Chapter 21 #2
After unpacking, we met Mom and Dad in the family room. Mom was making her infamous pulled pork sliders while Dad watched the news from the wrap-around sectional.
“Hey, I figured you both would be hungry after your flight. I know they don’t feed you on the planes anymore.” She brought a plate of sandwiches to the coffee table along with small paper plates and napkins. “What would you like to drink?”
I glanced at Colton. “Maybe a beer?”
Arching a brow, Dad said, “A beer sounds good.” He slid a sandwich onto a plate and set it in his lap.
“Okay, beer for you and wine for me.” With a soft smirk, Mom returned to the kitchen.
“Uh, let me help you, Mom.” I followed her and grabbed two beers from the refrigerator for me and Colton. She was always serving us. After handing out the beer, I dropped in next to Colton on the sectional, facing Dad, who sat along the other side.
Mom joined us with her wine, gave Dad his beer, and dropped in between us. “So, how did you fare in your classes?” She added a slider to a plate and took a bite of it.
“Great.” I patted Colton’s thigh. “Thanks to Colton, I got an A in my business analytics class.” I puffed out my chest. My boyfriend was smart while also being sexy as hell.
“Oh, good.” Mom sipped her wine.
“I’ve been evaluating combine training programs in Arizona, and I think I’ve found a couple for you to check out.” Dad snicked his beer can open.
“Yeah?” I piled a slider onto a plate and held it in my lap. Of course, Dad was ready to talk football.
“I’ll send you the information and when you return to Arizona, you can check them out and let me know which one you want to go with.” Dad sipped his beer and shifted his gaze toward Colton. “What are your plans next semester, Colton? Are you graduating in May?”
“I am.” He worried his lower lip. “I suppose I’ll be interviewing with companies and looking for a job.” He picked up his sandwich and bit into it.
Shit, we had spoken little about graduation and beyond. “Maybe you could, uh, delay that until I figure out where I land in the draft.” I snuck a peek at him.
His gaze cut to mine. “Yeah?”
Nodding, I said, “Yeah.” I shrugged. Shit, I didn’t want to do this in front of my parents, but they’d brought it up. “The draft is in April. I’d like us to live in the same city.” I’d leave it there. “We can talk more about it later.” I squeezed his thigh.
“Uh, sure.” He glanced at my parents and then his throat dipped. “I want you to know I’m open to living anywhere.” As his gaze crept to mine, the corners of his lips twitched. “And I’m open to living with you.”
Mom tilted her head, a grin teasing her lips. “Oh, look, honey, this is serious, like we thought. They’ll be married in no time.”
“Mom.” I flashed her a glare. It was premature to talk like that. Wasn’t it?
“What? It’s pretty obvious to anyone with eyes how much you love each other.” She ticked a shoulder. “And you look good together. You fit.” She bit into a slider.
“Yeah, okay.” Wrapping Colton’s hand in mine, I kissed his cheek. We’d gotten through all the hard stuff. Our future held such promise. With my gaze fixed on his, I said, “After graduation, we’ll live together. Okay?”
“Yes, I’d like that.” As a shy smile played on his lips, he leaned into me. “But we’ll talk more later.”
“Okay. Dad, what’s your take on the Cowboys?” I had to change the conversation, and Dad could talk nonstop about football.
Mom sighed and rolled her eyes. “Here we go.”
After a pleasant afternoon with my parents and a hearty dinner of Mom’s lasagna, we took an Uber to Sixth Street to meet with Dante. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and we’d be with family, including my brother. Plus, it would be a busier night for Dante.
I strolled on the sidewalk with Colton, hand in hand, passing the squarish, two-story buildings mostly in brick.
This area of town was quaint and historic with its turn of the century architecture, like a throwback to the older days of Texas.
“So, the bar Dante works at now is called the Midnight Cowboy. It’s got a speakeasy vibe and the drinks are amazing. ” We were almost there.
“Speakeasy? That sounds cool.” Pulling on my hand, he leaned in and kissed my cheek. “This is amazing, being out with you publicly, kissing and not caring who sees us.”
“It is.” There’d be no more hiding for us. I stopped at the nondescript bar with only a round sign resting over the doorway depicting a statue of liberty. “It’s here.”
“Here?” Lifting his brows, he faced a carved wooden door.
“Yep, it’s a speakeasy, remember?” I chuckled and swung the door open for him. “After you.”
He stepped inside the long, narrow room, filled with tufted black-leather booths and marble tables. “This is cool.”
“Yeah.” I placed my hand on the small of his back, guiding him toward the end of the room where a small bar sat in dark wood with gold accents.
The walls had patterned wallpaper, reminiscent of the nineteen-twenties, and ornate tin tiles adorned the ceiling.
“Keep walking. The bar is in the back. There’s only four chairs back there and when Dante texted me, he said he saved two of them for us.
” It was still early and not crowded yet.
We ambled toward the back, Colton scanning the craft cocktails sitting on the tables where patrons drank as we passed. “Those cocktails look amazing. That one was in a gold-stemmed glass.”
“I know.” With a chuckle, I urged him further.
“Dante just started working here about a year ago. He was at a regular place that booked rock bands before.” The last time I’d been here was when I was visiting over the summer in June.
That was before Grey had moved in and things had gotten so complicated. But now, everyone seemed happy.
Dante rounded the end of the bar, his arms outstretched, his black shirt pulling across his shoulders and slacks hugging his hips. “Colton, so good to see you.” He gave Colton a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before setting his sights on me.
“Hey, Dante. Good to see you.” I hugged him and gave him a brief kiss.
“I saved you stools right here, so I can chat with you both while I work.” He held his arm out to two barstools with tufted leather cushions.
“Looks comfy.” I hitched onto a stool while Colton did the same and rested my elbows on the dark marble bar top. “So, what do you suggest we try first?”
Eyeing the other bartender, a blonde woman who was making a flaming drink in a tall, metal cocktail glass, Dante said, “We have some amazing tequilas here for our specialty drinks. Let me give you my favorite first.” He patted both our shoulders and strode behind the bar. “Colton, you’re going to love this.”
Dante grabbed two pear-shaped snifters, poured the tequila from a tall ceramic bottle and slid them to us. “There. You’re supposed to sip this, not shoot it.” His eyes twinkled at us. With a glance at a ticket on the bar, he grabbed a shaker and filled it with ice and liquor.
“Here you go, babe.” I held up my drink to Colton for a toast. We had a few matters to discuss after the conversation we’d had in front of my parents.
“To our future?” He offered a broad smile.
I’d never seen him so happy. “Yes, our future together.” I tapped my glass on his and we both sipped the tequila. After a slight burn, notes of vanilla floated across my tongue. “Damn, it’s strong, but it’s way more mellow than what I’ve had for a shot.”
Dante ticked his chin at us. “Yeah, güero, it’s not Jose Cuervo.” He barked out a laugh and went back to work, filling glasses with fancy cocktails with square ice cubes and colorful garnishes.
With a tsk, I said, “I’ve had others besides that.
” I sipped more tequila, warmth sliding to my belly and a light buzz floating through my head.
“Colton, I wanted to follow up on our conversation we had with my parents.” We shouldn’t get caught like that again.
We should have a plan in place. My brother would surely bring it up again tomorrow.
“What’s there to talk about? You’ll find out what team you’ll be playing for in April, and I’ll still have a month to finalize interviews with companies.” He twisted his glass on the bar top.
Apparently, he’d figured it all out. “Okay. But what if you can’t find a job in the city where I’ll be based?” I gauged his reaction. Had I asked the right question? I’d only wanted to be sure he’d be working at a job he enjoyed, not taking one because it fitted the city I’d be in.
“What do you mean?” He eyed me.
“I want you to pick the right job for you, not the first opportunity that comes along.” I fingered the short stem of my glass. “You know, I’ll have a substantial bonus to start out. You won’t have to find a job right away. You could take your time. Find something you’ll really love.”
“So, you’re offering to support me after graduation? Until I find the right job?” He wrapped his hand around my forearm.
I gazed deeply into his stunning green eyes.
“Yes, I am.” Holy hell, I loved him, and I only saw it deepening now that we could be together publicly.
“I’m serious about you, Colton. About us.
I want a future with you. I want to plan a future where we’re both doing what we love, where our lives are exactly the way we want them to be. No settling for anything less.”
His eyes glistened in the low light. “I love you, Tex. I’ll follow you anywhere, and it’s not settling.” He pressed his lips together. “But yeah, I’ll take my time finding the right job.” He squeezed my forearm. “Thank you for this.”
“Of course, babe.” Leaning in, I grabbed the back of his head and planted a solid kiss on his mouth.
Clapping sounded beside us. “Bravo, you two. Wherever you end up, I hope there’s a guest bed for me to come and visit.” Dante was smiling at us.
“And good tequila?” With a smirk, Colton held up his glass.
“And good tequila.” Throwing his head back, Dante laughed.
“I’ll make sure our place has a guest room for you, Dante.” Warmth surged through my heart. I couldn’t wait for this next chapter of my life to start.