27. 27
Hayes
Now
“ G ot it. Thanks for the heads-up, man. Bye.”
As I hang up my phone, I let out a sigh.
Taking off my cowboy hat, I run my fingers through my hair as I stare out over the pasture.
Pete and I just finished giving the horses extra hay and strapping their blankets on them.
The next few days had temperatures plummeting, and we needed to prepare the animals.
Kicking the corral fence, I walk back to the main house to deliver the news to Annabelle.
She’s still in the kitchen, which is where I left her hours ago. But by the looks of it now, she’s making dinner instead of Christmas sweet treats.
Christmas tunes play from the radio in the kitchen, and she moves her hips to the music. Her cheeks are rosy from the warmth emanating from the dishes simmering on the stove, and there’s a sparkle in her eyes. She looks radiant, but more than that, she looks happy. Relaxed and in her element.
Walking up behind her, I snake my arms around her waist. “Nobody’s around,” I reassure her before she can register a complaint about my display of affection. I nuzzle my nose along the graceful line of her neck. “Smells good in here.”
Annabelle places the spatula on the spoon rest and sinks into my embrace. “Thanks. I have a huge pot roast in the oven and all the accompaniments on the stove. Mashed potatoes, green beans, glazed carrots. Still need to pop the rolls in the oven, though.”
I hadn’t been talking about the food, but that smells good too.
“Damn, baby. You’ve been working hard in here all day.” With a light touch, I lick up the side of her neck before kissing her under her jaw. “Remind me to make it up to you later.”
She turns her head to the side, sending me a smile over her shoulder. But her smile droops when she hears my next words.
“I have some news.”
Could be good news if she goes for my plan, or bad news if she doesn’t.
She swivels in my arms, worry creeping into her voice. “What news?”
“The weather’s taking a turn for the worse. A storm’s blowing through with ice and snow. It’s expected to start late tonight and not let up until after Christmas, so the roads won’t be safe for driving.”
Annabelle groans, rubbing her forehead. “Which means we’ll need to leave tonight if we’re going to make it back to Nashville for Christmas. ”
I nod. “Yeah, you will. Nobody’s driving in or out tomorrow.”
Her gaze floats to the cookies, iced and decorated, drying on the cooling racks, and then to the feast she’s in the process of preparing for dinner.
“There is another option,” I begin, sliding my hands into the back pockets of her jeans, pulling her hips into mine.
“We could stay."
“Yeah, you could stay. I just talked to Rowdy. He and Bailey are driving up tonight to beat the storm, and he said he’d be more than happy to swing by your house and grab the presents you bought for the girls if you decide to stay and celebrate Christmas with us.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip, like she often does when she’s worried or thinking hard. “He could use the garage code to get inside the house. We’re supposed to have Christmas dinner with Laura’s family, but I’m sure she’ll understand.”
I nod, hoping she’ll choose to stay. Her SUV doesn’t have snow tires or four-wheel drive, so I’d rather she didn't risk driving in inclement weather.
“You wouldn’t mind if we intruded on your Christmas plans?”
“You’re never intruding, baby. Having you and the girls here would make my Christmas.
Knowing the three of you were safe under my roof would give me peace of mind.
” With my fingers, I brush a lock of blonde hair behind Annabelle’s ear.
“But I should warn you that Dumb and Dumber are coming up tonight, too.”
“Dumb and Dumber?”
“James and Josh, your ex-boyfriend,” I reply with a wry smile.
Annabelle laughs. “Josh is Dumber?”
“Most definitely.”
“You love your nicknames, don’t you?”
“I do. ”
“Then how come you didn’t give Rowdy a nickname?” Hayes watches me, waiting. And then it hits me. “Rowdy is his nickname.”
“His real name is Ralph, but don’t let on that you know. That is classified information.”
“One day, I’ll come up with a good one for you, you know.”
“So you keep saying. I’ll believe it when I hear it, Jeopardy.” I shift my weight on my feet, my smile slipping a little. “Umm, there’s one other thing I probably should’ve run by you before doing it, but… I did it, anyway.”
“Hayes, what did you do?”
“Nothing bad, I swear. I know we agreed not to exchange gifts between us this year, but I… well, I bought the girls some Christmas presents. I hope that was okay to do.”
“Oh, Hayes. That's sweet. Thank you.” A bright smile breaks out on Annabelle’s face. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
I lean down, intending to kiss Annabelle, when I hear Claire’s high-pitched voice ring out. I spring backward as Annabelle gives me a shove.
“Mama, have you seen Willow?”
“Not lately, Claire Bear.”
Or ever, I think with a grin. “We’ll let you know if we find your turtle before you do, Claire.”
“Thanks, Wusty!”
“Hey Claire, will you bring your sister in here, please? I have something I need to tell you both,” Annabelle says.
After Claire runs off to find Grace, I turn to Annabelle and murmur, “Didn’t take much arm-twisting to convince you to stay.”
“No, it didn’t.” She smiles, seeming at peace with the change in plans.
“Yo! We've got a problem, Hayes!” Josh hollers from the front of the house a few hours later.
Outside, the sky is growing darker by the second, and the wind howls through the trees. The clouds hang low and heavy with impending precipitation, holding back for now, but the promise of a monster storm looms in the air.
In the middle of prepping a big salad, I put down the knife I was using to slice tomatoes.
Annabelle and I look at each other in alarm when we hear Josh’s voice.
Wiping my hands on a dish towel, I throw it on the kitchen counter and stalk to the front of the house as James, Rowdy, and Bailey stream inside behind Josh, stomping their boots and shivering in their coats.
Bailey is bouncing with excitement, eager to meet Annabelle.
Rowdy doesn’t look any more chill than his wife, which makes me grin.
James plays it cool, merely nodding hello in Annabelle’s direction, but I know they’re all curious to get to know the woman who has stolen my heart.
As members of my family, I really want them to hit it off with Annabelle.
“What’s going on?” I ask Josh. “Glad y’all made it safely, but dinner isn’t for another hour.”
“The power’s out in all the cabins.”
“Damn,” I mutter, shuffling things around in mind.
Annabelle looks at me questioningly. “The power’s out? It came back on after the lights flickered.”
“That’s because this cheap ass—”
“Hey, little ears,” Bailey chides Josh as Grace and Claire scramble into the foyer to stand by their mom after hearing the cacophony of voices.
Flustered, Josh apologizes quickly.
Sensing an opportunity, Grace pops her hands on her hips, offering, “That’ll be two bucks.
Two bucks for the first swear and one buck for every swear after.
House rules.” Her eyes dart to me as if asking permission.
I bite my lip so as not to laugh and nod.
“But I’ll cut you a special deal if you want to pay upfront.
$10 for the first 15 swears or $20 for unlimited bad words. ”
“Grace!” Annabelle screeches as we all burst out into laughter.
Josh breaks out his wallet and hands Grace a twenty-dollar bill. "Money well spent."
Unrepentant, Grace pockets the money.
Shaking her head, Annabelle looks around at us. “Y’all are going to be terrible influences, aren’t you?”
Speaking for the first time since arriving, James confirms it. “Probably so.”
“Don’t listen to them,” Bailey admonishes, introducing herself and giving Annabelle a hug. Shamelessly, I watch Annabelle and Bailey interact. I knew Bailey would love her, but it does something to my heart to see them get along.
I’m only half listening to the guys as they discuss the lack of power in the cabins.
Pete’s house and the main house have back-up generators, so when we lost electricity, the generator kicked on and restored power.
But as Josh alluded earlier, I was a cheap ass and didn’t put the cabins on generators.
Didn’t see the need since people only stay there for the odd weekend here and there.
But that means we’ll need to shuffle around the bedrooms in the main house to accommodate everyone. I smile because that also means that Annabelle will have a ready-made excuse to have a sleepover in my room with me again tonight.
Josh nudges me with his elbow, bringing my attention back to him. “Bambi, focus. Did you hear anything we were saying?”
Before I can respond, Annabelle chirps, “Bambi? Y’all call him Bambi?”
Delight and mischief dance in her eyes when Dumb and Dumber start cackling.
Oh, fuck, no.
Pinning Annabelle with a stare, I raise my eyebrows and shake my head nice and slow. “Don’t even think about it, Yankee.”
“Oh, Bambi, it’s too late. Weren’t you the one who said I needed to wait for the perfect nickname? Well, I think I just found it. Or rather, it found me.”
I roll my eyes and look heavenward. Grace tugs on my hand. “Hayes, why do they call you Bambi?”
Rowdy answers for me. “Because after the first time he met your mama, he was instantly smitten. He looked like a deer in headlights, so we started calling him Bambi.”
Which isn't how the nickname originated at all, but it's better than the truth, I suppose.
Grace squints as she tries out the name, “Bambi.”
“Smitten. Smitten rhymes with kitten,” Claire giggles. “Smitten kitten, smitten kitten!”
Annabelle grins, full of sass and spice. “Kitten. I like it, Claire. Maybe even more than Bambi.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, stifling a laugh.
“That’ll be—”
I cut Grace off. “Jesus Christ is not a swear word.”