by SJ McCoy
They were going to sow the seeds for that future today, by going to Montana. He hoped Owen would do well with it. He slid out of bed. If Owen was going to do well today, then maybe it’d be better if the day didn’t start with him finding Reid in his mom’s bed. He dropped a light kiss on her hair, not wanting to disturb her and then grabbed his bag and went to take a shower.
Chapter Sixteen
Owen stared out the window of the airplane. His little nose was almost pressed against the glass. Tara hadn’t known how he’d react to flying. It wasn’t something they’d ever done before. She wouldn’t have attempted to take him on a commercial airliner. And she’d certainly never dreamed that they might fly in a private jet. He’d done well so far. It must be the magic Reid worked on him. He’d ridden quietly in the cab to the airport. He’d smiled at Woody, the pilot, when Reid had introduced him. And since they’d been on the plane, he’d spent most of the time staring out the window looking fascinated as he watched the world go by beneath them.
She looked over at Reid, and he smiled back at her. She still felt bad about last night. Well, in a lot of ways she felt great. He was amazing in bed—and out of it. She still couldn’t believe how much he’d turned her on just by talking to her first. He’d talked to her again much later. Just as she’d been drifting off to sleep, he’d started to whisper in her ear, telling her what he’d like to do to her. He’d had her hot and wet in no time, and she smiled as she thought about the expression Nicole had used—she had climbed all over him. He’d rolled onto his back, and she’d straddled him and ridden him. Her nipples were still tender this morning from the way he clamped them between his fingers and thumbs as she’d started to come. A shiver ran down her spine. She couldn’t wait to get him back into bed. She couldn’t wait for everything that was to happen between them. She shot another glance at him. She couldn’t wait to tell him that she loved him, but she needed to be one hundred percent sure that she was before she’d say it. There was no rush. Hell, they barely knew each other. She didn’t doubt him, and she didn’t doubt what was possible between them, but she needed to get there in her own time.
~ ~ ~
Reid looked at Owen in the rearview mirror as he drove east on I-90. “Are you doing okay back there?”
Owen nodded and smiled back at him. “Volcanoes!”
Reid chuckled. “These are just mountains that you can see now; they’re not volcanoes.”
“Mountains. Big mountains.” He didn’t seem to mind that they weren’t the erupting kind.
Reid wondered if it was a stretch to entice Owen here by making the claim that there were volcanoes. It wasn’t as though they were going to see lava spewing into the air. It wasn’t a lie; most of Yellowstone was a super-volcano. But it wasn’t like the kind in Owen’s pictures. He didn’t seem to mind either way. He was happy enough with regular mountains.
Tara smiled at him. “How long is it since you’ve been here?”
“I came for Oscar and Grace’s engagement party last year.”
“How long since you lived here?”
“I haven’t lived here since I left home to go to college.”
“Yet you still keep a house here?”
He smiled, realizing he hadn’t explained things to her. “Yeah. You know we grew up here. My parents own a large ranch. They parceled off three lots—one for each of us. And we all built houses.” He shrugged. “When we were younger, we all used to come up here regularly for weekends and get-togethers, but I guess we drifted apart. Oscar was busy building his empire. TJ was deployed in the Middle East and me …? Well, I guess I was busy hiding on San Juan Island.”
“You didn’t ever want to live here?” She looked puzzled.
He knew she was wondering why he’d change his mind about that now. “I always thought I’d come back someday. It’s a good place, but there are so many places to see and experience. I wouldn’t want to spend my whole life living in just one of them.”
She nodded, still looking thoughtful.
She might not want to hear it, but he needed her to know. “I always thought that if I had a family, I’d want to raise them here. It’s a good environment.” He shrugged. “It’s a good community. It might be lacking some of the amenities of the city, but I think the values and sense of community it instills in a person far outweigh the convenience of having everything on your doorstep.”
She smiled at that. “I agree with you. I told you I’d dreamed about moving to Wyoming. I’d spend hours looking at satellite maps and wondering how it would feel to live fifty miles from the nearest Starbucks.”
He laughed at that. “It feels good because you can make great coffee at home here, but you can’t clear the night sky in LA enough to see a million stars. You can’t quiet the traffic enough to hear elk bugle.” He shrugged, realizing that he was waxing lyrical. “Even if there were elk in the city.” He turned to look at her. “Do you think living somewhere like this is just a nice idea for you … something that you wouldn’t be able to deal with in reality?”
“No!” she shook her head rapidly. “I mean, I wouldn’t know for sure until I tried it, but I don’t think it’s a fantasy. I think it would truly be a better life for us.” She reached across and took hold of his hand.
He felt like she was trying to reassure him, that she wanted him, that she wanted to live this life with him—even if she wouldn’t say she loved him yet.
He pointed to the south. “That’s where we’re going; we’ll be taking the next exit and then driving down through those mountains into the valley. You’ll get your chance soon enough to see if the reality feels good to you.”
~ ~ ~
It was almost lunchtime by the time they reached the house. Tara looked around in wonder. She felt as if she’d walked onto the set of a movie. The backdrop of mountains set against a big blue sky took her breath away. The Yellowstone River ran through the property, just below the deck. It was beautiful.
Reid came to stand beside her in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that framed the view. “What do you think?”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure I’m capable of thought at this point. I’m too blown away. It’s fabulous. The view, the house …” She shook her head again in wonder. “I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t anything near as wonderful as this.”
Owen turned around to look up at them with a smile. “Owen’s home.”
Reid squeezed her hand. She didn’t know what to say, to either of them. Owen had decided that Reid was home whenever he came to her place, now he felt like he was home at Reid’s place. Could this really be their home? She’d love for it to be. “You like it here?” she asked.
Owen nodded happily. “It’s pretty.”
“Do you want to see your room?” asked Reid.
Owen reached for his hand, and Tara followed them down a hallway.
Reid pointed to the door at the end. “The master is down there.”
A shiver rippled down her spine. The master bedroom, the place where later they’d no doubt have a repeat performance of last night. She loved that idea, and it was the thought she chose to dwell on—rather than think about whether it would become their room. This was all going so fast. She was happy about it, and Reid was amazing. Moving here could be the best thing that had ever happened to her and Owen, but still, it was all happening so quickly. Her heart told her it was okay; she could roll with it and it would all work out. Her head told her that she should hold back, wait to see if there were going to be any red flags or hurdles she wouldn’t be able to overcome. Just because she was falling for Reid, and just because Owen was so taken with him, it didn’t mean that she could throw caution to the wind. Owen’s stability and well-being were at stake, but she couldn’t put them at risk—even if being with Reid felt like no risk and all reward.
She followed them into a bedroom and tried to blink away tears. Owen was staring around in wonder. Someone—she’d guess it was Jean—had deco
rated the room especially for Owen. The theme of the whole room was dinosaurs and volcanoes. The bedding, the posters on the wall, everything was something Owen loved.
He wandered around, touching things—the dinosaur bedspread, the volcano lamp. He went to a toy basket that sat by the window and picked up a dinosaur. He brought it back to Reid with a puzzled look. “You like dinosaurs?”
“Yes.”
“Your dinosaur? Your room?”
Reid smiled. “No. It’s your room. These things are here for you. To make you feel at home.”
Owen looked around again. Then he came to Tara and held up the dinosaur. “Owen’s home.”
She smiled back and bent down to look him in the eye. “You like it here?”
He stepped toward her and landed a kiss on her cheek. “I like it here.” He went back to the basket and sat down beside it.
Tara looked at Reid as Owen started taking out an assortment of dinosaurs. They smiled when he started to line them up in order—from the smallest to the biggest. “Playtime,” he murmured to himself.
Reid raised an eyebrow at her and jerked his head toward the door.
She followed him out into the hallway. “How did you get all that stuff here for him?”
He smiled. “After you had lunch with Mom, I told her I wanted to bring you both up here, and she said she’d get a room ready for him.”
Tara had to laugh. “That’s more than getting a room ready. She’s created an Owen-Paradise.”
He smiled. “Well, this is Paradise Valley. I’m amazed myself. I didn’t know she’d go that far.” He looked serious again. “And I hope it doesn’t freak you out? I know we’re at different places in this relationship. I don’t want you to see any of this as bribery or an attempt to win you over.”
She stepped closer to him and slid her arms around his waist. “I don’t. I don’t see it that way at all. I see it as you being the wonderful man that you are, and I appreciate it.” She planted a kiss on his lips. “And I don’t think we’re in such different places. We’re on the same path; I’m just a few steps behind you, that’s all.”
He smiled and lowered his head to kiss her. When they came up for air, he nodded. “That’s what I hoped. Do you want to see our room?”
She swallowed and nodded. She did. She had to laugh when she stepped inside. “Let me guess, your mom again?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. I think she may have gone a little overboard in here. I said I wanted you to feel like it could be your room.”
“I do, but I couldn’t see this being your room.” It was a little too bright and flowery for her to believe that Reid would feel comfortable. “I want to feel like I’m in your space, like I’m coming into your world. Not that you’re creating a world just for me.”
“That’s a nice thing to say.”
“It’s a nice thing to feel. I need you to understand that it’s you I’m interested in. Not the life we could have with you. If you wanted to come and live in the apartment with us, I’d be happy. I don’t need you to create a new life for us.”
He nodded, but something was bothering him.
“What? What don’t you like about that?”
He shrugged. “We can talk about it tonight. After Owen’s gone to bed.”
She made a face. “Why not tell me now?”
“Because it’s a conversation that’s going to take a while and I want us to be able to sit and talk it through.”
“Okay.”
~ ~ ~
Owen’s eyelids were drooping at eight o’clock. It had been a long, eventful day for the little guy and it had taken its toll. Tara helped him get ready for bed, and then Reid walked with him from his bed to their bedroom. When they were back on Owen’s bed, he asked, “If you wake up in the night, what are you going to do?”
“Get you.”
Reid nodded. “That’s right. Show me.”
Tara smiled at him as Owen got down from the bed and went back out into the hallway. He walked to the master bedroom door and tapped on it before he pushed it open. Once inside the room, he stopped and looked puzzled.
“What’s wrong?” asked Tara.
“Reid’s room. Where’s Mommy?”
Reid smiled when he heard her answer.
“Mommy’s going to be in here, with Reid.”
Owen nodded. He didn’t seem to have a problem with that at all. “Which side?”
Reid went to the bed and patted the right side. The side he had to sleep on. “I’ll be here.”
Tara went to the other side. “And I’ll be here.”
“Okay. Night night.” Reid and Tara smiled at each other as they watched him turn around and go back to his room.
Just as he was about to get into bed, Reid did it again. “What are you going to do if you wake up in the night?”
Owen pursed his lips, making him want to laugh. The kid obviously believed he knew what to do and he shouldn’t have to prove it again. But it was important to Reid. He remembered waking up in a strange bed when the family had gone to stay with some of his dad’s friends. He hadn’t known what to do or where to go or where to find his parents or his brothers. He’d worked himself into a state and screamed the place down until they came to find him. He didn’t want that for Owen.
“What if you need to go potty?”
Owen cocked his head to one side, and Reid had to wonder if that was a habit he’d picked up from him. He turned around and went back to the hallway. The bathroom door was directly opposite his bedroom. He reached up for the light switch and luckily was just able to reach it. He smiled. “Go pee!”
Reid and Tara both laughed as he went inside and closed the door behind him.
“Thanks,” said Tara. “You really understand him, don’t you?”
“I don’t just understand him. I’ve been there. It makes it easy for me to anticipate things that might crop up and be a problem for him.”
She nodded, and they both looked up as Owen came back out of the bathroom. He didn’t come back into his room but instead set off down the hall. They followed him back into the master bedroom, and he went to the right side of the bed and patted it. “Reid.” Then he walked around to the other side. “Mommy.”
“That’s right,” said Tara. “Will you be okay?”
“Yes. Night night.”
Once they’d settled him into bed, Reid poured them each a glass of wine and led Tara out onto the deck. It seemed Montana was doing its best to impress her for him. The moon was full and glinted off the recently snow-capped peaks. Even the river sparkled with moonlight. A million stars dotted the big, clear sky.
She drew in a deep breath and blew it out again. “It’s so beautiful.”
He went to stand beside her. “You’re more beautiful.”
She chuckled and rested her head against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
He liked that she accepted his compliments. She didn’t do what so many other women did and try to deflect them or claim that she wasn’t beautiful. He never understood if they were fishing for him to say it again or if they didn’t have the self-confidence to accept it. Either way, it wasn’t appealing. Tara wasn’t like other women he’d dated in any way.
“So …” She turned to look up at him. “Are you going to tell me why you didn’t look happy when I said that I’d be fine if you wanted to come and live at my place?”
“Yes.” He went to lean on the railing of the deck, and she came to stand beside him. “I know our circumstances are different. And I’m not trying to win you over with what I can give you.”
She looked uncomfortable at that.
“And I know you’re interested in me for me, not for …” He didn’t know how to put it that wouldn’t sound bad. “Not for anything else. But … I don’t want to move into your apartment, because I don’t want you to stay in it.”
She gave him a puzzled look.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that I love you so s
oon. Maybe that just complicates things. But if we set that aside, I still want you to leave your apartment. For your sake and for Owen’s. Even if you don’t want to be with me, then I’d like you to consider coming to live here. It’s not Wyoming, but it’s close enough.”
She shook her head and started to speak.
“Please. Let me finish?”
She nodded.
“Obviously, I hope that you’ll want to come here and be with me. But my primary objective is that you and Owen should move away from Mark.”
“Why?”
“Because he wouldn’t be good for Owen. He’d be worse than not good for Owen. I know you and Mom talked about you moving away and seeing how much effort he’d make to see you both. I’m convinced he won’t make any effort at all, and I’m also convinced that that would be best for you.”
She held his gaze for a long moment. Maybe he was overstepping. In his experience, women didn’t like to be told what was best for them. But he was hoping that Tara already knew the truth of what he was saying.
Eventually, she nodded. “You’re right. I wanted to try to keep a bond going between him and Owen. But I’ve heard a lot about Mark lately that makes me not want him around either of us.”
Reid was glad that he didn’t have to spell out what he’d heard.
“Can we take our time?”
“Of course.”
She smiled up at him. “I can’t see us living here without you.”
He smiled back and chose not to ask why. He hoped that she meant she’d want him to be there with them—not that she couldn’t take him up on the offer if they weren’t a couple.
