Chapter 22: Loosening Heart Strings
Mitch had gone over all the scenarios he could think of as to what Amy wanted to show him. He sensed it was something important. When he arrived and Amy came out of the house, he thought he saw a little something different about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. She seemed just a bit…lighter? They greeted each other in their usual way, and Amy headed toward her truck. Mitch followed and opened the driver's side door for her then slid into the passenger seat. He looked at her expectantly, and she said, "Just wait. Trust me." Of course, he did trust her totally.
As they drove, things looked familiar to him, and when they came to the jumping course, he was puzzled. Amy backed the truck up to it so they could get out and sit on the tailgate. She'd also tucked a blanket in the truck the night before for them to sit on. As she spread it out, Mitch was still trying to figure out what this was all about, but he waited patiently for her to explain. Amy motioned for them to sit down.
"Mitch, I've faced all the anniversaries of different dates or events from Ty's and my past over these last years alone. It's nearing his birthday, and I just felt the need to share this special memory from our past with you. I know you were here when you were helping Georgie repair this course for her and Flame, but I never told you about its origin." Mitch knew whatever she was about to share with him was a big step. "After the accident when my mom was killed, I don't know if you knew that Spartan was the horse we were rescuing that night? Anyway, he and I both needed a lot of healing. I'd decided to start training with Spartan to jump again, knowing how much he loved to jump. One of the problems we had to work through was him being willing to be trailered again. Ty actually helped me solve the problem. But until we did, I was unable to get him to a jumping course for me to practice. Ty, with Mallory's help, secretly built this course for me. Our love was in the extremely early budding stages. This place has always been special because of that, but it was also the place I returned to months after his death that helped me really begin to heal and be able to somewhat feel like myself again. I care about you so much, and as I was thinking about this the other day, I just felt it was really important to share this part of myself with you for us to be able to go deeper."
Mitch sat quietly for a moment, contemplating all that Amy had just been so open with him about. He turned to her and looked into her eyes with that piercing look that penetrated deep into her soul as he took her hand into both of his, "Amy, I know sharing this with me is a huge step for you. I had no idea! Thank you for trusting me with this part of your heart. I'm so honored that you felt you could share it with me." Mitch, knowing how huge this was in their relationship, wanted to kiss her with all he had, but he knew this was not the time. Instead, he wrapped her in both his arms and held her as she rested her head on his shoulder.
After a few minutes, Amy raised up and said, "And I haven't forgotten your request for me to take you to where we scattered Ty's ashes. I'm just not there yet, but I believe this is a first step in getting there."
Mitch, in all his imaginations of what today might have held, never knew it could have been filled with so much hope and promise. He was falling more deeply in love with this amazing, incredible woman every day. Life felt better than it ever had!
A/N: This chapter is a bit short, but as you can tell, it's a very important step in Mitch and Amy's relationship. I have commitments this weekend so you may not hear from me again until next week, but I think this is a pretty good place to leave the story for a short while. I hope all of you are enjoying seeing Mitch and Amy fall more and more deeply for each other!