He sat up and whipped it over his head and tossed it aside. “This summer you’ve been shirtless so often…I have definitely enjoyed the view.”
“It’s been hot, but if I realized you liked it, I would have done it sooner,” he admitted. “You’ve been wearing a lot of skirts that show off your legs. You have great legs.”
She had ordinary legs. She appreciated that he thought they were great, but they weren’t long and slim like her supermodel sister Amelia’s. She’d also noticed her hips were getting a bit…well curvier was the nice word for it, from all those hours of sitting and reading. She had not a bit of regret about that though.
“Thank you. It’s the heat. I guess we can thank summer for our romance,” she said.
Red shook his head. “Summer is nice, and I like seeing your legs but this has been growing for a while. At least for me.”
She nodded and then realized that she had been falling for Red long before he’d asked her out. Maybe it was his fishing guide tips that had planted the seed of attraction long before he’d asked her out. How he’d been doing little things that she couldn’t help but notice for a while now. At Christmas he’d talked to her about Pride and Prejudice, which had both surprised her and delighted her. Gavin had talked to her about it too but wanted to talk about the implications of a society that was forced to marry well. Red had just let her discuss the romantic parts that she loved.
It had made her realize that she had been looking for someone like Red without realizing it. She needed someone who would let her talk and not interject his opinion every other sentence.
“For me too,” she admitted. “I think it was Christmas when you were at our movie night…I really enjoyed that and started to think, well, maybe you were going to ask me out. But then you hesitated, and I figured I’d read you wrong. What happened?” she asked. “Or was that when you decided you had to check your fishing guide?”
“I did check my fishing guide because you were too important to risk losing. I couldn’t ask you out and not have a plan. That’s not my way,” he admitted.
“Why did you need a plan?” she asked.
*
Red took a deep breath. This wasn’t really what he wanted to talk about, but he knew better than to ignore this. He had to give her the truth where he could. And as much as he was afraid of appearing vulnerable to her, everyone who knew him knew he liked her.
“I figured you weren’t the type of woman to give a guy a second chance if he screwed up big-time,” Red said. He’d thought about Emma a lot when he’d been fishing and canoeing and when he’d gone camping last fall. She’d just been on his mind all the time and that rarely happened.
He freely admitted that was because he was at the saloon drinking and hooking up with the women he normally met. But with Emma it was different. He started seeing more of her after Amelia and Cal began dating. Red hung out with Braden pretty much all the time and he’d just been around her more. He remembered her from grade school and middle school. She’d been a bookworm and had always helped him when they’d been paired together for activities, but he wouldn’t have said she was his type until they were in each other’s company…all the time.
Suddenly he couldn’t stop thinking about her. And he’d had no idea how to move things forward. She did come into the saloon with her sisters and friends, but he’d always been a few beers in by the time she did and had been eyeing a woman he wanted to take home. It had made him realize that if he wanted Emma in his life he was going to have to make a few changes.
And if the changes hadn’t set right with him, he wouldn’t have done it. But then everything with Molly started to happen and making the changes seemed like the way his river was flowing. So here he was, holding Emma Corbyn in his arms and admitting he hadn’t wanted to screw things up.
“I hope I would have given you a second chance,” she said.
“Not if I’d asked you out after I’d been at the saloon for a bit,” he said, wryly.
“No, probably not. You get a little…cocky when you drink, Red,” she said. “That sounded judgey but I don’t mean it that way.”
“It’s fine. I do get cocky. I’ve done some crazy shit when I’ve been drinking. Of course, I won’t do that now that I’m with you.”
She didn’t say anything, which made him wonder if they weren’t a couple. “Right?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, I was just thinking that I don’t want to change you or make you into someone you’re not.”
“You aren’t. I just was doing my single guy thing and that’s fine if I want my life to stay that way forever, but you make a man—me—think of other things. Like maybe staying home instead of going to the saloon every night. Building a house instead of living in that cabin by the outfitters. Stuff like that.”
“I’m glad. I want that too,” she said. “Every time I come out to your house, I feel a little bit more like it’s a home. A place I want to spend more of my time at.”
“That was my plan,” he said. “Of course, I figured we’d be dating in town more than we have been but I like this too. Having time alone means I don’t have to deal with anyone else, I can just concentrate on you.”
“I like that,” she said, shifting around in his arms and brushing her lips over his. “I like it a lot.”
She put her hand in the center of his chest and he felt her weight shift to her hand as she bent to kiss him. Her lips were soft, her mouth sweet and luscious-tasting. He could never regret any changes he made as long as she was in his arms. He knew that now.
He pulled her more firmly against him. Felt her legs shift against his as she settled over him. She pushed her hands into his hair, and he liked the feel of her fingers on his head. She always held his head when she kissed him. He didn’t know why but he liked it. It made him feel as if her entire being was focused on him, on their kiss. As if at the moment he was the only important thing in her world.
He wrapped his arms around her hugged her tight. She was so precious to him. He’d had so few things in his life that he was afraid to lose. He knew that a man’s life was like nature—constantly changing—and that he should roll with the seasons and accept them, but he wanted to anchor Emma to him.
Find a way to lash them both together so that when the storms passed, she’d still be right here in his arms. Holding his head and kissing him with that intensity that never failed to turn him on.
He’d been enjoying holding her and talking but now he needed more. He needed to make her his and reinforce that she belonged here in his arms. He swept his hands up under the skirt of the dress she wore and pulled her panties down her legs. She reached between their bodies and undid his pants and freed him. He pulled the condom from his pocket and put it on then pulled her over his lap and she settled on top of him. He sat up so he could get deep inside of her and wrapped his arms around her.
She held his face and kissed him as she rocked against him. He wanted to take things slow but not tonight when he’d realized that he never wanted to let her go. That he needed her in his arms forever. He rolled them over, so she was under him, and drove into her until they both cried out together and then he collapsed on top of her, holding her in his arms.
Neither of them said a word and as he looked up at the night sky, he was glad. Words would have spoiled this night and this moment where everything seemed perfect in his head. He knew once he told her about Molly the dynamic would change. She’d have questions. He’d have answers she may or may not like and accept. And he wanted this one perfect night for himself in case it didn’t work out and tonight was the last one he had with Emma. He’d wanted to be with her for so long, but he knew there were risks. He was willing to take them, but it wasn’t easy to let go, to trust.
Handle with care—fish have teeth.
~A Texan’s Guide to Fishing
Chapter Thirteen
Emma was nervous, which was silly since it was just brunch with her parents. But she knew it was so much more than that. This was it, t
he moment she went public with Red and from this moment on everyone would know about them. He was the first man she’d been serious about since Trey had broke her heart and left town.
Amelia, Cal and Lane would be there and since Cal was coming her mom had gone ahead and invited his brothers, so Finn, Lancey, Braden and Lea were coming as well as Finn’s NASCAR friend and replacement driver Zim. So for a first-time date with Red they were going straight into it with all the people in her life who mattered to her.
She took a deep breath as she pulled up to the cabin next to the outfitters. Red had been out of town since their magical night at his new house. She had been busy at the library, but she couldn’t read The Blue Fairy Book that Red had given her without blushing. She was ready for this brunch. Ready for him to meet her family and for them to see the two of them as a couple.
She wore a new dress she’d gotten in Austin when she’d driven over to pick up some items she’d ordered for Red’s place. She had the afternoon off and had decided she could use the drive and some shopping.
She parked her car even though she could have walked over to the outfitters from her house and really her parents’ mansion wasn’t that far either but August was so hot it almost hurt to breathe and the thought of doing anything outside made her want to crank the air conditioning up on high. She left the car running and started to get out and go let Red know she was there. But he saw her and waved from the porch as he came toward her. He held a bottle of wine in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other. He opened the passenger door and climbed in.
He smelled of that aftershave she’d mentioned she liked, which made her smile at him. He was so cute, she thought. “How’ve you been?”
“Good. I got these for your mom and dad,” he said, flipping down the vanity mirror and checking out his hair. “I probably should have gotten a haircut before this.”
She shook her head. “No, you shouldn’t have. I was wondering if I should have gotten a manicure. I guess we are both nervous.”
“Why are you nervous? It’s your family.”
She smiled over at him after she braked to a stop at the four-way stop. “Mom invited the Delaneys too, so we have a full house for brunch. Everyone we know is going to be there.”
“Hoo boy. That is not what we were expecting is it? You okay?”
“Yes. I’m not going to go back to sneaking around. I’m past that. I don’t mind if Mama invited the entire town.”
“Say it enough times and maybe we’ll both believe it,” he said, reaching over and squeezing her shoulder. “But at least we’re together.”
“That’s what I was thinking. Doesn’t matter if everyone knows because we are both pretty sure of this, right?”
He hesitated for a minute and she looked over at him. “Red, right?”
“Yeah. But we have to talk later. It’s all good but some things changed while I was out of town.”
“What things?”
“Just things,” he said.
He wasn’t going to say anything else and because Last Stand was so small they were already at her parents’ house. She parked around back by the garage but wanted to demand that Red tell her whatever it was he had to tell her. She didn’t want to smile and pretend that everything was okay with everyone when he had to talk to her.
But Red reached for the door handle before he glanced back at her. She was pretty sure everything that was on her mind was written on her face and he leaned over and kissed her. It was a solid kiss. She took it to mean that things were okay, and they would be okay. She turned the car off and got out.
He took her hand and they walked up to the house together. Her mom opened the door as they approached, a big smile on her face and her arms open. “Sundays are my favorite because all my chickadees are home.”
Her mom hugged and Emma hugged her back. She was so lucky to have this kind of family. She realized that Red probably envied her parents and she had complained about them. Complained about the lie and the secret that had shaken her own security as a child when he’d never had any.
“Red, it’s so nice to see you,” her mom said as she turned and hugged Red.
He hugged her back and then handed her the wine and the flowers, which she thanked him for, before telling them to come inside and get out of the heat. She went in first vaguely listening to her mom asking after Red’s family.
She tried to tell herself that she had nothing to worry about. Red had pretty much said it was nothing bad, but still there was a knot in the pit of her stomach that made her feel sick. She hated this kind of thing. She went into the bathroom for a minute to get her head straight. She pulled out her phone and looked at the photo she’d taken of Red looking at the river that night when he’d made her the special dinner.
The love she felt for him overflowed, filling her with confidence. She could handle whatever his news was, because as he’d said earlier, they had each other. That was one of the nice things about the way they’d dated before going public. They were sure of each other. They didn’t have to be perfect. She could handle anything that came up because Red was by her side.
And having him with her was all she wanted. She’d had a few days to really think about falling for him and she realized that she’d found the kind of man she’d always wanted. She just needed to stop worrying and enjoy it.
*
Red watched Emma’s family and tried to act all cool, but deep inside he knew that he wanted this for himself and Emma and Molly. He’d gotten word that Molly’s maternal grandparents had dropped their custody suit after they had received the affidavit on him. He’d flown to Charleston to meet with them and to meet his daughter for the first time. She was so precious and adorable and everything that he’d never realized he’d wanted until he saw her. She had his red hair, but it was soft curls all around her cherubic face. She was two and spoke quite well for her age and from Red’s own interactions with Lane, he had known how to deal with her.
He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Braden or his parents or anyone about him getting custody of Molly. He was flying back to Charleston the coming weekend to bring her home. Molly’s grandparents were going to come to Last Stand and stay in town for a few weeks while she transitioned to living with him. But they had gotten along well and Red now couldn’t believe the gut punch he’d felt when he realized he had a daughter.
He had wanted to just start telling Emma about Molly as soon as he got in her car but he could tell she was nervous about today and he was too. He wanted everything to be perfect. He wanted the moment when he told the woman he loved—and he did love her—that he had a daughter to be just right. There hadn’t been time to plan for it the way he had his wooing plan of Emma. He was going to have to go with his gut and that had made him a bit unsure.
“Hey, buddy,” Braden said as he plopped down next to him on the couch in the den.
Mr. Corbyn had ESPN on, and the men had gravitated to the room while the women and Lane were in the kitchen talking. The Corbyns’ housekeeper had prepared the brunch so he knew they weren’t cooking.
“Hey. How’s it been?”
“Good. What about you?” Braden asked. “How’d things go…out of town?”
“Very good. I’ll catch you up later, but things are definitely going to be changing for me soon,” Red said. Luckily Braden knew what was going on so he was following along. Finn who’d come in and sat down on his other side gave him a quizzical look.
“Still trying the fishing method with Emma?”
“As a matter of fact, I am. And for your information, it’s been working,” Red said.
“Yeah? I’ll be damned.”
“You probably will be but I wouldn’t brag about it,” Cal said as he came in. He sat in one of the armchairs facing the TV. “Is it just me or does this feel strange? I mean I love that we’re all settled down but there are times when I feel like I’ve stepped into the twilight zone.”
“Agree,” Finn said. “I wouldn’t give up Lancey for anything even
if it meant I could drive again but it still makes me shake my head when I think about going to brunch.”
Red laughed at Finn. But he totally got where the dude was coming from. Brunch wasn’t something that any of them had attended before…before Amelia and Cal had gotten together and things had started to change. He liked the way life was settling down for all of them.
“How’s Lancey doing?” he asked Finn.
“Good. She about chewed my head off for suggesting that she take some extra time off at work. You know Highwater would have given her the time off,” he said. “She’s had morning sickness real bad.”
“I should know something about that soon,” Cal said.
“What?”
“Don’t say anything until Amelia tells her folks but…we are expecting,” Cal said.
“Congratulations!”
Red and Braden said it at the same time and Finn let out a rebel yell as he got up and hugged his brother. Red joined in the bro hugs and he realized how much their lives were changing, and he was so glad he was going to be bringing Molly here to grow up with the Delaneys. These men had become his family and he wanted his daughter to be a part of it.
“Now we need Braden and Lea—”
“Don’t even start. I have to find the right time to ask her to marry me and get her to the altar before we talk about kids,” Braden said. “But I have to admit I do think about some kiddos running around a lot. Maybe we should try to think of a way to branch into something more family-friendly.”
“Never,” Finn said. “We’re still outlaws.”
“Ha,” Red said. “Y’all are tame now.”
“Not just us,” Finn pointed out. “I heard you making conversation with Mrs. Corbyn and Memaw. Did you really ask her for tips on making moonshine?”
“I did. I want her to know that I’m not just here for the summer,” Red said.
“Was that in the fishing guide?” Finn asked.
Red shot him the bird. “No, dumbass. It’s called being polite. Try it.”
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