Chapter 21
Carli
I love Nashville. It seems like everywhere you walk,
there's great music coming out of every wall.
~ Imelda May
I sigh, leaning my head back on the headrest as Cody backs down Ray’s driveway.
“So?” I ask Cody.
“You tell me.”
“What I think of Storm?”
“Yeah. What do you think?”
“Steady. Not skittish. Honest. Not soft in the mouth. He read my pressure and transitioned well. And he never fought me.” I pause, smiling over at Cody. “I think I’m in love.”
A soft laugh bursts out of him. “Should I tell Lark?”
I laugh along with him, warmth filling me.
“It’s a shame he’s a gelding,” I lament. “They’d make the prettiest babies.”
“We’d have a whole runway of supermodels,” he says, laughing. Then his tone shifts to serious. “I’m going to call Dad real quick. Tell him our thoughts.”
“Our thoughts?” I ask.
“I’ll claim them all,” he winks. “Besides, I agree with your assessment one hundred percent.”
We ride down the road, going a different way that bypasses Franklin this time. Cody calls his dad with a quick check-in about Storm. I gaze out the window at long fence lines, copses of trees and spacious rolling ranch land.
“Looks like you might have a new neighbor,” he says after he hangs up.
I sigh, studying Cody’s profile. “This is my favorite day ever.”
“It’s barely even started,” he says, smiling at me, his broad lips spreading wide.
“I know.” I shrug. “And it’s already my favorite.”
My stomach growls and I put a hand on it as if that could get it to shush.
“Hungry?” Cody chuckles.
“A little.”
“Good. Next stop’s barbecue.”
“Cody Lawson, I do declare!” I say like an exaggerated southern belle. “You’re spoiling the dickens outta me.”
He laughs and then he affects a southern drawl. “Why ma’am, it’s my every intention to spoil you thoroughly and then to have my way with you in the back of my pickup truck.”
We both burst into laughter.
“Feed me first,” I tease him.
The drive takes about forty minutes and then we’re in an area locals refer to as Twelve South.
“How did you know about this?” I ask Cody when he parks the truck in a lot and comes around to meet me on my side.
“I did my research.”
The idea of him planning this day makes me lightheaded. I stand on tiptoes and plant a kiss on his lips. He wraps his arm around me, backing me against the pickup and stealing my breath with an unexpectedly dizzying kiss.
When he pulls back, he extends his hand and I take it.
“What was that for?” I ask.
“The kiss?”
“Yeah. I might need a minute to recover.”
He chuckles soft and low. “Watching you on Storm. The way you look sitting across from me in my truck. Your answers when I wanted your opinion on the sale.” He pauses and holds my gaze. “Just you.” Then he smiles and adds, “And because we can. I can kiss you anywhere I want today.”
“Be my guest,” I say. And he pauses on the sidewalk, spinning me in toward him, wrapping his arm behind my back and stealing my breath with another.
We cross the street and walk to Edley’s Barbecue.
This is the original location, all stained wood and black exterior, sitting right on the street next to other shops.
Inside, wooden tables sit on a concrete floor.
It’s counter service, so we walk up to the counter, scan the menu boards, and place our order.
“I can’t decide between ribs or brisket,” I tell the girl behind the counter.
“How ’bout we each get one and split?” Cody asks.
We do that and take the waitress’ suggestion on sides: macaroni and cheese, grits casserole and baked beans.
When the silver platters filled with meat and sides arrive, we dig in.
At one point, Cody looks over at me, an amused grin on his face.
“What?” I ask.
“Your face.” He smiles.
“Your face,” I say back to him.
He wipes his chin and cheeks with a napkin. There’s already a pile in the middle of the table.
“Why is this our first meal dating?” I ask, though I’m not really complaining.
“You look adorable covered in barbecue sauce,” he says, reaching over and wiping a spot next to my mouth.
I should be embarrassed, but I’m too happy to care.
We finish lunch and head back to the truck, our fingers entwined.
“I’ve got plans,” Cody says. “But if you want to add anything to the agenda, just holler.”
“I like your plans,” I tell him. Then I lift my brows and look him straight in the eyes. “What if I said I want to skip going home and go to North Carolina for a weekend?”
“Then I say we’d better stop somewhere so you can grab pjs and a toothbrush,” he says.
His eyes crinkle with his smile. I know he’s joking as much as I am, but a not-so-small part of me wishes we weren’t.
He chuckles and squeezes my hand. “I wish we could. I have to get back to work tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Me too.”
We drive to downtown Nashville. Cody pulls the truck into a parking garage.
“What’s the plan?” I ask him.
“Follow me.” He takes my hand again.
“I just had a thought,” I say.
He lifts his brows and waits for me to tell him.
“What if we get so comfortable today that I accidentally kiss you—like at the ranch, or in town?”
He chuckles as if I’m being ridiculous.
“Cody! I’m serious.”
“I don’t think that will happen.” His face sobers. “I wish we could be like this everywhere. And we will be one day—after McKenna’s wedding. When farrowing and calving are finished.”
I smile at the thought, but then I picture Jace and McKenna and I’m not so eager to get to that point. They won’t take the idea of Cody and me lightly.
I shake my head. Cody must sense my inner spiral. He tugs me to a stop with our enjoined hands and looks down into my eyes. He lifts a hand and brushes his thumb over my cheek.
“Today, let’s just be here.”
“Yes. Agreed. Sorry about that.”
“Nah. I’ve thought about it too—on and off all day. I just shove the thoughts away every time because I don’t want to miss a second of our time together.”
He leans in and kisses me. Right here—in the middle of downtown Nashville, on a crowded street with cars and pedestrians moving all around us.
“Okay,” he says. “Let’s go.”
We walk in and out of shops, lazily browsing and being silly, holding up items and making faces at one another. I snap a few photos of us with my phone, texting them to Cody.
After a while, we cross Second Street and walk down the sidewalk along a historic block of three-story brick buildings.
Most of the lower floors are more shops and restaurants.
We stop in front of one storefront. The upper windows of the building are capped with cream-colored stone lintels shaped into shallow arches.
The top of the building has a matching ornate cornice, but what catches my eye is the oversized red shoe by the marquis sticking out from the front of the building.
The etched lettering on the windows says French’s Shoes & Boots.
Cody opens the door and ushers me through. There’s something about the look in his eyes—purposeful, like he’s got a secret hidden inside this store.
“What are we doing here?” I ask.
“Getting you some new boots.”
I look down at my favorite pair. They’re like an old friend. “What’s wrong with these?”
“Nothing whatsoever. I just thought you might like a new pair for going out, or just for fun.”
“Cody.” I stop mid-aisle. “You don’t have to buy me boots.”
“I want to—if you’d like some.”
“What girl doesn’t want a new pair of cowboy boots?” I ask him.
My smile overtakes my face. I couldn’t stop smiling if I tried.
“Good,” he says, leading me into the store and standing back while I try on pair after pair until I find the ones I love.
We check out and walk out of the store, Cody carrying the paper bag with my boots in their box.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” I tell him. “Thank you.”
I stand on tiptoe and kiss him. He smiles into our kiss. “I like buying you things.”
“Well, far be it from me to keep you from that sort of happiness,” I tease.
We carry my boots back to the truck and then Cody says, “Let’s walk down Broadway.”
We stroll through downtown Nashville, holding hands and taking in the crowd.
Music filters out of nearly every doorway, each song different from the last. A few straggling bachelorette parties stand out, the bride-to-be in a sash.
It’s nothing like it can be on a Saturday night here.
Tonight it’s mostly tourists milling around like us.
My eyes land on a man a block away. He stands a few inches taller than everyone around him. He’s laughing, one hand securing the guitar case he’s slung over his shoulder.
“Is that … Dustin?” I whisper even though we’re at a good distance from him.
Cody goes on instant alert, following the line of my sight and nodding. “It is.”
He quickly ducks us back into a doorway of a building, his face only tense for a half a second. As soon as we’re hidden, he’s got a hand over his mouth, muffling his laughter.
“Man, that could have gone differently,” he says, laughing with relief.
My heartbeat thuds in my ears. I grip Cody’s hand.
“What should we do? Did he see us?” I’m torn between panic and hysterics.
“No. He didn’t.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, and if he did, I’d swear him to secrecy.” Cody’s calm in the face of danger—as always. “It wouldn’t be ideal, but he’d have my back.” He’s still smiling, like we’re the brunt of some cosmic joke.
I nod. If we told Dustin, I’d have to tell Emberleigh. How would I tell her without telling the rest of my friends—especially McKenna?
“Are you okay?” Cody’s eyes find mine. His brow draws in with concern.
“Yeah. I am.” I shake my head and let out a short laugh, Cody’s relief finally flooding through me too. “What should we do?”
Cody steps forward, glancing down toward where Dustin was standing. He tucks himself back in with me.
“I think he’s gone inside that building. He must be here for a gig.”
“What are the odds?” I ask.
Cody turns, cups my face and kisses me. The kiss takes me by surprise—intensity fueled by adrenaline and the ticking of the clock. I lean into Cody, giving him a kiss that’s meant to tide us over.
When he pulls back, he’s smiling. “That was close—and fun.”
He peeks his head out again, and when he doesn’t see Dustin, he tugs me back onto the sidewalk with him and turns back the way we came, ducking around a corner to take a side street back to the parking garage.
On the way back, Cody suggests we grab hot chicken for the drive home. We stop at Prince’s and get paper bags full of chicken and fries to go.
It’s messy. The cab of Cody’s truck is littered with paper napkins. I stick my finger into my mouth and suck the sauce off. Cody smiles over at me. We crack the windows a sliver despite the cool night.
“Why can’t you get me food that maintains my dignity?” I mock scold him.
“I’d rather watch you make a mess,” he says with an easy smile.
“I had a really good day,” I tell him.
“Me too.” He studies me for a beat. “Have you ever been on a day-long date before?”
“Oh,” I smile over at him. “Are we doing that thing where we talk about all our past relationships?”
“Definitely not,” he says. “The idea of you with another guy makes me want to hit the weight room—the punching bag specifically.”
I can’t help but smile. “I haven’t dated that many guys,” I admit.
“Why not? The farm?”
“That, for sure.”
“And?”
“You?” It’s the most risky admission.
“Me, huh? You didn’t date because of me?”
“It’s crazy. I know.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah.”
His face breaks into a broad grin. “I like that. A lot. You were waiting for me.”
“Not exactly, since I couldn’t imagine a world where we’d ever be together. I just didn’t have much interest in any other men. I dated here and there. It was too much effort for the most part—dating any guy when I wasn’t really interested in them.”
He’s quiet, regarding me, still smiling.
“You dated in high school,” I say. “And there was that other woman—the one who left and moved to Georgia?”
I could probably catalog every time Cody has even glanced at another female. Not that I was objectively jealous. I just—noticed.
“Sharlene?” he asks.
“Yeah. Sharlene.”
He nods.
“Did you take her to Nashville?”
“I’ve never taken anyone to anything more than a movie or dinner.”
“Hmmm.” I hum.
“And not one of them ever made me feel what you do.”
“No?”
“Not the way you center me. Not the way you excite me. Not the way you consume my thoughts when we’re not together. Nothing close to any of that.”
He reaches over and puts his hand on my knee and gives me a reassuring squeeze.
I lift the console and scoot over so I’m right next to him. We ride home like that, his arm around my shoulder, tucking me into his side.
He pulls me tight, the warmth of his body next to mine, assuring me that I’ve never belonged anywhere else as much as I do right here.