40. Cash
40
CASH
“ A fter the shit day she’s had, I just want to make her feel special so she can relax. She deserves to recalibrate before we take off on the US leg of the tour next week.”
“You’re a squishy little sweetheart deep down. Who would’ve known?!” Dolly is helping me pack a charcuterie picnic in a basket.
Monroe’s plane landed an hour ago. She’ll be getting here with Brooks at any minute now. I hate being away from her now, but I know she’s safe with Brooks and Mike, who’s turned out to be incredibly focused and damn good at his job. I knew he would be, being ex-Special Forces and working for Griffin’s security company. I needed to wrap some things up at the ranch to prepare for another three months away while she did a last-minute search for a replacement assistant.
“How’s your heart been feeling lately, Doll?”
She rolls her eyes. “My thumper is thumping along just fine, thank you.”
Duke and Sam stalk into the kitchen, both filthy from working the cows out in the pens all day with Holden and the ranch hands. Dolly straightens.
“You made an appointment though, right?” Duke asks.
She nods. “Just to appease all you hovering mother hens.”
Sam snickers, but doesn’t say a word. Dolly looks up at him through her dark eyelashes, pink spreading through her cheeks.
What the fuck is that?
Duke doesn’t seem to notice. He pops a grape into his mouth from the bowl of them on the island. “What’s this for?”
“He’s taking Monroe on an overnight picnic near his new house site.” She packs in a few slices of some fresh cinnamon bread she baked.
“Aww.” Duke punches my shoulder. “Look at you, turning into a romantic little bitch. That’s adorable.”
A smirk spreads across my lips. “It’ll be your turn someday soon, little brother.”
He shakes his head, punching Sam in the gut. “Not for us. We’re loners till we die. One woman sounds like a trap—a really boring one. I like variety.”
Sam doesn’t react. Dolly purses her lips and closes the picnic basket.
“Here.” She hands it to me.
“Thanks, sis.” I lean in to kiss her cheek right as the sound of the front door squeaks open.
“Is anybody home?” Brooks calls out.
My heart skips a beat. I’m ready to see my baby. I turn around right as she enters the kitchen on Brooks’s heels. Her face lights up when she lays eyes on me. I walk up to her, my entire body feeling lighter as soon as I wrap her in an embrace. I grab her chin, planting a kiss on her lips. She giggles into my mouth.
“Well, hello there,” she says.
“Hi, gorgeous. How was the flight?”
She sighs. “It was fine. I missed you a lot, so I wrote a song about it.”
I nuzzle her neck, tingles spreading down my back as she rubs her hands over my T-shirt. “I can’t wait to hear it. I have a surprise for you.”
She kisses my shoulder. “What is it?”
I pull back, grinning down at her. The blue in her eyes is brighter, and the dark circles that have been under her eyes the past week are finally disappearing. I think my baby is starting to heal, and it’s a beautiful sight to see.
“I’ll tell you soon, I promise.”
“Hey, I’m Brooks.”
I turn to see Brooks introducing himself to my sister.
He removes his ball cap and extends a hand her way. She takes it shyly.
“Dolly. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Dolly? You sure look like a doll.” He grins at her.
She blushes.
Duke laughs, clapping Brooks on the shoulder. “Man, you just got here. Lay off my sister, all right?”
My eyes shift to Sam’s face, catching the dark glare in his eyes aimed at Brooks. His jaw flexes, but he doesn’t say anything. Duke is oblivious. He guides Brooks out the back door, pointing toward the arena and telling him that they need help with finishing up the calves tomorrow. I have no doubt it’s his way of hazing the new guy.
“You ready to go, love? Sun’s gonna set in an hour.”
She nods, intertwining her fingers with mine. “Am I dressed okay?”
I look down at her, noting the cozy matching sweatsuit she has in a pale green color. “You look perfect. It might get chilly when the sun goes down.”
I grab the picnic basket, and we walk outside, hand in hand, toward the ATV that I already loaded down with necessary supplies. She eyes the gear loaded into the back of it, but doesn’t say a word. We hop in, and I twist the key that’s already in the ignition. The engine roars to life. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she scoots closer until our thighs are touching. We start driving toward the man-made road that’s been carved out of the forest.
Holden and Rosie are wandering up, holding hands. They both wave at us as we drive up. Holden is smirking at us, and a wide grin is on my sister-in-law’s lips. Her baby belly is finally starting to poke out.
“She’s the cutest pregnant girl ever,” Monroe says.
I nod. “Yep. They’ll make great parents.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes while passing through the lush green fields blooming with spring wildflowers. The leaves are filled with bright green leaves, as full as I’ve ever seen them. We’ve gotten a lot of rain, which was very much needed. We drive past a herd of cattle. They turn to watch us, hoping we brought them cubes.
After another three minutes, we start to climb a hill, and I slow down once we reach the top. I bring the ATV to a full stop when we get to the firepit and tent that I brought up here and set up earlier.
Monroe sits very still, eyes shifting from me to the tent and back again. “Um, I … wow.”
I chuckle, leaning in to peck her on the cheek. “Don’t worry, Blue; the best part of camping is when it gets cold and the only way you can stay warm is with body heat.”
“I’ve never been camping.”
I open the door and step out. “That doesn’t surprise me. But you’re dating a country boy now. And if you hate it, we’re only a few minutes away from my bed.”
She nods, hopping out of the ATV. “No, I can do this. It looks fun.”
Her face says something different from her words, and I can’t help but laugh. “Okay, well, I appreciate that, but there’s another reason I brought you out here to camp with me.” I step forward, gripping both her hands.
She looks up at me, eyes widening. “What?” she whispers.
I look out over the hill at the breathtaking view. From this point, you can see the river curling through the property, the main house in the distance, and every tree for a hundred miles. She sucks in a breath.
“Oh wow. This is … gorgeous, Cash.”
I smile at her, looking down at our feet. “The place you’re standing right now is going to be our kitchen sink.”
Her lips form a circle. She tilts her head down, staring at her white tennis shoes. “Right here?”
I nod. “I’m building us our very own ranch house right here. I thought a little distance from everyone else was what you would want. We can still go down for dinner, bonfires, to work the cattle, or walk with the girls. But this will be a place for us to come and stay when the spotlight is too bright, the crowds get too loud, and?—”
She cuts me off, throwing her arms around my neck. “You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met, Cash Redford. You’re building us a house? A house with a view, close to your family, but not too close? I don’t even know what to say.” Her voice is choked up, emotion overtaking her.
I grin, pulling back to look at her. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are bright as her lips spread into a grin.
“Say you’ll spend the night with me here before they start construction. Next time we’re here, it’ll be framed up, and the plumbing and electric will be going in.”
She nods, laughing as tears stream down her cheeks. “Of course I’ll stay here with you. I’d love nothing more. Can we have sex in the tent? Can I be loud?”
Blood rushes down between my thighs in anticipation. “Baby, you can be as loud as you fucking want out here. Although the coyotes might try to join in with a howl.”
She laughs again, tossing her head back. “I love you so damn much.”
“I love you too.” I lean in, pressing my forehead against hers and inhaling deeply. “This whole time, I had no idea you were exactly what was missing from my life.”
She hums, sighing as her body relaxes against me. “My entire life, I’ve been traveling around this big world, and you were just right here the whole time.” She giggles, reaching her hand to cup the side of my face. “Lucky me. ”
“Hmm, lucky me.”
“That’s actually a great title for my new song.”
“You ever gonna play it for me?”
“I need a guitar.”
I point over to the tent. “There’s one inside.”
She looks over. “Did you think of everything?”
I lean down, nibbling her lip. “I did forget one thing, I just realized.”
“What’s that?”
“Condoms.”
She gasps. “No! Are you serious?”
I nod, swallowing. “By the way, I’ve never asked you this, but what’s your stance on kids? In the future.”
“For. I want them … way, way in the future. You?”
I exhale in relief. “Same. In the future. With you. I actually didn’t think I ever wanted them, but now that I’ve met you, I … I want little Monroe Blues running barefoot around this house.”
She laughs, the melodious sound of her voice floating around us. I lean in and kiss her deeply, breathing her in and feeling more contentment in my life than I ever thought possible.
And this is only the beginning.