Chapter 31 A House Full of Irreverent Senior Citizens #2
“Butting into your love life and making you feel all discomfited. The way you looked at me the other night when I caught you sneaking back in the house was priceless. It’s like you think I wasn’t doing the same thing with Grams when I was your age.”
I really did not want that image in my head.
I slam my eyes closed, shaking my head vigorously back and forth. “Please, stop. I’m begging you.”
“Yes. Please,” Sawyer says, her lips curling up in disgust.
“Look at the two of you finally agreeing on something.”
Harold chuckles. “Oh, this game should be fun. Sawyer, honey, Dr. Dillard was just telling me the funniest story this morning about you and Wes going in there a couple nights ago because Dixie ate...”
“I pass,” Sawyer blurts out her bid, successfully cutting him off before he can finish.
“They never used to be like that,” I say as the engine of the old truck rumbles to life.
Sawyer snorts. “They all seemed to be enjoying themselves.”
“At our expense,” I mutter.
Despite the shit show that was listening to nearly a dozen senior citizens make jokes and innuendos at our expense while simultaneously planning out our future, tonight had been fun. It felt right being on the same team as Sawyer.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have been making out in the corn maze at a town event,” she points out.
“Can’t say I regret it,” I mumble, squeezing her thigh.
She gnaws on her bottom lip. “Yeah. Me neither.”
It’s quiet the rest of the way to Sawyer’s house, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I park the truck and rush around to her side to get her door. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I quickly silence it as I settle a hand on Sawyer’s lower back and walk her to her door.
Her mouth stretches wide in a yawn, and purple circles shadow her eyes. I imagine I look about the same. “If it weren’t so late and we weren’t both still hurting from lack of sleep, I’d beg you to let me come inside.”
“You’d beg, huh?” she asks, interest piqued.
I reach up and tuck the stray copper hair behind her ear before letting my hand linger on her jaw. My thumb traces the constellation of freckles on her cheek. “Without a doubt.”
She tips her chin up, and I capture her lips in a gentle kiss. She hums before pulling away. “You could come in for just a minute.” She blinks up at me with bedroom eyes that have me wishing I didn’t have to wake up before the sun in the morning.
My phone vibrates again, and this time I pull it from my pocket, groaning when I see my dad's number lighting up the screen. With a sigh, I silence it once more and shove it back into my pocket.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I ask.
“Working.”
“I meant after work,” I say, hooking my thumb in her belt loop and tugging her closer to me to place a kiss on the tip of her nose.
Her hands settle on my chest as she tips her head to the side. “Nothing that can’t be rearranged.”
“Good. Be ready to go at five o’clock.”
“Where are we going?”
“Nowhere extravagant. You can wear your ranch clothes if you want. I just have something I want to show you.”
She eyes me warily. “What?”
“You’ll see. Just have Cash and Dolly ready to take riding.”
“But...” I shut her up with another kiss.
“Don’t argue. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I shove my hands in my pockets and walk back to the truck, whistling a song about a country boy’s dream girl.
When I get back to the ranch, Pops is sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for me. “Your dad called and asked me to leave you a message.”
I roll my eyes. “He just called me ten minutes ago. He didn’t even give me time to call him back.”
He waves me off. “He wanted to know if you’d go back home for your mom’s birthday party. Apparently, she’s throwing a big to do, and she wants you there.”
I have to work to make my face impassive.
Going back to the city didn’t have excitement thrumming through my veins like I’d imagined it would.
And convincing Pops that selling the ranch was the right move was beginning to feel more and more like I was betraying him and all the people I cared about here.
The longer I stayed in Cottonwood Creek, the more I realized how much this place helped form who I was.
I didn’t know how to talk to my dad anymore—especially when I didn’t even miss working at his accounting firm.
And I couldn’t sit through another of my mom’s endless apologies, listening to her drone on and on about how terrible she thought life out here must be.
Because the truth was, things had changed, and I was beginning to love it here.
“I told them Tripp and I could handle the ranch on our own for one Saturday.”
“Oh.” My stomach sinks. I didn’t want to go back and face them. Not yet.
“So, if you wanted to get back to the city for the day...” he trails off.
“Hmph.” My phone vibrates a third time from my pocket. Jesus Christ.
“I’m sure it would mean a lot to your mother if you made the short trip,” he presses.
I slide the phone from my pocket and freeze at the photo on the screen. Why was she calling me? Again? Ever since her call had spooked Luci, she'd been calling me daily. I never answered. I didn’t want to talk to her. Not here. Not now. I silence it for the third time.
I heave a resigned sigh. I wouldn’t hear the end of it if I missed Mom’s party. “I’ll go for her birthday.”
“Good.” He nods, a furrow in his brow. “Good,” he repeats.
I’m sure he’s wondering what the hell is wrong with me. To be honest, I don’t know enough to tell him, but the idea of leaving at all right now makes my stomach turn and my chest go tight.
I head for the stairs, my feet dragging as the exhaustion from the last couple of days settles on me all at once. My boot hits the top step, and I hear Pops call out from the kitchen, “Invite Sawyer to go with you. I’m sure your mother would be pleased to see you enjoying yourself.”
Whatever tension I was carrying from Pops telling me about Mom’s birthday party melts away at the thought of having Sawyer by my side the whole time.
Man, I have it bad.
Already.
How long have I been here? Four weeks? Five?
And yet, the idea of being away from Sawyer has my entire body rebelling. It's crazy how quickly I’d let this woman past all my defenses, insane that what was meant to be a little fun to pass the time had turned into something that felt so much bigger.
I had no clue if Sawyer felt the same way. For all I knew, she would be totally unbothered when I went back to the city. But that wouldn't stop me from wanting to drag her back home with me.
Home. That place was beginning to feel less and less like my home the more time I spent on this ranch. But the city is where I belonged.
My gloomy disposition brightens at the idea of showing her around the city and having her officially meet my family. I couldn’t quite grasp what it would be like to have her there, to integrate her into my life like I’d assimilated into ranch life, but I was eager to find out.