I lay my head down on Camilla’s back and the three guys laugh lowly.
Soon it’s just me alone with Camilla and Stormy. I sit with them, breathing in the oddly comforting scent in the barn. The patter of rain hitting the metal roof of the barn threatens to lull me to sleep. A sigh escapes my throat. I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt this calm or relaxed. “I like it here, Camilla. You have a good home but I think you know that. You seem pretty satisfied with your surroundings. Brett says your mama is good with you,” I say. “I hope it’s the truth because no one deserves to have a shitty mom.”
Movement by the stall door catches my eye and I lift my head to see Walker standing there watching me, arms crossed over his chest and a thoughtful expression on his face.
He pushes off from the door and is next to me in three long strides. “You said you like it here. As in here or…” he grips my hand and squeezes, “here?”
I reach up and cradle his face. “Here.”
He closes his eyes then rests his forehead against mine. “Real happy to hear that.”
“Where are we going tonight?”
“Nope. Not gonna tell you yet.”
I groan and Camilla makes the most adorable little high pitched moo and I spring back to her, laying my head on her back. I briefly wonder if Stormy is going to show me that I’m overstepping but a quick glance in her direction tells me that she knows I love her baby almost as much as she does. She doesn’t seem the least bit bothered.
“Never thought I’d see the day where a baby calf steals my girl from me.”
I lift my head so I’m facing him and he leans over, kissing me firmly on the lips. “Just so we’re clear, I like having you here. A lot. And I don’t have any plans on letting you go.”
Tears burn the back of my eyes and he shakes his head.
“No more tears. Happy or otherwise. Well, especially otherwise.”
But he doesn’t know what hearing him call me his girl does to me.
“I WANT YOU HOME NO later than eleven, Mister.” Grayson says, pointing at me.
I do my best not to roll my eyes. He’s been in an obnoxiously good mood since he talked to Harper this afternoon. I was surprised when, instead of typing away on his phone, he actually dialed her number and had an actual conversation. When I saw him sitting on a lawn chair in the back yard, phone pressed to his ear as he talked, I knew he was already in deep with this girl but the conversation we had after that call is what really set it in.
“I need a favor.”
“What’s up?”
“I need you to talk to Mom about letting me go on a date.”
I’m already shaking my head back and forth before he finishes the sentence. “No way. I’ll do just about anything for you, you know that. But this? Nope. You can’t ask me to try to convince your mom that you’re ready to date. She’s made it clear this isn’t something she’s going to budge on. No one-on-one dates until you’re sixteen, kid.”
“I know,” he looks down at his fingers and he looks so disappointed that I can’t stop the next words from coming out of my mouth. “I talked to Ellie the other night. What if we go together? Ellie and I promise not to hover. We could even sit at different tables at a restaurant. See different movies, whatever it is you’re wanting to do.”
A grin takes over his face. “You want to go on a double date with me and a woman you’re about to go on a first date with?”
I shrug. “Why not?”
“This is why you’re still single, you know that, right? Or, at least was. Until Ellie came along, that is.”
I rear back. His tone is a bit teasing however, I can hear the seriousness in the words he used. Grayson’s a deep thinker and doesn’t say anything without some truth behind it so I know this must be something that’s been rolling around in his head for a while. “What do you mean?”
He sighs and scrunches his eyebrows. “You…” he pauses for a minute before leaning over to rest his elbows on his knees. “Walker, you’re my favorite person in the world. I mean, don’t tell Mom that because she’d kill you. And don’t tell Dad because I’d feel horrible if I hurt his feelings but you know, it’s just not the same with him. I love him, I do. And I understand why he’s not here every day but you don’t miss a single thing for me. You’re so much more than just my uncle but I feel like I’ve taken over your life. It’s not fair or…”
“Stop. Whatever it is going through your head, stop it. I love you, kid. You’re more than just my nephew,” I tell him, repeating his words back to him. “Reasons why I’ve been single are none of your concern. I wouldn’t change a single thing in my life.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
His eyes bore into mine. “I don’t remember a day of my life where you weren’t there for me. You’ve put me first for fifteen years. Don’t you miss having a life of your own? Want kids? A family?”
“You’re my family. Whether you like to believe it or not, I do have a life of my own. How I spend my days, nights, and weekends is my choice. I put you first because it’s what comes natural for me. Promise me you’ll let it go, okay”
“If you promise me that you’re not lying to me and if you have the opportunity to put yourself first for once, you’ll take it. That if someone comes along who you can see a future with, you won’t hesitate.”
“And I meant what I said earlier, too. I mentioned something to Ellie about hanging out some night so you could go on a date and she said she would be okay with it.”
“You asked her this before I brought it up?”
“I knew it was coming,” I explain and he looks a little stunned, which I don’t fully understand. He should know by now how well I know him. “Trust me, okay?”
“I do.”
I hope Ellie can say that with as much confidence as Grayson just did.
“Are you going to be okay tonight? I feel bad being gone on a night your mom works.”
He groans and drops his head back. “Holy crap, Walker. Stop. It’s fine. I’m fifteen, not five. I can hang out by myself or I might have a buddy come over. I could be at home by myself, too, you know, in case you wanted the house to yourself.”
I ignore the last statement because even though I wouldn’t mind having the house to myself—well, not really myself so much as with Ellie—I want to do this thing right and take our time getting to that place. Okay that’s a lie. I’m ready to go full steam ahead and if our conversation two nights ago is anything to go by, so is she. Instead, I raise my eyebrows at him and focus on the other tidbit of information he’s thrown out there. “Buddy?”
“Yes. A buddy. A friend. A bro. A dude…”
I hold up a hand. “I get it. Just no buddies of the female variety, got it?”
“No friends with vaginas allowed,” he salutes me like the smartass he is. “No problem. What are you doing tonight? Please tell me it’s something better than making her discover what the inside of a cow feels like.”
“Shut up, she loved it. You saw her this morning. She couldn’t wait to go see that calf.”
“She was a little loony for that thing.”
He’s right. She was. But it was one of the cutest and sexiest things I’ve ever seen. “Anyway, tonight I’m keeping it low key.”
“What does that mean?” he asks, nose scrunched up like he tasted something funny. This kid has no poker face whatsoever. He can’t hide what he’s thinking to save his ass—his facial expressions give him away immediately.
“It means, I know she won’t want to go on a date with a ton of fan fair. Her ex dragged her to all these fancy dinners and parties and from what little she’s talked about it, I get the feeling she hated it. Said she never felt comfortable and she didn’t feel like herself. I want her to enjoy life, but mostly I want her to know that I like her for who she is and I would never expect her to pretend to be someone else.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“It’s just that I’ve never
really heard you talk about someone like that before.”
“No one else was really worth it.”
“You really like her, huh?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Like, long haul type of thing?”
“It’s obviously too early to know for sure, but yeah, I can see it lasting.”
“Wow.” He gets a glimmer in his eye and starts singing, “Walker and Ellie, sittin’ in a tree…”
I throw a pillow off the couch at his head and he laughs as I stroll out the door. I’m still shaking my head when he peeks his head out to continue his song.
I open my pickup door and turn around to face him where he stands by the house. “You know, I wonder what Harper’s older brother would do when he finds out you’re trying to date her. I bet he could get some of his linemen to come pay you a visit.”
His face pales instantly. “That was a mean thing to say.”
I grin shamelessly, hop into my pickup and start it up. I roll down the window. Leaning out, I yell, “Relax. Text me if you need anything.”
“Yeah, yeah. Have fun.”
“Love you, kid.”
“Love you too.”
On my way to Miss Polly’s, I think about our conversation. It appears even Grayson sees how much I put him first in my life. Every woman I dated told me. Willow and Miss Polly have hinted at it. On more than one occasion. Hell, even Mick mentioned it once, told me that while he appreciated how much I did for Grayson, I needed a life of my own as well.
I get it.
It’s not that I haven’t realized how much of my time is spent focused on Grayson and Willow’s needs but what I said to Grayson earlier was the truth. No one else has ever been worth it to me. Until now.
I pull up to Miss Polly’s house for the second time today. Excitement coursed through my veins this morning but this time, knowing it’s going to be just the two of us for the entire evening, I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my cheeks, or the nerves from taking over.
For some reason, I feel a significant amount of pressure to make tonight great. I don’t know everything about her past but I’m putting things together. The people in her life haven’t stood beside her. I plan to change that.
Bounding up the stairs, I knock on the screen door. The wooden entry door is open and I can see Miss Polly walking toward me.
“You’re knocking now?”
I shrug, hands shoved in my pockets. “Figured it would be the polite thing to do. She deserves to have someone show her she’s wanted.”
The door squeaks as she pulls it open and I step over the threshold. The faint scent of coffee and baked goods that always seems to be present in her home fills the air.
“Come. She’s almost ready.”
I take a seat in the front room in the same chair Ellie was straddling me on yesterday morning and a quick glance at Miss Polly tells me she knows exactly what I’m thinking. My palms start sweating and I do my best not to look her in the eye.
“Seems like just yesterday you were talking about your hard ass to my sweet, innocent Ellie.”
Oh holy hell.
“I was quite surprised you didn’t come over last night when I was playing bridge. She was all alone in this big house. I’m sure you two could have found some way to keep yourselves entertained.”
Holy shit. She’s not going to shut up.
“You need to take advantage of every opportunity you have, Walker. I thought I taught you better than that.”
Hurry up, Ellie.
“You need to lock it down. Maybe you should just go in without a condom. Get her pregnant. That’ll keep her around.”
My eyes widen and I jerk my head to face her. “Polly,” I gasp.
“Relax, Walker. I was just teasing you. You’re so on edge. I’m not gonna bite. At least not the same way you’re thinking of doing to Ellie,” she giggles.
I groan, drop my head back and send up a quick prayer to make Ellie get down here so she can put me out of my misery.
“What is happening?” I murmur.
“I’ve never seen you like this. Why are you so wound up?”
I bite my bottom lip, letting my teeth drag over the skin. Suddenly I hear something—or possibly someone—fall on the floor above me, causing the ceiling to shake just a little bit. Then I hear Ellie let out a string of curses. I move to stand but Polly stops me with a hand to my arm.
“She’s fine. I need you to calm down. You two act like you’re a couple teenagers going on your first date.”
I blow out a breath and shake the nerves out of my hands. “I really want tonight to be perfect,” I admit.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? Have you met Ellie? She deserves a perfect date.”
“You think she gives a hoot? She came home covered in cow poo and cow… other stuff… the other day and was happier than I’ve ever seen her.”
That’s all I need to hear for excitement to replace any nervousness I was feeling.
“Ellie!” I shout, moving to the bottom of the stairs. “Either get your sweet ass down here or I’m coming up there.”
“I’m ready. I’m coming!”
“I never realized you were such an ass man,” Miss Polly says from behind me.
“Hurry!” I holler, wanting this to end.
Then…
My breath catches.
My heart races.
My mouth goes dry.
My pants get a little tighter.
And my future is brighter.
Because the woman walking down the stairs with eyes only for me is my future.
“Holy shit,” I breathe, clutching my chest.
My reaction causes her steps to falter and she looks down at herself. All she’s wearing is a simple navy blue and white sundress. The hem falls slightly above her knee and her shoulders are bare. My eyes fall to her feet and the pair of flip flops. Her shiny dark blonde hair falls in a straight sheath across her shoulders. I can tell she’s wearing eye makeup but very little. Her plump lips are a shiny pink.
I can’t stop staring.
She’s mine. Those two words flip over in my head a few times before they settle in my gut. She might not know it yet, but she is. How any man let her go truly boggles my mind. But every single part of her they tried to break, only made her that much stronger. And I plan to make her heart forget every single second she spent with them.
“Do I need to change?”
“Don’t you dare. You look so beautiful you made my heart skip a beat.”
She smiles brightly. “Thank you. You look pretty amazing, too.”
The second her feet touch the bottom step I tug her to me, bringing her body flush with me. I lightly graze my knuckles against the soft skin of her cheek before wrapping my hand around the back of her neck.
I kiss her on the lips once. Twice. Three times and I know it will never be enough but I pull back, because I also know that I want more.
“Ahem, I’m still here! Now… get out of here before I witness something that’s going to make me want to bleach my eyes.”
Ellie giggles and walks over to hug Miss Polly goodbye. “I’m not waiting up.”
Miss Polly releases Ellie and marches over to me, gestures to me to get closer then whispers, “Do I need to throw out her birth control pills or poke a hole in your condoms?”
“Polly,” I groan.
“What?” The look on her face tells me that she’s only joking but still. Geesh.
“You’re terrible.”
She winks and saunters off to the kitchen.
“What was that about?” Ellie asks me as I walk her to the door.
I drape an arm over her shoulders and pull her in close, kissing her temple. “Polly’s losing her mind,” I chuckle. “Told me to knock you up so you’ll stay around.”
Her body goes stiff underneath me and I realize I just overstepped. I might be all in, ready to charge full steam ahead in a relationship with her but I don’t know where she’s a
t. It’s obviously too soon for her. I stop walking and turn us so we’re facing each other. “Hey, she was only joking around. We like having you here but there’s no way I would ever do such a thing. You trust me on that, right?”
It takes her a few seconds to respond but when she does, I don’t feel all that much better. “Yeah, I trust you won’t trick me into getting pregnant.”
I wanted tonight to be perfect. For us to get to know each other better but also for her to realize that I’m not like her exes.
“Ellie…”
“It’s fine, Walker. I know she was just messing around.”
I hate that our evening is starting out on a shitty note. I pull her in close next to my pickup. “Talk to me.”
After a few quiet moments she asks, “Do you want children?”
“I’ve never felt like I was missing anything in my life.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“I know. I don’t want to freak you out, though.”
“You won’t.”
“Before I would have said I was happy the way things are. But now, I can see a future with a different kind of family.”
“Before?”
“You came along,” I tell her. “I don’t know what that means or what it looks like, though.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means, the reason why I said I don’t want to freak you out is because only knowing you a short time, I’m already falling. It’s probably too soon, I know that and I’m a patient man and am willing to wait until you’re ready—until you’re at the same place I am. But, Ellie, I see a future with you. Like I said, I don’t know what that future looks like, but I know you’re in it. At least, I hope you are. Do I want a family of my own? Yes. I do now.”
“You really know how to make a woman swoon, don’t you?”
Her words cause me pause. “I’m not saying things that I think you want to hear. This is me.”
“I know it is.”
I kiss her then open her door to help her in. Just before she climbs inside she turns to me and kisses my cheek. “I don’t know what it looks like, either, but I want you in it, too.”
I wrap an arm around her waist, sliding my hand down to cup her ass. Her dress rides up just enough that I get a feel of bare flesh and I instantly feel it everywhere. My body responds to hers in a way it’s never responded to anyone before.
All I Need Page 19
