Forever After All by Kaylee Ryan

Chapter 7

Rip

I’m not even trying to keep my hands to myself. I’ve tried, and I just don’t have the willpower. Not when it comes to McKenna. Not anymore. That’s why my hand is currently resting on her thigh as I point my truck toward the lake. Laramie and Colby insisted they drive separately. Well, Laramie insisted, and like the lovesick fool Colby is for my little sister, he agreed. Corbin and a few of our other friends are already there. He’s called and texted me what feels like a million times asking when we’re showing up. Speaking of, my phone vibrates from the cupholder.

“You going to get that?” McKenna asks.

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“I’m driving. I’m sure it’s just Corbin. You can check it. Tell him we’re on our way.”

“You want me to get into your phone?” she asks, surprised.

“You can, or if you don’t feel like dealing with him, just let it ride. He’ll see us soon enough.”

“It’s not that. It’s just, aren’t guys’ cell phones off-limits? Especially single guys?”

“Not mine. Not to you.” I’m not single, at least not in my mind.

“So, you’re just going to let me go through your phone?”

“Yep.” Glancing over, I see her face masked in surprise. “What? You think I’m hiding naked pictures or numbers or something?”

“I don’t know. I just— There’s this guy who was in a lot of my classes. One day before class started, he and his buddies were moaning and groaning about his girlfriend getting into his phone. From the sound of it, he’d been getting nudes from half the state, and they were all saved on his phone.”

“You think I’m that guy?” I draw lazy circles on her thigh with my thumb.

“N-No,” she answers. Is it my touch that has her stumbling over her words? Or the conversation?

“Good, because I’m not. There’s nothing in my phone that you can’t see or have access to. Go on, take a look.” I nod to my phone in the cupholder.

“No, that’s okay. I don’t need to look. Besides, it’s none of my business what’s in your phone.”

“Well, I say it’s your business. I’m an open book for you, McKenna.” My phone rings again, and I laugh. “Just answer it.” I can’t let go of the wheel, and I’m not going to stop touching her. She’s Corbin’s only shot at finding out where we are.

“Fine.” She reaches for the phone and taps the screen placing it on speaker. “Hello.”

“Mac?” Corbin asks, confused.

“Hey, Corbin.”

“Where’s Rip?”

“He’s driving.”

“Are you two on your way?”

“Yeah, we’re about ten minutes out.”

“So, you and my boy, huh?” he asks. I make a mental note to kick his ass.

“Rip volunteered for me to ride with him.”

“I bet he did.” Corbin chuckles. “Y’all got food? I’m starving.”

“Yes, we have food.” She shakes her head. “I think you’ll survive until we get there.”

“What took you so long?”

“I was visiting with my grandparents, and Rip had to go to the store, and then we made sandwiches.” She lists off everything we’ve done today.

“Yo, James, you’re up!” someone yells from the background.

“That’s Russ. We’re playing corn hole. I gotta go.” With that, the line goes dead.

“He’s still the same whirlwind he’s always been.” McKenna laughs as she places my phone back into the cupholder.

“Did you expect anything less?” I ask with a quick glance in her direction.

“Nope.” I can hear the smile in her voice.

“So, you ever plan on upgrading this old truck?” she asks.

“Shh, you’re going to hurt her feelings.”

Laughter, the most incredible sound, fills the cab of the truck. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to do that.”

“They don’t make them like they used to,” I tell her as I turn onto the road that leads us to the lake.

“Right, because a radio that doesn’t play cassette tapes and has power windows are an abomination,” she teases.

Parking the truck, I lift the console. My phone goes flying into the back seat, but I ignore it and pull her toward me. She squeals with laughter. “No, but most of the new trucks no longer have bench seats, which means I can’t have my girl sitting next to me.” We’re close, so close it would only take minuscule effort from either of us for our lips to connect.

“You think she’d be mad that I’m in her spot?” Her question is breathless.

Before I can reply, there’s a loud banging on the window that has us pulling apart. Looking over, I see Corbin standing there with a wide-ass grin on his face. I make a mental note to get him back. One day he’s going to fall hard, and I have a long-ass mental list of ways to torture him like he so obviously enjoys torturing me.

“Right,” McKenna says as she slides over to the passenger door and climbs out of the truck.

I take a minute to rake my hands over my face and focus on willing my cock to deflate. It’s a wasted effort anytime I’m around her. Feeling a little more composed, I exit the truck, only to open the back door and search for my phone before we start unloading the food and snacks.

“Grab the cooler from the back,” I tell Corbin.

“On it.” He lowers the tailgate, grabs the cooler, and takes off walking toward our group of friends.

Laramie and Colby pull in, and together, the four of us work on getting everything unpacked. There are three huge picnic tables that are now covered with food and drinks, and our rowdy group settles around and digs in. Realizing I forgot something, I head back to the truck. In the back seat, I grab the old quilt I brought for McKenna to sit on. Tossing it on one of the lawn chairs, I take a seat at the picnic table, squeezing in next to McKenna and our friend Russ. He graduated with Corbin and me.

“This is for you,” McKenna says, handing me a plate.

“Thanks.” I lean over and kiss her cheek. Her eyes seem to glass over as she smiles up at me.

Russ, from his seat next to me, sighs. I turn to see what the fuss is about. “You calling it?” he asks, his voice low for only me to hear.

“Yep.”

“I figured.”

“She’s always been mine.”

“I just assumed it’s been a while….” His voice trails off.

“When it comes to McKenna and assumptions, always assume that it’s me. Always.”

“What are you two whispering about over there?” Laramie asks from the table across from us.

“He’s trying to steal my girl,” I say, placing my arm around McKenna’s shoulders.

“Stop.” She snickers and pushes me away.

“Rope swing challenge,” Corbin says before shoving the remainder of his sandwich into his mouth.

“You know Rip’s going to win,” Russ tells him. “He always does.”

“Maybe not this time.” Corbin smiles with glee, which tells me he’s up to something.

“You been working on your technique?” I tease.

“Don’t you worry about me, Callahan.”

“What are the rules?” Josh, another friend of ours, asks.

“What are you talking about?” Stephanie, Josh’s date, asks.

“We have rope swing challenges to see who can jump the farthest into the water.”

“From where?” Stephanie asks.

“Up there.” Colby points to the huge oak tree that stands tall on the far side of the lake.

“Do you two do it?” Stephanie looks at Laramie and then McKenna.

“Yeah.” McKenna shrugs. “It’s a good time.”

“You can jump with me,” Josh assures Stephanie.

“Together?”

“Yep.” He wags his eyebrows.

“How do you get up there?” she asks, pointing toward the tree.

“We’ve created a well-worn path over the years,” Laramie tells her.

“I’m not sure I can do it.”

“It’s easy. I’ll go first.” McKenna stands and pulls her tank top over her head. I swallow my tongue as I take her in. Fuck me. She’s a goddess.

“Here.” Corbin hands me a napkin, barely containing his laughter.

I wad it up and toss it on the table. “You think you’ve still got it?” I ask McKenna as she unzips her shorts and pulls them over her legs. My eyes trail the movement like a starving man sitting in front of a steak.

“Please,” she scoffs. “I’ve got this.”

“Prove it.” I stand and pull my shirt over my head, tossing it on top of McKenna’s neatly folded clothes on the bench seat of the picnic table.

“I’m taking bets.” My sister laughs. “Mac’s got this one in the bag.”

I smile and shake my head. “You ready?” I ask McKenna.

“It’s on, Callahan.” She grins and takes off running toward the tree.

I sprint after her. Getting close, I wrap my arm around her waist and sling her up on my shoulder as I run the rest of the way to the tree. She’s laughing and playfully swatting at my back. I grip the backs of her thighs, and my hands itch to explore her silky-smooth skin.

When we reach the tree, I slowly slide her down from my shoulder, letting every inch of her press against every hard inch of me. No, I’m not talking about my abs. Her eyes are wide as she stares up at me. Her hair has fallen into her eyes from her ride hanging upside down on my shoulder. I tuck the loose strands behind her ear. “Jump with me.”

“W-What?”

She knows me too well, aware my words have a double meaning. I want her to jump into this with me. I want her to be mine. Fuck, I want to be hers. I want to see where this goes.

“The rope.”

“Oh.” Her face falls.

“Hey.” I cradle her face in the palm of my hands. “That too,” I whisper, leaning in close. I’m going to kiss her. After all this time, I’m going to make my intentions known to the girl who stole my heart when I was nine years old.

“What are you waiting on?” Corbin calls out.

“Fucking Corbin,” I grumble, resting my forehead against hers. “Jump with me?” I ask again, trying to gain my composure.

“Okay.”

Bending, I place my hands on her waist. “On the count of three,” I say as I count off. When I get to three, I lift as she jumps and wraps her legs around my waist. My cock is hard and throbbing as she settles against me.

“Rip,” she moans my name, and I debate stalking off into the field and having my way with her. If it weren’t for the fact that I refuse for our first time to be in a damn wheat field, I would do just that.

I crave her.

Instead of ravishing her like I want, I ignore the fact that my cock is resting just between her thighs. I ignore the fact that there are two very thin pieces of clothing separating me from the promised land. “You ready?” I croak.

She nods.

“Hold onto me. Whatever you do, don’t let go.”

“Are you sure this thing will hold both of us?” she asks, staring up at the rope.

“You’ve seen couples do this countless times.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“I replaced the rope a few weeks ago. It’s strong and secure. I promise.” I press my nose against hers. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.” Her voice is full of conviction. I want to beat on my chest that she’s put her absolute trust in me.

“Getting old over here, Callahan!” Russ calls out.

Standing to my full height, I place my hands on the small of her back and pull her closer. “Lock your legs tight,” I say as I grab the rope. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Tightening my grip, I rush toward the ledge, and we’re flying over the lake. I release the rope and immediately wrap my arms around her. The water hits my back, and it feels like a knife, but the shrill sound of her laughter and the way she clings to me even after we hit the water is more than worth it. We surface, and I tread water to keep us afloat.

“Well?” I ask her.

“You kept me safe.”

“Always, Kenna.” I press my lips to her forehead just in time for her to release herself from my hold and swim toward the bank. I follow after her, only at a much slower pace, giving my cock time to settle. When I reach the bank, she’s standing there with a towel over her shoulders, handing one out for me.

“Rip!” I turn over my shoulder to see Corbin, Colby, Josh, and Russ up on the hill by the swing. “Get your ass back up here.”

I wave, then turn back to McKenna. “You good?”

“Yeah. I’m going to soak up some sunshine.”

“Hold on a sec.” I run over to the lawn chair, where I dropped the quilt, and grab it, bringing it back to where she’s standing. Spreading the blanket out on the grass, I retrieve her bag, our clothes, and a bottle of water from the cooler. “Here.” I hand her the water before placing our things on the blanket.

Her eyes flash to our clothes and back to me.

“You need help with your sunscreen?” I ask her.

“No. I think I’m good. You going to show them how it’s done?” She nods toward the rope swing.

“Depends? You want me to sit with you?”

Her smile is bright and beautiful. “Go have fun. Just be safe?”

“Always.” I want to lean in and kiss her. I almost do, but I think better of it. I know that my sister and Stephanie are close by. I settle for touching the tip of her nose with my index finger before turning and heading back up the hill.

That’s how the rest of the afternoon goes.

The girls take a few turns on the rope to get cooled off, but they spend the majority of their time soaking up the sun, and I’m sure talking about my sister's engagement. As far as the guys and me, we do what we do best—goof off on a warm, sunny afternoon. My eyes wander to McKenna often. It’s damn good to have her home. I can feel the change in me with her here, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.