35. Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Tate
“A re you sure you want to do this?” Joy asks as I pull my truck onto the road, following the directions on my phone.
Instead of responding, I roll my eyes and laugh. She’s asked that question at least seventy times since her aunt invited us. I would have thought after spending nearly the entire week together she would be feeling better about it. Especially since things finally seem to be falling into place. Gray is pretty self-sufficient, so I was able to get ahead on my end before we left. And my hours haven’t been as long.
“You’re right,” she says with a sigh, causing me to chuckle again. “It’s fine.”
She’s sitting up in her seat clasping and unclasping her hands. Anxiety radiates from her as she stares straight ahead. I’m surprisingly calm, considering I never thought I’d be here. In a relationship. Meeting family. I never imagined this was something I’d want or something I deserve. But as I drive toward Joy’s hometown, the warmth in my chest is proof that this has been my missing piece.
Keeping one hand on the wheel, I cover her hands with my larger one. She begins to relax under my touch as I make slow circles with my thumb. Once she finally relaxes in her seat, I move my hand to her thigh and give it a squeeze.
“It’s going to be fine. And if you decide you want to leave, we’ll leave. I’ll follow your lead. Do we need a safe word?”
She snorts out a laugh and whips around to face me. “Tate!”
I shrug innocently. “What?”
Her laughter fills the truck, and I feel the air surrounding us get a bit lighter. I understand why she’s nervous. It makes perfect sense. We haven’t been seeing each other for long. I’m technically her boss. And Joy’s aunt only found out about me a week ago.
The two-hour drive did not feel like two hours. When I glance at the map and it says we’re only ten minutes away, I can’t believe it. It was a comfortable drive once Joy began to relax. We talked and listened to music. Joy sang along to her favorite songs. We are just leaving the suburbs and entering a more rural section of town when Joy tells me to slow down.
“Turn right just past these trees. If you follow the directions navigation tells you, you’ll miss the driveway.”
As promised, as soon as I pass the trees, a long driveway comes into view. I turn off into the section in front of a large white farmhouse. It’s larger than mine, but about the same age if I had to guess. A large fenced-in area can be seen at the end of the curved driveway. Beside the fenced area sits a large barn and stables. It’s impressive. I wouldn’t have guessed the size of the facility just looking at the driveway and the part of the house that’s visible from the road.
“You ready?” I ask.
She shrugs her shoulders and moves to exit the truck, but I raise my hand signaling for her to stop as I reach for my own door handle. She knows I hate it when she opens her own door. And I’m definitely not going to have her do it when I know her aunt is watching, just hoping for a reason to dislike me. I open her door and take her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze before helping her step out.
“Hey, Aunt Sophia,” Joy greets as we approach the porch steps.
The older woman was on the porch waiting before Joy had both feet on the ground. Her brown skin is smooth aside from a few faint smile lines and creases around her eyes when she smiles warmly at her niece. Her salt and pepper hair is styled in long braids and piled on top of her head. She’s casual in a long flowy top paired with jeans and cowboy boots. She somehow reminds me of Martha, even though she’s quite a bit older.
Sophia pulls Joy into a hug, and I wait at the bottom of the steps to give them some space to say hello. Swallowing hard, I'm unable to tear my gaze from the way they look at each other lovingly. I’m reminded that I don’t really have this. The closest I have to extended family is the Eglestons, and I’m grateful to have them… but it’s not the same.
“You must be the one Joy was talking about,” Sophia says with her hands on her hips.
I remove my hat and reach out a hand. “Tate. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs.—”
“Call me Sophia,” she interrupts while giving me a firm shake with her weathered hands.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sophia,” I say with a genuine smile. “Thanks for having me.”
“Well come on in. No need to stand out on this porch all night.”
Joy takes my hand, and we follow her aunt. The inside is about what I would imagine. An open floor design reveals a large living room and dining room with older, comfortable-looking furniture. The furniture isn’t new but it’s in great condition. We walk past the farmhouse-style kitchen and into a hallway.
“The bathroom is here.” Sofia points to the first door on the right. Across the hall, an open door leads to a dark room. “And that’s my office.”
We continue down the hall on an unexpected tour. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was under the impression that Sophia wasn’t thrilled to hear about me. While she wasn’t exactly celebrating, she seems nice enough. Joy’s soft hand squeezes mine, and I find her looking up at me with a worried expression when we stop outside of the next door.
“And this is the guest bedroom.” Sophia glances at our empty hands. “You don’t plan to stay? It’s such a long drive; I thought you’d be here for the weekend.”
A smile tugs at my lips when Joy laughingly interrupts. “We have a bag in the truck. I knew you wouldn’t want us making the long trip back.”
“Okay. Well.” She turns and leads the way to the living room without another word.
This time when I glance at Joy, she too is trying not to laugh. We take a seat on the couch and Sophia joins us a couple minutes later carrying a tray with a pitcher of iced tea along with cheese and crackers. She sits in the upholstered chair across from us and watches us quietly.
“So, this is Tate,” Joy says awkwardly.
“We’ve met,” Sophia says with the faintest hint of a smirk.
“Well. You see that he’s real. And I’m alive. Feel better now?”
“He doesn’t seem like your type,” Sophia points out. “Where did you two meet?”
Joy coughs and I drape my arm across her shoulders, pulling her close. Of course, her aunt would ask the thing Joy was most worried about first. I can tell Sophia is the type who hates bullshit and can spot it from a mile away. So, I opt for a version of the truth. I don’t want to tell her we officially met at a bar.
“We met at the rodeo, ma’am. Actually, that’s not true,” I say, correcting myself. “Technically, we met in the parking lot where she works.”
Sophia looks between the two of us and sits forward expectantly. Shrugging, I look to Joy to tell the story, figuring I won’t do it justice.
“I was on my way to meet Rayna for lunch, and someone wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing and backed into my car.”
The old woman gasps in horror, so I raise my hands in defense. “She’s fine. Her car is fine. I wasn’t going that fast. But she’s right. My mind was somewhere else. And I’m glad it was.”
“You’re glad you backed into my niece’s car?” she says, incredulous.
“Yeah. If I didn’t, we might not have met. And that would be a damn shame.”
Grinning, Sophia holds my gaze for several long moments before flicking her eyes to Joy. “I like him. Now, what’s this about the rodeo?”