Chapter 26 Easton
EASTON
My plan is in place.
Well, for the most part, it is. I’m riding heavy on Dirty Dan to pull through on his end of the bargain. I did a bit of propositioning to convince him to help me pull this off.
Nothing a good service trade can’t do. I ran an electrical wire from the one transformer Yellowstone has out here to the service pole and connected it to the weatherhead.
Plugging it into his meter from there was simple.
Not that I expected Dirty Dan to understand any of those terms. He sat back and watched his RV come to life in awe.
In return, he promised to assist me however I needed.
Now, here we are. I snuck out around lunchtime with Dirty Dan in tow, claiming I had to grab things for dinner for our last night here.
Hiding shit from Collie is a difficult feat when there’s very little space for anything as is. Besides, nearly two weeks in, and we’ve established a bit of a routine with each other.
After we got back to camp, Dirty Dan did his worst at nearly shoving Sheila at Collie, insisting it’s their turn to run into town with another one of the wives for some toiletries and a pair of sweatpants for Collie to wear on the plane home tomorrow.
Muddy sweats won’t do her any good. Even Dirty Dan remembers what beautiful mayhem she looked like arriving here.
Home. Just the word makes my stomach sink. I feel sick at the thought of leaving. Leaving this beautiful city and the dynamite woman who came with it.
“You sure are pullin’ out all the stops for a man who’s only been married not even two weeks.”
I jerk my head and take a momentary pause, finding Dan with an entire bag of green grapes in his hands, kicked back in the inflatable loungers I set up. “I got somethin’ on my face?” he mumbles, wiping at nothing.
I shake my head, not even trying to hide my chuckle. “Gonna miss the hell out of you, Dirty Dan. You know that?”
“Well, shit. You ain’t so bad yourself. Even though you showed up here looking like an antler hooked ya in the tush and drug ya through the swamp land. Glad to see that suit in the trash.”
“Thanks for the vivid reminder.” Once I have the legs of the screen secure, I stand back and take it in. “Think she’ll like it?” I sigh.
“Well, Mrs. Collie Voss loves you, so I’ll take a guess and say she’ll love it no matter what. Not because of the surprise you’ve given her, but the gesture. You got yourself a special lady there, Easton.”
Yeah…
That’s the thing—she is pretty incredible. Which is why I wanted to do something for her on our last night here.
It’s nothing crazy, and the least I could do. She deserves to have another night of happiness before heading back to reality.
And selfishly, this might just be for me, too.
Because fuck. I’m gonna miss the girl.
“Let’s hope so, Dirty Dan. Let’s fucking hope so.” I take a seat in the inflatable chair opposite him and crack open a cold beer from the cooler. “This place has been good for me.”
“Yeah,” he draws out, still chomping away on his grapes. “That’s what they all say. That’s how the mountains get ya. They pull ya in and make ya never wanna leave.”
I offer him a beer, and he shakes his head. “Goin’ on eight years sober.”
“Shit. Sorry. That’s a big accomplishment.”
He nods. “I owe it all to my woman. She met me at dirt bottom.”
Pretty sure it’s rock bottom, but I’ll go along with it.
“The good ones do it to ya, don’t they?” I counter, knowing he’s got something witty coming.
He lets out a lazy chuckle. “They sure enough do. I always tell my son, ‘If their reason for livin’ is the same as yours, then you better keep ’em. If not, let those birdies fly.’”
I let his words fester. “That’s great advice.”
“I’ve still got some common sense left in this ole’ noggin’.” He taps the side of his head, making me chuckle.
“You’re a good dude.” Meeting Dirty Dan out here was very unexpected, but offered a fresh perspective. He lives life at a slow pace and sees it for what it’s worth.
It’s easy to forget that in the busyness of everyday life.
I realize more than ever it’s the simple life I crave.
A house big enough for what I need, but nothing above my means. A woman to love whole-heartedly that loves me right back. A stable job to provide for my family—enough stability to have a family.
Good health. A decent chunk in savings. And friendship.
If I could ever be fortunate enough to have those things, I’ll want for nothing.
“Can I offer you a bit of advice, son?” Dan asks me, abandoning his grapes and leaning forward to give me his undivided attention.
“Sure. I’d appreciate that, sir.”
“First off, don’t let me hear that sir shit again. You wanna call me something? Call me a friend. We ain’t unequals here. We’re Dan and Easton. Shootin’ the shit and havin’ ourselves a conversation. You hear me, boy?”
“Yes, si–. Yes, Dan.”
“Easy peasy,” he agrees. “Now, down to business. I want ya to listen to me clearly cuz I’m not one to get off on repeatin’ myself.”
What the fuck is happening?
All I can do is nod and agree. I have no idea where this is going, but I have a feeling it’s a conversation I won’t forget.
“I’ve been around a long time. Longer than a lot of these squirrels out here.
Now, I may not know much about those powerlines you build and what happens past these forest walls, but I do know a real connection when I see it.
And boy, you and that pretty wife of yours got it.
I see the way she looks at you, and you her.
It’s a rare kind. Now, pardon my French, but don’t you dare fuck it up.
Or that one will surely hurt for days to come. ”
Despite Dirty Dan and Sheila not knowing the truth behind Collie and me, it still feels real. It’s wild and not normal at all, but it’s as if we’ve been in each other’s lives for decades.
Longer than most.
Not just the physical connection between us, although electric, the emotional relationship and trust we’ve established together is something I have yet to find with people I’ve known since I was a kid.
I don’t know what that means. I don’t have all the answers. But I do know it’s going to be immensely painful saying goodbye to Collie tomorrow.
“Thanks for saying that, man. I love my wife, and we’re lucky to have what we have. I don’t take it for granted.”
This is the first time I’ve almost convinced myself of our white lie.
“Good. Now, love her well and have dirty nookie for the rest of your lives together.” He kicks back in the chair, eyes toward the blue sky. “Oh, and good communication. That’s what Sheila tells me, at least. I’m still learnin’ that one.”
Dirty nookie? Jesus Christ.
I think we have the hot sex part down. Without a shadow of a doubt.
It’s the communication part that I’ve always struggled with. Making my feelings known.
But what if the woman I want to communicate with lives in another state? Or has a life outside of our bubble in Wyoming? What if I’m just a temporary fling to her, and this trip was a means to an end?
I can’t ask her to be with me.
That would be too selfish. Too spontaneous. Unlike me in every way possible.
Collie doesn’t have a job. Something she still needs to figure out when she gets back to South Carolina. She has an apartment. And her parents. Her sister’s wedding is coming up. Hell, she’s about to be an aunt.
And me? Well, I have a job. A stable career I’ve busted my ass to build, and a home where everyone I know and love is.
I also have relationships I have to mend. Well, more so, a conversation needs to be had with my parents, and I need to check on Sydney. Everyone else can worry about themselves. I see now that I should have felt that way from the beginning.
This is my life.
Yet, there are still too many factors in our way. Too many to fight through.
And this is all me just assuming she’d be even remotely interested.
Fuck.
I need to stop and focus on appreciating the now. The time we still get together. That’s what matters.
I reach out to shake Dan’s hand, feeling immensely grateful for his hospitality and kindness. “That’s a life lesson I’ll take with me. I promise you that. Thanks for making Yellowstone feel like home.”
He pats my shoulder and stands, offering me his grapes in the process. I shake my head, telling him I’ll pass. “Now, you get the girl, bubba. Or should I say, get your wife?”
His chuckle back to his RV is all I hear, my mind racing, and my chest fucking burning with both dread and excitement I can’t contain.
It seems I’ve got a bug. A sickness embedded in every channel of my immune system.
And it’s my fake wife.
“Promise not to open them?”
“Promise.”
I’m grinning like a little schoolgirl with her first crush. Collie barely put her bags down before I all but tackled her to the ground with my hands over her eyes.
I want this to be special for her. For us.
“Easton, you’re creeping me the fuck out,” she giggles, her actions betraying her words. Collie leans into me as we walk steadily toward my setup. She’s relaxed, excited, and not at all creeped out.
But that’s the beauty of our dynamic.
“Don’t freak out, okay?”
She halts in place. “Well, now I’m really gonna freak out since you told me not to freak out. God, Easton. Have I taught you nothing?” she teases, and fuck, I’m gonna miss her.
The comfort we’ve found in each other.
I’ve never had an ease with anyone the way I do Collie. The ability to be completely myself.
“You’ve taught me more than I bargained for, lost girl. I can tell you that. But just trust me this once, okay?” I bring her to stand directly to the side of our orange camper that’s been our home these past two weeks.
“Is this where you fuck me, Ranger?” Her voice rises an octave.
She’s going to be severely disappointed if rough sex is what she’s expecting. I chuckle. “Not quite.”
“Fulfill that mask fantasy I dreamed about in my twenties?”
“Jesus, woman,” I exhale. “Seriously?”
“It was one time. Clearly not the time to bring it up again. Shit,” she giggles. “Carry on. Surprise me with the goodies.”