Chapter 34
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
Reeves pulled up to Bailey’s house, practically itching to see her.
He’d never felt like this before, though he’d always been glad to come home from his longer excursions, where it felt like all he did was try to film every little thing.
Pure exhaustion wove through him, and while he loved making his videos, he wondered if he could move to a schedule a little bit less intense.
As he got out of his truck and headed up her front sidewalk, she opened the door, her laughter spilling out, before he’d even made it to the porch. Reeves’s face burst into a smile.
“You’re back,” she said, still giggling.
Reeves wanted this type of homecoming with Bailey every time he returned. He grabbed onto her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. “I missed you so much.”
Reeves had never thought he’d be able to feel like this about another person. He’d never had this strong of a relationship with a woman—with anyone—and while he’d never been in love before, it sure felt like he was falling that way, and fast.
He pulled away, his emotions making the words he wanted to say get stuck somewhere in his throat. He leaned down and kissed Bailey, hoping some of his feelings would at least come out that way.
She kissed him back, and when he pulled away, he said, “I’m falling for you, Bailey, and it feels amazing.”
She smiled at him and took his face in both of her hands. “Isn’t it crazy how your feelings come into focus when you’re not with someone?”
He searched her face, wondering what she was really trying to say. She ducked her head, her corn silk hair smooth between his fingers. “Come on in,” she said. “I got your favorite energy drinks as a welcome home present.” She laced her fingers through his and tugged him into her house.
“I thought we were going to dinner,” he said.
“We are.” She led him into the kitchen, where the white Monsters that Reeves loved sat on her kitchen counter.
“I never told you about these,” he said, his mind moving fast to find the memory where he had.
“You told the world.” Bailey grinned at him as she picked them up. “It was in one of your videos. You said you drink one every morning before you go out on the farm, but that they’re too heavy to take camping.”
Reeves honestly couldn’t remember saying that, but he didn’t doubt her. He didn’t pick up the case. “I’ll leave them here, okay? I don’t want them to get too hot in the truck.”
Bailey squeezed his hand. “All right. Where are we going for dinner tonight? I sent you some great opt—”
“I know.” Reeves didn’t mean to cut her off and sound so grumpy. She really had been accommodating and kind about his nervousness at being recognized in public. “I thought we’d try Devil’s Tower tonight,” he said.
Bailey’s eyebrows went up. “It’s Saturday night,” she said. “You’re probably going to need a reservation.”
“Good thing I called and got one earlier this week.”
“Reeves,” she said, really asking him if he really wanted to go to one of the most popular restaurants in town. He did, and he didn’t. He eased Bailey into his embrace again, because it would be easier to tell her this when he didn’t have to look at her.
“Listen, okay?” He’d picked up how to start hard conversations from her.
“You’re doing hard things like taking lunch to Codi and Bryce, and I don’t want to be sequestered out here on my farm forever.
We’ve been out a few times, and it’s not a big deal.
Even if people recognize me, I can be personable and shake their hands and talk to them. ”
“Or you can just tell them to leave you alone,” she said. “I know that’s what some of the Country Quad guys do.”
“Yeah, and some of them are just nice,” he said. “Not that they’re not all nice, but I’ve seen Harry’s social media, and even Cash’s, and the rodeo cowboys, and I don’t know. They’ve kind of inspired me to be less of a closet celebrity.”
Bailey pulled away and grinned at him, though she still harbored a little bit of anxiety in her expression. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” he said. “Plus, I’ve been gone all week, and I showered up nice, and you’re the prettiest woman in the world.” He shrugged one shoulder. “We don’t need to hide. Let’s just go to dinner.”
“All right,” Bailey said, and Reeves took her out to his truck and made the drive to Devil’s Tower. He’d heard about the restaurant, of course, but he’d never eaten there. It wasn’t a place the him-before-Bailey would’ve ever chosen.
Too many people. Too many eyes. And no one to go with anyway.
At least one dozen people milled about inside, and Reeves had to dodge his way to the hostess stand, where he said, “Reeves Durham. I had a reservation for two at six-thirty.”
“Yes, sir,” the woman said without even looking at him. It wasn’t really women Reeves ever worried about anyway, but men and teenagers. She found his name on the list. “Yes, we have a table for you.” She glanced up. “Your party is here?”
“It’s just me and her,” he said, indicating Bailey at his side.
“Oh, hi, Doctor McAllister,” the woman said, a smile spreading across her face.
“Hi, Bonita,” Bailey said. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
“Just on weekends,” she said. “My cousin owns the place, and he’s in between people right now.”
“Well, that’s good of you to help out,” Bailey said.
Bonita looked at Reeves again. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”
“Yeah,” Bailey said. “This is Reeves Durham. We’ve been seeing each other for…I don’t know, a couple of months now.”
“Four months,” he said, because the night he and Bailey had spent together because of the rain would never leave his memory.
Bonita grinned, and Reeves heard the telltale whispers behind him that someone knew who he was. He stiffened automatically, then told himself to relax. He wanted to be here, and he didn’t have to acknowledge them just because they’d started talking about him.
On his camping trips, he had quite a bit of downtime in between filming and cooking, and he definitely spent some time on social media in the past six days, watching how the Youngs interacted with their fans.
He wanted to be grateful that he had fans at all, and he’d been reminded more than once that those fans supported his lifestyle and made it possible.
“Let me have Devon run and check on your table,” Bonita said. “Give me just two minutes, okay?”
He nodded and turned around. Sure enough, a man stood there with two others, and a teenager joined them, all four of them gaping at him.
“Are you Reeves, the Teton Mountain Man?” one of them asked.
Reeves painted a smile on his face. “I sure am,” he said, and he kept one hand in Bailey’s while he reached to shake hands with the other.
“I knew it was him,” a second man said. “It’s the long hair, even though he’s wearing that cowboy hat.”
Bailey shifted her arm up into his elbow and held it tightly. He glanced over to her, and then looked at the men. “My girlfriend and I are here for the first time,” he said. “What do you think we should get?”
“Well, I’ve been here before,” Bailey said.
Reeves chuckled, and it sounded a little forced to his own ears. “I guess it’s just my first time.”
“You’ve never been here before?” the teenager asked.
“I’m just now getting out of my comfort zone,” Reeves said, and he noticed two of the men exchanging a glance.
“We’ll leave you alone,” one of them said. “It’s great to meet you. My son and I have watched all your fishing videos.”
Reeves chuckled and nodded. “Thanks,” he said. “Though I can’t believe those are the ones you watch. They’re definitely not my most popular ones.”
“My favorite are the ones where you build the snow forts,” the teenager said.
“Yeah, those are great,” Reeves said. “A ton of work, but they’re actually pretty warm inside.” He surveyed the group, about out of questions. “Do you guys do a lot of camping?”
One of the men laughed. “No,” he said. “But I’d like to think that I could survive if I somehow got lost in the mountains, because of your videos.”
“That’s how I feel too,” Bailey said. “But my idea of camping is a trailer, or a motor home, or better yet, a hotel room.”
They all laughed, and Bonita lightly touched Reeves’s shoulder. “Reeves, we’re ready for you.”
“Sure,” he said, and he nodded to the man.
“Thanks for watching,” he said, then he turned and steered Bailey to go with Devon, who waited for them with two menus.
He did sit with his back to the restaurant, and once Devon had explained the specials and said their waiter would be right there with them, he met her eyes.
“So, how did I do? I felt a little stilted there.”
“If that’s stilted,” Bailey said, “I’d like to see what you think easy casual conversation is, because you were incredible.”
“Really?”
She giggled and reached for the drink menu in the middle of the table. “Yes, Reeves, everything you do is incredible.”
“Well, that’s just not true,” he said.
“Well, they think so,” Bailey said. “And so do I.”
He had hours of editing in front of him, because no, he didn’t set up every shot right, and sometimes he had to do it two or three times.
He thought about doing a blooper reel at the end of his videos.
He’d seen those on other channels in other industries, and he always enjoyed them.
He could definitely do it on the next several videos, as he had literally taken a fall on one of the hikes in Yellowstone.
“So, how did everything go at Bryce’s?” he asked.
Bailey gave a wistful sigh. While she texted a little bit, she hadn’t really told him much.
“It was great,” she said. “And I kind of wanted to talk to you about something I said earlier.”
“Oh, yeah?” he looked up as their waiter approached.
“Evening, folks,” the man said. “My name is Tom, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” He tossed a couple of cardboard drink coasters onto the table. “Do we need anything to drink? Any appetizers here?”