Chapter 23 Gabe
GABE
Holy shit, it feels so good to be in love. And not even just that, but for everyone around me to know it. Shelly knows. Amber knows. All of Oakley’s Crew know, and it feels so damn good.
And even though it’s been a week since I first said it, and Dakota hasn’t said the words yet, I’m calm about it. I don’t need to hear the words yet because I know he feels them. He shows me.
All the time.
I finished the hot tub at his house today, and I already can’t wait to use it. But I have to head back into the shop to clean up and then grab my own truck. I kiss Dakota’s lips hard with a promise to be back before I drive into town and right to the shop.
I’m whistling as I walk into the shop, and Jackson, Archie, and Travis all stop whatever conversation they were having to look at me. “What?” I ask.
Jackson just shakes his head. “The sex has to be phenomenal.”
“It is.” I wink at him, then head over to the sink to clean my hands.
Archie walks over to me and pats my shoulder. “I didn’t know you had it in you again, but it looks good on you. Being in love.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I’m heading back to his house now. Off the clock.”
“I don’t want to know what I’ve been paying you for this week,” Travis says.
I laugh at that but lock in on him with a serious look. “That’s why I said off the clock. I’ve been nothing but professional.”
“Uh-huh,” Travis says. “I totally believe you.” He doesn’t, but really, aside from flirting and a few kisses, we’ve been 100 percent professional. “Did you finish up?” he asks.
“Yup. All done. He said he’ll call you to make the final payment today.” And that sense of dread that usually goes through me, thinking about finishing at his house, just isn’t there now. I know I’ll still be at his house all the time.
Though I will miss seeing him during the work week. “Not going to talk him into a pool?” Archie teases.
“Oh! We could do some work on his front porch!” Oakley says, walking out of his office to join in the conversation.
“Nope,” I say. “He mentioned having the mowing crew come out regularly, but I can handle that for him. Free of charge.”
“Thanks for that,” Travis deadpans, and Oakley chuckles, his beefy hand cupping the back of his husband’s neck.
“Leave him alone. He’s in loooove,” he sings.
“Yup,” I say, unbothered that they all know it now and then wave my goodbyes as I head out to my truck. Amber didn’t have school today or tomorrow—some sort of teacher’s in-service thing—so Shelly asked if she and Randy could take her on a little road trip.
Normally, I probably would have sulked about that, but I agreed, knowing my girl is taken care of and having the time of her life staying in a hotel a couple of nights. She loves hotels.
And well . . . it’s not like I’m going to be alone this weekend. I swing by my place just long enough to shower and change before packing a bag and heading out to Dakota’s. He suggested we have a little staycation of our own, and I’m all for it.
I stop by the grocery store to pick up some things for us to grill, since it’s supposed to be beyond nice this weekend. And then fucking finally, I pull into his drive.
I walk up to the front with the bags of groceries, but after ringing the doorbell and getting no answer, I feel like I know where to find him. I leave the groceries on the porch and head out to the barn. Sure enough, there’s my guy cuddling four baby kittens and their mother.
“Hey,” I say, startling him out of his very clear bliss.
He looks over at me. “You need a louder truck.”
I chuckle and make my way over to them, scooping up one of the black kittens. There are two black ones, but this one has a little bit of white on her chest. There’s also an orange one and one who looks a lot like Mavis—brown and black striped. They’re all too cute for words.
I finally brought Amber over earlier this week to meet the kittens, and she gave them all names.
The way my girl lit up seeing the barn, the house, the greenhouse .
. . all of it . . . it made me think of the first time I came here.
She looked around in awe at this place. “Hey, May,” I say to the little kitten on my lap.
Dakota shakes his head. “She had to name them all M names.” Watching Amber and Dakota together is fun too.
He tries to be all grumpy, but it doesn’t last long with my kid, and I get it.
She easily wears everyone down. No effort at all.
Just being her. And I don’t miss that even after only being around her two times, my little girl has him wrapped around her tiny little finger. Just like everyone else she meets.
“She did,” I say, letting May sit on my lap as I pick up Mavis’s little twin too, or Missy, as Amber named her. We also have Monroe, the all-black kitten, and Molly, the little orange one. “That kid.”
He grins as he picks up Molly, while Monroe tries to bully his mother into feeding him. She gives in and purrs loudly, the other kittens making their way to their mama. I lean in and kiss Dakota.
“Hey,” I say happily against his lips.
“Hi.” His sweet smile makes my heart gallop.
“I brought stuff to make for dinner.”
He takes my hand as I hop up and hold it out for him, but I can’t resist kissing him again. His body falls into mine, and he wraps his arms around my neck. I have nothing but hope when I’m with him.
It wasn’t that long ago when everything felt so dreary.
I was lost and lonely, but now everything just feels right.
He feels right. “Dinner.” He doesn’t sound so sure as he pulls back from the kiss, and I’m considering letting it all go to waste just to have my hands all over him for longer, but he tugs me toward the house. “Dinner first. Barn sex later.”
I chuckle and follow him up to the house where we prepare the meat and veggies I bought before I go out and light the grill. We sit outside on his porch, looking out over his beautiful property while the food cooks.
“I hired Langley’s Construction today.”
I put a hand over my heart, mocking pain. “You hired another crew.”
His pretty eyes roll at my dramatics. “I think I see where Amber gets her flair for drama.” I laugh as he goes on, “And it’s not like I hired another landscaping crew. I hired them to build a back deck. I think that requires a construction crew.”
I pretend to think that over, even though yeah, good call on his part, obviously, and I like Langley’s Crew. We consider a lot of the guys our friends, and we always recommend them to our clients and vice versa. “Hire anyone else to build a porch swing for your deck and Oakley may die.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He grins, and I’m already planning to hire Oakley myself for a little gift for that finished deck before Dakota can get to it.
“So a deck, huh?”
“Yeah.” He looks out at the property. “I want a large deck so we can grill out there. Maybe a hammock and a table too, so we can eat out there this summer.”
I look over at him, his whimsical gaze looking out over the property I honestly didn’t realize he loved until right now.
I mean, yes, he wanted a greenhouse and then eventually a hot tub—I think mostly just to give him an excuse to have me keep working here—but he never really talked about them this way.
Now it’s like he’s making plans with me. And I really like that.
“Maybe I could have them build a swing set out back too.”
My eyes widen, and I swear my heart fucking doubles in size in my chest. This. Man. This gorgeous, grumpy, sweet man. He’s making plans, not only for us but for my daughter too. “Hell yeah, I love to swing,” I say, and he just laughs and shoves my shoulder.
“I was thinking more for Amber.”
I chuckle and lean back a little, looking out at the trees and the pretty sky.
“She loves to swing too.” I look around at the grass that’s getting longer now.
I’ll need to mow tomorrow. “Shit. She’s going to really want me to save the dandelions in the backyard here for her. There are a hell of a lot.”
He grins. “I know. She picked a lot the other day and gave them to me.” The fond smile on his face tells me just how much he loved that.
“You indulged her.” He did too. He made a big show about how beautiful they are and how I’m a bad man for cutting them all down before putting them in a vase and sitting it squarely on his kitchen table.
“I did.” He smiles again with a sweet fondness. “She really does love flowers.”
“They’re a weed,” I argue.
“We disagree.” And holy fuck, I love that we, referring to him and my daughter. Like they’re a team.
“I love you,” I say easily, leaning over to kiss him softly, not expecting to hear it back and just soaking into the nice kiss before we finish dinner, do the dishes, and then settle on his couch for a minute.
“I thought we were going out to the barn?” I ask, though I make no move to get up off the comfortable couch. My belly is still pretty full from dinner, and I’m quite content here.
“Or we could just watch Netflix in here tonight?” he suggests, and I nod my head, grabbing the remote and kicking back. My feet go up on the coffee table, and my arm wraps around my man as I find the documentary we were watching and start it up.
I think about spending every night this way, and it brings a broad smile to my face.
We sit there for quite a while, watching the documentary and snuggling. I almost miss it when he whispers softly, “I love you too, you know?”
I turn my head quickly and see he’s looking directly at me. His eyes shine with that love and vulnerability. And maybe a little bit of fear as if I won’t say it back. “I know,” I say, being a little cocky, but also . . . I do know that. It’s in every action he’s made.
He rolls his eyes, but he laughs, grasping my face in his hand and kissing my lips. “Never had a doubt, huh?”
“Nope.” I pull him into my lap and let him hold my face to study me the way he likes to. “You show me you love me. Every single day.”