Chapter 36
No One Else on Earth
Callie
In the afternoon, the doctor finally comes in and does one last check.
He gives me, what feels like, a thousand discharge instructions.
I’m told to rest for another week with no strenuous activity for another two weeks.
He gives Duke and Cash a look with narrowed eyes as he puts emphasis on “at least two weeks.” They both watch him with rapt attention like they don’t want to miss a single instruction.
I have no concerns about them adhering to the rules. I suspect I will be fighting the bonds of the rules before they give in.
“Where in the world did you get a minivan?” I ask Cash after I’ve been helped into the car.
I wanted to stand and walk the last few feet in the loading zone, but Cash pushed me right up to the door and Duke damn near picked me up and placed me inside.
I didn’t do anything. They are like a couple of doting old women.
“Duke borrowed it from Kayla. Apparently my truck wasn’t a good choice.”
“Oh yeah. I could barely get in and out when I wasn’t hurt. Good thinking, Duke.” I give him a sweet smile. His eyes soften and he runs a finger down my cheek.
“Anyway, it’s actually a really nice car. Look at the storage!” Cash exclaims, opening some hidden compartment. Snorting out a laugh, I side eye Duke who just rolls his eyes.
“If you say so. Let’s go home, I’m tired and want to rest in a real bed.”
“Sure thing, Hurricane.”
The long drive flies by with classic rock flowing through the speakers, Duke and Cash both tapping their fingers or whistling along.
I watch them and notice the ways they are the same despite how different they are.
Duke is more relaxed with Cash around, like Cash fills some sort of part of him that was missing.
Cash is his happiness. It makes me want to cry, knowing no matter how much I adore Duke, I wasn’t seeing essential parts of him when it was just us.
Cash is light, and free, like the sunshine he is.
He orbits Duke a little, like Duke’s grumpy cloud balances his bright sunny day.
During those early days of dating, I remember thinking these men were two sides of a coin, each giving me something the other wasn’t.
But I was missing the whole picture—they aren’t two sides of a coin, they are two halves of a whole person and together they form someone who was created for me.
At the ranch, Cash pulls the van right up to the stairs, onto the grass. Rolling my eyes, I wait patiently for my nurses while they huddle by the door, whispering as though they didn’t have a spare second to consider getting me out of the vehicle, up the stairs, and inside the house.
“Okay darlin’, we are going to help you out of the car and up the stairs. I’m going to go put the dogs away first, so they don’t jump on you. Be right back.” He runs up the stoop and into the house.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you sorted.” Duke grabs me under my arms and turns me so I can be helped up. Sitting there, I stare into his eyes, and he watches me. “What?”
“Nothing. I just missed looking at you is all.” His face transforms into a look of love and softness I’ve never seen before.
Clapping, Cash says from the door, “Alright, let’s do this.”
A man under each arm, they lift me gingerly, and my feet barely touch the floor as they help me up, one step at a time.
I grunt a little at the effort and they both furrow their brows.
Once we are in the entryway, they take turns removing shoes and hats while I breathe heavily through the pain shooting up my side at every movement.
I look fearfully at the stairs to the second floor where I know my bedroom is.
“Fuck this,” Duke says beside me, drawing my attention. Stooping a little, he carefully picks me up into his arms. Carrying me bridal style, he moves toward the stairs.
“Wait, Duke, I’m too heavy. I can do it.”
He looks at me incredulously, with an angry set to his mouth.
“Don’t ever talk that way. You’re perfect.” And up the stairs we go. He carries me straight through the door of my room and lays me gently on the bed. His breathing comes a little faster but otherwise, he doesn’t seem overly exerted.
“Are you okay?” I ask him, afraid I’ve hurt him somehow.
“He’s fine, the brute. I could have done it. I didn’t want to steal his thunder though; I know how important it is that he’s big and strong,” Cash remarks as he walks into the room behind us, showing off a bicep in his short sleeve shirt.
“Not all of us get manhandled by thousand-pound animals just to prove we can. Some of us have practical uses for all this.” Duke gestures to his body. Looking at them standing side by side, ribbing each other, I take in their differences. I never compared them to each other before.
Duke is a good three inches taller than Cash, but they are both over six feet.
He’s long and lean, but there is quiet strength in the lines of his body, his arms strong and his stomach flat.
Despite vividly remembering how he felt moving inside me, I’ve never seen him completely naked and gotten to look at him.
Cash is shorter, more compact but his musculature is more defined, louder.
Where Duke’s is quiet but powerful, Cash’s body is all hard lines and screams power at you.
The way he moves is confident and comfortable.
Remembering how he stood over me on the creek bank, allowing me to look him over, brings blood to my cheeks.
“Something on your mind, darlin’?” Cash asks me, a knowing smirk on his face. My face feels hotter, my neck and chest turning red, and Duke chuckles.
“Leave her alone, Cash. She’s just an innocent, shy, little lady.”
A full laugh explodes from Cash at his words.
“Yeah, if you say so.” My mouth drops open at the casual way they are most certainly talking about the fact I have had sex with both of them.
Duke begins a little tour, telling me where to find all my things, about the stuffed animal he brought from my apartment, my clothes in the suitcases that they will help me put away if I need.
I’m again reminded of two old ladies settling me in.
They are nesting, both overly concerned about what I need and want.
“Can you guys do something for me?” I ask from my place on the bed, propped up by more pillows than I thought one man would ever have in his house.
“Anything,” Cash breathes while they watch me eagerly, waiting for a task.
“Go away. I want to take a nap. All your fidgeting is making me nervous.” I smile a huge, sunny smile.
“Alright, but here is your phone.” Duke lays it on the bedside table. “Call either of us if you need anything. We’ll be downstairs. My room is just next door,” he knocks on the wall, “just on the other side. Cash is across the hall.”
“Thank you, both of you. This is too much, but I appreciate every second.”
Cash comes to me first, leaning down to whisper against my lips. “Nothing is too much; you deserve everything,” he says, before kissing me chastely and skipping out of the room.
Duke leans over me, smelling delicious, making my nostrils flare.
“Sunshine, you can’t look at me like that.
Doctor’s orders.” He skims a hand lightly up my leg, under my blanket, and my breath comes out in pant.
“I promise to make it up to you.” Kissing me, gently at first, he slips his tongue in between my lips, tasting my mouth.
He moans in his throat. “Fuck, I can’t wait.
” Turning, he follows the way Cash went, pulling the door closed behind him.
Leaning back against my pillows, I take in the room I’ve been assigned.
I wonder idly how many bedrooms are up here.
I’ve never seen the second floor and didn’t get a chance to inspect when Duke carried me up.
The walls are painted a pale, calming blue.
There are landscapes in dark frames on the walls, pictures of Montana’s plains and a few of horses out at pasture.
I recognize Daisy and Violet. The black rearing stallion must be Charger.
On the dresser is a younger Cash, on a bull.
The furniture, a simple headboard, matching dresser, and two nightstands, are knotty pine and large, exactly the sort of thing I would expect on a ranch.
There are wide double windows looking out on the front yard, and I can see the horse barn off in the distance.
Gauzy white curtains cover the windows. Through the partially opened bathroom door, I see double sinks with white counters and darker blue cabinets.
There’s an expansive glass shower with blue and grey tiles and multiple shower heads, with my brand of shampoo and conditioner on the small shelf.
Under the soft blue sheets, I stretch out.
The quilt looks handmade in shades of blues, greens, and browns.
Did Cash hire a decorator? Maybe his mom before she got sick?
Everything is so cozy, the way Cash feels, and coordinates well.
I snuggle down into the pillows until I feel enveloped by their soft warmth. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
“Should we wake her up?” I hear Cash whisper. My mouth tips up in a smile.
“No, she’s recuperating. She needs sleep.”
“But it’s been hours.” He’s whining. I try to stay still so I can listen.
“You aren’t a baby that needs to be entertained. Are you seriously pouting? I’m leaving.” I hear Duke leave.