23. Kai
Chapter twenty-three
Kai
Alittle over a week after I built the outdoor shower, Hayes takes me into town for a trip to the hardware store, and I’m excited to buy bigger things like lumber and paint.
I’ve put together short teaser clips and a lot of people have liked them, so I’m hoping the full length video on my new youtube channel does even better.
We’ve started having dinner together, and I’m loving having the big strong farmer cook for me. Hayes taught me how to do canning and vacuum sealing food for the freezer. I filmed both to post on his page, and they’re popular, but Hayes still hasn’t downloaded the app.
Hayes seems happy to take my word for it, helping me hold heavy things, fetch supplies, or even film segments when I need a second pair of hands. And his hands are also wonderful after the tools are put away and we retreat to one of our bedrooms for the evening.
Sure, I’ve had a lot of sex in my young life. A lot of sex. But most men aren’t as conscientious as Hayes. He’s spoiling me in so many ways, I’m starting to wonder how I’ll move on.
Planning it out, I have about three more weeks on the tiny house renovation now the clear out is done.
The building is in better condition than I expected, and only needs a few big fixes.
The main thing is the bathroom, and I have Hayes to help me in buying lumber for stud walls as well as building them.
“Are they only stud walls if a stud builds them?” I ask as we enter the hardware store. “Or do you become a stud after you complete the walls?”
Hayes laughs and draws the attention of Jack, who now knows me by name from all my trips to Knuts & Bolts. “Pretty sure it’s neither of those, but if you’ll call me a stud after I put them up, I won’t argue with you.”
“I’ll call you a stud right now, if you want,” I tell him in a low, heated voice as we round a corner.
Hayes grins down at me and I reach for his hand. Our fingers brush and I think about what those big, work-roughened hands might do to me later.
“Can I have my own chickens, Mom?” A little girl’s voice reaches us and Hayes snatches his hand away.
“What–” I start, but then I see his eyes are wide and Hayes has stopped at the end of an aisle.
Following his gaze, I find a family perusing the display of screws and nails.
The little girl is wearing a flowered dress and holding a woman’s hand, with a man in nice black jeans and cowboy hat pulling a box off a shelf.
Both adults look around Hayes’ age, and it is a small town, but his reaction is odd.
“Do you know them?” I whisper to get his attention.
“I–” Hayes blinks and swallows hard before clearing his throat to try and speak. The sound draws the family’s attention.
“Uncle Hayes,” the little girl squeals, running from her mom to jump into Hayes’s arms. He is still in a daze at seeing them, but catches her just in time.
This must be his niece, Meaghan, making her parents Hayes’ sister, Kristen, and his brother-in-law. I understand why he didn’t hold my hand, but it still stings a little.
“Tell Mom I should have my own chickens.”
“You can visit my chickens, Meg,” Hayes replies in a way that tells me he’s explained this to her many times before. “You’re the one who named most of ‘em.”
Meg rolls her eyes. “But I haven’t visited you in months.”
“Three weeks,” Kristen, tells her daughter. “Not months.”
“Hi,” I say, because I’m eager to properly meet Hayes’ family after weeks of hearing about them. “I’m Kai.”
“Oh, you’re the one who’s bringing my brother into the twenty-first century!
It’s so nice to meet you,” Kristen says before hugging me hard.
I let out an oomph of surprise. She’s stronger than she looks, considering her designer sundress plus perfect hair and makeup.
Kristen lets me go to give me a once over.
“I’ve started following you online but you’re even cuter in person. ”
“Thank you,” I grin, happy to know she’s checked out my socials. For some reason, I want Hayes’ family to like me. “Love your dress.”
“Oh, this old thing,” she demurs, smoothing down the front. “Who am I kidding? It’s new and I’ve been waiting for someone to notice.”
Her honesty is refreshing, and nothing like the women I’ve met in my travels who pretend that expensive designer clothes just appear in their closets. “From Ezra’s new line, right?”
“Yes, how did you know? Oh, wait! You’ve modeled some of his clothes,” Kristen continues, barely taking a breath. “And now you’re staying on the farm and fixing up that old caretaker house. I’m loving the posts, and that my brother is putting himself out there in the digital world.”
“I’m standing right here,” Hayes grumbles playfully, making Meg giggle in his arms.
“What am I, chopped liver?” Kristen’s husband jokes, stepping to stand beside his wife and offering his hand. “I’m Wayne Belham. These two gorgeous girls are mine.”
His words could sound old fashioned, but they come across as sweet and very used to the women in his life steamrolling the conversation.
He’s almost as tall as Hayes, but with blue eyes and blond hair peeking out from under the clean black cowboy hat.
His boots are much fancier and less dirty as well, but I remember Hayes telling me he runs the finances for his family’s huge rice company.
Shaking his hand, I notice his are rough like he knows how to do hard work, but not as big and warm as Hayes’ are. “Nice to meet you.”
“You didn’t come over for Sunday dinner last week,” Kristen says as she takes Meg from him. “Too busy with your house guest?”
Kristen’s question is innocuous enough, and her tone mostly neutral, but I see a sparkle in her eyes that hints at mischief. I don’t know her well enough to say if there’s a hidden meaning or if it’s just how she looks at everyone.
“Last Sunday Hayes showed me how to make pickles,” I explain, leaving out the part where we shared a bed after hours of trading pleasure. He still isn’t out, as far as I know, and she’s his sister. “I had no clue how easy it is!”
“And Hayes’ has great pickles,” Wayne agrees with a nod and I stifle a laugh at the mental thought of Hayes calling his dick a pickle.
“You two should join us tonight,” Kristen says with enthusiasm, and I realize they’re all in their church clothes. It’s Sunday, but days have little meaning when you work random hours mostly online. “Leon gave us some fish.”
“Ooh, Hayes cooked the fish Leon gave us last week and it was so good,” I clap in my excitement, and then I look at Hayes to see him looking stricken.
I just let them know that Hayes cooks for me and referred to the two of us as an ‘us’ even though I’m just some content creator who is staying at his place.
“He lets me film a lot of stuff,” I add as an explanation.
Shit, that sounds like I mean adult content.
“About the farm and fixing things, I mean.”
Biting my lip to avoid digging us a bigger hole, I turn to Hayes. He opens and closes his mouth a couple times, at a loss for words where I’m rambling. He finally lands on, “Glad you liked the fish.”
He knows I liked it. Hayes used dill and rosemary from the garden that I helped pick and it was adorable. I crawled under the table and blew him afterwards to say thanks. It was a very memorable fish dinner.
Kristen, Wayne, and Meg all stare at us for a second before his sister breaks the tension. “Well I taught him everything he knows. You should come see how I prepare it.”
Looking at Hayes, because I don’t want to accept on his behalf, I can see he’s in a dilemma. He can’t really say no without a reason, and I have a feeling his sister won’t take no as an answer.
Blowing out a long breath, Hayes rubs at his beard. “I guess we’re coming over for dinner.”