A Bridge Between Us

by K. K. Allen

  I grinded my teeth. “Why? Why leave? You already lied.”

  Her chest puffed out with her breath, accentuating the tightness of the bodice of her dress. “Because prom means nothing if you aren’t there with me. And maybe I’ll be sad one day because I didn’t get to have that experience with my friends, but if I have to choose, Ridge, then I choose you.”

  She took another step then stopped, and her expression morphed into anger when too much silence passed between us. “Please say something.”

  I swallowed past the tightening of my throat and took the two steps down to where she stood. “The fact that you’re standing in front of Harold’s front porch after he tried to run you over with a tractor tells me I should probably give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  She let out a laugh and threw her arms around me. “I was so afraid I’d messed this up.”

  Another wave of anger passed through me when I thought about her lie. “I wish I hadn’t found out about you and Trip from Raven. That really hurt, Camila.”

  Her eyes shot open. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I know.”

  Camila’s eyebrows furrowed. “Did Raven really ask you to prom?” Then she took in my attire for the first time. “Oh my god, were you going to go with her?”

  I glared and shook my head. “No. I wasn’t going to the dance with Raven. I couldn’t.” I clenched my jaw, suddenly feeling embarrassed about what I had planned for the evening. “I wore this for you. For our last dance.” Heat rushed to my cheeks. “It was a ridiculous thought, I know.”

  Camila gripped my shirt and held me as close to her as possible. “No, it wasn’t. Don’t say that. I’m here now. We can have that dance. I want to.”

  So many thoughts rushed through my mind in that next minute. I contemplated right and wrong and what I wanted versus what I shouldn’t want. I reminded myself that Camila could be at her prom right that moment, but she’d chosen to come to me on her own. She’d done the right thing in the end, and that was what I should be focusing on.

  “I don’t know. It just feels stupid now. I had all these plans for when you got back from the dance…” I ran a hand through my hair, frustration still tumbling around inside me.

  “What plans?”

  I looked down to find her eyes searching mine desperately, as if she were begging me to let her back into my heart.

  “Ridge, please. Tell me what you had planned tonight.”

  The emotion in her tone clawed at my heart. Denying her was impossible, especially when I knew I was the one who could break her. I couldn’t do it.

  “All right, then,” I said before stuffing my hands into my pockets and rocking back on my heels. “But you’ll have to come with me.”

  “Where to?”

  “To our prom.”

  A smile bloomed on her face. “Then let’s go.”

  32

  Camila

  “Your chariot awaits.”

  I laughed at the green tractor Ridge was gesturing to. It was completely dark out, save for the surrounding house lights and the high beams on the tractor. He hopped on first and started the engine before reaching out to help me up. He placed me on his lap, fastened his grip around my waist, and took off down the side road of his house.

  Even while I was strapped to him, I could sense the tension that still existed between us because of my lie. It hadn’t been forgotten. His rigid body and his silence spoke volumes. He was too quiet, even for Ridge.

  I’d really hurt him, and I hated myself for it. He would have understood if I’d just told him the truth about Trip from the beginning. But while I could stare a shotgun in the eye and dare him to shoot me without flinching, losing Ridge was something that scared me beyond words. Our time together was already so fragile. Knowing that, I’d allowed for all logic and common sense to go out the window.

  We couldn’t have been going faster than five miles an hour, but with the wind blowing in my face and the loud engine engulfing us in its roar, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief as we moved along. No matter how Ridge felt at the moment, we were still together. I could make it right. He would forgive me.

  I finally took in the white ranch house I’d only ever caught glimpses of from afar. While it was small, paint chips covered its aged exterior, and dark-blue shutters dangled off its hinges, its imperfect nature was charming. A matching white barn sat on the other side of the home.

  The barn was where they stored extra bushels of hay, grain, tractors, and other equipment used in their day-to-day. While Ridge and Harold didn’t raise livestock to sell, they cared for their share of animals—horses, chickens, and dairy cows—and they were kept near the barn. Harold believed in living a fully sustainable life on the farm, and Ridge had adopted that lifestyle just fine. They ate what they cooked and cooked what they grew.

  I rested my hand on Ridge’s arm, which was still wrapped around my waist, in a silent apology I wouldn’t stop giving. Over the next few minutes, we rode to the edge of the field. There, he parked near the overgrowth of weeds that separated the one-thousand-acre property from public land then helped me down from the tractor.

  After removing my heels, I placed them on the seat behind me and let Ridge lead the way. I had walked the surrounding land hundreds of times while barefoot, and that night was no different. Aware of my shoeless feet, Ridge stopped every now and then and carried me over a puddle or a pile of rocks. My heart swelled more each time.

  If that was the closest Ridge would ever come to showing me romance, then I would take it without a second thought. I would take the barefoot walks up rugged terrain to whatever he had planned instead of a fancy dinner any day.

  Ridge was so different from my male peers I had grown up with. I had always known that. And maybe that was what kept drawing me to him time and time again. He wasn’t affected by social media and didn’t even know what it was. The mobile phone he owned had the barest minimum of functions. He used it to send quick text messages or make work calls, but other than that, you’d never even know he had a phone. I loved so much about Ridge, but that was a definite highlight. And the fact that he was walking me up our hillside with nothing but a flashlight to guide our way was another. Ridge had something up his sleeve, and I couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

  We were halfway up the mountain with his hand firmly wrapped around mine when I decided to try to break the silence. “I hate to be the one to tell you,” I teased, “but proms usually consist of dancing, spiking punch, and sneaking boob grabs. Hiking is usually saved for the morning-after walk-of-shame.”

  To my surprise, Ridge laughed. “You might be out of luck on the spiked punch, but I think I’ve got the rest of that covered.”

  Joy flittered through my chest. “Even the boob grab, huh?”

  He nodded. “Admittedly, it wasn’t on my list until you just suggested it. I would hate to disappoint.”

  I was smiling like crazy when we finally made it to the top of the hill.

  “Wait here,” he said before running off into the darkness.

  I could barely make out the outline of a dome-shaped object next to our tree, but soon enough, all my questions were answered. One second, all was dark, then the next, a string of lights lit the scene.

  Butterflies danced in my belly, fluttered up to my chest, and squeezed my throat with emotion as I took in what Ridge had done. From the lights, to the giant flannel blanket filled with a picnic basket and scattered pink roses, to the tent we’d slept in together in Ouray, it was like I’d just walked into our own private prom.

  When Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” started playing through the wireless speaker hanging from the tree, emotion swept through me, and I realized how differently the night could have turned out. I hated the thought of the additional hurt I could have caused if I had gone through with attending prom with Trip after hiding it from Ridge. Just thinking about the what-ifs could easily ruin the night. I couldn’t let that happen.

  With the dim light, I could
barely see Ridge’s face as I walked toward him. After I’d closed the distance, the look I found in his eyes hit me hard. Fear, uncertainty, hope—the mixture fed me the confidence I needed to show him just how sorry I was.

  I touched his cheek. “You made us our own prom?”

  He nodded, his jaw firmly locked in place.

  I stepped closer so that I was right under his nose, locking my gaze to his. “You asked me to save my last dance for you, but now you get to have all of them.”

  His eyes softened, causing my insides to melt into a puddle at my feet.

  I placed my hand in his. “All my dances are yours, Ridge Cross.” I molded my front to his. “And so am I.” Pushing myself onto my toes, I found his mouth with a gentle brush of my lips and kissed him until his mouth started to move against mine.

  He picked me up easily, and I wrapped my legs around his waist while deepening our kiss.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered against his mouth. A tear slipped from my eye. “Please forgive me.”

  “Don’t cry, Wild One.” His voice was gentle and pleading. “I forgive you.” His lips found mine again as he walked us to where the majority of light shone around the blanket, which acted as our dance floor. He set me back on my feet and moved his hands to my waist while I positioned my arms around his neck. Then we danced.

  I followed his lead, but he didn’t move all that much, just slight steps from side to side, before I looked up to see a bashful smile spreading across his face. “I think the last time I danced was when I was small enough for my mom to carry me around on her toes. I’m not sure how to do any of that fancy stuff. Like twirl you or dip you.”

  Biting down on my bottom lip to contain my smile, I rested my cheek on his shoulder and closed my eyes. “I think we’re doing just fine like this.”

  He held me close as we swayed, his minty-pine scent engulfing me in his spell. I loved holding Ridge like that and could almost believe we were on a dance floor, surrounded by my closest friends, and no one batted an eye at seeing us together.

  I understood why he had gone all out, even if it had all only been meant for our one promised dance. A night like tonight might never come again. We could almost pretend that we existed in a world where we could be together without worrying about the thoughts and feelings of everyone around us.

  The music transitioned to another slow song, and Ridge’s hand started to move in circles over my bare back. “Did Trip see you in that dress before you left?”

  I cringed before looking up to find amusement in his eyes. “Yes. Why?”

  The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. “He’s probably crying into his spiked punch about now, if that’s the case.”

  Relief and amusement rushed through me all at once. I laughed and slapped Ridge on the shoulder. “You’re horrible.”

  He nodded. “Maybe. But it’s your fault. You look beautiful, Camila.”

  My heart skipped a beat, or at least it felt that way when he looked at me with adoring eyes. “Thank you.”

  We danced for a few songs more before sitting down to snack on what Ridge had prepared. Since he’d figured I would have had dinner, he brought just a small selection of fruits, and cheese, and some crackers, but it was enough to settle my growling stomach.

  When we set the food aside, he pulled me between his legs and handed me a small white box with only a string wrapped around it. My eyes opened in surprise as I took it. “You bought me something?”

  “I made it, actually.”

  I smiled back at him before I unknotted the tie, and when I pulled open the lid, I gasped. “Ridge, this is—” I swallowed back the emotion in my throat and reached for the wire-wrapped arrowhead necklace. A small silver plate hung beside it with the words Wild One etched into it.

  “You made this?”

  He nodded slowly, and his expression showed that he was waiting to see if I liked it.

  “I love it, Ridge. This is the sweetest, most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given to me.”

  He smiled, melting my heart.

  “Can you put it on me?”

  He wrapped the dainty chain around my neck and fastened it so that the arrowhead was resting above my throat.

  “It’s perfect. Thank you.” Leaning back on him, I looked up at the stars. “I can’t believe you did all this for me.” I felt so happy that I thought I might burst. “It’s perfect. The lights, the music, the necklace.” I paused, my smile growing. “The tent.”

  I turned to catch Ridge smile.

  “Okay, that looks bad,” he said. “I don’t know what came over me, really. I was thinking about that night we spent together in the Mount Sneffels wilderness, and I guess I wanted to recreate it.” He shook his head, looking flustered, before locking eyes with me again. “Do you ever think about that night?”

  A shiver snaked through my body. “All the time. Every night, I go to bed thinking about how you held me and didn’t try to take things further when you could have. I practically mauled you that night.”

  He chuckled. “I wanted to.” He dropped his head to my shoulder while letting out a low groan. “You have no idea how badly I wanted to.”

  “But you were a gentleman.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” He looked up again. “I may be a virgin, but the things that go through my mind sometimes, especially when it comes to you, prove that I’m no saint. I’m very attracted to you, Camila.” His gaze dropped to my chest. “I’m especially attracted to you in that dress.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and started to stand.

  “Where are you going?”

  The terror in his eyes made me bite down on my smile. “I’m not going anywhere.” I continued to stand until I was tall above him, then I reached behind me to the back of my dress.

  Ridge’s expression darkened, and he scrambled to his feet. “What are you doing?” I had only started unzipping myself when his hand moved to my back to stop me.

  “I’m making sure you know that you don’t have to be a gentleman tonight.”

  His throat bobbed, making me wonder if he was nervous. “Well, then at least let me do the honors of taking that dress off you.”

  Stunned and thrilled all at once, I dropped my hand, letting Ridge take over. Cool air skated across my back before my entire dress was pooled around my feet. I stood before him, wearing nothing but a red bra and panties that did little to cover me in all the places that counted. But by the way he stared back at me, I might as well have been naked.

  His gaze roamed over me slowly, like he was committing my every dip and curve to memory. His touch was gentle as he traced a finger from my neck, over my shoulder, and down my arm. I unbuttoned his white dress shirt, and as soon as it came loose, my hands started to shake.

  I drew in a slow breath and pushed open his shirt, reveling in the sight of his body. How the young, awkward boy from the farmer’s market five years ago had turned into such a beautiful man was beyond my comprehension. His shirt joined my dress on the blanket, and my breaths immediately felt shallow.

  As if he could sense my nervousness, he leaned in and pressed his firm lips to my ear. “You are so beautiful, Camila. Every single part of you, inside and out.” His hand grazed over my breast and up my neck then cupped my cheek.

  He always knew just what to say to remind me of just how safe I was with him. Squeezing my eyes shut, I moved to undo his slacks. They fell easily to the ground, joining the rest of our clothes.

  We stood there, our chests pressing against each other while our eyes were locked in silent conversation. He was doing what he always did, giving me time to commit to the decision we both would make, but for once, I wished he would take the lead, demand the things he wanted, and lose just an ounce of that control he held on to so dearly.

  As if he could read my thoughts, he took my hand and pulled me toward the open flaps of the tent. When he gestured for me to enter first, I ducked inside, smiling at the simple setup. Blankets and pillows cushioned the floor, whi
le a propane lamp that hung from the corner cast a flickering yellow light.

  When I heard the zip of the tent behind me, my head started to spin as my heart beat rapidly. I’d wanted to be with Ridge for so long that I couldn’t believe it was actually happening.

  He wrapped his strong arms around my middle and buried his mouth in my neck, sending a wave of shivers over my body. Then he trailed kisses down to my shoulder while working the clasp of my bra and freeing my breasts.

  His palm rested on my belly before his fingers drew light circles over my skin. “You do things to me,” he rasped, pressing himself against me to show me what he meant.

  I gasped at the feel of him, hard between my ass cheeks.

  “You make me want you in a way that drives me insane. I can’t see straight. I can’t think. I can’t breathe. I just crave you and want you and love you so damn much.”

  I swiveled to face him. His words were a shock. We’d never spoken about love or just how deeply our feelings ran, but I’d known for years that I loved him—I’d just never truly believed I would receive that love back. Emotion clogged my throat as I blinked back at him.

  “What did you say?”

  A soft smile tilted his lips. “I love you, Camila.”

  Relief and happiness swirled through me, and my heart swelled so much that I thought I might float straight up to the sky. “I love you too, Ridge. I’ve loved you for such a long time.”

  Our lips melded in a kiss that sealed our words with a silent promise of forever.

  I pulled away, feeling an ounce of fear that came with such powerful sentiments. “You need to make me one promise.” I cast my eyes down before sucking in a breath and locking them back on his. “You can’t disappear on me again. That almost broke me, Ridge, and I can’t lose you again. I’m terrified of it, more than anything I’ve ever feared in my life.”

  He nodded, cupping my cheeks, and his warm brown eyes melted me into a pool of love at his feet. “I’m not going anywhere, Camila. Not now, not ever. I meant what I said about waiting for you while you went off to college. I will. Okay?”