Being Neighborly

by Carey Heywood

  I have a lot to think about on the drive to the airport. Whether the outcome be good or bad, I need to tell Bethany how much she means to me and the reason I pushed her away in the first place. I’m scared, scared I’m not man enough for her after the bite, and scared she will leave me after I found out she had been engaged before. Those were embarrassing things to admit to myself, let alone her.

  I made good time on my drive, and since I beat her plane, I decided to park and meet her at the baggage claim instead of on the curb. Walking around on paved surfaces is much easier than almost anywhere on the farm. I focus on taking my time. That, plus the smooth walkways makes my limp less noticeable.

  Once I find the carousel her luggage is being sent to, I wait. There’s a rush of people; I’m assuming from her plane, but I don’t see her. It’s when I head in the direction of the gates. That’s when I find her, walking slowly, pulling an extra bag for an older gentleman. He’s walking with a walker peacefully chatting with her as they make their way to baggage claim.

  She looks amazing, her long pale green sundress showing a hint of her ankle with every step she takes. Her auburn curls shine as they frame her beautiful face. I’m a fool for pushing this stunning creature away.

  That’s when it hits me; this is just who she is, a caring person. How lucky am I that she cares for me! How blessed I should feel that she wants to be with me and how stupid would I be to not treasure the gift of it. I meet them halfway.

  “Bethany.”

  She seems surprised to see me, smiling, widely. “Beau.”

  “Here, let me help you with that extra bag.”

  She passes it to me quietly, a small smile hinting around the corners of her mouth. “This is Mr. Williamson. We met on the plane.”

  I dip my head. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

  He glances between us. “This your boyfriend?”

  I answer for her, bending down to kiss her cheek before I offer him my hand. “Yes, sir. Beau Hamilton.”

  He lifts one hand from his walker to shake mine. “You have a very sweet girlfriend, Beau.”

  I nod, my eyes on Bethany as I reach for her hand. There’s still plenty for us to discuss, but this is the first time I have acknowledged myself publicly as her boyfriend. She doesn’t correct me. I don’t know if that’s for my benefit or for Mr. Williamson’s, but we’ll have about an hour alone together in my truck for me to find out.

  When we reach the carousel, a relative of Mr. Williamson meets him and I pass over his rolling bag. He shakes my hand a second time telling me to take care of Bethany. She smiles widely and gives him a hug before he leaves. I reclaim her hand as we stand together waiting for her suitcase.

  We walk in a comfortable silence back to my truck once we’ve retrieved it. It’s once I’ve loaded it into the back and we’re both seated that I break the silence.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been acting like an ass.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my engagement,” she replies, lifting my hand into hers.

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

  She sighs, turning her head to look out the front windshield. “It’s hard to talk about, and that’s why I haven’t brought it up before. I told Bess while we were waiting for you to wake up at the hospital. What happened with you reminded me of what happened with Kurt. He wasn’t bitten by a snake though. He had been in a car accident. Waiting for you to wake up brought me right back to when I waited for him to wake up; only in his case, he didn’t.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Life goes on. His death inspired me to make so many changes in my life. A part of me will always mourn the life we never had, but I’m also grateful that I still have the opportunity to live mine. I don’t know if I ever would have been brave enough to leave my job and move out here. If I hadn’t have done that, I never would have met you, Beau.”

  “You are so brave.”

  “I’m just trying to live my live without regrets. I don’t want to look back and wish I would have done something but was too scared to.”

  “That’s sorta how I feel right now. I’ve been scared since the bite that now you don’t think I’m man enough for you. Then, after finding out you were engaged, I let that push me even further away. I was scared there was something wrong with me and that’s why you hadn’t told me. I’m realizing now what an idiot I was.”

  She squeezes my hand. “We’re human, Beau. We’re all going to make mistakes. I only ask that you talk to me first next time and I’ll do the same.”

  I lift her knuckles to my lips. “Deal.”

  “I noticed you didn’t correct Mr. Williamson about being my boyfriend.”

  I nod, my eyes flicking from the road to hers. “I’d like to be. My stupid streak seems to be over for the time being and I’d like to take advantage of it and make you my girlfriend. Also, I want you to know I love you.”

  I’ve known I was in love with Bethany for a while; I was not planning to just spit it out like that though. Terrified, I wait for her reaction, hoping she feels the same way.

  She leans across the seat and kisses my cheek. “I love you, too.”

  Without the tension that’s been holding me down, I feel lighter than I have in days. We laugh and joke the whole ride back to her house. The moment I kill the engine though, the mood shifts from lighthearted to something more intense.

  “I’ve missed you.” The husky tone of her voice lets me know just how much.

  “We’ve got some catching up to do.”

  She makes it to her front door before me, but squeals when I swoop her up into my arms. “Your foot?”

  I shake my head. “Don’t you worry about a thing.”

  Concentrating on lifting my leg high enough takes most of my attention as I carry her up the stairs to her bedroom. The way she nips at and kisses my neck on the way has me wondering if she’d be cool with me taking her right on her stairs. I’d do it too if spreading her out across her bed was a temptation I could pass.

  It has been too long since I was inside her and a quickie on the stairs is not what I have in mind. Patience is a virtue, right? Sure the Good Lord probably meant waiting till marriage, not waiting till you reached her bedroom though.

  I’m no philosopher and am more interested in the willing woman I am quickly falling in love with than anything else. Gently setting her on her bed, I kneel before her, slipping her dainty silver sandals from her feet. Using my hands and my mouth, I drown myself in the pleasure that is the silken softness of her skin. Sliding her dress up as I go, from ankle to thigh, I leave no inch unloved.

  Save a pair of lace panties, she’s bare to me from the waist down. She’s restlessly waiting for my next move. Her body arches for my touch while I sit back and admire her. Over waiting, she stands, one foot on either side of me and pulls her dress off over her head. Her panties taunt me, shielding me from her. I drag them off as she lifts one leg, then the other for me to rid her of them fully.

  She sinks into my lap, kissing me as she unbuttons my shirt. Once it’s off, she pushes me back onto the floor before moving to remove my shoes and jeans. Before long I’m naked beneath her. All I want is to taste her and start to move her until she hovers over me. I start to kiss her thighs when she turns around and takes my cock into her hand and then her mouth.

  Groaning at the sensation, I attack her with my tongue. She wiggles against my face and I wrap my arms around her thighs so she can’t move. My hips lift as I rock into and out of her mouth, her fingers pumping me. I release one of her legs to ease my finger inside of her. The sensation is too much for her; she lifts her head from my cock and groans loudly as she comes. I lap at her clit until her body stops shuddering. Once it has, I lift her, shifting her in my arms so I can capture her lips with mine.

  “You are so beautiful.”

  She blushes at my words and I stand, Bethany in my arms, to lay her across her bed. She’s almost limp, sated as she lazi
ly grins up at me. I quickly sheath myself before spreading her legs and driving myself into her. My eyes roll back at the feel of her. Her body seems made for mine, fitting me like a glove. She alone seems able to lift me to the highest levels of pleasure.

  I’ve missed not only her, but also the physical connection we’ve shared. She is the first woman I’ve craved body and soul. I want it all, her laughter, her tears, her smiles, and her ecstasy. I will be the man deserving of the gift that is her company. Taking her lips once more, I groan as I find my release. I shift onto my side, pulling her with me, tightly in my arms.

  “That was one hell of a homecoming,” she teases.

  “I’d greet you this way every time I saw you if I wouldn’t get thrown in jail for public indecency.”

  “We’ll just have to limit ourselves to private property.”

  That gave me an idea. “Have you ever camped out?”

  She grimaces. “I wouldn’t really call it camping, but when I was younger, I went to a Girl Scout summer camp.”

  “You were a Girl Scout?” I grin.

  She nods. “Sold cookies and everything.”

  “You taste better than any cookie I’ve ever had,” I joke, nibbling her neck.

  “I doubt that, but whatever you’re doing feels good so don’t stop.”

  “I have no intention of ever stopping when it comes to you, Bethany.”

  Her fingers thread my hair as she pulls my mouth up to hers. Travelling and our unique way of making up, exhaust her. Even though it’s barely past nine, she curls up on her bed and falls asleep. I take the time to go back out to my truck and collect her suitcase. In our haste to get inside, we forgot it earlier. Since she’s asleep, I move slowly up the stairs with it, careful not to bump it against anything and wake her up. I want to take care of her, just like her impulse is to take care of me.

  Once I have it up in her room, and in a corner ready for her to unpack, I undress. Sliding under the covers I pull her flush against, my lip curling into a satisfied grin as her body molds itself to mine, even in sleep. I was an idiot to consider throwing this away. Pushing her away is a mistake I’ll only make once. I know now it was wrong to think because of my injury that maybe I wasn’t man enough for her. What I’ve learned is it takes a true man to admit their weaknesses.

  I’m lucky enough to have the love and support of Bethany despite them.

  Epilogue

  Eight Months Later

  “We’re going to be late,” Bethany groans, arguing but not really arguing as I lift her dress up.

  “No such thing as being late to a picnic.” I ease her down onto me and we both moan as I fill her.

  Number one perk of moving in with Bethany, other than just being around her all the time, has been the on-the-fly sex. We can be on the sofa just hanging out and she’ll slide into my lap, or at breakfast, if I catch a glimpse of her gorgeous breasts, I can just bend her over the kitchen counter, and lastly like right now, some hard and fast up-against–the-wall sex before we walk out the door.

  Is it strange owning and working a farm I’m not currently living on? Some days, but being able to fall asleep next to Bethany every night makes it worth it.

  Slipping my hand between us, my fingers furiously circle her clit until she comes all over my cock. Ladies always first, I wait till she’s done before I follow. She teases me about it, but ever since I regained feeling in my foot, sex standing up has been my downfall. I can’t lie; it makes me feel powerful, and knowing I’m not going to trip or drop her takes all the anxiety out of it.

  “Ready, hornball.”

  I lower her legs and kiss her. “I love your pet names, darling.”

  She gives my ass a squeeze before going to the bathroom to clean up. Ever since she went on the pill, we’ve been condom free. I’ve never experienced that before her, the feeling of absolutely nothing between us. If I thought sex was addictive before, it’s even more so now.

  “All better?” I joke once she’s all done.

  “I should have just left it and had you explain to your parents why I had cum running down my leg.”

  I cringe and shake my head as she laughs at me. Once she’s close enough, I pull her in for another kiss.

  She pulls away, grabbing my hand and tugging me to the door. “No way, mister, we’re already late enough.”

  “Like being outside will stop me,” I argue, vividly recalling the time I bent her over the back of my truck, that time on the front porch or the time chasing fireflies turned into chasing each other.

  She slips into the driver’s seat. I let her drive my truck one time and now it’s her favorite thing to do. She’s lucky she looks so sexy behind that wheel; only thing I love more than my truck is her.

  “Are we bringing anything?” I ask, suddenly realizing my hands are empty.

  She tilts her head to the back of the truck. “I carried the cooler out when you were in the shower. There’s extra ice and a fruit salad in it.”

  “I would have carried it,” I argue.

  “I know but I didn’t want to forget it so I just loaded it while I was thinking about it.”

  That’s my girl. She doesn’t wait for someone else to take care of her. She just does it. It doesn’t always work out well. I smile to myself remembering the first time I met her. If she hadn’t been stuck under the table she was trying to put together all by herself, she might not have made as great of an impression on me. I won’t ever know for sure, but either way, she’s had me hook, line and sinker since day one.

  Bethany parks not far from where the tents are set up. We’re lucky it’s a good day for a picnic. We’ve had nothing but rain the past week but it was sunny yesterday and there isn’t a cloud in the sky today as well. The ground has dried up nicely so it’s grassy and not muddy where the grills are set up.

  The kids are running around blowing bubbles while the grownups are socializing in circles not far from the keg. There’s a table with drinks and cups for folks to serve themselves.

  I grab Bethany’s hand, lifting her knuckles to my lips. “Uh oh, somebody brought a box of wine. I’m guessing I’m driving home tonight.”

  She giggles, covering her mouth. My girl loves some wine in a box.

  I carry the cooler over to the drink table and take out the fruit salad, passing it to Bethany. I watch her walk it over to the dessert table, my eyes glued to the gentle sway of her hips. She turns, right before she reaches the table and gives me the ‘stop looking at my butt’ glare. I ignore her and just keep on staring. She goes around to the backside of the table and starts talking to Bess so I grab a beer and head off to find my dad.

  As I suspected, he’s manning one of the grills. “Hey, Pops.”

  He lifts his bottle to mine and I clink it. “Hi Beau. Farm is looking real good, son.”

  “Thanks. We’ve had a good year. The food bank is thrilled and we’ve been able to barter for a new tractor.”

  I should have known better than to mention a new tractor to my dad and expect him not to want to see it. I just didn’t expect him to leave mid-conversation and stick me with grill duty.

  “How’d you get stuck grilling?” Bethany asks a bit later as she walks up.

  “Mentioned the new tractor to my dad and he took off. I didn’t want the fish to burn so I figured I’d hang out here until he got back.”

  “What glass is that?” I tease, pointing to her wine.

  She smacks my stomach lightly. “My first.”

  My dad makes it back not long after to reclaim his grill duties. Bethany and I make the rounds together to chat and mingle with everyone in attendance. Once the food is ready, we head over to some picnic tables and chow down. As the sun sets, we light tiki torches while the kids start roasting marshmallows. I ease down into an Adirondack style chair and pull Bethany into my lap.

  “Mmm,” she mumbles, snuggling against me.

  “When do you want to head home?” I ask, gently kissing the back of her neck.

  “Soon if
you keep that up.”

  “Let’s go.”

  I collect our cooler from the drink table while Bethany says our goodbyes. She’s had a few glasses of wine so I drive with her cuddled up to my side.

  When we get to the house, she pops into her office to check her email while I head out to the back porch. After a couple minutes, I ask her to join me.

  “It’s dark out here. Want me to turn on the porch light?” she asks from the doorway.

  “It’s not that dark. Come here, baby.”

  Silhouetted from the light inside the house, she almost glows before she closes the door and joins me out on the porch.

  “I poured you a glass of wine,” I say, passing it to her.

  “Oh, baby, I’m already a sure thing,” she teases, taking it.

  “And I’m sure about you.” I lean over and kiss her cheek.

  “It’s so beautiful out here,” she murmurs.

  “I have something for you,” I say, handing her a glass jar with a firefly inside.

  “Aww. Little guy. When’d you catch him?” She sets down her wine and lifts the jar to get a better look.

  As she moves it the ring slides across the bottom, clinking on the glass. Her eyes widen as they focus on the ring. “Beau?”

  She looks up at me but I’m not there. Her mouth drops when she looks down to see me on one knee in front of her.

  I take her free hand and wrap both of my hands around it. “Bethany. In a moment you are going to free that little firefly from that jar and I hope let me put that ring on your finger. You freed me, darling, from the fear that I wasn’t good enough. Even when we didn’t know if my foot would get better, your feelings for me did not waver in the slightest. You are the most caring, generous, crazy, beautiful woman I know and I’d be honored if you would consider becoming my Missus.”

  Even in the dim light the hint of tears glisten in her eyes as she nods her head. I stand, pulling her into my arms and kiss her. She stays wrapped up in me as she opens the lid of the jar to release the firefly. I lift one arm from around her and reach into the jar to collect her ring.