Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Arelationship. It had been so long since he’d indulged one, Hendrix hadn’t been sure what it meant anymore. All he knew was that over the past week, the more he saw Joey and Ryder, the more he wanted to be with them.
As an ex-cop, he was protective of most people, but living at the RV campgrounds had required keeping a leash on that side of himself.
Not that he’d always been successful. How many times had he been drawn to Joey just because he saw someone else speaking with her?
Jealousy, he could now admit, had chewed on his peace of mind.
And to think she’d been wanting him, too?
It pissed him off that he’d wasted so much time living inside his own head, leaving her to deal with her worries all alone. If he’d only gotten over himself and his own reasons for moving here...but of course it wasn’t that easy. Hendrix scrubbed a hand over his face.
Nothing of what had happened in his past could be called easy. Devastating, yes, but never again would he let anything like that happen, definitely not to Joey or Ryder.
The upside to his stubbornness was that he now knew her well – and she knew him. A year of daily close proximity, no pressure chatting, and quiet observance had seen to that.
And the past week together? He couldn’t imagine being more content – unless he could get her naked.
He was a selfish ass and he knew it, so sue him. It wasn’t the first time.
He’d bought the park so he could work through his own shit without his doting family trying to “fix him” every step of the way.
Their nonstop efforts had smothered him.
Last night he’d called home to apologize.
Hurting them had never been his intent, but he’d been so set on doing things his own way that he hadn’t stopped to really think about what they were going through.
Now, thanks to Joey, he’d been jolted back to life. The numbness was gone. Yes, the tragedy remained in his memory, but his perspective was now different. It still hurt. It would always hurt.
Rather than feeling lost, he knew exactly what he wanted and he was fucking thrilled that he had a great excuse to stick close to Joey.
His phone dinged and he found a text from Joey. Good morning.
Smiling, he texted back: Sleep well?
Ha, ha.
Her response made him chuckle. They’d had very little alone time, which meant frustrations were running high. Everything ok?
Yup. Just wanted to say hi.
Speaking in person would be even better, but he understood she had a routine with Ryder. See you soon.
Part of his protection included watching the cameras in the evening, ensuring no intruders entered the park. It was more interesting than the TV or the book he was currently reading.
A car wouldn’t get past the locked gate, but anyone on foot would have no problem going under or climbing over.
The added sound alerts helped him to rest. He was a light enough sleeper that he knew he’d hear the alert if anyone entered.
Of course, they’d gone off a few times from nosy elk, and once from a bird, but it hadn’t taken him long to check the camera and then go back to sleep.
So far, the whole relationship thing was off to a good start.
One night, she invited him to share dinner with them, but since her place looked like a Christmas parade, he’d made the next two offers at his house.
Both times, they’d ended dinner with a lounge in the hot tub.
Or at least, they would have been lounging if Ryder hadn’t been so busy jumping and splashing and exclaiming how incredibly “cool” the hot tub was.
It made Hendrix smile to remember.
It’d be great to take them out somewhere to eat, but that would mean facing the entire Christmas spirit, and the idea nauseated him. People would smile and chatter – but somewhere, in another place, tragedy would strike.
Not everyone got a nice holiday.
Not everyone cared about gift giving, kindness... or kids.
Shaking that off, as he often had to do, he took the last drink of his coffee and wondered how soon he could see Joey. He had an explicit, R-rated vision of her in his head when he heard the ding of the security camera.
Taking out his phone, he checked the screen – and spotted a white car. The image was too small for him to make out the driver, but he did a screenshot. Keeping the phone out so he could monitor things, he grabbed his keys and went out the front door.
Today would be milder, but the sun wasn’t yet high enough to offer much warmth.
When he neared Joey’s cabin, he glanced that way, but her blinds were still drawn.
That suited him. Wishing he’d thought to take the golf cart, he headed for the entrance.
He wasn’t really rushed, assuming it was just a passerby, yet the closer he got, the sharper his senses became.
Something was wrong.
Just as he got in range to better see the driver, the car sped away, spitting up gravel and dust.
Hendrix stopped, his body rigid, a surge of adrenaline rushing through his veins
Maybe he should have been stealthier. Next time, he would be.
Though a direct confrontation would suit him – if it was her ex. If it had been her in-laws? Well, he wasn’t sure how she’d want to deal with them. He supposed that was something they’d need to discuss.
“Mr. Becker!” Bundled up in an oversized sweatshirt, loose pajama pants, and untied sneakers, Ryder raced toward him. “Where ya’ going? Could I go, too? I won’t be any trouble.”
And just like that, his morning got a hell of a lot better.
Glancing around, Hendrix made sure the car hadn’t circled back, and then he scooped up Ryder, liking how the small, sturdy body clung to him. The boy’s hair was smashed on one side, and his eyes looked a little puffy from a hard sleep. Grinning, Hendrix asked, “Did you just wake up?”
“Yeah. Mom’s making pancakes. You want some?”
Damn, that sounded good, but he didn’t want to impose. “Your mom hasn’t been up long, either.”
“She said she just needed a minute to drink coffee.”
Nice. She must have texted him first thing. “Does she know you came out here?”
“Yeah.”
Seemed Ryder’s favorite response this morning was “yeah.” He wondered if Joey sported a similar look, with bedhead and sleep-heavy eyes. He wouldn’t mind finding out for himself.
“Mom said it was okay if I said hi, but I shouldn’t bug ya. Am I bugging ya, Mr. Becker?”
Giving him a squeeze, Hendrix said, “You never bug me.” He enjoyed Ryder with his overblown enthusiasm for the smallest things, and his incredible, endless energy.
Glancing toward the cabin, Hendrix spotted Joey stepping out in a fuzzy pale pink housecoat with the collar turned up. She, too, wore pajama pants, but with thick white socks on her feet and a steaming mug of coffee in her hands.
Her curly hair was everywhere, with half of it hanging over one eye.
Honest to God, she was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen.
Lifting the mug in invitation, she asked, “Want some?”
Oh, yeah. He wanted some, all right.
The loaded question sent his mind along a single track. Except...he didn’t just want some, he wanted it all.
Around Joey, he was alive in ways he’d long forgotten.
Ryder’s small hand pressed to his jaw to turn his face. “Mom makes good pancakes.”
Feeling certain that Joey did everything well, Hendrix started forward. “I bet she does.”
“You wanna join us?”
“We’ll see what your mom has to say.” When he got close enough, he again got hit with the impact of her dimples, now bracketing her sleepy smile.
“You’re up and about early,” she said in a sleep-husky voice.
He should tell her about the car – but not in front of Ryder. “Just checking on a few things.”
Her gaze searched his, and then the area. “What is it?”
Hedging, he nodded at her mug. “You have more?”
“What?” She looked at the coffee in her hand. “Oh, right.” After another quick search, she braced herself and forced a smile for her son. “You want to come inside?”
Since the overblown Christmas scheme inside would likely make the coffee taste putrid, he said, “The fresh air is nice.” No lie there.
He loved breathing in the clean, salty breeze from the Pacific.
For a long time after relocating from Indiana, the morning air was one of the reminders that he was alive, somewhere new, and memories should be left in the past.
If only it had been that easy.
“Sure. I’ll bring you a cup.” Appearing very distracted now, she headed inside.
Hendrix took a few steps up and put Ryder on a chair, then bent to tie his shoes. While he did that, Ryder put his fingers in his hair.
Hendrix glanced up in question.
“Mom combs my hair when it’s messy. Want her to comb yours, too?”
Grinning so much would put new creases in his cheeks, but he couldn’t resist. Running a hand through his hair, he said, “I kept it shorter when I was a cop, but these days I don’t bother with it much.”
Joey came out, saying, “I like your hair. It’s not messy, really. It’s just...finger combed.”
Meeting her gaze, murmured, “Everything is fine. Relax.”
Nodding, she handed him a coffee in a red mug that said Born to be Grinchy.
Hendrix cocked a brow. “At least it’s not silver and gold.”
“Actually, it suits you.”
He did a double take as she took the available chair. Did she see him as a Grinch?
“Your hair,” she clarified, gesturing at all of him. “The whole package is nice. Like, your hair goes with your face, which goes with your bod, and goes with your casual jeans and flannel shirts.”
Not to be left out, Ryder asked, “Do I have a vibe?”
Hendrix couldn’t resist mussing his hair. “You do. A very cool vibe. It’s creative and upbeat.”
“What about Mom’s vibe?”
“Hmm.” Hendrix pretended to think about it, but really he needed to search for a word other than sexy. “I’d say your mom’s vibe is warm, protective, and loving.”
“She’s a good cook, too.” Ryder turned to Joey. “I told him you were making pancakes.”
“Mm,” Joey said. “After coffee, though.”