Southern Heart by Madison, Natasha (best fiction novels .txt) 📕

"Almost," I say, walking into the bathroom and grabbing the necklace he gave me two weeks ago.

"Let me," he says, coming in, and I hold up my hair so he can clasp the necklace. The heart pendant falls in the middle of my chest. I hold the heart in my hand and smile at him through the mirror. "Ready?"

"Yes," I say, walking out and slipping my cowboy boots on. I grab my purse and walk out of the house, holding his hand in mine, and we walk over to the truck he also bought two weeks ago.

I look out the window as we make our way over to my grandparents’ house.

We get there thirty minutes late, and I look over at him. "We aren’t that late,” I say and laugh when he closes his eyes and gets out of the truck. He comes over and grabs my hand, kissing my fingers as we walk around the house to the backyard.

I smile when I see all the people here. Sunday dinners were something I always looked forward to. It was a chance for my cousins and me to get together. Quinn is talking to his brother Reed and Asher about something.

Amelia spots me and waves from across the yard as she plays with Aubrey. Her brother, Graham, along with my brothers Toby and Keith, are in the middle of the yard as they look at something on someone’s phone.

"There you are,” my mother says, coming to me now. "Your grandmother was looking for you." She kisses my cheek and then hugs Mayson next. “It shows that you got the clearance to go back to the gym.”

“Well, it wasn’t from me," I say, folding my hands over my chest. "He went to see Dr. Gabe, who gave him the okay." I mention my boss, who didn’t listen to anything that I said. I thought it was too soon, but what do I know, apparently.

"You’re still upset." He puts his arm around my shoulder. "I just asked him if I could hit the gym."

"After I told you no," I remind him. It was the first big fight we had. I look down now, and think about how we made up. That is now tied up there along with the first time.

"There she is," I hear and look over to see my grandparents coming over to us, their hands intertwined together. "Hello, lovebirds." My grandmother smiles at us. "To be young and in love.”

We all laugh now as Ethan comes over to grab Mayson. "Guys are taking the horses out and going over to the clearing to shoot."

"Why just the guys?" I ask Ethan, who looks over at my grandfather for help.

"Um," he says. "The women are busy cooking." He winks at my grandmother, who glares at him.

"Ethan McIntyre, you did not just say that," she hisses. "Did we teach you nothing?”

"Well, you taught me that you don’t want me in the kitchen with you," he says. "The only boy you allow in the kitchen is Gabriel." He turns to Mayson. "You coming?"

"Yeah," he says and kisses me softly and then walks away with Ethan.

"He’s too good looking for his own good," I say to my grandmother and then look down when I feel someone pull on my shirt and see Aubrey. "Well, hello there, beautiful girl," I say, kissing her cheek. She slaps my chest and plays with the locket. My grandparents walk to greet someone who just showed up.

"We were wondering how late you would be today." My aunt Kallie comes over now with my aunt Olivia by her side. "I had you at ten minutes."

"I had you not coming at all." My aunt Olivia laughs now.

"We aren’t always late," I say and try to be serious about it. "It’s only been three weeks. We were on time that first week," I say, and Amelia looks over at me.

"Your shirt was buttoned wrong." She shakes her head, and I hide my laughter.

"How is work?" my aunt Olivia asks.

"It was tough at the beginning." Last week, I started my job as a nurse at the family practice a town over. If it was up to Mayson, I would stay home until his father is caught, but I was going crazy. We compromised, and by that, I mean, I said it was okay to have someone drive me to work, sit in the parking lot, and then drive me back home. It was not only for Mayson but it was for my whole family, who were against me going back.

"Starting a new job is always scary," my aunt Kallie says. “I’m sure in a couple of weeks, it’ll feel like you were there the whole time."

"There she is," Emily says, coming over to us and looking at her daughter. "Were you good?

"Where are the men?" Emily looks around.

"They went to ride horses and then shoot," Amelia says with a gruff. "Like I can’t shoot." She looks at my aunt Olivia. "I’m going to shoot Quinn in the foot one of these days."

We all laugh. "Was he mean to you?"

"He was being a horse’s ass," she says, and I roll my lips.

"I’ll talk to him," my aunt Olivia says.

"Did they take Gabriel?" Emily says, looking around, and neither of us makes eye contact with her.

"I’m going to kill your son." She looks at my mother, taking her phone out of her back pocket and calling him, walking away from us.

"Ten minutes," I give out a number. We started this betting thing as far back as I can remember. We would always bet to see how long it would take.

"Not coming," Amelia says. "He’s going to call her Sunrise, and she’ll be putty in his hand."

"You need to look into becoming a lawyer," my aunt Olivia says to her.

"I say five minutes," my aunt Kallie says. "I have to have faith in my boy." Amelia and I just look at her, shaking our heads.

Emily comes back, putting