Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
C hristmas shopping for six kids plus their girlfriends, best friends, and a bunch of foster kids was like, the third level of hell, Coop thought. No wait, was that gluttony? Okay, so maybe that was appropriate in a way, but what was anger…
“Brooks, I am fixin’ to be done, honey.”
Brooks glanced up from his list, and from the laden Walmart cart, his grin infectious. “Well, we’re almost done, so that’s good. We’ll go get lunch after this. The cooler is in the truck and it’s frigid out there, so none of the food will go bad.”
Coop rolled his head on his neck. “What’s left?”
“We just got to get Benji a couple of work shirts and Ricky one more…something. A wallet maybe?”
“To hold all his condoms?” Coop quipped, then felt guilty. Kids were kids. Teenagers lusted after their girlfriends and boyfriends.
Brooks thought it was hilarious, though. He hooted, then bumped hips with him to show he wasn’t upset, Coop thought .
“So what do you want for lunch?” Brooks asked. “I mean, we’re in Farmington. So we got choices.”
They’d avoided Espanola or Santa Fe in favor of a smaller town for the Walmart run, and he was grateful.
“We do. There’s a million Mexican places, but there’s a good brewpub.”
“Hell, let’s do that. We got good Mexican in our neck of the woods.”
True. Tequila’s was pretty tasty.
“Okay. Let’s get this shit done.” He hated shopping, but he loved spending time with Brooks.
Even if they had yet to use the condoms they’d gotten the day after Thanksgiving. The kids had seen to that.
They managed to get through the line—the long, endless line—without getting into a fight or passing out, which honestly seemed like the best possible outcome, and they drove the trailer around the back of the store to load up the bicycles and the huge television that was going in the media room and lock them up good.
It was their big family gift, and Coop reckoned it was going to go over like a house afire.
“Whew.” Brooks leaned on the trailer for a moment. “Come on. Let’s go eat.”
“Mmm. I might could even have a beer. Just one.” He was driving after all.
The brewpub was busy but not peak lunch time, so they got a table, and he liked sitting down across from Brooks when they had the chance like this and just having some adult conversation.
“I’m thinking about getting fried goodies—just because I can.” Onion rings, Texas toothpicks, and fried cheese with ranch—it sounded perfect, and he wanted to be naughty.
“Yeah? I’m getting a burger and fries. Or maybe fish and chips. I like both.”
“Fried fish is an amazing thing, yessir.” He had his mouth set, though. “So, I think we’re mostly ready for Santa, thank God for small favors.”
Brooks nodded to him, smiled. “I think we are.”
“Good. I think I’m gonna set Benji to putting bicycles together at his house.”
“Can I make a suggestion?”
Coop looked at Brooks, his eyebrow raised. “Well, I would hope so.”
It’s not like the man had hesitated in making any suggestions till now, so far as he knew.
“Ricky is kind of amazing at building stuff. I’d like to pay him a couple hundred bucks to put it all together. That gives him some cash money for gifts or what have you and work on his truck.”
He didn’t have any problem with that. In fact, he’d already arranged Ricky’s big present. It was coming Christmas Day—or really Christmas Eve to the clearing in front of the big garage. “I got him an engine lifter.”
Brooks eyes went wide, “No shit?”
“No shit, I found one used. It’s in good shape, you know. And I figured Ricky could use it. He’s got a way with mechanical stuff; he might as well start doing this thing. There’s always going to be a cowboy with a truck that needs fixing.”
“Or a tractor. Or a riding lawn mower or a backhoe.”
“Exactly.”
Brooks glanced at him, the expression kind of serious. “I really want to—I don’t know how to—” He stopped, took a deep breath. “What I mean is, I’m not poor. Like, I’m not poor, I got money, and I want to be able to invest in this thing that we’re doing.”
He tilted his head. “Do you mean life?”
“Yeah.” Brooks swallowed hard. “Yes, I mean life. I would like to invest, please. ”
Coop didn’t know what that meant really, like in a practical sense. He’d paid for the house. He paid his debts, he had taxes and stuff, and they were fixing the house up. “Absolutely. Um, I know you’ve been working on the barns…”
“Yeah, and I’m going to start bringing in horses. I mean, I know we have two, but there’s fixin’ to be more. I want to start training.”
That was handy given he had already bought livestock for Brooks that were supposed to be delivered on the twenty-third. Ho ho ho.
“But I’m talking about things like buying stuff for the kids, helping with the media room. I’d like to buy the chairs. I want to. I mean, I’m staying, right? I mean. You and me are…it’s nice, but I really want to have a family here.”
Oh. Ouch. Coop didn’t know what to think about that.
He didn’t think anybody wanted to think of their lovemaking as nice .
It wasn’t like they were sharing a room or nothing.
Brooks came in to visit from his little set of rooms that used to be Benji’s around twice a week.
They shared a hand job, maybe a nice blow.
Brooks always spent the night in bed with him.
He guessed it was pleasant for Brooks. Apparently, this wasn’t some big great love affair, and he was going to stop thinking about it as if that was what it was. This was a business arrangement. Sort of. Except not.
He wasn’t sure what anyone would call what they had were.
Up until right about just this minute, he’d been thinking they were in a deepening relationship. Even a love affair.
He was kind of an idiot.
“Well, you’ve got a family here, that’s absolutely for sure.
Instant family-R-us.” And Benji was due to start working out with the bullfighters the third of January.
He’d be gone on the road then from late January, early February until October, only coming home when he could. So it was going to be a trial by fire.
The waitress came over. “Hey, guys. You ready to put your drink order in?” He nodded. He wasn’t sure that he wanted anything anymore. He’d been so excited, and now he sort of felt tired. “I’d like a cup of coffee please, ma’am.”
Brooks gave him a weird look. “You’re not going to get yourself a beer, mate?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m driving, and I’m kind of tired, so I don’t think that a beer will help. But you go ahead and have one. You can have one for you and for me if you want.”
“Oh.” Brooks looked at him steadily, maybe trying to read his mood. “Then I’ll just have iced tea.”
“You got it.” The server smiled at them, a dimple popping up in her cheek, and she headed off.
“You okay?” Brooks asked.
“Sure. I’m just worn down a little, and I didn’t even know it. I’ll be fine.”
“All right.”
That did sort of kill the good feeling in his belly, though, and Coop hated that they were back to weird and awkward, and that it was his own damn fault.
He would just have to be more careful from now on.