Chapter 20
Baylor
“Do your parents know you’re up this early?”
Beckett follows me as we trek to my dad’s truck. “Sometimes I think my dad knows everything.” He doesn’t make that sound like a positive.
“Parents are like that, but they need to be at your age.” I pull open the door and climb into the cab of the truck.
He climbs in on the opposite side. “Seat belt.” I start the engine.
“In a few years, you’ll be venturing out on your own more, so you don’t need to grow up too fast. Let him enjoy being your dad while he can. ”
“Won’t he always be my dad?”
“Good point. Yes, he will be. Just like my dad is mine.” I look toward the house to see him rocking on the front porch. “Wave to Grandpa.”
We both wave before we start for the feed store. “What’s on the list to get, buddy?”
He pulls his paper from his pocket and begins naming what we need to start on the fort.
We’ve had a good conversation during the drive.
He’s a smart kid, but he’s also ready to spread his wings.
He can run around the ranch, but I think he has a little up-to-no-good streak in him, just like his dad and his favorite uncle.
“Baylor!”
Damn, I’m literally two steps into the place. I don’t know how she had time to spot me. I turn to the left and see her hightailing it toward me. I pull Beckett to my side, and reply, “Hi, Maple. How’s it going?”
“So good to see you. I only got a few glimpses of you at the festival yesterday before you’d disappear.”
Maple’s okay. She’s always been nice enough, but she doesn’t get a hint at all.
Or she’s ignoring them. I still don’t tell her that I caught her following me no less than two times and ducked through the back of vendor tents to throw her off the scent.
“Oh, wow. I didn’t see you at all. I was with my sister and her family. ”
“And Lauralee Knot by the ring toss when I saw you last. Are you two a thing?”
Beckett looks up at me now with the same question lingering in his eyes.
“You know she’s my sister’s best friend?” I ask, playing dumb.
“Sure, everyone knows. It’s also Lauralee,” she says as if that is all we need to know. She’s right. It’s all I need. Throwing her arms up, she laughs. “Stranger things have happened. Like your sister and Tagger Grange.”
I look at Beckett, annoyed he had to hear that. “It’s not so strange. They’re great together.”
“You know what I mean.”
Beckett wiggles out from the arm I had loosely around him, and says, “Don’t talk about my parents.”
Maple’s hand goes to her chest as her mouth hangs open. “I didn’t mean to upset you little fellow. ”
“I’m not so little, and soon, I’ll be big.”
I do a double take. The first snap comment surprised me. The threat bothers me. “Beck, let it go. This is nothing to get upset about. Maple wasn’t calling them bad people. “The two of them falling in love just surprised some people, including myself.”
“Not me. Grandma taught me all about love, so I knew.”
“I think the story is that you knew before they did.” I smile, hoping to ease his defensiveness.
“She told me the recipe.”
I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but I’m glad he’s back to himself.
Looking at Maple, I say, “We have a lot of shopping to do.”
“Yes,” she says, “I’ll leave you to it, but let me know if you need my help.”
“We won’t,” Beckett replies as I guide him away.
I glance down at him, realizing he may not be related by blood, but he still takes after me. I’ve never been prouder. “Damn, kid. We need to get you out on the football field.”
“I started last season. Dad finally talked my mom into letting me play. It was just flag football before. Now, we get to tackle.”
“I don’t envy the player going against you.” I’ll always be his biggest hype man. We turn down the aisle with the tool belts. “Let’s get you fitted.”
Supervising makes me feel old, though I enjoy watching Beckett and his friend Macon piece together the wood on the ground like a puzzle. “What do you think about altering the plans to include a deck you walk onto at the base? Just in case it’s muddy? It gives us a level floor to work from as well.”
They both stop and stare at me, but then Beckett says, “So start with that first?”
“If you do,” I reply, “it’s something you can work on when I’m gone. If you get it done, we’ll be able to move to phase two when I return.”
He looks at his friend and shrugs. “What do you think?”
“Sounds like something my dad would suggest.”
“So that’s good, right?” I ask, hoping to convince them since we’re not making much progress with the current plan. I won’t take it over, though. Beckett has the final say.
He picks up a two-by-four to drag it to the middle of the trees. Dropping it, he says, “It will last longer if we do it right. That’s what my dad always says.”
“Mine too,” Macon adds. “Measure twice, cut once.”
I cross my arms over my chest, entertained by how they work through this.
Beckett finally looks at me. “We’ll build the deck. Promise to help me build the first floor when you visit next?”
“I promise.”
He turns to Macon. “Want to get snacks and play some video games?”
Macon looks relieved. “Yeah, I’m hungry.” They start walking away, chatting about a suit they won in the last round, leaving me behind.
“Wow,” I mumble to myself. “Guess we’re done here.
” I’m not serious, so I chuckle as I work my way out of the woods to my dad’s truck.
We already unloaded all the wood, so I start the engine and cruise up the hill to his house.
As soon as I make the curve around the main barn, I smile at the sight of her.
Dress blowing in the wind and hugging one side of her body. Her hair whipping up a storm as well while she visors her eyes from the sunlight shining on her like the angel she is. My dad sits on the edge of the UTV nearby and directs me to park next to him.
I shut off the engine and toss him the keys as I head for Lauralee. “Thanks for letting me borrow it. We got quite a bit of wood brought down to the fort.”
“How’s it looking after one shift?”
Lauralee’s smile shifts to the side, always trying to control the broad one she wants to share.
Our eyes meet, and I smile because damn, she’s a gorgeous sight to behold.
Before I get caught up in her, I turn back to face my dad.
“About how you’d expect when herding two nine-year-old boys.
Might want to step in as foreman while I’m gone.
I’m sure you have some knowledge to share on building a deck. ”
“I’ve built a few in my time.” He stamps his cane in the dirt.
The scar on the side of his leg is visible but healing. “How’s the knee today?”
He waves me off. “Pfft. Stop worrying about me. I’m good. You have enough on your plate like Lauralee waiting on you while you’re over here yapping with me.”
“I do worry.”
“I’m good, son. Soon, I’ll be kicking your ass on that basketball court.”
“You’re sounding like Tagger, and you know how that goes.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, well, I can take you both. So let’s not make a big deal of this, especially when you have company.”
“Okay, Dad. You won this round. But I’ll be back soon enough and bugging you again. ”
“Now go on.”
With a grin, I turn around and start walking. Tapping my hat higher on my forehead so I can take in the full view of her, I smile for a different reason. Her. I reach my girl in only a few steps but force myself to stop just shy of kissing her. “Hi.”
Her hips sway twice, and her cheeks pinken for me. “Hi.”
I can tell my dad is still behind us, probably already figuring us out.
I’m sure he’ll say something later. But right now, man, I wish I could kiss her, hug her, touch her in any way.
Time’s slipping away from us, and I’m going to miss her come tomorrow.
I don’t regret spending time with my nephew and keeping my word, but hell, I missed her today. “What brings you by?”
“You.” I love that she doesn’t bother to lie and just says what she wants. And I’m the lucky bastard who fits the bill. So fucking sexy . “I wanted to see you before you leave later tonight.”
“Did you think I’d leave without a proper goodbye?”
“We hadn’t made plans, and I knew you were spending time with your family. I wasn’t sure if I should even drive out.”
“I’m glad you did.”
A loud clearing of the throat behind me grabs our attention, and we both look at my dad. He says, “I’m going to go inside so you two can talk privately.”
When I turn back to Lauralee, she says, “I think he knows.”
“He definitely knows, but since the cat’s out of the bag .
. .” I swoop in, cupping her face, and kiss her like I wanted to originally.
We waste no time with niceties. Instead, our mouths open, and our tongues entwine.
There’s an urgency that hasn’t been there, bu t with it being Sunday, it’s come into play.
When air becomes necessary, our lips part, but our foreheads press together. We both breathe, regulating our breaths with our eyes still closed. “You make me wish I could stay,” I whisper. The words came so easily that I question when the emotion was formed that created them.
Last night when we were making love or yesterday when we were making plans? The moment I saw her again, if the truth be told. But how can so much change in the course of a few days?
I lift my head and look at her. That’s my answer.
She whispers, “I wish you could stay, too. It was just getting good.” Her laughter trickles away too quickly. A weighty sigh escapes her, and her smile falls. “I can’t even land a joke right now because this feels heavy and too important to goof it up.”
Giving her some space to sort through her thoughts, I step back, but only once. My own selfish needs still win out. “You’re not goofing anything up. You can say what’s on your mind, baby.”
“I didn’t expect to fall for you, but here I am, just a girl from a small town who’s about to have her heart broken when you leave tonight.” Her admission is a shot to my heart.
I must get on that plane. My job is on the line if I don’t. There’s just no way I can now.
I won’t be the guy to break her heart. Not now. Not ever. “I’ll stay the night.”