28. Sparrow
The kids decided that they wanted to go fishing with Jack today and stay the night with him, which works out perfectly because River and I are going to High Society to figure out a game plan for the mural. I hate and love that King asked me; hate because I haven’t had the time to sit down and paint in years, and love because it’s been too long that I’ve created something with River. His brain is truly amazing and can’t wait to see what he wants to create.
Ace and King have been at the bar since this morning, so River and I just dropped the kids off with Jack and are making our way to High Society. My head is constantly on a swivel looking for Chad around every corner.
“Relax, Spare. Nothing is going to happen to you,” River softly tells me from the driver seat.
“I’m so sick of this, I want to be able to go somewhere and not look over my shoulder,” I mumble. I hate complaining, it doesn’t get you anywhere. But this is getting really old, I want my life back.
“It won’t be forever. We’ll find him,” River tells me with conviction.
I’m also worried about that. These men’s moral compass is slightly skewed when it comes to the people they love. This might make me a bad person, but it isn’t the thought of one of them taking Chad from this earth, but rather, them being caught.
We quickly make it to the bar, but before I can climb out of the truck, River stops me. “I really missed you, Sparrow.”
Scooting closer to him, I throw my arms around his shoulders. I feel him slightly tense up, but it doesn’t last long. “I missed you so much, Riv.” A knock on the window pulls me away, King on the other side. “C’mon, Riv. Time to go create a masterpiece.”
Jumping out of the truck into King’s arms, he spins me around. “Everything okay, Bird?” Looking into his eyes that I can’t seem to get enough of, I smile. “Everything’s perfect, King.” He rains kisses down my neck, making me laugh.
“You guys have issues with P-D-A,” River grumbles as he walks past, but I don’t miss his small smile.
King carries me inside, setting me down on a stool. After a quick kiss, he sits next to me, River on the opposite side of the table.
“What were you thinking, King?” I ask as I pull a notebook out. Just because King and I are in a relationship, doesn’t mean that I don’t take this seriously. He'll be treated like every other client I work with.
“Well, here are my thoughts. I get a lot of old timers up here. Guys that have lived here sixty years and have no intention of leaving. A lot of hunters. So, something rustic. Not a lot of flair.”
My brain is going a mile a minute. I agree that it shouldn’t be something flashy. No, I’m thinking of something nostalgic. “Can either of you guys get me some pictures of what Chapel Falls looked like maybe even thirty years ago? I’m sure I can find a picture online, but I would like to see it in person.”
“Yeah, either Dad or Cam’s mom will have some,” River says as he types into his phone. “What are you thinking, Spare?”
“I’m thinking a vintage painting. We can do the trees and the falls. The buildings on Main Street. If you have a picture of what this place used to look like.”
I sit back and look up at King, who is staring at me, awe shining through his eyes. Looking over at River, I find him smirking at me. “What?” I ask the men.
“I knew you would know what to do, Bird,” King states before kissing my temple.
“Since you’re remodeling, what color scheme are you going with, so we know what colors to put in the mural?” I ask as I jot down some more notes.
King’s eyes dart from me to River, to the wall, and back to me. If I had to guess, he has no idea. “Umm…well. What colors do you think?”
“Dark red,” River and I say at the same time.
River and I spend the next hour going over what we want to do for the mural, but while I’m here, I decided to see what else High Society needs for the remodel. King means well, but he doesn’t have an eye for design. Sure, High Society is in the middle of nowhere, and the clientele consists of hunters and old men. That doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t look nice.
I’m not going anywhere, so this bar is going to be a part of my life. Maybe next summer I can put together a summer concert lineup, or a food truck day. Seeing as the bar sits on a couple of acres of land, the possibilities are endless.
Falling down on the couch next to Skye, I lay my head on her shoulder. She and Cam invited us over for dinner, but I’m starting to think they had an ulterior motive for this invitation. King got pulled into a project in the nursery with Cam, while Skye is trying to teach herself how to crochet a baby blanket.
“Why exactly are you trying to learn how to crochet? Isn’t yarn expensive?” I ask as I watch my friend make an uneven blanket.
“I know it’s stupid. But I never had anyone give a shit enough to make something for me. This baby will know it’s loved. Even if I can never make a straight blanket.”
Taking Skye’s hand in mine, I say, “It isn’t stupid. Your little one is going to have everything we never had. That…that is pretty amazing.”
I have to bite the inside of my cheek when Skye holds up the blanket and it keeps getting shorter with each new row. I think my friend needs to pick a new hobby.
“Shit. Cam’s mom needs to give me another lesson. This thing looks like shit,” Skye says as we both burst out in laughter. God, I missed her when she moved up here to be with Cam. Sure, I put on a smile and told her that it was a good decision. Because it was. Just because she was my emotional support person, it didn’t mean that Skye didn’t deserve to go after her own happiness.
And it all worked out in the end.
Once King and Cam get done with the nursery project, they go outside and start the grill while Skye and I prep the meat and potatoes. Family dinners may not be a big deal to most people but for me, it’s everything I’ve dreamed of. Sitting down with the people you love, getting caught up on our day.
Hell, having food in the house to cook in itself is a miracle.
Sitting down to eat, King sets a chicken breast and potatoes on my plate before serving himself. I pour him a glass of strawberry lemonade, and once Cam and Skye make their plates, we dig in.
“The fair is next weekend, are you guys bringing the kids?” Skye asks from across the table.
Just the thought of bringing the kids somewhere so busy with Chad in hiding stresses me out. The kids saw the sign for the fair the other day and have asked every day since if they can go.
“No,” King grumbles before taking another bite of food.
“I’m not sure,” I answer at the time, and since he said no, he looks over at me, eyebrows raised.
“The kids really want to go. School starts two weeks after. Maybe if we all go, let them have fun for an hour, we can tire them out quickly and leave,” I say before stuffing my face with more potatoes.
I can tell King doesn’t like the idea, so I continue on, “Loch and Telle have never gone to a fair, carnival, anything. They deserve to go, King.”
“Okay, Bird. We’ll bring them. But we all stay together, and there's a time limit to this outing,” King reluctantly says.
Skye flashes me a smile, easing some of my worry. I know that I will be on edge the whole time we are at the fair, but seeing my kids have fun will be worth it. Loch and Telle know that they have never had the nicest things, they haven’t gotten to go do the fun things, but they have never complained.
Our lives have changed for the better, and it’s time that they see the benefits of that.