Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
SIENNA
“What are you wearing?” I said to Louise from my place on the stairs at the same time that she looked me up and down and said — “What the fuck?”
“Little ears,” August reprimanded, frowning as he walked between us from the kitchen into the lounge.
River had left an hour ago to drive into Calgary, which had surprised me.
I’d figured he might want a night to rest before getting back on the road, but apparently he’d wanted to get this meeting over and done with as soon as possible.
August had taken to wearing Tyler in a sling across his chest facing outwards so Tyler could explore… and take advantage of his new height to grab at my hair. At any given moment, August was chatting away to the baby as they walked around the house on a ‘tour’.
Louise rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, pushing her boobs up to heights I didn’t know were possible even in the corset top she had on.
She’d lined her eyes with a smoky black liner, making their icy blue color pop, and her heels were high enough that even I would have been a little nervous to walk in them.
In contrast, my face was bare, my hair tied up and away from grabby baby hands, and I was wearing the most comfortable pajamas I owned. They were a thick flannel, well-worn and soft from repeated washes, and I’d slipped on a fleece zip-up for good measure against the cold.
“Do I want to know why you even packed an outfit like that?”
“Me?” Louise’s eyebrows rose up and her wide-eyed faux innocence made her look like a girl from a pin-up poster. “I’m appropriately dressed for an evening of cheap alcohol and dancing.”
I snorted. “I agreed to a girls night. I didn’t agree to getting wasted in the middle of the week.”
The sharp intake of breath she took in was dramatic. “Country living has changed you,” she mocked and I laughed.
“Another time,” I promised. “Tonight we’re going old fashioned, slumber party style. So go get changed, otherwise you’ll be cold.”
She sighed but didn’t argue as she headed up the stairs. “Fine. As long as we’re not camping.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Definitely not.” It was far too cold for camping. Maybe in the summer when the nights were still warm it would appeal more, but tonight I just wanted to be cozy and relax with my friends.
The low rumble of August’s voice in the other room as he talked to Tyler was comforting, making the house feel alive and homey in a way that it hadn’t before.
I’d grabbed snacks in town the other day, so I threw a few packets of cookies and candy into a bag and paused to scratch under Muffin’s chin before shoving my feet into my boots by the front door.
“You just going over to Lilac?”
August was watching me from the doorway to the lounge, leaning against the frame with a soft look in his eyes that melted me. Or maybe it had something to do with the baby attached to his front, looking up in his head to watch his uncle while he talked to me.
“Yeah.” I fiddled with the zip on the fleece for a second before letting my hands drop to my sides. “Louise is just getting changed and then we’ll head over. Joe and Wyn will be there, Lisette too.”
“Sounds nice.”
My footsteps were soft as I moved closer. “What are you boys going to do while we’re out?”
“Boys night, obviously.” August grinned and bounced slightly so Tyler giggled. “Well, boys night plus Muffin.”
I smiled and then let it drop as I considered what I wanted to ask him — what exactly was River doing in Calgary on August’s behalf? Why now? Why there?
His dark eyes were knowing, like he could tell I wanted to pepper him with questions, but he offered no unprompted answers. It was almost like a challenge and if I asked what I wanted to know then it would be admitting that I cared.
“I’m ready!” Louise called from the upstairs hall and the moment fell away even if August’s smirk remained.
“Have fun,” he said as I pulled open the front door and ushered Louise outside ahead of me.
“Behave,” I teased and his answering smile made his dimples wink at me.
“Get a room.” Louise fake-gagged and I ignored her. “The sexual tension is breaking me out in hives.”
“There’s no tension,” I muttered as I pulled the door closed behind us and we set off from the porch for the woodland trail that would take us to the lilac ranch house in the distance.
“We’re just two adults that slept together and then didn’t have the chance to talk about it afterwards because a bunch of our friends showed up in the morning. ”
She side-eyed me. “Oh yeah, I don’t know why there would be tension,” she drawled. “Besides, you knew I was coming.”
I shrugged. “I lost track of time.”
“Too busy staring into August’s eyes, huh?” I smacked her arm lightly and she laughed, the sound sending something in the bushes to our left skittering away and Louise shuddered. “I’m going to pretend that was a cute little bunny.”
“It’s possible.”
“Really?”
“Sure.” Possible, but not likely. Whatever helped her sleep at night.
Luckily for Louise, nothing else rustled in the brush as we walked the short distance to the house. Though, that didn’t stop her from jumping every time a twig snapped.
Joe opened the door with a wide smile already in place, her long white-blonde hair was down for once and it fell in light waves nearly to her waist. “‘Bout time, we were about to send out a search party.”
We stepped inside and I held up the bag of snacks in offering. “Sorry. Lou thought we were doing something a little more adventurous tonight so I had to wait for her to get changed.”
Wyn appeared, poking her head around the doorway that led to the large lounge and grinning when she saw us. “Thought I heard voices.”
I gestured to the girls in turn as I rattled off their names. “Joe, Wyn, this is Louise. Louise, this is Josette and Bronwyn.”
“Good to meet you,” Louise said politely and I hid my smile. “I’m glad someone’s here to keep my girl company.”
“Oh she’s in good hands here,” Wyn said, beckoning us forward so we kicked off our shoes and walked into the lounge. A dozen blankets had been spread out and the fireplace was on and roaring, the wood popping and crackling and making me instantly sleepy.
“Yeah,” Joe said, following us in with bowls of popcorn, cups, and my bag of treats. “Plus, I’m sure August doesn’t mind having her in his hands either.”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” I protested while Louise snickered.
The front door opened and shut, saving me from any more interrogation as Lisette peered around the corner and clapped her hands together. “Oh good, you’re all here already. I’ll mix us a pitcher and be right in.”
Louise watched as Grams walked away, a small smile on her face. “She’s still the same, I take it?”
I nodded. They’d met once before. The first time I’d met Lisette was when she’d tracked me down at an appearance I was making at the opening of an indie record store.
To say she’d made an interesting first impression would be an understatement.
She’d attempted to speak to me, Cade had assumed she was some crazy fan and had gently rebuffed her until Lisette had smacked him with her purse and asked who was he to stand in the way of a grandmother trying to see her granddaughter?
The rest, as they say, was history. Two years had passed so quickly, but it felt like I’d known Lisette a lot longer.
Grams strolled back in, two jugs in hand that she placed on the coffee table before pouring a generous measure of her infamous sweet tea into the glasses Joe had brought in for us.
I tried to catch Louise’s eye, to warn her, but she took a sip of the drink before I could say anything and smacked her lips together appreciatively.
“Damn, that’s good. Is this your own recipe?”
Grams lit up and my lips twitched as I looked away, letting them fall into rapid conversation about cocktails and mixology.
Joe and Wyn flicked through the movie selections they had available, dismissing them with some kind of system that I couldn’t make sense of until they settled on a romcom where the protagonist had a date dedicated specifically for the holidays.
“It’s ridiculous,” Joe said, rolling her eyes as she tucked her legs to her side and pulled a blanket over her lap. “The whole fake dating thing. Completely unrealistic.”
Wyn shrugged. “If I wanted realistic, I’d watch a documentary.”
“It’s not that unrealistic,” Louise chimed in. “Sienna and August fake dated for a while. Though,” Louise said, leaning conspiratorially closer to Grams, “they weren’t very good at the fake part. You should have seen them at this photoshoot they did—”
I rolled my eyes, happy to tune them out as they dissected my love life, and instead turned my attention to my phone when it vibrated in my back pocket.
August: So what are you wearing?
A laugh snuck out of my mouth before I could smother it and I shook my head as I read his message twice.
Sienna: A smile.
August: Wish I could say the same but Tyler just spit up on me and Ryder and Haven just knocked on the door. Apparently your grandma told them I needed company?
I glanced up and found Lisette’s eyes already on me, a small smile playing about her mouth as she nodded along to whatever Louise was telling her.
Sending over Haven and Ryder definitely seemed like the kind of meddling she’d do.
I knew as much from first hand experience.
But no matter what, Grams always meant well.
It was more than could be said for some people.
“So wait,” Joe said, eyebrows furrowing as she glanced between us. “You guys were fake dating, and then you ran away together, but you’re still not an item? What are you?”
“A mess,” I grumbled. “It’s complicated.”
The girls all stood and crowded around me. Joe dropped to sit by my feet while Wyn shuffled closer to me on the sofa. Louise strolled over and plopped down onto my lap and Grams watched from the armchair across the room.
“Is it really?” Louise said, giving me puppy dog eyes way too close to my face until I pushed her off of me. “You’re both so clearly gone for each other.”
“You got here like five seconds ago.” I folded my arms across my chest before sulkily catching a piece of popcorn in mid-air when Joe flung a handful of it at me.
“What’s the problem, hon?” Wyn reached across to squeeze my hand. “I know we’ve only hung out with August a handful of times but he seems nice. He likes the horses, the horses like him.”
“Horses are a great judge of character,” Joe agreed, nodding.
“It’s not that. August is… great.” Great felt like an understatement. August was kind and thoughtful and had made me come harder than anyone ever had.
“Then what’s holding you back?” Louise asked, pouring herself another glass of Lisette’s sweet tea as I looked up and met my Gram’s eyes.
“Nothing.”
Louise snorted but Grams just smiled gently. “All I can tell you is that you only get to live one life, and sometimes you have to grab it by the curlies and take what you want if you don’t want to lose it.”
What was she saying? That if I didn’t tell August what I wanted or how I felt that I would miss my chance with him? I wasn’t sure I even had a chance with him beyond sex, and so I said as much.
All four of them stared at me with pity-lined faces.
“Are you always this oblivious?” Joe said and then coughed. “I mean, sorry. But you’re either lying to yourself or stupid.”
Wyn giggled but didn’t disagree. “Though Josette’s delivery could use a little work…
She’s right. You and August move differently around each other, like magnets pushing and pulling in your own little gravity.
” Wyn blushed as she took in our bemused expressions.
“What? My mom always said that was how you could tell if it was really love.”
“Magnets?” Joe raised a skeptical eyebrow and I laughed.
“I never said I was in love with him.”
Louise leaned down and pinched my cheek. “Oh, sweetie.” She glanced at Joe and rolled her eyes. “I think she’s in denial.”
“I’m not in—”
“There’s no shame in it, honey. It would be worse to have never loved for fear of being hurt, don’t you agree?” Grams looked at me expectantly and I stood up and walked over to her, sniffing at whatever was in her glass as I put a hand on her shoulder.
“You can be honest, Grams. Are you on drugs?”
We laughed and Lisette swatted at me playfully. “So what if I am? The point stands.”
The room quietened down, the film playing in the background as I contemplated their words. Did I love August? That was ridiculous, right? I hadn’t even known him that long, surely it was too early to be in love?
“I don’t want him to leave,” I admitted as I sank back down into my seat and Wyn reached out and took my hand in her own calloused palm.
“Then maybe take it one step at a time and tell him that,” she suggested and I nodded slowly. Admitting I liked having him here on the ranch with me didn’t have to be disastrous, at least talking about it would help me see where he was at, what he was feeling.
“What if he doesn’t want to stay?”
Louise hugged me and Joe reached up and joined in on my other side. “Then you’ll move on and find someone else to love. Someone better.”
The words made me recoil. Someone better than August? The words felt like contradictions. I wasn’t sure there was anyone better, but even if there was, I didn’t want anyone else. I just want him.