Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE | COLTEN
Reaching up to one of the branches, I wrap the string lights around it, pulling to tighten them.
I climb down the ladder and head to the bed of my truck, where the generator hums through the otherwise quiet orchard.
I plug in the cord, watching as this part of section nine brightens from the dainty lights I wove in a zigzag pattern through the apple trees.
They drape over the picnic blanket I set up with a few candles and a vase of flowers I picked from the garden because I have no idea what the fuck to get a woman for her birthday.
Taryn seems like the type of person who values thoughts over things. I respect that about her.
After work, I ran into town to The Honey Hut and picked up a chocolate cake I had Adelaide make just for her. It’s currently waiting in the cooler in the truck, but the twins—along with Elena and Tristan—are making her dinner first, and later tonight, I’ll be bringing her out here.
I settled with a grand gesture because she never talks about needing things, and I still want to make up for everything I’ve put her through.
And for some goddamn reason, I love the bright smile on her face when she’s surprised and caught off guard.
A smile that makes my lungs and heart feel full, like they could explode at any moment.
That’s what she does to me.
Crouching down to the flowers, I nervously rearrange them in the large vase on the blanket.
Standing up, I take one last look around at my pathetic attempt at a birthday gift.
Section nine isn’t far from the house, so I figured we could walk to it.
Tucking my hands into my sweatshirt pockets, I begin the walk back to the house between the rows of trees on either side of me, my head swimming with doubts.
This is so stupid. Why did I think this was a good idea?
When I return to the house, I slip off my hood as I walk through the doorway. The scent of butter and garlic wafts through the room, making my mouth water. Smells like they’ve got a good handle on dinner.
My body jolts as something crashes and shatters on the floor.
Maybe not.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Elena’s sweet, anxiety-ridden squeak comes from the kitchen.
They told Taryn she couldn’t leave her room for an hour while they got everything ready, so I assume she is still upstairs.
Multicolored balloons are scattered haphazardly around the foyer, leading into the dining room and kitchen.
On the table, lit candles, a bowl of salad, and happy birthday napkins from Tristan’s party earlier this year are displayed.
Streamers are chaotically taped to the walls, twisting and attaching to opposite sides of the room.
I hustle into the kitchen, seeing Brennan and Tristan blowing and tying more balloons while Elena sits on the counter beside the stove with a wooden spoon. Cameron appears from the pantry with a broom, reaching for the broken glass and beer puddle on the floor that Rossco is helping clean up.
“Watch where you step. She knocked my beer off the counter,” Cameron mutters, amused.
“Come here, Rossco,” I call. He turns toward me, and I crouch down to pet him as Cameron cleans up the mess.
“Don’t forget to stir, Elena,” Cameron reminds, snatching a towel off the counter.
She sticks the spoon back in the homemade Alfredo sauce, stirring it around as steam billows into the air. Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, entirely focused on her task.
After Cameron gets everything cleaned up, he removes the noodles from the stove and strains them, tossing them into the sauce.
“All right, I think that’s enough balloons. I feel like I’m going to pass out,” Brennan sighs, smacking the balloon he had just finished blowing up away from him.
“Do you think she’ll like it?” Tristan wonders, looking around.
I grin. “Oh, I definitely think she will like it.”
That response earns me a smile from him, and I cling to the expression.
“Can I go get her now?” Elena asks. How she drawls out the word now suggests she’s already asked multiple times.
Brennan rolls his eyes. “All right, go get her.”
She hops off the counter rapidly, sprinting out of the room as fast as her little feet will carry her.
Cameron turns off the burner and reaches into the fridge to grab another beer. After popping off the top, he carries his beer and the pan of Alfredo into the dining room, placing the pasta on the pot holder.
Brennan, Tristan, and I follow him, pulling out the chairs as we settle into our usual spots.
“How was school today?” I ask Tristan while we wait for the girls to return downstairs.
He shrugs. “I played with a snake I found at recess.”
Brennan and I frown simultaneously. I’m unsure why we are both staring at him like this; his fascination with reptiles is not surprising in the slightest. We’ve caught him playing with lizards in the rock beds outside multiple times when he wanted to avoid us, at least before Taryn arrived.
Brennan peers at him. “What did you do with it?”
I reach for my water, bringing it to my lips.
Tristan’s eyes widen as if he is reluctant to share. He fiddles with his napkin. “I put it on a girl in my class who was sitting and reading on the bench. Then she got me in trouble.”
That. That I was not expecting.
Brennan’s eyes widen, and I choke mid-swallow, the water caught in my throat.
“And why would you do that?” Brennan questions.
Another shrug. “I was bored, and she’s annoying.”
I smirk. “You probably just put gasoline on the fire.”
Tristan looks up at me from across the table, one of his blue-green eyes twitching. “What does that mean?”
Brennan laughs. “It means you just started a war. She might be more annoying now.”
Tristan crosses his arms, rolling his eyes.
“Come on. Come On!”
“Okay, okay.” Taryn chuckles at Elena, the approaching sound causing the hair on my arms to stand on end.
We all turn our heads, watching as they descend the stairs. When Taryn sees everything, a lovely blush colors her cheeks, creeping up the slope of her neck and across the curve of her breasts. Her genuine smile quickens my breath.
“Oh, you guys. This is too much!” she says, tilting her head.
When they enter the dining room, Elena grabs the chair and pulls it out for her.
Taryn didn’t even mention that today is her birthday.
I remembered it from the application she submitted for the teaching position.
I seem to recall everything I read about her.
When I informed my brothers, they came up with this plan.
Judging by how she is brightly beaming, I can tell she is stunned.
“How did you guys even know it was my birthday? I didn’t say anything.”
“We know everything about you, remember?” Cameron smirks.
She purses her lips, attempting to hide her grin. “Right.”
“And we made your cards,” Elena shouts, jumping to snatch them off the table. She stands beside Taryn’s chair and hands them to her.
She opens them one by one, smiling at Tristan and Elena’s card and then laughing at the one Brennan and Cameron gave her. It makes my skin itch, wondering what the twins wrote.
She opens mine next.
I have a surprise for you.
Meet me on the porch after dinner.
- C
After she reads it, her eyes instantly collide with mine. She nods, suppressing a smile.
My pulse batters, and I take a sip of water, my focus not leaving her.
I’ll see you on the porch after dinner, Little Ghost.
“Where are we going?” Taryn wraps her arms tightly around her body.
The chilly night air is a little colder than I had anticipated, but luckily, she’s in a sweatshirt, and I have a few blankets and pillows set up in the truck bed.
When I remain silent, she glares at me. “You guys already surprised me with dinner,” she whines, walking beside me as we reach the edge of the mowed lawn where the orchard meets the yard.
“What’s your point?”
She rolls her eyes and huffs out a breath, glancing around at the dark trees engulfing us. Her eyelids turn into little slits as her focus finds me again. “Should I be running?”
“Do you want to run?” I challenge.
“You’re making me feel like I should, since you’re being all shady.”
A thrill shoots through my veins. Snatching her arm, I tug her into me, her breath quickly exiting her lungs.
Lowering my head to hers, I brush my warm lips against the skin below her ear.
“If you want to run, then run,” I gesture ahead of us toward the direction of the quaint party for just the two of us that I set up.
After a minute of walking—or running—she’ll start to see the string lights flickering through the trees.
“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you a minute head start, but if I catch you, I want your clit on my tongue while my cock is buried in your throat.”
She visibly shudders, my dick twitching at how responsive she is to my words. “God, your mouth sometimes.”
Without another word, she wiggles out of my grasp and starts running, each beat of her feet against the ground encouraging the drumming in my chest.
I start walking in the same direction, because she is bound to lose anyway.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
A minute later, I see her ahead, standing motionless under the starry sky with the moonlight filtering above. The glow of the string lights in front of her highlights her flawless silhouette. I usually don’t drive my truck through the empty rows between the trees, but I made an exception tonight.
Ambling up behind her, I keep my hands tucked in my pockets. Lowering my lips to the curve of her neck, I press a soft kiss there, fighting the urge to groan at her taste. “Happy birthday, Little Ghost.”
The movement in her throat moves against my mouth. She spins rapidly, her arms wrapping around my head as she buries her face in my neck. Something wet drips down my chest, the wake of her tears searing through my flesh and cutting open my heart.
Fuck. She hates it.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve gotten you a better gift,” I growl, pulling my fingers through my hair.
Her head shakes against me. “No. Uh—” She inhales a deep breath, pulling back. Bunching up her sweatshirt sleeves, she rubs the cloth under her eyes. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Her confession brings some comfort. “I didn’t know what to get you.”
Taryn’s lips tilt upward as I reach for her hand, interlacing our fingers.
Her touch shoots liquid fire up my arms and straight to my cock, and I start to think about all the ways I could make her look at me like that again, with big eyes sparking with contentment—like I just handed her the entire world under a canopy of hanging lights.
I walk her over, and she sits on the blanket as I go to the truck, pull out the boxed cake in the cooler, and set it in front of her.
Then I grab the lighter and light the candles around the perimeter of the blanket before dishing out a few pieces of cake onto our plates.
We sit on the blanket, diving into the fluffy pillow of perfection.
She hums, and I feel the sound deep in my bones. “Holy shit,” she chews. “Adelaide has magic hands. This is the best cake I’ve ever had.”
As I place the fork in my mouth, I lick off the frosting, noticing her eyes follow the movement of my tongue. Even before Adelaide took over The Honey Hut, we always bought our cakes from her grandmother. Adelaide definitely has a talent of her own. It might even rival her grandmother’s.
“Did Tristan tell you what he did today?” I ask her.
She pauses mid-chew. “No.”
Her face scrunches in worry, and I laugh. “He got in trouble because he put a snake he found on a girl in his class.”
Her eyes widen. “No, he didn’t,” she says through chuckles.
I nod, but the expression that crosses her features next is concerning. “What?”
“It’s times like this when I miss teaching.
Sometimes, the things kids do can be so—unexpected.
” A sad smile lifts the corners of her mouth.
“They always kept me on my toes.” The flames from the candles flicker, the yellow glow licking her skin.
“One time, before I secured the first-grade position in Arizona, I was subbing for this seventh-grade English class. When I pulled the chair out from my desk, luckily, I looked down.” She stifles a laugh. “A student glued tacks to the cushion.”
My eyes narrow. What the hell? Why is that funny?
“That’s fucking horrible.” However, I feel like I can’t say much since my friends and I regularly played pranks and sometimes took things a little too far. But not to that extent.
That’s just psychotic.
And if Taryn was my teacher when I was in school.
Fuck. I would’ve been so distracted.
Maybe I would’ve tried to get her attention, too, now that I’m thinking about it.
She shrugs, the grin on her lips adding a wave of heat that licks up my arms. “Yeah. But I’ve found that in situations like that, all they’re looking for is a reaction. So, I didn’t give them one—whoever it was. While they read the book they were reading as a class, I just stood.”
“Did you tell someone?” I lean back against my hands, placing my empty plate on the blanket.
“Afterward, I did. As painful as it would’ve been if I had sat down, I don’t know—” She weighs her words.
“It felt powerful to maintain my composure. I was twenty-one then, so the fact that I could hold it together in a situation like that made me realize I might be cut out for teaching. It’s hard work, but it’s gratifying to recognize the kind of example you can set and how many young minds you can influence. ”
And there it is.
That is the exact reason she is so perfect for us.
Perfect for Elena and Tristan.
But my gut is filled with guilt because, at this moment, I don’t think I can be selfish with her. As much as we need her here, maybe we can make something work. On Monday, I will call Alaric Sinclair, my former principal at Cedar Creek High, and see what I can do to get her a teaching position.
Holding out my hand to her, she hesitantly places her fingers on my palm, and I pull her on top of me, drawing a gasp from her. Her body is draped over mine, and the inferno in my chest rages.
I want to fuck her all the time, but now? I want to kiss the shit out of her. Intertwining her fingers in my hair, she stares down at me amiably.
Why is it that I have a strong urge to give her everything?
I wanted to keep her here because it was what my family needed after Mom disappeared and Dad was taken away.
I needed to give them everything.
And yet, as I stare into the flames dancing in her irises, my chest swells. Although I’m determined to keep her here, I’m starting to learn that Taryn Meyers is the one person I can’t be selfish with.