20. Ava
“This feels so weird.” My Civic bounced on the long, private dirt road that would take us to Jenny and Charles’s main house. It wasn’t the original home. Dalton lived in that now after renovating it substantially, but back before Bryce was born, Charles had built a new home for his family an acre beyond it.
“Exciting though, isn’t it?” Lydia playfully punched my shoulder, grinning like a maniac. “You’re here because you’re dating Cameron Kelley. It’s about freaking time.”
“We’re good,” I told Lydia and squinted into the sun as we pulled up to the Kelley house. “We’re good, and it’s scary because it seems so easy now that we’re not constantly screaming at each other.”
“Yeah, and now you get to do all the fun stuff. How long do you think it’ll take for him to get you naked when he gets here tonight?”
Cameron had texted me before I woke up this morning, and I hadn’t stopped grinning since. There might have been some nervous sweating occurring too.
Cameron
Be there tonight. Soon as I can.
Just thinking about that text made me swallow, and I turned to glare at Lydia. “You’re supposed to be here today to help me get through this. Not make it worse.”
Lydia laughed, threw her head back, and shook her shining, happy eyes. “At least one of us gets a Kelley. Let me be thrilled for you.”
Way back before we really knew anything about boys, she and I had dreamed of marrying Caleb and Cameron. We’d be sisters in a family way, and then we’d raise our babies together. That ship had long since sailed, and Lydia’s crush had vanished by the time we were in high school, but man, that would have been nice.
“There’s still Gavin if you don’t mind them a little younger.”
She humphed. “Being an instant mom isn’t my thing, as lovely as Josie is. Besides, that man won’t let anyone in. Ever again.”
“Dalton?”
Lydia turned to me, eyebrows raised. “You can see me with Dalton?”
“At least then we can still end up sisters.”
She snorted and shook her head. “That man is so growly and scowly, I’m not even sure he has a heart. A body to die for though,” she mused, and I laughed. “I bet he’s bossy as hell in bed, too.”
His younger brother definitely was. At least over the phone.
A shiver of nervous excitement danced down my body. “Maybe let’s stop talking about Dalton and sex,” I told her.
Perfect timing too, because we pulled up to the house, and the man she’d just been fantasizing about was stomping up the stairs of the porch.
He stopped at the top of the stairs and turned, scowling at both of us.
Dalton Kelley was meant to be a lumberjack in a wild forest. Hell, he looked like he could be some mountain man who lived off the grid, lived off the land. He took his job as future heir to the Kelley Ranch so seriously I wasn’t sure he had a thought in his head that didn’t involve cattle, profits, and the weather.
“Yeah,” Lydia whispered as she climbed out the door. “I bet he’s bossy.”
I gagged but followed her lead.
Dalton stood tall and enormous and angry while we made our approach.
“Hi, Dalton,” I said as he moved to open the door for us. “Thank you.”
“Glad you’re here, Ava. Mom’s excited.”
“Hey there, big guy,” Lydia called. “Is Mom excited to see me too?”
Dalton turned those scary, whiskey-colored eyes on Lydia. He looked like he was trying to turn her into a pile of ash. “How could anyone not be excited to see you?” He drawled it out, painfully slow. That hint of anger, but also…
“Oh, hey there, big guy. Did you just make a joke? I wasn’t sure you knew what those were.” She slapped his bicep, and his frown deepened as she passed us, heading into the house first.
And I wasn’t so sure if that was a frown or a smirk on his face anymore.
“It’s like you’re trying to poke a bear that’s been in hibernation and is starving,” I whispered to Lydia once we were past him and that crazed look.
“Maybe I want to see what happens when he attacks.” She shrugged, slipped out of her shoes, and headed to the kitchen.
I tried to follow but was immediately blocked by a short little blonde with adorable pigtails and purple cowboy boots.
“You came!” Josie threw her arms around my waist, and I bent over her to hug her back. “Landon’s not here,” she chattered and grabbed my hand. “But that’s okay because Grandma Jenny says I can help her bake desserts, and I think you should help.”
“How can I say no?” Josie took my hand and all but yanked me off my feet as she pulled me behind her into the kitchen. I entered, and Lydia was at the kitchen sink, already being put to work by Mrs. Kelley.
She turned immediately to me and smiled.
Jenny Kelley was one of the best women on the planet. Maybe third in place, behind Mom and Grams. Although, with all of Grams’s meddling, I might have to bump Jenny into second place.
“Ava,” she all but sang as she came to me. “So wonderful you could make it today. And I’m so happy you’re here with us.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Kelley,” I said right before she wrapped me in a hug. She smelled like flowers and sunshine and sugar. All the best things in the world.
“Jenny. How many times have I told you you’re old enough to call me Jenny?”
A thousand. It was never going to happen.
“Sorry, ma’am.”
She let go and patted my cheek. “Close enough. Emily will be here soon. She’s fixin’ some things up at their house, and I think enjoying the quiet house since Caleb and Landon are at the game, so you’ll see her soon, but for now, why don’t you get something to drink and have a seat? Be our guest today.”
My gaze bounced from Jenny to Lydia, who was all but hiding a laugh behind her hand. “Umm. But you put Lydia to work.”
“And I want Miss Ava to help me with cupcakes!”
“Well, okay. But Cameron said he wanted you relaxing today. Not all working.”
Of course he did. Lydia choked on a laugh and turned back to scouring potatoes. I was going to kill her if she didn’t shut up.
“I don’t think cupcakes will be too tiring,” I assured her.
“Let’s go!” Josie tugged my hand again and guided me to the kitchen island. There wasn’t a spare inch of space that wasn’t covered with food, either prepped or in the process of it.
When I went to the sink to wash out a bowl so we could add the cupcake mix to it, Lydia was right there at my shoulder, leaning in close. “I wonder why he wants you relaxed tonight, my friend.”
I bumped her with my hip as my face flamed. Thank goodness Jenny couldn’t see me. Or hear Lydia. “Shut up or leave.”
“Not a chance in hell,” she fired back. “This is going to be the most entertaining day I’ve had in years.”
The table was lined with food for a holiday feast, and my stomach had been growling with hunger pains since I caught the first whiff of Jenny’s homemade cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting when Emily walked in.
“I feel so lost,” she said with a huge smile. “I don’t get much of a break to be alone, and the day got away from me.”
She carried in a casserole dish held in an insulated holder, removing the dish with hot pads and setting it on the table.
“It’s good to see you, Ava.” Emily Russo, recently turned Kelley, gave me a kind smile. Cameron had told me how he’d gone to their house after our fight, but there wasn’t any hint of it in her eyes. “And I hear you’ve moved back.”
“Couldn’t resist when my dad showed me the house.”
“It’s a good one,” Gavin said from his spot on a chair in the living room. “My crew helped the previous owner renovate it.”
“Really?” I hadn’t known that. “My dad had said someone from your crew did it, but I thought it was a personal side project.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “We get frequent calls for renovations for homes like that.”
“Well, I love everything about it.”
“Suits you.” He gave me his kind, standard smile, but there was something about the way Gavin smiled that was cold and empty. I was certain the only time he was truly happy was when he was grinning at Josie. “Bet you’re loving that backyard.”
“I’m already planning the fall planting and harvesting season.” The backyard held a half-dozen raised beds that would be perfect for me to grow my own food. I’d already been pricing cattle fencing that could be used as arches over the beds. The only bummer about the yard was that I moved in too late to really plan for a summer harvest. But I’d have potatoes, onions, broccoli, and carrots at minimum once the weather cooled.
“I’d love to see it someday,” Emily said. “Jenny’s been trying to help me garden all spring and summer, but I’m not much of a green thumb, and it’s not looking so good.”
“I can always stop out and help.” Gardening was one of my favorite things in the world. There was a peace to working in the dirt, growing your own food, and a sense of accomplishment when I could make a meal prepared with only the fewest store-bought items. “Or help work it once you’re back in Denver.”
“That’d be wonderful.”
“When are you guys headed back? Hasn’t school started?”
“My classes actually started last week, so I’ve been going back and forth. The guys are staying here until Labor Day, and we’ll all head back after. Landon wasn’t in a hurry to go back to preschool, so he talked Caleb into hanging out longer.”
“That must be hard. Especially with them gone today.” That means she hadn’t spent much time with them recently.
“We’ve had all summer together, and Caleb will start traveling soon. It’s not ideal, but we make it work. Come on.” She nudged her head toward the kitchen. “I need a glass of wine after all the work I’ve done today, and I want to hear about your job. Caleb said something about you doing freelance work?”
I’d only mentioned it to Cameron once.
“Cam told him?”
“I’m sure you already know, but those boys tell each other everything.”
My cheeks burned. God, I hope they didn’t share everything.
Emily laughed and squeezed my arm tighter. “Not that,” she whispered, choking on a laugh. “But I’m guessing things have progressed faster than I expected.”
I swallowed my laugh and then couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Which means both of us were giggling like teenagers when we reached the kitchen.
“What’d I miss?” Lydia asked.
“Nothing,” I croaked. My cheeks were still burning, but Dalton was grabbing a beer from the fridge and Jenny was eyeing Emily and me closely. I’d tell Lydia later.
“Oh, come on,” Lydia goaded, because she was no longer my best friend. “There’s only one thing that turns you as red as a tomato.”
“Don’t wanna hear it,” Dalton muttered and slammed the fridge. He glared at Lydia on his way out the door, and I turned back to her, catching her shiver.
Oh, dear God.
When she caught me looking at her, she winked.
“Your friend is nuts,” Emily whispered before slipping her arm out of mine. “Definitely nuts.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
I forewent the wine in order to keep my senses.
We sat and ate.
Watched the game.
Gavin and Charles cheered as loud as if it were a regular-season game and they were in the stands. Jenny sipped a mimosa.
Josie took turns entertaining all the women with her dance moves and made a show of not only delivering cupcakes she and I frosted at halftime, but letting everyone know that while I helped, she did most of the work. To which her dad had responded, “Of course you did, sweetie.”
Although the hot pink mess of a pile of frosting falling off the tops of each made it clear.
Bryce showed up at halftime, taking off his cowboy hat at the door and swiping a hand through his hair. Conversation changed to his brewery and small petting zoo he’d opened earlier this summer. I hadn’t been there yet, intent on my plan to avoid all things Kelley-related, but hearing everyone talk about it, I couldn’t wait to see it.
He was apparently still building the back patio that would involve cornhole and shuffleboard games and trying to turn it all into a place where someone could come, eat burgers from Kelley Ranch meat, their kids could run with goats and chickens, and the parents could play games and watch TV and enjoy spending time on the land instead of in town.
It was during the fourth quarter when I filled my first glass of wine.
Time was ticking down, and my nerves were kicking up. The game would be over in fifteen game-time minutes, and in a few hours, Cameron would no doubt be walking through my front door.
It was definitely time to start settling the nerves that had been rattling through me like shaken marbles all afternoon. The family was fantastic, treating me like they always had, but there’d still be surreptitious looks all game. When Cameron was shown on the screen and Josie pointed him out to me, Gavin had given me a wink. When they scored a touchdown, and Cam was again shown even though he was on the sidelines, Jenny pointed him out to me.
Through it all, Dalton had watched, standing off to the side, not even bothering to sit, but I could feel his inspecting gaze, no doubt questioning whether I was good enough for his little brother.
Bryce plopped down on the couch next to me, jostling my arm and almost making me spill my fresh, and probably far too large, glass of pinot grigio.
“Sorry. My big brother told me you’re helping Cathy at Jumpin’ Beans. Want a second client?”
Even now knowing Cameron had at least talked to Caleb, I hadn’t expected Bryce to approach me in front of the entire family. “Um. Sure. We can talk about it.”
“I think it’s wonderful, what you’re doing,” Jenny chimed in. “Town’s changing. Growing. It’d be good to see the hard work going into that.”
Dalton grumbled something I couldn’t quite make out, and it was Charles who scowled this time. “Your mom’s right. Town’s changing, like it or not, and we all have to adapt.”
“City people should stay where they belong,” Dalton grumbled. “Don’t need more of them here.”
“I can agree with that,” I said. “But also, look at Emily?—”
“Don’t bring me into this,” she whisper-hissed at me.
“No.” I patted her leg. “It’s true, though. You want to live here because you like the small town, the farm, the land. That’s why others are moving out here, too. Homesteading, even on smaller land scales, is becoming much more popular. I think that’s why we’ve seen the growth. We’re close to a city to escape, but far enough out that people can feel like they’re living off the land.”
“City’s changing ordinances in respect to some of those things, too,” Gavin said. “Used to require more land even for chickens, but that’s changing. The whole new development we’re working on is minimum two acres of land for that purpose.”
“It doesn’t need to happen,” Dalton said. “New Haven is fine the way it is. We don’t need all that crap, or people, or more business or breweries.”
He spit out the last with a glare in Bryce’s direction and turned, slamming the front door on his way out.
“Damn,” Bryce said. “He can’t get over it.”
“He doesn’t like what you’re doing?”
“Pretty sure he’s hoping to see me fail.”
“That’s not true,” Jenny said. “Dalton doesn’t like change, never has. It messes with his spreadsheets and logical order. He couldn’t even handle new seating arrangements in classrooms.”
Lydia chuckled.
I turned to Bryce. “How about I stop out this week and we can talk?”
“Look!” Josie cried. “Uncle Cameron looks mad. Big mad!”
She was right. Cameron was on the screen, lips pressed together. It was strange to see his beard still there, but it was shaved now. His lips were pursed, and his eyes were shooting arrows at whatever he saw on the field.
But when he licked his lips? I pressed my thighs together.
That angry, mad face was soon coming in my direction.
And I wasn’t nearly ready.
Next to me, Emily lifted my glass until it was pressed to my lips. “Better drink up,” she whispered. “Seems like someone might be feeling a bit vicious.”