Chapter Nineteen
He said nothing else, his declaration pulling tight the tension between them.
She had a choice to make. If she wanted to know him, she had to let him in.
She couldn’t kill this blossom before the seeds even sprouted. They just needed the right growing conditions. How could a guy prove his worth if she never let him try?
“I haven’t, uh, done this dating thing in a while,” she admitted, resting against his heartbeat.
He glanced out at the countryside, rolling his lips together and rested his arms on her shoulders as his fingers idly plucked her hair.
“I’ve never dated,” he admitted.
“You’re so full of it, Thad.” But her smile fell when she looked up to meet his serious gaze. “You’re … not joking…” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, as he cleared his throat. “You? You’ve never had a girlfriend?”
He readjusted his hold to tug her hips tighter to his belt buckle, chuckling uncomfortably.
“Yeah, well, it might just surprise you,” he enunciated as if he was about to enlighten her to the secrets of the world, “that girls don’t take me seriously too often.
I mean, who gives the disowned flunk out a commitment?
It ain’t like the girls have been beating down my door for a wedding ring. ”
Her smile fell. Disowned? She touched the divot in his cheek contemplatively. He cleared his throat again and stretched his neck up, scouring his jaw.
“Is he gone?” Daisy’s thin, distant voice sounded as feet creaked down the stairs.
*
Charlie yanked away, T.R. jolting forward at her unexpected severance.
“God, I don’t want her to see me crying,” she whispered, trying to hide her face and clearing her throat as she pushed a smile into her voice. “Yes, baby, he’s gone!”
He dipped his head to get a read on her face. He pushed away the mist in her eyes with the pad of his thumb, as if hardwired to touch her.
“Were you guys … kissing?” Daisy asked, face peering through the cracked screen door.
“Daisy, listen,” Charlie hurried, squatting down and cupping her cheeks, as if they’d been caught doing something wrong. “We were just, I mean, Thaddeus and I were deciding if we, uh—”
“Yes,” he said, reaffixing his Stetson.
He arched a brow down at her.
No need to pussyfoot around the issue. They’d been caught, and he didn’t regret it.
His eyes bounced back to Daisy. “Is that okay, Daze?” he asked, his blue eyes pinned on Daisy even if the question was for Charlie. His skin tingled at what her answer might be. “Is it okay if I kiss your momma and take her out?”
Charlie’s face burned in his periphery, as she bit her plush lip.
To date her was a helluva step toward more serious than he’d ever been.
Dating required honesty, and yet, the conviction only strengthened at the thought.
Out playing music. Out for tacos. Early mornings nursing coffee together, or evenings cooking out, or Fourth of Julys spent with sparklers, lying on his tailgate overlooking the escarpment watching fireworks, his house turned into a home…
He swallowed, then also squatted down, resting his forearms on his knees as he looked at the girl standing before them with her unicorn sundress and twin buns. “You can say no, and I’d understand—”
“Yes.” Daisy threw her arms around his neck. “But only if you treat her nice. Because I want her to be happy.”
Did Daisy think she wasn’t? Can Daisy see that you aren’t, Flower Girl?
He enfolded her in his arms and stood, Daisy’s arms and legs cinching him. And then, he reached a hand down to her and pulled Charlie up, into the embrace. Just like he had at the carnival.
The three of them together. His arm around her shoulders, hooking her neck close, and both their others around Daisy between them. Finally, Daisy wiggled to be let down.
“Go clean up the tools, Daisy May, and make sure Pumpkin has fresh water. Everything’s fine now.” Charlie cupped her cheek. “I’ll finish getting dinner ready.”
“Aw, I don’t waaant to clean up,” Daisy moaned.
T.R. grabbed one of Daisy’s buns and wiggled it, nodding toward the door. “Listen to your momma, Daze. A good chicken coop builder always cleans up after a project.”
Daisy scampered back inside as his phone buzzed a reminder notification against his thigh.
“Thanks for that. Uh…” Charlie smiled tentatively at him, licking her lip as if she could still taste him on the swollen flesh, when she whispered with such visceral distress, “Don’t break Daisy’s heart.”
He brushed her lips, staring at them, as her words sank in. “I think what you mean is, don’t break yours.”
She cleared her throat and glanced askance.
“You better answer your cell. It’s been buzzing all day.”
She went inside, the screen whinging shut.
He pulled it out, remaining on the porch, as their voices murmured softly, as the ramifications of what Charlie had just begged settled within him. Slipped on his glasses again and turned the volume low so the text aloud would play. Sure enough, Tyler:
4:59: “You okay?”
The most recent text, in a string going back to the morning. He scrolled down to the bottom text and began working his way up.
9:01: “I know it’s your day off. But you plan on grabbing those vitamins on your way home? Earl said you’ve usually been and gone by now.”
9:15: “Need me to get the vitamins, man? Earl said you ain’t been by yet.”
10:33: “You still at your girl’s house? Saw you leave this morning with that Rover. Saw your shop light on at 4 when I got up.”
God, Ty seemed needy without his woman, texting him like a mother hen when normally the man hated phones about as much as T.R. did.
11:00: “Come by my office tomorrow. 3:00. Got something we need to talk about. Shouldn’t put you late for your band rehearsal.”
Yeah, tomorrow was rehearsal day at his place.
One of two times a week his place came alive.
Filled with laughter and happiness. When Jack brought his twin boys to play on the old playset from when T.R.
had been a pipsqueak, and usually some homemade cookies or cake, when they jammed and tapped longnecks in cheers while the ribs or brisket or chicken breasts or whatever meat Jack, his bassist who owned a food truck, happened to bring for T.R. to throw on the grill.
12:00: *Missed call.
1:00: *Missed call.
2:00: *Missed call.
2:45: “You being petulant?” T.R. smirked as the text aloud dictated. “It’s about your position here.”
3:42: “You gonna answer or what?” the voice text said robotically.
Shoot, Tyler was angry. Dare he read the rest, he thought, as he scrolled, if he already knew what was … coming…
4:09: *Two missed calls.
4:30: “Where are you?”
4:48: “Earth to Thaddeus. Need vitamins.”
Huh. He ought to jet. The feed store wasn’t even open Sundays, yet Earl always let T.R. in through the back to grab his stock every Sunday morning and it wasn’t fair to put the old man out. But…
What if Jason came back and he wasn’t here to ward the bastard off? What if he hurt them, instead of just threatened them? His eyes lifted to the woman and girl beyond the screen door, worry digging a talon under his skin.
“I wish he wasn’t so mean,” Daisy was murmuring, skinny arms cinched around her momma’s waist as Charlie held her, pressing a kiss to her head. “I wish he’d just leave us alone so we could find a nice daddy who doesn’t fight or curse…”
“Shh, sweet girl,” Charlie whispered like a prayer, looking up to the heavens as if she might find atonement in the atmosphere. “I’m sorry I didn’t do better by you…”
T.R. brought his phone to his lips and spoke: “Tell Earl I’m on my way. Sorry got held up.” Hit send.
More inaudible muttering filtered out from the house when Charlie extricated herself and ducked back into the kitchen. T.R. creaked open the screen. The scent of dinner welcomed like a tease, and he slipped inside to say goodbye—
“Let’s have supper, Daisy!” Charlie called.
He went into the kitchen as feet scampered from somewhere.
Charlie glanced up at him, a stack of tortillas in hand, then glanced to the keys in his.
“I’m gonna screw up.” The words blurted softly from his lip and hung silently in the air between them. “I always do.”
She searched his face, putting him on the spot.
“Just cut me a little slack when I do. Because one thing I need you to trust is that I’ll never hurt you.” Damnation, his throat was tight.
Daisy came and took his hand. “She set out three plates so you can eat with us.”
Charlie smiled tentatively at his furrowed brow. “If, you know, you want to stay for dinner. Since you didn’t have a date last night, maybe—” She shrugged. “Maybe we can be your dates tonight. You know … a do-over,” she added hesitantly.
A do-over … his heart nearly squeezed from his chest.
And like that, he was glad he hadn’t acted like the same devil as Jason when he’d sent Jason packing. Couldn’t bear the thought of these girls looking at him and seeing another monster.
He brought his phone to his mouth and voice texted Tyler. “Scratch that. Need you to pick up the vitamins. I got a date.”