“Great Expectations,” she read the title and turned to face Aaron again. He’d stepped farther into the room but still kept his distance, standing near the small couch. He shrugged dismissively.
“I like to read,” he said quietly as he looked down and nervously shifted his feet. This was a side of Aaron that Maggie hadn’t seen before. She didn’t understand why he was acting so shy with her now.
“So do I,” Maggie said, placing the book back on his nightstand and closing the distance between them. She reached for his hand, holding it in hers until he raised his eyes to look at her.
“Great Expectations is one of my favorite books, but I never understood why Estella was so awful to Pip,” she told him.
“She didn’t believe he was good enough for her,” Aaron responded.
“She wasn’t good enough for him,” Maggie countered. “It doesn’t matter how you grew up. It matters who you are,” Maggie said, looking deep into his eyes. He finally smiled, showing one sexy dimple before lowering his head to capture her mouth in a searing kiss.
Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck, molding her body to his and losing herself in the kiss. He slid his hands down her back, resting them on her hips and pulling her in tighter.
“I pray every night that that’s true,” He whispered against her lips and the raw emotion in his voice pulled at her heart. Her need intensified as she grasped his shoulders, pressing her body against his. His hands roamed over her backside and she could feel the hardness of his excitement pressing against her. A small voice in the back of her mind warned her that this might be the last moments of intimacy she shared with Aaron, depending on how the evening went. So she didn’t want to let it end. She wasn’t ready to.
She whimpered as he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, still holding her body tightly against his own. “Did you want to watch the fireflies?” he asked breathlessly.
“What fireflies?” she asked, stretching up on her tiptoes to try to find his mouth again. He chuckled and then placed a soft kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Come on, the sun just set, it’s the perfect time. You’re not going to want to miss this,” he told her as he took her by the hand and led her to the ladder near the side door.
They climbed the ladder to the narrow landing above. The walkway that ran the length of this side of the building was only wide enough for a single person, but it led to a larger loft space positioned just above the big double doors beneath. When they reached the loft Maggie saw that a pallet of large cushions was set up just in front of the loft window. Aaron gestured for her to have a seat as he unclasped the doors and pushed them wide open revealing a stunning view of the grounds.
“Oh!” Maggie gasped as she took in the spectacular view. The sun had just set and the sky was infused with vibrant purples, golds, and reds. From this vantage point just above the tree line the roof of the plantation home could be seen as well as the expanse of manicured orchards that lay in the distance. The space between the barn and the big house was filled with dense forest. Aaron sat down beside her and pointed into the woods.
“Look,” he said, and that’s when Maggie saw the first spark in the trees, followed by another and another. It seemed as if each spark was met by five more until the forest came alive with the little sparks of lightening. It looked magical. Maggie allowed herself to imagine that the woods were filled with fairies dancing in the evening dusk.
“It’s magnificent,” Maggie whispered, afraid to break the spell.
They sat together with his arms wrapped around her as they watched the dance of the fairies until the sky had darkened and the stars had taken over. Holding on to the magic of the moment Maggie imagined that the stars were the fairies ascending back into the heavens.
“That was amazing,” Maggie said, finally breaking the silence. “Thank you for bringing me up here.” She looked up at Aaron and found that he was already watching her.
“I’m glad you came,” he said, smiling down at her.
“Are you?” she asked. “It seemed like you didn’t really want me to.”
Aaron looked away for a moment and took a deep breath before he spoke. “I know you only came to Sweetwater for a short time,” Aaron began as he looked back into her eyes, “but I was hoping that after everything that’s happened between us, well, I was hoping that you might be considering staying a little longer.” Maggie smiled at his words, which encouraged him to continue.
“It’s just that I didn’t want you to think that if you chose to stay, that you’d be choosing a life living in a barn.” Aaron smiled weakly as he gestured at their surrounds. Maggie finally understood.
“Aaron, what we have, it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It’s true that when I first came here I had only planned on staying the summer. But I didn’t expect to meet you. The longer I stay, the harder it is to consider leaving,” Maggie told him as she looked down at their clasped hands.