Burning the Midnight Oil: A Single Dad Small Town Romance

Chapter 40

Six Weeks Later

“Oh, I love this song!” Cranking the volume on some song I’ve never heard of, Grady sits back, rolls the passenger side window down, and lets his hand surf through the warm, evening September air as I drive down the back road that leads to Grazing Acres. We’ve been home from the circuit for about a week now, and we’re all meeting at Conrad’s ranch to hang out, eat some good food, and drink a little bit.

The last couple of weeks on the road were intense, but all in all, I’m happy with how the season ended. The older I get, the closer I know I’m getting to retiring. I’m not there yet, but if Colt showed me anything this season, it’s that you never truly know what’s going to happen, so I’m going to keep riding like it may be my last.

True to her word, Jade had moved out before I got home. She seems happy with her new living arrangements, and I do think us living apart is for the best, given that we’re no longer married. I’ve seen her a handful of times in the week I’ve been home when I’ve picked up or dropped off Suzy to her, but we’re meeting for lunch tomorrow to get everything ready to meet with the realtor about finally listing the house.

I glance over at Grady for a moment, his dark blonde hair hidden underneath a backwards hat, sunglasses covering his eyes, as he sings along to the music playing. He smirks when he catches me looking. Unable to hide my own smile, I return my gaze to the road ahead as I take a right onto the dirt road that leads to the ranch.

Grady and Jade are talking again, and I can tell he’s relieved about that. I don’t think they’ve seen each other since we’ve been home, but that probably has more to do with both of their work schedules than anything. Deep down, I always knew Jade wouldn’t stay mad at him forever, even if he wasn’t as convinced. I think she’s a long ways away from totally accepting and being okay with my relationship with her brother, but she’s at least trying for his sake.

Parking my truck behind Shooter’s near the barn, we both climb out and round the front. I wrap an arm around his shoulders as we stroll over to where everybody is. We’re the last ones to arrive, but that’s because Suzy talked me into taking her to see the new princess movie today at the theater in town, but the only showing was a five o’clock one. As soon as I dropped her back off with Jade, we headed over.

Colt’s here, and it’s good to see him doing better than the last time I saw him. We’ve texted back and forth a handful of times since his accident, but this is the first time he’s been out with all of us since we got back. He spots us first, turning his head as he takes a pull from his beer bottle.

“Well, look who it is,” he drawls. “The lovebirds.”

Flipping him off, I reply, “It’s okay to be jealous.”

Colt chuckles. “Jealous, my ass.”

“The day Colt settles down is the day pigs fly,” Cope calls out as he walks back from the cooler with a beer in each hand, handing one to Xander before cracking the other open and taking a drink. “I used to think Shooter also fit in that category, but the fucker had to go and prove me wrong.”

“Hey now,” Shooter cuts in, holding a hand up. “How’d I get roped into this? Let’s keep our focus on little Wilde and Boone likes-to-keep-it-in-the-family Stanton.”

Grady snorts beside me.

“Fuck off, Graham.” Shooter has teased me on more than one occasion since Grady and I decided to make things official about how I jumped from one Wilde child to the other. I probably deserve it and, from the outside, it is kind of funny, but like hell will I admit that to Shooter. It’ll go to his already massive head. Glancing at Grady, I ask, “Want a beer? I’m going to get me one.”

He smiles. “Sure. Thank you.”

Conrad grills some burgers and hot dogs while the rest of us help prepare the rest. We shuck some corn, cut up some fruit, get out the chips, fill up the cooler with more drinks. Conrad’s place has always been our main hangout for nights like this, and it’s nice how we’re all always so willing to do our share. It takes some of the pressure off Conrad. We’re truly all like a family. We pull our weight, we’re there for each other when one of us is going through it, we tease and give each other shit, and we always have each other’s backs. It’s been nice watching our little circle grow over the last few years; first with Sterling, then Xander, and now Grady. Granted, Grady isn’t necessarily new, but it feels great having everyone be so supportive of us the way they have been.

Sterling gets a fire going, and once we’ve all dished up a plate, we gather around it, with some music playing, and we all dig in. Nights like this can’t be beat. Sitting around a fire, drinking and laughing with your closest friends will always trump going out and wasting money at a bar or a club, at least for me.

If someone had told me a year and a half ago that I would be right here, as happy as I am right now, I would’ve told them they were crazy. Looking back, I don’t think I truly realized how miserable I was, how I was barely getting by. I trained, competed, took care of Suzy, but I wasn’t happy. While Grady has always been present in my life, I feel like he opened my eyes and made me see the world differently when I needed him the most. It blows my mind to think that I’ve known him as long as I have, and it took us this long to come together, when being with him now feels like the most natural thing in the world.

As if he knows I’m thinking about him, Grady comes over to me, flashing me a small grin before he sits down on my lap. He hooks an arm around my shoulders, and his fresh, masculine scent wraps around me, making my insides flutter. We fit together so perfectly, and I can’t believe there was ever a time when I didn’t see that.

The night passes in a flurry of good time, laughter, and more beer. The more we all drink, the louder we get, and it’s probably a good thing Conrad lives on several hundred acres.

“So, Sterling,” I call from across the fire. “Word around town is that you’re finally moving out of the barn loft.”

He nods, a bright smile on his face. “Yeah. I mean, I figure I’m at Shooter’s enough as it is. Might as well make it official.”

“’Bout time,” Cope teases.

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Shooter blurts out with a laugh. “Not everyone moves as quickly as you do, Mr. I have my boyfriend move in with me thirteen whole seconds after we start dating.”

Cope gives him the finger. “Hey, when you know, you know,” he murmurs, looking up at Xander, who is sitting in his lap. The love they have is evident in the way they look at each other. You can feel their connection, and it’s been that way from the beginning. Cope, like me, was under the impression he was completely straight up until he met Xander. It’s crazy how you can be so sure of who you are until one special person walks into your life and makes you question it all.

Shooter and Cope go back and forth, teasing each other for a while, while the rest of us watch and laugh. They bicker like they’re brothers sometimes.

Grady leans in and presses a kiss to my lips. “Tonight’s fun,” he murmurs, loud enough only for me to hear.

“Yeah, it has been, huh?”

We gaze into each other’s eyes for a moment, everybody else fading away. A look passes through Grady’s eyes that I can’t place, but it makes my chest tighten. His lips part before he quickly closes them. Finally, clearing his throat, he says as casually as ever, like he’s telling me what the weather will be like tomorrow, “I’d like you to know how in love with you I am.”

His words take me by surprise, and my entire body warms, heart pounding behind my ribs. My throat feels so tight, it aches, and I’m hit with an overwhelming wave of emotion. He said it so easily, but there’s a hint of nerves in the way he’s watching me while chewing on his lip that lets me know he might not be as casual as he’s trying to appear to be.

He loves me.

He’s in love with me.

And then it hits me…so am I. This comfort he brings me. The easiness of our relationship. The way he’s the first thing on my mind when I wake up and my last thought before going to sleep each night.

“I’m… I’m in love with you too,” I croak, emotion thick in my throat.

“Really?” he asks with disbelief. “You don’t have to say it just because I did. I don’t expect it.”

“I would never say it if I didn’t mean it.” Reaching up, I cup his cheek. “I love you so much, and I promise to spend eternity loving you. I can’t picture my life without you in it. Now, shut up and kiss me, G.”

Grady smiles shyly before doing just that. Our lips come together, and nothing else matters. I can hear the hooting and hollering from our friends as we show off some major PDA, but it doesn’t matter.

Our lips break apart eventually, but we don’t pull away from each other just yet.

“I love you, Grady Wilde.”

He presses a quick kiss to the tip of my nose. “And I love you, Boone, keep-it-in-the-family, Stanton.”

Grady can’t even get the full sentence out before he’s snorting out a laugh, and I can’t help but chuckle right along with him.

Fucking Shooter.