by Claire Adams
“Something seems to be wrong with him. I don’t know. You know me, Kylie. My intuition has never failed me,” she replied, extending a bag of groceries to our current customer.
As I continued with the next customer, I asked her once more. “Why? I don’t see anything wrong or bad about the man.”
She finished packing the next guy’s groceries and turned to face me, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrow. “That’s what I worry over the most with you, Kylie. You only see the good in people, never the bad.” Her words struck me, but I granted her a sweet smile.
“Don’t worry, Mom, there are no bad people in this town,” I replied, keeping my eyes on hers. There had to be a way to calm her pessimist mind, but I’d yet to find it, and I’d been trying to help for the likes of forever.
She shook her head gloomily and disagreed. “You know so little yet, Kylie.” She put a consoling hand on my shoulder and asked me to focus on my job instead. I did as I was told, seeing more customers inside our convenience store.
One of those new pools of people coming in was Hunter Yonnie. He had to be one of the finest men in the whole damn city.
Butterflies sprung up in my stomach, and I felt girly and young every time he walked into the store. That day, he wore a white shirt with his name tag pinned on his chest and faded jeans, his muscles pressing through his sleeves. Despite his simple attire, he was gorgeous, strong, confident. The way he carried himself left my body aching for his attention, but he was far too much man for me.
His tough, manly front was reflected by his expertise in guns and hunting, but his quiet attitude made him stand out among the other guys in town. An enigmatic, young bachelor with a heart for saving other’s lives.
Those hot, artistic tattoos inked around his arms exhibited his bad boy nature, but his heart was golden. We all knew it. He was a volunteer firefighter and the town's favorite guy, never turning anyone away and always helping where he could. I wanted to know his story. All of it.
Why was he still single? Because of his son?
Despite me attending to the customers checking out, my attention was on him. I watched from the side of my eye, memorizing the strong line of his jaw and how fucking good he looked with his 5 o’clock shadow. I’d had a crush on him for as long as I could remember.
“One set of chocolate cupcakes, please.” He pointed to one of my mother’s homemade sweet treats. She nodded and took one, getting it packed up in a box and tying a ribbon on top for a dainty look. As my mother gave him the box, I stole one brief look at him again and held my breath. How many fantasies had I had behind my closed eyes, my body shaking as I came and moaned his name?
Warmth raced up my neck to coat my face. Did he know how badly I wanted him? No. No way.
It was a shame. He looked at me, a smile playing on his perfect lips. He knew. He had to. I glanced down to the counter and back up to the next customer in front of me, a bitchy old lady. It was more helpful than not to concentrate on her, but I couldn’t deny the thick vein pulsing in the side of my neck, the wetness between my thighs, the tight buds forming on the tips of my breasts. He had too much power over me, and he didn’t even know it.
As I checked out one customer after the other, Hunter was the next in line.
My heart started to beat faster, and I was nervous about making a mistake. He might realize my little crush on him, especially since he saw me checking him out. I mustered all the strength and confidence I had, posing the usual cheerful welcome I greet to other regular customers.
“Good morning, sir!” I avoided his gaze and instead entered the code for the cake. He did not respond to my greeting but instead smiled at me as he waited. The awkward encounter was difficult to sustain, and, thank goodness, my mother intervened.
“Is that for your cute son?” Mom asked, coming over and engaging him in small talk with him.
“Yes, Mrs. Tomms, it is. Anyway, I got to go. Thanks, Kylie.” He waved his hand as he took the cupcake box with him. This time, I followed my mom’s lead and let my eyes follow him out the door.
“Kylie, why are your lips smacked together? Is there some glue that kept them shut?” My mother broke my silence, pulling me back to reality. I shook my head, suddenly aware of my daydreams.
“No, it’s just that I did not know what to say to him. He leaves me flustered.”
I checked out the last customer in the line, making sure no one was within earshot to hear our conversation.
My mother laughed as her eyes filled with merriment. She knew my little secret. She had to. “Hunter has been your neighbor for years now. Yet, you have barely spoken to him. I bet you’ve never surpassed the two-word sentence to him. Have you?”
“It’s not that easy, Mom. He leaves me feeling lightheaded. It’s not a conversation I’m having with you, by the way.” I shoved her mockery off, although she was right. She was always correct. I envied her observational skills and gut feelings. She aced anything she speculated about people, especially on her kids’ emotions and thoughts.
“You need to break out of your shell, sweetheart.” She patted my back like I was a small child, not a woman approaching thirty in the next couple of years.
“You’ll see; someday I can work up the courage to speak to such a mysterious and sexy guy.”
A smile spread across her face. Damn. She had me cornered. She knew. Hell, she knew before I told her. She was intuitive like that.
“I knew it! My instincts never fail. It’s okay; he’s a good man. I’m amazed how much he loves his son. Despite his busy schedule, he is able to raise Vince as a well-mannered, clever little boy.”
“Yes, he’s amazing. He can juggle plenty of roles without any problem. He’s a perfect guy.” My thoughts drifted away. Every woman in our town thought about Hunter…even some of the married ones. It was disturbing, and yet an odd comfort all at the same time.
“True enough. Shame about Vince’s mother though.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
Chapter Three
Hunter
Vince came out of the bathroom just before I started to go in to check on him the next morning. Despite his sleepy self, he managed to take a quick shower on his own. I could not be more proud of my little boy. While I took his school uniform from the dresser, he stood in his blue bathrobe, waiting for me to dress him up.
“Hey, buddy. I have some good news for you.” I spoke to him as I put on his polo shirt. His drowsy eyes sparkled as he bounced on the balls of his feet.
“What’s that, Dad?” He hurried to put his shorts on, though his excitement didn’t dampen.
“I guess Dad can finally take you out on the lake this Saturday. We are going fishing!” I exclaimed, being excited as well to spend the weekend with my son.
Giving him another promise was a gamble, but I couldn’t help myself. It might make or break him, being a father who promises too many things to his son that went unanswered. I could not disappoint him, but I want him to be happy, so I had to make it happen. Period.
“Oh, thanks, Dad! You made my day!” He threw his arms around my shoulders. I hugged him back, grateful for his existence in my life. He was the bundle of joy I had wished for. Being around him made me forget all of my worries, or most of them. The loneliness inside of me never really seemed to go away, but it was getting more and more easy to ignore it.
“I guess we better get going. We don’t want the school bus waiting for you.” I stood up, taking his backpack and lunch box along with me. He held my free hand, and together we walked outside the house, going to the paved sidewalk to wait for his bus.
“No way! I’m winning this year’s Most Punctual award!”
“I’m betting on that.”
Soon enough, the bus came to fetch the energetic kid. He hopped toward the door as it stopped in front of us, and I felt sorry for the bus driver. Every kid on the damn bus was hopping around and acting a fool. Vince took his seat nearby the window, and extended his arm outside and waved g
oodbye to me.
“Bye, Dad! See you later! I love you!” he screamed as the bus started to move slowly.
I waved my hand to him and smiled. “I love you too, buddy. Keep safe.”
As I turned to return back to our house, I noticed the scattered grass and soil rooted up on our barn’s lot. The clean green pastures we tended were ruined. Probably the domestic hogs in the neighborhood scattered while we were out working in the shop.
“What the fuck are those hogs up to?” My day dropped from awesome down to awful. I went to the garage and took out a rake, eager to clean up the mess done on my property. On the brighter side, this would pass as an easy workout anyway.
As soon as I finished up cleaning the lawn, I went in and ran up the stairs to take a quick shower. If there’s one thing I should not be late to, that would be going to work. I needed to hurry, but the minute the water hit my chest, I was lost in the moment. Images of the sexy girl at the convenience store raced through my mind. Kylie. Why the hell hadn’t we said more than two words to each other?
She stole my fucking breath every time I saw her. Long blonde hair that curled at the end, fair skin, and big blue ‘fuck me’ eyes. My cock hardened to the point of pain, but I forced myself to ignore it.
There was no way in hell I was getting involved with anyone. Vince wasn’t losing someone again. I wasn’t either. My body ached as I brushed my hands down my chest and stomach, forcing myself to hurry the fuck up.
Another image of Kylie raced through my mind, and I groaned, stroking my cock and pressing my back against the wall. She couldn’t handle the thickness of my dick. No girl could. It was a pain in the ass that most women thought they wanted until they tried to wedge the fucker inside of them. Awkward. Embarrassing. All of the above.
Picking up the pace, I gripped myself with both hands and pressed my hips forward, fucking myself over the edge with visions of the pretty blonde bent over in my shower, my hands on her slick skin, my head teasing her tight holes.
“Fuck,” I cried out and came, the room spinning a little as I tried to catch my breath. “I did not have time for that shit,” I growled and got out of the shower, feeling so much better than I expected to.
I made a quick lunch and ran out of the house with a sandwich between my teeth. I locked the door and jumped in the car, driving like a bat outta hell to get there before opening.
I got to the shop just in time. After I had pulled the car into my parking spot, I ran in panting. Even with the hogs ruining the yard and making me late, I felt good. It was the release. It always helped. I needed to remember that shit.
Garren was at the shop and on the phone when I arrived. I passed him by and got busy unloading the contents of yesterday’s crates.
“You look like someone ran over you with a ten-wheeler truck. You look beat, dude,” Garren said as he walked up to help.
“I had a bad morning. Those fucking hogs just took a pit stop in my lawn and cultivated the grass. They left the green landscape with shit and soil.”
Garren took my story with a comic approach, laughing the entire time, though no part of my story was funny. Cock head.
“What the hell are you laughing at, Garren? This is some serious stuff. What if one day they come knocking on your doorstep and ruin your entire lot for you?” I snatched the gun from his hand, wiping the dust on its handle before putting it on display.
“Just trying to make the mood lighter; you look like someone pissed in your Cheerios, brother. Shake it off, man.” He laughed once more, finding the brighter side of the abhorrent incident.
I rolled my eyes and refused to laugh, but I cracked a smile, unable to help myself. He had the most hillbilly ass laugh I’d ever heard. “That hog’s shit was terrible. Good thing it is fertilizer to the land. Want some?” I turned the tables, kidding with him instead.
He raised both hands to retreat, desperate not to be met with the foul-smelling fertilizer. “No fucking way. By the sound of it, they’re terrifying bastards too. Why not go hog hunting tonight? I could come along if you want to.” Garren offered, but it was a horrible idea. I had too much going on, and adding a new activity would mean sacrificing other relevant tasks.
“Thanks, Garren. Let’s see what happens. If shit comes along once more, the hogs will not be granted a second chance.” I helped him out on unloading the guns and displaying them on the glass counters.
He nodded at me with a smirk, agreeing to my decision. “That’s cool, Hunter. Just call me if you need a hand, and I’ll be there if hunting’s the game.” He stepped back to go to the stock room.
Before he could leave and take the other crates there, I called him out.
“Garren, can I ask you a favor?” It was a hopeful wish, and Garren would always be my go-to guy.
“Anything, man,” he replied, keeping his spot beside me.
“I wondered if you could work on Saturday. My little man and I have plans to go fishing.” It was his day off, but I wished he could take the job for me. It was something demanding, but hopefully, he would agree to.
“Sorry, Hunter. I got some plans for Saturday that I can’t break. If you had mentioned it yesterday, I might have been able to do it.” His expression was apologetic.
I forced a smile. “No biggie. Thanks anyway.”
I nodded as he walked toward the stock room, taking the other crates for us to unload. Disappointment settled in the center of my chest. Vince would be upset. More than upset.
I’d just promised him that morning that we’d go. I cursed myself for saying anything to him. Fuck. His heart would be broken to find out that our fishing trip for the weekend was canceled, just like most of my previous promises.
Thinking about things further, I realized that I was wrong. Vince would take the news with a positive attitude. My son had a wider understanding. He might take it positively, being the cheerful kid he was born to be. The only thing that bothered my conscience was him getting used to this setup. Being disappointed with broken promises, again and again, was a routine task between the two us. That was something I had to figure out how to stop doing. He needed to be able to count on me. Period.
I needed to get my mind on something else. Like unpacking the never ending stack of crates that Garren had brought up from the stock room.
The gun shop was busy with men and women looking for the perfect weapons, a way to protect themselves. I loved watching their expressions when they found it.
“Your shop really is the top one in town. Even the citizens outside Mesquite come all the way here just to check out your vast array of quality guns.” Garren was pumped after the large number of customers we just finished serving. I looked at him with a grin and granted that his words spoke of the truth.
Just after I counted the day’s earnings, Vince’s bus stopped in front of the shop. I stood up to welcome him as he came running toward me. I gave him a bear hug as he leaped into my arms, ecstatic to see him.
“Dad, look! I got five stars from Miss Diane!” He showed the back of his fist which was stamped with five red stars. I kissed his cheek as I expressed my congratulations.
“Good job, Vince! You’re getting more intelligent than your Dad,” I teased him, taking his backpack and lunch box just like I usually did. I took him to the back office so he could rest and eat his snacks.
“Dad, can I take some crackers when we go fishing? I want to take some snacks as we drive to the lake!” He took his shoes off before he laid on the couch, resting his head on the comfy, cartoon pillows. I frowned, realizing the fact that I needed to update him regarding the postponement of our weekend getaway.
“Um, speaking of that,” I began, not sure what the hell I was going to say. “I can’t leave the shop this weekend, buddy. Sorry, but I think the fishing trip has to wait.”
The thing I feared the most began to come to life. The sadness on his little face consumed his jolly expression. Despite hearing my words of disappointment, he spoke like an adult and regained the smile he lost
. It was almost sickening to see him acting far above his age. With all we’d been through, I understood it, but it hurt nevertheless.
“It’s okay, Dad. That means I can read my books over the weekend and get more stars this coming week.” He sat up and hugged me, assuring me that everything was fine. I felt ashamed. I had been known as a man of great reputation for raising my kid well all alone. Little did they know that I was also lucky to have a superb kid who loved me so much.
“In the meantime, Garren brought some apple pies today. They’re in the fridge if you want some.”
He smiled at me and nodded. “I’m a big boy now, Dad. I can get it myself.”
I laughed at his words, patting his head gently. “You’re truly are a big guy now. I’ll be in the shop if you need anything, okay? I love you, buddy.” I stood and waited for his answer.
“I love you too, Dad.” Vince was smiling, but his tone was sullen. I rested my back against the door right after I closed it, saddened by my son’s reaction. I could not do anything to fix the situation though. It was heavy on my heart to see Vince’s disappointed eyes, but I had to get back to work.
“If you plan on hurting your son’s feelings, you should scrap that scheme. He is a good boy; he doesn't deserve to be sad. Just tell him the truth or maybe set your shit up before you tell him anything. Come on, man. You’re better than that.” Garren walked toward me, leaning on the counter facing the office door. He was grinning at me, but his eyes were sympathetic.
“I know, man. Believe me. I feel like shit every time I have to let him down.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I just thought I could get it covered.” I let out a long sigh. “But I fucked up…again.”
“Hey, man. I guess Vince and you need someone in your lives. You can’t go on like this forever. It would be less burdensome if you could find a woman who could help you both in work and in raising your child.” It was clear what Garren was trying to imply. I threw him a sharp glare, unhappy with his suggestion.
