Chapter 12
Everything changed. Lucy was coming over every week for campfires under the stars. If it happened to rain, we would reschedule. She no longer sat on the opposite side of the fire either. We now sat side-by-side, sometimes in silence, and sometimes discussing our days, our hopes, our dreams. They weren’t explicitly labelled as dates, but they sure as hell felt like them.
That didn’t include all the times that our paths crossed when she went to the coffeeshop each morning before taking the kids to school. It was the highlight of my day. Kaley now smiled when she saw me and Eve didn’t look like she was terrified of my presence in her mom’s life anymore. I took the wins where I could get them.
But what really made me say fuck it to keeping things platonic, was the lingering gazes Lucy gave me when in my uniform. It was the way our hands always seemed to find one another around the fire. And if I’m being honest, it was last Friday when she took my cowboy hat and placed it on her head, wearing a shit eating grin as she sprinted away from my grasp.
I mean come on; everyone knows the rule. Wear the hat, sleep with the cowboy. While I had no intentions of rushing that, and God did I want too, but it gave me hope and courage to maybe be more forthcoming in my affection.
When I had caught up to her and tackled her to the ground, she laid beneath me gasping for air around her laughter. Those warm eyes bounced between mine. We stayed lying in the grass, me on top of her, staring at one another until our breathing calmed and the reality of our position clicked. Lucy had cleared her throat and returned my hat, claiming she should probably return home.
I had pressed a kiss to her cheek before getting up and giving her a hand. She smiled that night. She didn’t blush at my touch. She wasn’t shy or withdrawn. She was happy. I wanted to make her happy.
So, that was my plan, I was going to make it known that my intentions were to date her, to bring her joy and happiness.
The fair blazed around me, kids on roller coasters screamed, while children walking around had sugar highs and shaved ice mustaches. Everyone enjoyed the fair. While it was a cacophony of sounds, I loved seeing people come together.
“Afternoon, Sheriff,”
Mae called from behind Whispering Acres wine stand.
“Hello, Mae. How are you?”
She glanced behind her at the cases of wine and shrugged. “Just holding down the fort until Dad gets back. Livin’ the dream.”
I chuckled. We both knew the winery was anything but Mae’s dream. “Well, I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“I’ll be with your girl tonight.”
She winked as she waved goodbye.
Town gossip knew no bounds in this town, but that was one rumor I hoped would become true.
As I patrolled the grounds and held small talk with patrons, I thought a lot about Lucy’s kids and what I should do to ensure they knew I respected their father’s memory and had no intention of replacing him. I hoped that the times they’d seen me around their mom made it clear that I loved David and wanted nothing but good things for them all.
“Hey it’s Garrett!”
Speak of the devil. Lucy’s brothers were waving as they hollered and cat called at me. I groaned and rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses.
“You know I could arrest you all right?”
I threatened with no conviction as I headed towards them.
Josh clapped a hand on my shoulder and wagged his eyebrows. “Yeah, but we all know why you wouldn’t.”
“Do you want to get a pretzel with us?”
Brett’s little girl, Elle, asked hopping around like she’d already had five pints of sugar.
Alex rolled his eyes. “No, we are getting corndogs, right Dad?”
Brett shifted Liam in his arms. “We can get both, please just get along.”
Eve glanced at me from Josh’s side. “Hi,”
she mumbled with a shy wave.
I smiled at her, pushing my sunglasses up onto my head. “Hey, are you having fun?”
She glanced around the fair, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “It’s loud.”
I nodded in agreement. “It is. But are you having fun?”
She allowed herself to smile. “Yeah, I am.”
I gave her a high-five. “Good. And you Half-pint? Are you having fun?”
She glanced down from atop Dylan’s shoulders and nodded emphatically. “This is the best fair ever. I can’t wait to ride every ride.”
“When your mom gets here,”
Brett amended.
She nodded, her shoulders slightly deflating at the fact that she’d have to wait.
I laughed and said, “I’ll be sure to let your mom know you need her, okay?”
She beamed, her pigtails bouncing. “Yay! Thank you!”
We said our goodbyes when Alex and Elle made it clear they were starving and couldn’t wait any longer. It was a good day.