Chapter 32 Easton #2
I didn’t need to explain myself. I didn’t need to ask for understanding. She freely gave it because we’re so like-minded that we’re actually different.
I think that’s as golden as snow in salty air. The imbalance in both of our lifestyles. Yet, an ocean breeze has never felt more appealing.
I just need to figure out what I’m gonna do about it. I’ve dropped little questions here and there with her in passing, hoping she’ll feed me more.
But nothing yet. And I’m waiting, slowly getting the feeling we’re inching closer.
My phone ringing in my pocket steals my focus. I pull it out at the same time Mom says, “East, honey. Is everything okay?”
I can’t hide my smile at the sight of Collie’s name.
The ringtone she assigned for herself makes me smile even bigger, and I know I must look like a dorky fool.
The day we went into town to make hats, I was fucking starving and insisted we grab lunch at a little sandwich shop Dirty Dan recommended beforehand.
Collie asked for my phone across the booth, only because she wanted something that fit her vibe to play when she called me.
“Dancing in the Moonlight” by Toploader blares throughout my parents’ small suburban dining room. I never did get to do that. Dance with her in my arms under the moonlit stars.
Add it to the bucket list.
“Everything’s great, Mom. Mind if I take this?” I hold the phone up, looking to her for approval.
I may be a grown man, but I’ll respect my mom’s wishes in her home. She worked hard on preparing our meal, and I’d hate to take away from that.
But at the same time…it’s Collie.
“Who is it, East?” Palmer asks, and I lift my head with a glare. “Thought so,” she murmurs under masked laughter.
“What’s going on?” Mom asks again. “I feel like I’m missing something.”
“Oh. Easton met a wo—”
“Palmer,” I scold. “Thanks, but I can handle it from here.”
Mom and Pops still look clueless. Rightfully so. I never told them about Collie, more so because there wasn’t really anything to tell.
We left what we had in Yellowstone…until I realized that’s the farthest thing from what I want. Still need to get her on board, but it may be worth mentioning to my parents at this point.
I send a message to Collie, quickly telling her I’ll call her right back and turn to face my mom. “I met a woman. Her name is Collie.”
“Hell yeah, boy,” Pops gets the first word in, causing me to chuckle. I try not to look at him, but it’s kinda hard when he throws his beer back to celebrate.
“Jesus, Dad,” Palmer retorts, her eyes bugging wide. “Chug it, why don’t ya?”
“You met a woman named Collie?” Mom reiterates, ignoring Pops. She doesn’t look upset, but clarifies what she heard.
“I did. We met in the Nashville airport the day after the wedding.”
“Oh, boy. And this woman is…was…a stranger?”
I nod, expecting where this is going. “Yes, of course. I didn’t know her beforehand, and trust me, meeting her was a surprise to me, too.”
Palmer is the only one who knows about Collie. Although they’ve never actually spoken, she was the only one I talked to on the phone while I was still there with Collie. She hasn’t pried me with questions, thankfully, but I know she’s dying to know more.
“Alright. Well, that’s good, I suppose. And this woman…was she traveling to Wyoming as well?”
I shake my head. “No. I invited her to come with me, though. We spent the entire two weeks together.”
“Holy shit,” Pops mumbles.
“Really adding to the conversation here, Dad,” Palmer jokes.
Mom looks bewildered, like she can’t believe what she’s hearing. “So, let me get this straight. You, my son, Easton Voss…invited a stranger who just so happens to be a woman, on a two-week-long trip with you right after calling off your wedding?”
“That’s correct.”
“You sure were ready for a change, weren’t ya son?” Pops laughs and fuck, I can’t help but join him. “Bye, Sydney, helllloooooo Collie.”
Palmer chucks a piece of bread at his chest.
“She was struggling and I couldn’t not offer my extra ticket to her. Her flight was delayed, she had mud on her ass, and no plans to head home after losing her job. It seemed like the right thing to do.”
“Sounds like it,” Dad mumbles, a wide smile ghosting his face. “’Bout time you do something spontaneous, son. I’m proud of you for that. Whether that was extend the invite or do the girl.” He winks.
Fucking hell.
“Then, East went and fell in love with the woman,” Palmer chimes in.
“Love? You love this woman, honey?” Mom asks kindly, finally deciding to contribute.
Do I love Collie?
Can you really love someone after only knowing them for a month and a half? I don’t know the answer to that, but I know what I feel is real.
“I don’t know what I feel yet, Mom. We’ve stayed in touch and talked, but I haven’t seen her. I know I really care about her and want to see her again, though.”
“You better go after her then, son. Don’t let her go,” Pops tells me boldly.
“Brett, would you be quiet for a second,” Mom scolds.
“Easton, honey, look at me.” My eyes lift to Mom’s, and I know she sees the conflict in mine, but also hopefully the change in me, too.
“Just like we’ve told you before, you’ve always put everyone else in your life before yourself.
I love that about you. But I can’t say in all your adult life that I’ve ever seen you smile like you just did when Sydney called you.
Or when Sydney walked into a room. And that’s nothing on her.
She knows how much we love her and she’s family to us.
But loving someone wildly and without conditions is much different than a friendly kind of love.
If this woman is special to you, then I agree with your father. Don’t let her go.”
I don’t plan to.
“I don’t want to. I just don’t want to push her, you know? She has a lot of shit to work out back home. And her sister is getting married next month. I don’t want to add to the stress.”
“Well, hasn’t she had the last month to do that? To work everything out?”
“Well, yeah. But I still don’t know what that looks like yet.”
“Have you asked her, honey? One thing about us women is that we love being pursued. We want a man to work for our love and affection.” Fuck.
I feel like a child. I don’t know how to do this.
To want her so badly I can’t sleep. But also to pursue her when I have a whole-ass life here and she’s on the other side of the country.
“No, but I need to,” I tell her.
“You probably should start there. Ask her the hard questions. See where her head is at. Does she miss you like you miss her? All of those things are important. The beauty of this is that you have nothing holding you back, Easton. Your job can take you anywhere. You don’t own a home anymore.
The opportunities for you to be happy are endless, my love. Use that to your advantage.”
Is my mom actually suggesting I go to Collie? I could do that…
She’s told me she misses me. I at least know that.
I’ve done little things to show her I’m thinking of her this past month, something I’ve never done before.
I sent flowers two weeks ago just because.
I even had food delivered to her apartment one night when she claimed she had no groceries but was too tired to go out and grab something.
That night, we talked on the phone until her heavy breathing told me she was asleep.
Made me miss our nights under the stars in Yellowstone.
All of this is new to me. These feelings and actually wanting to make another woman feel special. I never mistreated Sydney. Never. But everything was always just…shallow with us. On both ends, with her just as much as me.
It’s as if everything starts making sense the more I talk about it. “I need to call her back.”
No one says anything, just ushers me away. I take in the three megawatt smiles coming from the most important people in my life and appreciate that I have a family who supports me the way they do.
A family that genuinely wants me to be happy.
Excusing myself from the table, I move past the sliding door, shutting it behind me on my parents’ back porch. I click Collie’s name and bring it to my ear as I wait for her to answer.
“What up, Ranger?”
Her sweet voice. Fuck, it soothes me.
“Still feelin’ lost, lost girl?’ I tease her.
“Not so much today,” she exhales, but there’s a hint of excitement in her voice I can’t miss.
“You seem extra happy. Finally find the extra sour Gushers in stock?”
“Ugh. I wish. But…I actually signed a lease today! I’m gonna have my own studio, Easton. Can you believe it?”
My chest thunders proudly for her, thinking back on all the days she felt absent in her own life and without a vision after losing her job. “Collie, that’s incredible. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Thanks!” she shouts, and I can feel her thrill from the other side of the country.
She deserves this. “It’s gonna take me a while to get it up and running, but I’m excited to make it mine.
God, I have so many ideas. Paint colors, design, wallpaper.
I love fun wallpaper. It’s going to be the fitness studio of Timber Heights. I just know it.”
“You’re gonna kill it. Let me know if you ever need help getting it ready. I can take some time off to come be your little bitch.”
This is the first time I’ve ever offered or suggested that we see each other again. I think it’s something we avoided just to be safe.
Although her text about missing my cock the other day didn’t help build my defense. If anything, it made me want to shift the states around between us just to be closer to her.
“Wait. You would really do that for me? Even with the snowstorm season approaching?”
Did she really think I wouldn’t? It seems I have a lot to prove to this beautiful woman.
“In a heartbeat. I can do whatever I want. Did you already forget how badass I am at my job, Ms. Meadows?” I tease her jokingly.
“Oh, so sorry, Mr. Lineman. My apologies.” Collie’s voice takes on an amused tone. “Then please, come be my little bitch and get to work. Or should I give you a pole to dance on instead?”
My girl would soak her pretty silk panties if she saw me work a pole.
“Just say the word, beautiful.”
“I miss you,” she blurts out, causing my body to freeze in the best way possible. “Miss you calling me that, too.”
“Well, you are. I’ll remind you more often if it reassures you how beautiful you are to me. And I miss you too, Collie.”
A long pause draws out, and I have a feeling she wants to say something. “You good?” I mumble.
“Hey, so I wanted to ask you something. You can totally say no. No pressure. I know how busy you are. But remember how Capri gets married in a month?”
She’s going to ask me to be her date and make my fucking life.
I can feel it.
“Yes,” I stammer impatiently.
“Well, I was wondering if you would want to come?”
I smile to myself. “That’d be a little strange to come alone since I don’t exactly know Capri, Collie.”
I’m fucking with her. I just want to hear her say the words.
Ask me to be your date, beautiful.
“Don’t play stupid, Easton Voss. I know your games.”
“Say it, Collie Meadows. Ask me what you really want to ask.” My voice is dead serious, my insides buzzing with heat, knowing come hell or high water, I will be at that wedding.
No take-backs now.
“Will you come with me as my date?”
With my pretty girl on my arm.
“I thought you’d never ask. I’d love to be your date.”
“Okay, cool. Cool. Yeah. Sounds good.” She’s trying to play it off, but I know inside she’s reeling—excited. “Can’t wait for you to meet Mrs. Trunchbull.”
Almost forgot about her mother. “Bet you I can get her to smile at me.”
“Ha!” Collie howls. “Good luck with that one. The woman barely smiles at her own husband.”
Hmmm. “So, what should we play for, then?”
“Ohhhh, we’re making a real game out of this one?”
“It’s kind of our thing, so why not?” I tell her, knowing I have my work cut out for me with Mrs. Meadows.
“Okay. Deal. If I win, you owe me a lap dance.” Thirsty girl.
“Not necessarily a hardship, lost girl,” I say. “But I’ll go with it. And if I win, you let me take you on a date.”
“A date?” she stammers, and I know I stunned her a bit.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?’
“Yes, but how? You live in Alaska, in case you forgot, Easton.” She laughs like I’m kidding. Not in the slightest.
“I always knew you were smart,” I gloat. “If I’m gonna visit Timber Heights, I’m staying longer than a day, Collie. This is my excuse to see the city that made my girl who she is. I wanna see the studio, your house, your bed. Preferably not in that order.”
“Your girl? I’d say that’s a bit presumptuous, wouldn’t you?”
“Maybe. But I have a feeling after I woo you on our date, you’ll say otherwise.”
“You’re insane.” She giggles.
“Tell me I can visit you and I’ll book my hotel and flight right now.”
“You can stay with me,” Collie tells me.
No, I want her to want me with her. Permanently. With a future in mind. “Nope. I’ll stay at a hotel in the next town over, then. Renting a car shouldn’t be too hard to do.” She begins to protest, and I chuckle. “Baby steps, Collie. Trust the process.”
“Where is all this coming from, Easton? You’re making my stomach do weird flips.” Her flirty laugh echoes in my ear, and I feel like a young kid again with a crush. This feels strange yet madly liberating.
I don’t know why I didn’t realize how much she truly meant to me sooner. But I refuse to waste any more time.
“I’m no expert, but I think those are butterflies,” I tell her. “That means you’re thinking of me, and that’s really fucking cute. Send me the date and time of the wedding. I’ll fly in the day before and stay a few days after. I’ll forward you my flight info once it’s booked.”
“But—”
“See you in a month, beautiful.” And I hang up the phone.
Time to be the man I’ve always wanted to be and go get my girl.