by Taylor Dean
How am I supposed to fall asleep after that? I lay awake for the next hour, my mind churning with emotions. Stony has me tied up in knots—in the best kind of giddy way.
“WOW. THERE’S A lot more paperwork than I thought there’d be. I assumed you just collected a rent check once a month and watched the money pile up in your bank account.”
“Wish it were that easy.”
We both arose bright and early today. After I took care of my pressing bank issues, we immediately delved into the wonderful world of bookkeeping. Stony has spent the last two hours teaching me how to handle his books for his rental properties. It’s a time consuming process and I see why he wanted help. In spite of our joking around about whether or not he really needs an assistant, I now understand how he could easily spend two hours a day just on paperwork and advertising unrented properties. My help really will be of value to him so that he can finish building his house. The thought makes me smile for two reasons. Number one: He really does need me. Number two: Cooking his meals, laundry, and housework will not take up the whole day and I was worried I wouldn’t have enough to do.
The problem is solved, I’m going to be busy. As a matter of fact, Stony has also given me his business cell and has asked me to handle all the phone calls, which mostly consists of scheduling maintenance appointments or answering rent questions.
“I trust Matt, who handles all the maintenance. But if a repair is over five-hundred, please ask me before giving him the go ahead,” Stony tells me.
The breakfast dishes still sit on the table as we sit side by side, thighs pressed together. The close proximity has my stomach tingling in ways I didn’t know it could tingle.
“Think you’ve got it?” Stony asks.
“I think I do. It’s pretty straightforward. Besides, if I have a question, you’ll just be outside.”
“Yes, any problems, just come get me,” he says as he wraps one arm around me.
I rest my head on his shoulder and cuddle up to him. We sit like this for several minutes, just soaking each other up. I love being close to him. It feels good, comforting. When he starts to run his fingers through my hair, I close my eyes and bask in the feel. Slowly, I lift my head up toward him. If I want to kiss him again, now is the perfect time.
“The things you’ve said to me at night . . . I love every word,” I whisper.
He doesn’t hesitate. He presses his lips to mine and the kiss deepens almost immediately. His hands move to my cheeks and he cradles my face in the most precious way. This time my hands are free as well and I slowly wrap them around his waist, letting my hands run over his stomach and back as I go. I’m learning that Stony is all about the long and tender kiss. Here I am, twenty-seven years old and it’s the first time I’ve enjoyed kissing.
I’ve awkwardly kissed three other men while on the few disastrous dates I’ve endured in my life. They were end-of-the-night perfunctory kisses on the front doorstep that I felt obligated to participate in. Not one of those men kissed like Stony. My first kiss was closed mouth, tight, and uncomfortable. I might as well have been kissing the wall. The second two kisses were the fast and furious type almost immediately. They were both an overwhelming onslaught to my senses and a real turn off. Actually, that’s putting it mildly. Ever since, kissing has been a major turn off to me. That’s why I’ve always wondered if something is wrong with me.
Turns out, I just wasn’t kissing the right man.
Without chemistry, a kiss is just two people pressing their lips together uncomfortably.
Stony’s kiss is about as perfect as they come; sweet, slow, and yet entirely intimate. While the contact is physical, I feel the emotional connection between us as well.
We’re both quiet as it comes to an end, simply holding each other close.
Then he says, “It’s Thursday. Need to go into town today and help my mom. Wanna come?”
Meet his mom? At first I think, whoa, things are moving fast. But I’m reading too much into it. It’s not an official come-and-meet-my-mom kind of thing. “I’d love to. Can we pick up groceries while we’re at it?”
“You bet.”
CHAPTER
Fifteen
WE MAKE OUR way into Sweetwater and drive up to a charming two story home. It’s older, but has been well maintained. The street is tree-lined and the yards are overgrown with foliage in an established neighborhood kind of way.
“Mom, it’s me,” Stony says as he unlocks the front door and walks in. Inside, the house is compartmentalized as older homes often are.
“Drew,” an older lady says as she approaches and hugs him tightly. She’s probably in her mid-sixties, slightly plump, and wears her gray hair in a perfect little bob. She’s wearing an apron and the smell from the kitchen is heavenly. She’s entirely maternal in every stereotypical way I can imagine. I like her immediately.
All this wanders through my mind and at the same time I’m processing the fact that Stony’s real name is Drew.
Drew. I love it. It fits him.
Then his mother notices me standing in the foyer. “Oh, you have a girl with you today. Hello, sweetheart. I’m Caroline Randall. And you are?”
Randall. Stony’s real name is Drew Randall. I just fell in love with his name.
Before I can answer, Stony says, “Mom, this is Spencer Elliott. I’ve hired her as my assistant.” He casts me the look and I suppress a laugh.
“Hello, it’s so nice to meet you.” Then just to give him a hard time I add, “I’m Stony’s new helper.”
He hits his forehead with his hand in mock exasperation.
Caroline says, “I didn’t know Drew had hired someone to help him. That’s wonderful, dear.”
I hold out my hand and she ignores it and enfolds me in a warm bear hug that lasts a little too long. I guess it runs in the family. I cast a smile toward Stony and mouth his name, Drew. He shakes his head in the negative.
The expression on his face tells me his mother’s reaction to me has clearly taken him by surprise. Me too.
He’s still giving me the look, the one that says, “You are dangerously close to deserving a spanking.” That’s what I read into it anyway. Who knows what he’s really thinking.
Caroline wraps one arm around my shoulder and heads toward the kitchen. “Come along with me, I’ve just made a batch of homemade bread.” She totally ignores Stony.
“I’ll just be out mowing,” Stony says to our backs.
“Okay, dear,” his mom says dismissively.
I take a peek behind me and he throws his hands in the air. “Chopped liver,” he mumbles.
I guess he’s feeling ignored. And I’m feeling like I just became the star of the show.
Caroline directs me to sit at the kitchen table. The kitchen seems a little older than the living room at the front of the house. The living room felt modern and updated, whereas the kitchen is like walking back in time. The appliances are older and the décor is from another decade. But it’s spick and span and practically sparkles from cleanliness.
Caroline slices a thick piece of bread and lathers it with butter. Then she places it on a plate and sets it before me on the table. “Eat up. It’s best while it’s fresh out of the oven.” She places various homemade jams on the table and gives me a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. I feel downright spoiled.
“I’m so pleased to meet you, Spencer. What a cute name for a young lady.” She sits down and joins me.
“Thanks, it’s a family name. My father’s baby brother passed away at a young age. His name was Spencer. My father wanted to honor his brother’s memory by giving the name to one of his children. My mother fell in love with the name for a girl, even though it wasn’t popular for a girl at the time. Nowadays, it’s being used more and more as a girl’s name.” I don’t mind my name. In fact, I quite like it.
“I love the family history behind your name. How delightful.” She pauses only long enough to take a breath. “Drew hasn’t told me anything. So tell me, how did y
ou two meet?”
I’m getting the idea Stony doesn’t often bring girls home with him. The only word I can think of for her response to me is: tickled. I’m extremely flattered and fall in love with her almost instantly. I miss my mom terribly and latch on to Stony’s mom with pleasure. A girl needs her mom, especially during the tender getting-to-know-you time with a new love interest. Especially her first love interest. Caroline strikes me as someone I can trust. She also appears to be fiercely loyal to her children and I like that about her. I have the urge to tell her every single new emotion and thought I’ve felt over the last few days, but I squelch the desire.
Instead, I tell her my story, leaving out the part where Stony didn’t want to help me at first. He has explained and redeemed himself for that little slip-up.
“You poor thing. What a terrible man.”
“If it wasn’t for Stony, I’m not sure what would’ve happened to me.”
“That’s my boy. He’s always been a good young man.”
I love the way mother’s talk about their sons, even when they’re grown men. They never stop looking upon their sons as little boys and say the cutest things about them. My mom does it to my brother, Grayson, too. He acts like he hates it, but I think he secretly loves it.
The kitchen window overlooks the backyard and I see Stony out there mowing the lawn. I agree, he is a good young man. It’s hot out and he’s wearing his usual long sleeves and perfect fitting jeans. I hate that he doesn’t let his leg or his scars show. On the other hand, I’d probably do the same thing if I were in his position.
“He mows every week for me. He won’t let me hire out, even though I know he’s busy,” Caroline says, practically bursting with pride.
I know how much Stony wants to finish his home. It says a lot about his priorities.
“Tell me more about you, Spencer. What do you do for a living?”
I continue to tell her more of my story and she listens intently.
“Such a noble profession,” she remarks about my career choice.
Mothers are so wonderful at making you feel as though everything you do is golden. If I colored a picture right now, Caroline would probably hang it on the refrigerator. The thought makes me miss my own mother even more.
“Mom! I’m home,” someone from the front of the house yells.
“We’re in the kitchen, Shay.”
It says a lot about a home when the grown children yell for their mom every time they walk in the door. Caroline is clearly the heart of this home.
A very pregnant woman who has almost the same coloring as Stony walks in. Her hair is dark, but her eyes are strikingly blue. She’s quite pretty. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees me.
“Oh, I didn’t realize we had company.”
“This is Spencer. She’s working for Drew and living in his motorhome. Isn’t that great?” The glance she casts toward Shay is full of meaning.
Shay looks at me with new eyes. “Really? That is the best news I’ve heard all day,” she says with a huge smile.
I feel like a bug trapped in a spider web all of a sudden. It’s obvious they are both putting two and two together and coming up with one. But I’m glad they seem overly pleased at the turn of events. I have a feeling they don’t believe I’m really working for Stony and assume it’s all a cover up to allow us to live together. I suppose they are half right. I doubt Stony would’ve deliberately sought out help if it wasn’t for the fact that it gives us time together.
“Um . . . we’re not . . . um, living together in that way,” I say, just to clarify.
“Of course not,” Caroline spouts knowingly. “My Drew would never compromise a girl’s virtue.”
Maybe not, but he sure knows how to kiss a girl. My stomach tingles at the memory of his kisses.
“Seriously, Mom, have you granted him sainthood yet?” Shay says with a warm smile, taking away the sting of her words.
“Just saying,” Caroline retorts.
Stony can do no wrong in his mother’s eyes. That’s okay, it’s as it should be.
“Join us, Shay,” Caroline invites.
“Thanks, Mom. I’m starving. Pregnancy has turned me into a glutton.”
We sit at the sunny table and settle in for a chat. I’m surprised at how comfortable I feel with them.
Caroline repeats my story to Shay, making Stony sound like a hero. Shay is suitably angry over Finn’s actions. “Why are men such jerks?” she mumbles.
I like Shay. She’s blunt, but cute and friendly. Unlike her brother, she has an easy smile. That smile doesn’t hide the hidden pain in her eyes though. While she appears happy, there’s something about her that screams she’s just endured hard times. Perhaps I notice it only because I know she really has been through a tough ordeal.
“There are some nice ones out there,” I say, looking out at Stony working hard while we’re sitting around enjoying fresh bread and lemonade. It makes me feel guilty.
“My brother doesn’t count,” Shay says. Then she amends, “But he is one of the good ones.”
“I figured that out pretty quickly.”
Caroline wipes moisture from her eyes. “He always has been. Even as a baby.”
“Stony is an interesting nickname for him,” I say.
“Let me tell you, his father refused to call him anything else. I never did care for it myself. I didn’t want a name to define him. He was the cutest little thing. Not a smiley or boisterous boy, but sweet as anything. He’s a deep thinker, that one. Always overanalyzing everything. But he thinks before he acts and that’s a good quality.”
There goes that mother’s insight again. I think Stony would prefer to hide under a rock than hear his mother gush over him. But I’m quite enjoying myself. “He has many good qualities.”
“I wish there were more men like him.” Shay takes a big bite of homemade bread.
I hear the resentment in her voice. Her husband really did a number on her and evidently, so did her ex-boyfriend, Jace. She’s a kindred spirit. We’ve both been unlucky with love. I think that’s about to change for me though.
Caroline pats her hand. “You’ll find him, Shay. Stop worrying and let it happen.”
Shay frowns and for a minute I wonder if she’s going to burst into tears. She doesn’t, but I sense tears are close to the surface.
“I’m happy for you and Stony. I hope things work out between the two of you,” Shay says quietly.
“Thank you, Shay. I appreciate that.”
“Would you like to try one of my cookies?” Shay asks. “They’re gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free. I’d love to know what you think of them.”
I swallow. They don’t sound very appealing, but I agree anyway. I’m very surprised when I bite into the cookie and find it delicious. “Oh, wow. That’s surprisingly good.”
Shay beams. “Everyone is surprised when they try them.”
Caroline grabs a cookie as well. “Shay is about to open a specialty bakery. She’s been experimenting with gluten-free and grain-free recipes.”
“That’s amazing, Shay. I’m impressed.”
Shay actually blushes. “Thanks, Spencer. I knew I liked you from the first moment I saw you.”
She says it in jest, but the feeling is mutual. Stony has a wonderful family. I don’t express my feelings though. I don’t want them to feel as though I’m trying too hard to get them to like me.
“Would you like to see some pictures of Drew when he was a baby?” Caroline asks, excitement sparkling in her eyes.
“Mom, no, don’t embarrass Stony. I’m sure Spencer doesn’t want to see baby pictures. Don’t push them on her.”
It would appear only his mother calls him Drew. No wonder he prefers Stony. Just like he said, it’s what he’s used to. “Actually, I’d love to see them,” I say. I’m horribly curious about his life. I feel like there’s so much I don’t know. Here’s my chance to get to know him in ways I don’t think he will ever reveal. Besides, Caroline obviously can
’t wait for the moment someone is interested in looking at pictures of her precious baby and I’m willing to humor her.
Shay grabs another slice of bread. “Sorry, Spencer, I tried to save you.”
We share a smile, but Caroline pays no attention to Shay as she swooshes me toward the living room.
While closed off from the rest of the house, I again notice that it’s updated and beautifully decorated. Caroline grabs a thick photo album from the bookshelf and we sit down together to view Stony’s life.
He was a good looking baby from the get-go. However, I see why his father nicknamed him Stony. There’s no smile to be found in any of his baby pictures. Not one. He’s always looking into the camera with a serious expression, as if he’s contemplating the meaning of life. His mom is right, he’s a deep thinker. Then and now. His façade could imply indifference, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
As I turn the pages into his elementary school days, nothing changes. He looks happy, but reserved.
“He was always a quiet one, that Drew. He didn’t even start talking until he was three and a half. Then suddenly full sentences came popping out.”
Not anymore, I think with a smile.
Caroline continues without missing a beat. “By that point, we were starting to wonder if something was wrong with him. He just never had much to say. But when something was important to him, look out, he’d lay it on the line and make himself clear. It’s just his way.
“Now, Shay on the other hand was talking our ears off at two years old. She’s seven years younger than our Drew and she’s just a little pistol, that one.”
I fear that life has knocked Shay down a notch or two and I feel for her. I turn the page and I’m in the middle school years. Several pictures start to appear of Stony and a young girl. At first I assume it’s Shay. Then I notice the name.
Mia.
His ex. The jailbird.
My heart feels cold in my chest. Stony and Mia have been friends since middle school?
My entire world comes to a skidding halt.
