“Yeah.
But I think the whole nursing thing will be a good fit for me.”

“Agreed.
You’ve always enjoyed helping other people.”

“And
I have you to thank for that,” I reply. If it hadn’t been for her, there is no
telling where or how I would have ended up. My dad was an only child, and his
parents passed before I was born. My mom’s parents died when I was four. The
memories I have of them is vague, but I know I loved them. With my aunt being
my only surviving relative, if she hadn’t stepped in and agreed to take over as
my guardian, I would have been given to the state.

“Why
do you say that?” Her face is marred with confusion as she looks at me.

“You’re
all the family I have left. Without you, who knows where or what I would be.” I
keep my eyes trained forward. I don’t want my aunt to see the fear behind them,
the fear of not knowing what might have happened to me.

“Kenleigh?
Look at me, please?” Her tone is soft and it pulls at my heart.

I
do as she asks. My blue irises find her light green ones, and it’s as if I’m
having a conversation with my mom. “You’ve had a hard life. Unfortunately, that
hard life was introduced to you at way too young an age.” Her eyes turn glossy
from unshed tears as she continues. “But that’s life. You lost your parents. I
lost my sister and best friend, but at least I had you. We all go through ups
and downs. Some are worse than others, but it’s what you make of it. You can
let life beat you down or you can stand up to it.” She takes a deep shuddering
breath. “Your mom and dad would be so proud of the woman you have become… are
becoming. You’ve taken a horrible tragedy and turned it into a positive. I can
tell you, when I was in college, my last thought would have been to contribute
my time to a horse ranch. To helping kids with disabilities or issues of their
own. But not you. You’re so strong and giving. It doesn’t matter if I wouldn’t
have been there for you. You would have become this person, regardless. It’s
who you are. Who you have always been.”

Her
words grip my heart like a vice. I wish I could see myself the way she just
described me. I’ve had my issues, and I’ve dealt with and moved on. All I want
to do now is give back. My eyes glisten with unshed tears. I swallow the ball
of emotion lodged in my throat. “You really are the best, you know that?” I try
to lighten the mood. It’s my birthday, a day I haven’t celebrated since I was
twelve. I don’t want to cry anymore today. I don’t want a whole bunch of heavy
talk. I want to have fun and enjoy spending time with my aunt.

“I
try,” she teases nonchalantly while shrugging her shoulders.

“When
are you going back home?”

“Trying
to get rid of me already?” She chuckles.

“Eh…”
I shrug. “I think I’ll keep you around. You know, you being my aunt and all.
And I love you. And you’re good for my ego.” With that last word, we both erupt
into a fit of laughter. The nail salon echoes throughout with our cackles.

“Well,
that’s good to know.”

We
spend another hour in the nail salon before leaving. My aunt and I joke with
the each other and the nail technicians. I love that she is here. Except for
with Wes, I don’t think I have laughed this much in a long time. I’m still
shocked that Wes would call my aunt and ask her to come down to spend my birthday
with me. How he found out today was my birthday, I’m still not sure, but Mrs.
Sandy is my number one suspect.

I
pull out my debit card to pay, but my aunt slaps my arm. “You better put that
away. It’s your birthday and I’m paying.” Her tone is scolding, and I know
she’s serious. I want to argue that she’s come all this way, but I don’t.
Instead, I slip the card back in my wallet and keep my mouth shut. “Ready?” she
asks after paying.

I
nod. The bells above us chime as we exit the salon and make our way to the
truck. I smile at the fact that Wes actually let me use his truck. A small
chuckle escapes me when I consider telling him that I’ve hit every pothole,
large and small, known to mankind. I won’t do it, but it would be hilarious to
see his reaction.

“What’s
so funny?” my aunt asks as I start up the truck.

“Wes.
I still can’t believe he offered to let me use his truck.”

“Why
wouldn’t he let you use his truck?”

“Let’s
just say, I’m pretty sure this truck means just as much to him as I do, maybe
even a tad bit more.”

“It’s
just a truck,” she replies.

“Don’t
let him hear you say that.” I chuckle. “He might come and console the damn
thing for you having hurt its feelings.”

My
aunt laughs with me as I pull out of the parking lot. It’s about a
twenty-minute drive back to the ranch, but it feels longer with every country
mile I put behind us. “You seem happy here,” she says, just before we pull onto
the ranch.

“I
am. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m not even sure I could if I wanted to,
but there is something about this place that makes me feel like I can breathe
again. The dull ache of missing my parents is no longer there when I’m here.” I
turn to look at her before I look back at the road.

“From
what I can tell, by the two people I’ve met so far, they love you.”

With
my interest piqued, I ask, “Who all have you met so far?”

“Sandy
and Wes.”

“Well,
wait until you meet Mr. Will and Brantley and all the other volunteers. They’re
great, all of them.” I pull up to the house, turn into the driveway, and park
the truck in front of the barn. That’s odd. Nobody’s out here. No kids. No
volunteers. No horses. I
knew
something was up. I knew there was a
reason Mrs. Sandy and Wes all but shoved me out of the house this morning. I
turn my attention to my aunt. She’s in on this, too. In on what exactly, I’m
not sure. With my eyebrows arched, I ask, “Okay? What’s goin’ on? And please,
do not tell me nothing because I can tell something is up.”

Aunt
Brenda waves her hand in the air as she pulls on the lever, opening the door.
As she starts to climb out, she says, “Nothing.”

I
groan in frustration as I climb out of the truck. Slipping Wes’ keys in my
pocket, I meet my aunt in front of the truck. “So earlier, before you woke up,
Sandy told me about this filly one of her horses had.”

“June?”

“Yeah,
that one. Let’s go see her. Sandy said she was a beauty, and you know how I am
about babies.” She links her arm with mine.

“Okay.”
We walk to the barn doors that are closed. Odd. Then it hits me. There is
something behind these doors, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a party. I
release my aunt’s arm to slide one of the doors back.

“SURPRISE!”
People shout at me from all different angles of the barn. I gasp, and my eyes
go wide with shock. A beautiful, three-tier cake with chocolate frosting
decorated with fresh flowers sits on top of a table in the middle of the
breezeway. To the left of the table is Bailey who sits on a bale of hay next to
John in his wheelchair. On the right side of the table stand Brantley, Jackie,
Liam, and Sarah. But dead center behind the cake are three of the most
important people in my life besides my aunt who is now gripping my hand. Mrs.
Sandy, Mr. Will, and Wes. Warm tears well up in my eyes and gently spill over,
slowly gliding down my face. These are not tears of sadness. No. These are
tears of joy.