Chapter 34
CHAPTER 34
DON’T MAKE ME TELL YOU WHY.
Blair
Me
I have news.
Kodi
You’re coming home? Finally!
Me
I’m not coming home. You know this already.
Kodi
It was worth a shot.
Me
Kodi, I’ve absolutely fallen head over heels for my neighbor.
Kodi
This isn’t new information.
Kodi
But I’m glad you’re finally realizing it, sis.
My body aches in all the right places this morning, and I haven’t been able to wipe the smile off my face since I opened my eyes.
I’m alone in the kitchen of Batter Up, with music blasting and making a new recipe I found scrolling the internet last night when I couldn’t fall asleep.
Cowboy cookies .
Clearly, Griffin has taken over every square inch of my brain.
This recipe just looked too good to not try. They are made with oats, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and pecans. A perfect blend of salty and sweet. All things Griffin is.
Even though the music is turned up, I hear the bell chime over the front door, telling me a customer is here. Wiping my hands off with a dishrag, I push open the kitchen door to find Griffin standing on the other side of the counter with two coffee cups in his hand.
Speaking of cowboy…my mouth waters at the sight of him.
I don’t think this man goes a day without a flannel, but it fits him. Today he’s wearing a blend of checkered browns to match the deep color of the cowboy hat sitting on his head.
He lifts one cup in my direction before I round the counter to meet him on the other side. “I brought you a coffee. I didn’t know how you take it, but Autumn told me what you normally get.”
I take the cup from him, holding both hands over it to let the warmth seep into my skin as I sniff the aroma of caramel and vanilla.
“You didn’t have to do this.” I smile, even though my words are coming out nervously. “But it’s very appreciated.”
Suddenly, I’m feeling awkward. I don’t know why because we’ve already had sex. He’s seen me naked. He knows about my past. These new, stronger feelings I have for him make me terrified to mess this up.
He leans forward, pressing his lips to mine.
It’s quick, almost like a habit.
As if he could do this every day with me .
“Good morning to you too,” I say breathlessly.
His smile widens. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
Okay, swoon .
I know it’s not the first time he’s called me that, but I still melt just the same.
“I was thinking about you when I was grabbing my coffee, so I figured I would grab you one too.”
I bring one hand to my hip, cocking my head to the side. “You were thinking about me, huh?”
He takes a sip of his coffee, silence stretching between us as he watches me over the brim of his cup. The weight of his stare sends goosebumps across my skin.
“It’s nothing new,” he admits.
I avert my gaze to the floor, feeling embarrassed for whatever reason. These feelings today have me so on edge. It’s a powerful thing to give yourself over to someone the way I want to give myself to him.
He uses the back of his fingers to lift my head back up.
“You’re all I ever fucking think about, Blair.”
“Feeling’s mutual,” I whisper, letting my eyes fall closed at his words, his touch, his presence.
He kisses me again with another quick kiss before moving his lips to the shell of my ear. “Good,” he says and pulls away. “I have to head to work, but I will pick you up when my shift ends so we can head to the ranch.”
I nod repeatedly in response.
Blair, chill out. There’s no reason to be nervous .
He shoots me a wink before turning on his heel and retreating out the front door. But stops when Lily and Nan walk in at the same time. They all send each other a look before he continues walking, and Nan and Lily enter the bakery.
Lily’s hands land on her hips in front of me, while Nan takes the stool behind the counter. Lily looks like she’s ready to threaten me the way a little sister would be protective over her only brother. Except her features morph into something different. Her eyes widen as she scans me up and down. I follow her movements, looking down to see if there’s something on my shirt.
“You’re glowing today!” she shrieks.
“Alexa, play ‘I Just Had Sex,’” Nan shouts, even though there’s no device around to pick up on it.
I groan, turning to make my way into the kitchen again to finish making the batch of cookies I was working on. I feel Lily on my heel as if she wants to know more.
“Don’t make me tell you why,” I say over my shoulder.
She spins me around, facing her. “Now you definitely have to tell me.”
“Lily,” I say with a warning tone, letting my face tell her everything without saying a word.
Nan was right. I had sex with your brother. Happy now?
She releases her hold on my shoulders. “I take it back. Don’t tell me.”
I shrug, turning to face the cookie dough mix while I pick up the handheld mixer to get back to work.
We spend the next few minutes in silence, Nan not bothering to come back here. She works on paperwork on the other side of the kitchen, while I put a tray in the oven. Crossing the kitchen to bring the bowls to the sink to clean them, my steps falter.
“He’s so gone for you.”
I stand there staring at the sink, refusing to look at Lily after those words just came out of her mouth.
I hear her move, so I make quick work to keep myself busy. I can’t say anything back because what do I say to that? I know he feels something for me. It’s thick in the air between us when he’s around.
“Do you know the last time he’s been inside Batter Up?” Lily asks behind me.
My scrubbing slows momentarily, but I keep going.
“The day this place opened,” she continues. “It’s been over four years since my brother has been here. ”
“How? It’s right next door,” I reply into the sink.
“I don’t have an answer for that. I mean…I know he doesn’t do baked goods and treats. I can’t believe I’m even related to someone like that.” She laughs. “He’s never had a reason to want to come in here.”
I stop, turning to face her completely.
I’m still unsure about how I should respond to that.
He showed up this morning for me. He came here for the first time in four years…for me.
“He laughed,” I finally say.
Nan takes this moment to come into the kitchen, the door swinging open as if she heard it too. “Repeat that again for the class.”
Lily sucks in a sharp breath before her hand covers her mouth. “What?”
“He laughed, Lil,” I repeat so it really sinks in for them. “I’m talking hands on his knees, bent over in a fit of joy.”
Lily’s eyes widen more before she paces the kitchen, deep in thought. When I turn to face Nan, she’s got her arms crossed over her chest and a knowing grin plastered on her lips. Like she’s content with the revelation. But when I look back at Lily, I can tell just by the look on her face the wheels are spinning, because not only did she see him in here after years of never stepping foot in the bakery, but now she knows he’s laughing and smiling again.
She stops abruptly, facing me. “Did you have time to talk to him? You know, assure him you’re staying?”
I shake my head. “I haven’t had the chance. But I’m thinking when he takes me to the ranch this afternoon I will,” I add quickly.
Her fingertips find her temples. “This is too much,” she groans, before sitting down at the stool where she was just doing paperwork. She looks where I still stand. “He’s taking you to the ranch?”
“That’s sacred land,” Nan interjects .
I nod. “He invited me last night. He told me he wants to show me something, but I’m not sure what.”
“Jesus,” Lily murmurs. “He never does that.”
“Should I be nervous?” I ask skeptically.
She shrugs. “I don’t know in detail what’s going on between you two, and what you two have told each other, but knowing my brother, he hasn’t had the courage to ask you the things I’m not afraid to ask.”
“And that is?” Nan asks for me as if she knows it’s where my mind was going.
Lily gives Nan a pointed glare before bringing her attention back to me. “I asked you if you were staying, and you said yes. But has he asked you?”
I shake my head.
“The questions he’s too afraid to ask for fear of being hurt again. Since you’ve clearly fallen for each other, I’m sure you’ve opened up about things. But you need to ensure him you plan to stay if you haven’t already done so. I know Griffin enough to know he will let you in more than he already has.”
Hasn’t he, though?
He’s opened up to me enough to know parts of him I’m not sure he shares with others.
My mind spins, wondering if I’ve actually told him this.
I haven’t. I haven’t said a thing about me being here permanently.
I nod again, this time nervously.
She stands from the stool, moving to stand in front of me again before she places a hand on my shoulder. “I only tell you all of this because I love you. I love my brother too. The last thing I want is for either of you to hide your feelings or end up hurt in the process. You both deserve this type of happiness.”
She’s right.
If I want this to work, and if I want to fully know how he feels about me outside of a physical connection, I have to tell him my plans.