24 #2
“Dakota and I…” I drag a hand through my hair, unused to letting my guard down. I face my brothers. “We were…screwing around back when I first came to town to help out Charlie.”
That gets me dropped jaws from Ruby and Charlie. Only a scowl from Ford.
On an inhale, I set my mug down. I’m holding it so tight it’s a wonder it hasn’t broken into a million pieces.
“I was depressed, okay?” I grit the words out, meet Charlie’s eyes. “I was going through some shit. Nightmares. PTSD. And she helped. She was there for me in a way no one’s ever been, which is why I’m here for her now . And I’m not walking away.”
I need my brothers to understand that this matters. She matters.
“Christ,” Ford says in exasperation, slugging down his beer.
“We’re picking up where we left off. I care for her. I’ve always cared for her. So, since you’re giving me the fucking third degree, there’s your answer, you fucking assholes.”
“Well, shit,” Charlie says, opening his arm to Ruby, who slips beneath it. The marmalade kitten has made a nest between her hair and collarbone. “That’s a long time, Davis.” He cracks a grin, but his eyes are soft. “Sure can keep secrets, man.”
“So you’re what?” Ford demands. “Dating? Fucking?”
“Not your business,” I tell him.
“Don’t do the no-label thing, Davis,” Ruby says, her eyes big and beseeching. She moves to clamp my bicep, and the kitten scampers up my arm. “You have to tell her.”
Ford’s jaw tightens, and he swears. “Whatever happened to not having time for a relationship? Whatever happened to priorities?”
“Priorities change,” I growl and pluck the kitten from my neck to hand it back to Ruby.
“Priorities.” He snorts. “Thinking with your dick’s your priority.”
Ruby squeaks.
“Okay.” Charlie lifts his hands. “Let’s just keep it above the belt.”
“You got sense, D,” Ford says, sounding aggrieved. “Why are you fucking with Stede’s daughter? She’s pregnant. She’s gonna have this guy’s baby and split.”
“Careful,” I warn. Ford’s skating on thin ice. Anyone shows the slightest interest in love, a relationship, and he gets a goddamn attitude.
“You’re my brother. I gotta look out for you.” He twists on the barstool to glare at me. “We need to get the ranch ready for the summer. We can’t have distractions. Not after last year.”
My eyes flick to Ruby, back to Ford. “Fuck you for using last year against me.” It’s a low blow, and he knows it. “Is this what you did with Charlie?” I snarl, anger slowly burning inside of me. “Warning him away from Ruby, telling him she had her secrets, and he was going to get hurt?”
“You’re an asshole,” Ford snaps.
“And you have to get a new MO, Ford. You have to get over the past and stop bringing everyone down with you.”
A contrite look crosses his face as his gaze flicks to Ruby. Her hurt blue eyes are pinned to the ground. “That’s a bullshit move,” he hisses. “And you know it.”
It is. But I play dirty when it comes to Dakota.
I drill a finger. “You don’t bring up Dakota again. Especially not when you don’t have anything fucking nice to say.”
“Fuck you,” Ford mutters. He slips off his stool, goes to Ruby. “Honey, I’m sorry,” he says softly. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to my dumb little brother. Us too. We couldn’t get along without you.”
“It’s okay,” Ruby whispers.
Charlie watches her, worry tight on his face. He told me last week he caught her crying in the stables. Ruby has a sweet heart and when she hurts, we all feel it.
Ford tilts Ruby’s chin up. “I’m sorry, Fairy Tale.”
A glimmer of a smile lifts Ruby’s lips. “Make it up to me. You can take a kitten.”
Ford balks.
Ruby hugs the marmalade kitten tight. “They need homes.”
“Take a fucking cat, Ford,” Charlie barks.
“Fine. Fuck.” Our brother scowls, then leans down to curl his large hands over a bounding black kitten. Its tiny mewls fill the air as he lifts the furry bundle high and scrutinizes it. “This is the stinkiest bastard of the bunch,” he tells Ruby.
Ruby swats at him. “No, don’t be mean.”
Ford grins and tucks the squirming kitten in the front pocket of his flannel. “See ya, honey.”
Without a second look at me, he’s out the door and pounding down the porch steps.
“What’s wrong with Ford?” Ruby asks, drifting to Charlie’s side.
I rub the knot brewing in my temple. The urge to go after my twin and kick some sense into him is tempting. “That’s what I’d like to fucking know.”
“He’s going through something,” Charlie adds. He glares at me. “You both are.”
I grumble. “He’s acting like an asshole.”
“Then you two stay the hell away from each other.” Charlie grins. “Or you settle it like you did when y’all were kids. Fists out in the cornfield. Either way, fucking focus. We got shit to do.”
We do.
I leave the house, intent on dealing with the wolf, but Ruby’s words repeat in my head.
You have to tell her.
The thought hits me in the gut.
What the fuck am I doing sneaking around with Dakota again? Acting like we’re faking it, when for me, it’s never been fake.
Maybe Ford’s right, maybe I am distracted by Dakota, but I don’t give a shit. She makes me feel like I deserve my life, instead of trying to hide away from it.
I cross the ranch in whip-quick speed, my heart damn near beating out of my chest when I enter the lodge.
Dakota’s in the kitchen, putting her newest sonogram photo on the fridge, and I’m hit by an undeniable feeling about how damn right it looks there.
Hearing me, she turns. Her smile lights up her face. “I hope it’s okay,” she says, gesturing at the photo. “I’ll get my own place soon, but for now…”
“Better than okay.” I band my arms around her waist and drop my mouth to hers. When I pull back, my gaze catches on the glossy pages of the Resurrection Review out on the counter. “What’s this?”
“Apartment hunting,” she says, and the breath leaves my lungs. “I have a tour set up next week. One of those lofts on Main.”
I frown. “Cupcake.”
She shakes her head, reading my mind. “I have to go sometime, Davis.”
“I don’t like it.” At this point, there’s no way in hell she’s moving out. If I have my way, never.
I tighten my grip, pull her closer, running a hand over the curve of her belly. “I like this . You here, against me.”
Her lips part, those stunning dark eyes widening.
“Whole town thinks we’re dating. Stede too,” I rasp against her mouth. “Might as well make it official.”
“Oh, yeah?” she breathes. “Fake it for the town?”
My heart pounds, but my voice is sure. “No. It’s never been fake for me.”
Dakota freezes in my arms. “Then what was it?” She sounds breathless.
Love .
Always has been.
Still, I hold my tongue. Too soon. Dakota needs slow.
I kiss her forehead. “We can spend time worrying about rumors or we can worry about us.”
Her smile widens. Breaks my heart in the best kind of way. “Us?”
“Yes. Us. There always should have been an us , Dakota.”
“Maybe we’re just better as a secret,” she whispers, her brown eyes damp. “As friends.”
“No.” It’s a growl that ends any further arguments. I cup the back of her neck and stare into her eyes. “No more secrets. No more hiding. No more friends. I’m taking all of you, Dakota. And I want the town to know it.”