Getting to Me

The next morning, Zacky wasn’t lying next to her in bed like Mandy had become accustomed to. She frowned, wondering where he had gone, but she decided she’d figure it out in a few moments when she woke herself up. She got out of bed and then walked over to her closet to get some clothes for herself, and then smiled at herself in the mirror. She looked a lot happier than she had before she’d begun seeing Zacky, even if she hadn’t exactly been depressed before their relationship had begun. He always lit up the room when she was around, and she knew that someday, they’d probably end up married. She didn’t know how she had fallen in love with someone as rough around the edges as him, but she was glad that it had happened. He treated her amazingly well, and he had given her his heart, no questions asked. That was how love was supposed to be, and that was the way that it was between the two of them.

Once she was satisfied with her appearance and her clothes, Mandy started making her way downstairs to the kitchen. She saw her mother standing at the oven making some food, and McKenna was playing with Kit Kat in the living room. Brent and Brian were nowhere to be seen, along with her father and Zacky. Suzy saw the confused look on her eldest daughter’s face, and gave her a small smile while Mandy walked over to the stove.

“Zack is with your father,” she told Mandy before stirring the food once more as she looked up. “They’re talking about something, and before you ask me what it is, I already promised I wouldn’t say a word.”

Mandy gave her mother a curious look, wondering what was going on as she shrugged and nodded. She walked over to the fridge to pull out the milk so she could have some cereal, and looked outside to see her father and Zacky leaning against the wooden posts of the corral. It made her even curious when she saw the serious manner in which they were talking, but she decided that when it was time, they would let her know what was going on and why they wouldn’t tell her.

She prepared her cereal and then walked over to the dining room table to eat her cereal. She heard the front door open a few minutes later and turned around to see her father and her boyfriend walking into the kitchen, and she smiled when she saw the grin on Zacky’s face. He walked right over to her and pressed his lips to her cheek before sitting down next to her.

“We’ve got a date tonight, remember?” He murmured softly into her ear before he pushed some hair out of her eyes. Mandy blushed, nodding as she turned to meet his gaze. She hadn’t forgotten that they had a date scheduled for tonight, and she was looking forward to it. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling that something important was going to happen on the date tonight.

“Of course I remember,” she told him. Zacky grinned down at her before he pressed his lips against the corner of his mouth as he stood up, keeping his eyes on hers.

“I’ll be back by four so we can leave, but I’ve gotta go set everything up,” he told her quietly, pressing his lips to the top of her head before he gave her shoulder a tight squeeze. She gave him a curious look, wondering just what he was planning on doing, and then she sighed as she nodded. Good things came to those who waited, and Mandy was going to be patient right now. She saw her father waiting by the doorway, and then Zacky walked over to him before the two of them disappeared again.

Her mother chuckled from the kitchen, and she turned around to look at her mother. “Am I the only one here who doesn’t know what’s going on?” She asked her mother incredulously before turning to look at McKenna, who was also giggling as she watched her older sister. “Kenna, tell me what they’re planning,” she asked her sister, who shook her head.

“Nope. I promised Brian I wouldn’t. He said he’d take Kit Kat from me if I said anything, and Daddy agreed with him,” her younger sister told her. Mandy let out an exasperated sigh before she stood up to take her breakfast dishes to the sink. Her mother just chuckled and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry about it, Mand. Everything will make itself known to you by tonight,” she told her daughter before she continued going about preparing the food. She had no idea what was going on or why she wasn’t allowed to know yet, and as patient as she had decided she was going to be, Mandy wasn’t one who liked being kept in the dark.

She decided she’d spend the day in the barn with Sheba and the newborn foal to pass the time quicker, and once she got out to the stall, she felt her heart skip a few beats when she saw that the two of them were gone. She saw a note tacked to the front of the stall, and then saw her father’s scribbly handwriting on the piece of paper.

Yes, I know you’re worried about Sheba and the foal. They’re fine, Mandy. You’ll see them tonight on your date with Zack. Just spend the day doing something girly or…something. Love, Dad.

Mandy rolled her eyes, becoming even more curious about what her father was doing to help Zacky prepare for the date tonight, and why they would need Sheba and the foal. She was becoming more and more impatient as time went on, and she decided that she’d go on a horse ride with one of the other horses instead. Riding always calmed her down, and right now, that was exactly what Mandy needed.

-x-

Once Mandy returned to the house that night a little after three o’clock, both her mother and McKenna were waiting impatiently outside. She quickly unsaddled and unbridled the horse before putting it back in the stall, and then walked up to the house.

“We’ve only got an hour before Zacky and your father get back, Mandy. You need to get ready for your date,” her mother frowned at her. Mandy chuckled under her breath and then looked up to meet her mother’s gaze.

“It’s just a date, Mom. I don’t need to be dressed in a ball gown or anything like that,” she told her. Suzy just rolled her eyes as they walked into the house, and then Mandy felt her younger sister and her mother pushing her towards the staircase.

“I already picked out some clothes for you. Zacky told me to,” McKenna told her in an excited voice. “Just get dressed and then do your makeup. He’ll be here soon.”

Mandy was curious as to why her boyfriend would have asked her younger sister to pick her clothes out, but she decided to roll with it as she walked into her bedroom. She saw a white turtleneck sitting on the bed along with a pair of black jeans, and a blue and green striped vest next to them. She chuckled at the outfit, knowing that the vest was one of Zacky’s favorite things that she wore, and she decided to get dressed quickly.

It only took her fifteen minutes to get her makeup and clothes on, and when she walked downstairs again, Zacky was standing by the doorway with her. He grabbed her hands in his, and then reached to hug her tightly. “I missed you,” he murmured into her ear, causing her to blush as she returned his hug.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now, babe?” She asked him, looking up into his eyes curiously. “I’ve been wondering what’s going on all day. Why did you need Sheba and the baby?”

Her father let out a loud laugh from the entryway, and poked his head in. “I told you she was gonna ask about that first, Zack,” he said before looking at his daughter. The look on his face was tender, though there was also a hint of sadness lingering on his face. “You’ll see in about fifteen minutes, kiddo.”

Mandy nodded and then watched as Zacky took her hand in his and started to lead her towards the door. He handed her a jacket to wear, and she pulled it on before turning to face her parents and younger sister, who were all watching her. She told them they’d be back whenever the date was over, and they nodded before returning into the house.

Zacky helped her get into the side of the Suburban before he turned to face her. For some reason, there was a look of nervousness splashed across his face, and it made her heart beat a little more erratically. He didn’t say anything as he pushed the car out of park and started to drive the vehicle towards road.

Mandy expected him to drive her towards the main road that would take them into Golden Valley or another larger town, but instead, he continued driving down the scoria road, not turning to look at her. She was more than curious as to what was going on by this point, but she decided not to ask. The drive took twenty minutes, and when he stopped, she realized that he’d parked in front of an old farmstead that her father owned. The lights in the old farmhouse were on, and she turned to look at Zacky curiously.

Though her father owned this farm, none of them had ever used it. It had been supposed to be Brian’s place, but when he’d decided that he wanted to live in the city rather than the country, her father had just kept the farm as a place that other ranchers around the area could rent the fields out for their cattle.

Zacky didn’t say anything as he got out of the driver’s side, and he walked around to help her out of the car before leading her towards the farmhouse. The door was unlocked, and as they walked inside, Mandy gasped.

The entire kitchen was set up with food and dishes on the table. There was a candle in the center of the table, along with an arrangement of flowers. The curtains hanging over the windows were fresh and clean, and the walls had been repainted since the last time she’d been in here. Instead of looking like some old farmhouse that no one lived in, this place looked like…well, it looked like a home, Mandy thought to herself.

“Do you like it?” Zacky murmured as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to her cheek. She turned around in his arms to give him a small smile, and then nodded as she looked up at his face.

“I do like it,” she said softly, taking everything in. And though she liked it, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. “Zack…what’s all this for? Why does it look so…homey?” She asked him, reaching up to press her lips to the corner of his mouth. Zacky put a nervous smile on his face as he watched her.

“I…” he started before letting out a shaky breath as he led her into the living room. He kept her hands in his the entire time as they sat down on the couch, and he then turned to look at her. “Mandy, you know I love you, right? Because if you don’t…I do. I love you so much, and I know I say it all the time, but it’s true.”

“I know you love me, Zack,” Mandy told him with a smile before she reached up to press her lips softly against his reassuringly. Once she did that, his demeanor calmed a little, and he took another short breath before looking at her once again.

“I know that neither of us is ready to get married yet,” he told her, pushing some hair out of her eyes as he watched her, gauging her reaction. “You’re only nineteen, and even if I’m older than that by quite a bit, I know that you need some time. And I don’t mind waiting, because you’re worth it to me. But…Living at your parents house has made me realize that I want to take another small step towards that with you.”

Mandy’s breath hitched in her throat as she watched Zacky. She knew what he was going to say, and she was feeling so many feelings bubble up inside of her that it was insane. She wanted to hear the words before she spontaneously combusted, and when he saw the look on her face, he chuckled softly before he continued.

“I want to live with you, Mandy,” he whispered into her ear, hugging her tightly. “And just you. Living with your family is nice, because they’re awesome, but…I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want, without worrying about McKenna seeing something inappropriate, or having to worry about making your parents uncomfortable. I want to do everything with you that a couple should be able to do and…I want to live with you,” he whispered urgently. Mandy kept her eyes on his, and then grinned. Her heart was beating erratically fast as she watched him, and then she reached out to hold his face between her hands.

“I agree with you,” she murmured. She now realized that her father must have agreed to let them live here, and that that was probably what her father and Zacky had been talking about at the corral earlier today. Zacky smiled as he held her close. This was just the beginning of their date tonight, but he also knew that it was the first step in the next chapter of their relationship together.