Forever Red

by Carina Adams

  “Last night, dumbass,” he answered immediately, chuckling. “You know, when you sent me to get her?”

  He didn’t wait for my reply but pulled his shirt on and strode toward the house. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Something didn’t feel right. I wasn’t sure what, but something was off.

  Lia hadn’t been kidding. By the time I washed my hands and joined them at the kitchen table, Cash and Mike were shoveling forkfuls into their mouths so fast that I knew if I didn’t hurry, there wouldn’t be any for me. I sat, took the plate she offered, and dug in. Mike hadn’t been lying; it was better than anything our normal cook could have made. She was full of surprises.

  After we all gorged on her home-cooked deliciousness, I kissed her quickly and promised I would be back before long. I wanted to finish what we had to do and get back to her as soon as possible. She surprised me again when she grabbed my hand and asked what she could do to help. Molly was the only woman I’d ever brought here, and she never helped.

  I almost told her to kick back and relax. I hadn’t asked her to come so she could work the whole weekend. But then I realized if she was out with us, I’d at least get to spend some time with her. “I’m sure we can find something for you to do,” I assured her with a smile as I grabbed a serving plate off the table. “Let’s get this cleaned up and then we’ll see what’s left to do outside.”

  *****

  Sitting in front of the fire, beer in my hand and a beautiful woman on my lap, I realized that life couldn’t get much fucking sweeter. We’d had a great day, gotten a shit ton accomplished, and managed to have fun. Days like today were what made every other day worth it.

  Lia had fit in here immediately as if she’d spent her entire life here helping out. For someone that grew up in a trailer park, she sure knew her way around the farm. After we’d weeded and tended the animals, I pulled her on to one of the four-wheelers behind me and we’d gone up the mountain so I could show her the land.

  “Um, isn’t this what horses are for?” she had asked, shaking her head once we got to the top of the trail. “Why’d you bring a wheeler?”

  I turned away from the view of the valleys and fields, realizing instantly that looking at her gave me a sight just as beautiful. “You ride?”

  She smirked, fighting a laugh. Leaning in close to my ear, she whispered, “I do. But I think you already knew that.” She shrieked playfully when I pulled her into me, planting a sloppy wet kiss on my cheek. “I’ve actually never been on a horse. But I can totally learn.”

  I let her go and walked back to the ATV. “Tomorrow, I’m teaching you to ride then.”

  I’d finished the tour after that and then we’d brought the cattle in from the back pasture together before she cooked a fabulous dinner.

  Lia shifted in my lap, turning toward the pond. “I never asked if you could swim in that.”

  Mike nodded. “Lee, you’re in ‘Bama now. If it’s water, you can swim in it.”

  She wasn’t taking that answer. “I meant,” she clarified animatedly, “do you swim in it? Or are there snakes or crocodiles in it?”

  Mike choked on his beer while Cash spit out a mouthful and I squeezed her knee. “Gators, babe. Crocs are salt water. We have gators.” Instead of assuring her, my answer made her yelp and sit up on my lap straight.

  “Here? You have alligators here?” She stared behind us, into the dark, horrified as if a gator was going to waddle out and join our campfire.

  Laughter filled the clearing. “No, honey. Not here. In Alabama, though.” My answer didn’t seem to soothe her. “I’m sure there’re plenty of snakes around here, but none of ‘em will bother you.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  I rubbed her back, trying to offer comfort. “We do what we can to drive them away. We keep plants outta the pond and have raccoons.”

  “Racoons?” she chirped, her voice small.

  “Got somethin’ against cute, fluffy rodents, Lee?” Mike asked, handing her his beer. She shook her head before tipping it back, swallowing, and handing it back as if it was perfectly normal to swap spit with someone you hadn’t seen in years.

  “Only scary thing in that water is the channel cats,” Cash supplied, pointing with the neck of his beer, causing Linc’s head to perk up at the word “cat.” “And that’s only if you smell like fish.”

  Mike lost it at that, laughing so hard I was sure he was going to fall out of his chair. Lia managed to grab his bottle before he knocked it over. Seeing there was nothing interesting, Linc dropped her head and started snoring again.

  Lia narrowed her eyes at me, pushing her index finger into my chest. “Not one word.”

  I shook my head. Nope. I wasn’t touching that one.

  “What the fuck are channel cats?” She still sounded worried, but not nearly as much.

  “Catfish, babe. Just catfish.”

  “We could go noodling. I could teach ya,” Mike supplied, humor oozing from his words.

  She twisted, facing him. “You, Mikey, can go noodle yourself!” Sighing, she pushed herself off my lap, took one last sip of his beer, and then handed it back to him. “So, swimming?”

  “We could do that in the pond or the creek,” Cash answered for me. “But we usually just use the pool.”

  Lia’s head snapped up and she straightened her back as she glared at each of us in turn. “There’s a pool?” It was a rhetorical question so I didn’t even attempt to answer. “Wow.” She shook her head. “Just wow.” Mike and Cash had obviously had too much to drink because they were now cackling like old ladies. I stood, giving Carson my best Gibb’s slap on the back of his head on my way by him.

  Then I grabbed her hand and pulled her up the dark path. Relief oozed through me when she started giggling halfway to the house. “They are such asses.” She pushed on my shoulder with her free hand. “Why didn’t you just tell me you had a pool? I’m still sweating my ass off.”

  “I didn’t know if you’d brought a suit.”

  She squeezed my hand. “Who in the hell needs a suit?”

  She had a good fucking point. Why in the hell hadn’t I thought of that? My pace increased as I pulled her behind me, heading straight for the house. The quicker I could get my girl naked, the better.

  *****

  The next day started the same as the day before. I woke up before Lia and watched her sleep for as long as I could. Then I snuck out of bed and met Mike and Cash at the barn. Cash had worked for me for years and I hadn’t known him before I hired him, but he’d become part of my extended family. Even when I gave the man the day off, he started his day on the farm.

  Granted, he lived on the property, in the guesthouse Gramps had built for my parents so when they brought us up, they could have a mini-vacation. The four of us would stay in the main house with him so he could spoil us and spend as much time with us as he could, and he’d send my parents across property to what he called the villa. It was secluded as much as it could be and gave him a place to call his own.

  We had other farmhands, but they were gone for the long weekend. Even the ones that lived on property in the bunkhouse had found somewhere else to be. Not Cash, though. That man was up with the rooster and out working, whether he was scheduled or not.

  The three of us worked quickly and were almost done by the time Lia called us in for breakfast. After clean up, the four of us hit the fields, finishing up what had to be done so we could spend the rest of the day relaxing. I had big plans, like taking the horses out and teaching her to ride.

  So when April’s little red Ford Focus came around the bend an hour later, just as we were heading inside, irritation rolled over me. I’d kept my cell phone off specifically because I didn’t want any interruptions during my time with Lia. I especially didn’t want to deal with whatever issue my personal assistant felt was important enough to bother me with on a Sunday. That’s why I’d given her the weekend off and told her to enjoy it with her family.

  So seeing her here, on th
e farm, was perplexing. When Grady opened the driver’s side door and folded out of the tiny car, I was even more surprised. April and I had somehow moved past all our teenage bullshit and not only become friends, but had a great working relationship. I depended on her to keep my life running smoothly, and just like Nikki, I trusted April with all my secrets. Her husband Grady was another story, though.

  I knew, statistically speaking, that the majority of high school relationships in Alabama ended in marriage. You find a good one and you keep them. So it was no surprise when my mom told me that the two of them were getting married. I didn’t have any ties to April and I definitely didn’t want her back, but the news still stung.

  Grady was supposed to have had my back. You did not fuck your best friend’s girl. You just didn’t do it. No, you were supposed to find the prick that fucked your best friend’s girl and help your friend beat him to a bloody fucking pulp. Bros before hos – or some shit. The guy you’ve known since kindergarten, the one you shared everything with, was supposed to be fucking loyal. He was supposed to help you protect what was yours. He was supposed to care.

  None of it had mattered to the man that was now waving hello and opening the back door to get his daughter out of the car. Not the years of friendship, not the fact that my family took him everywhere with us, not the fact that I trusted him. All that had mattered was that when my life fell apart, he saw an opening with my girl and he took it. So yeah, fifteen years later and I was still a little fucking bitter.

  I felt Lia move in behind me before she placed a hand on my back. “Were you expecting someone?” I couldn’t decipher her tone, but her fist closed around my shirt when April, carrying a cellophane covered bowl, slid from the car.

  “No,” I growled out. If April brought food and her family, she was planning to stay. Fuck that. “I’ll be right back,” I assured her, taking the steps two at a time until I reached the family. April, as usual, threw one arm around me, giving me a half-hug. “What are y’all doin’ here, May?”

  She leaned back, eyes searching my face, and then she glanced passed me at Lia on the porch. Her eyebrows disappeared under her baseball cap. “Family picnic?” she asked the question as if I should know the answer.

  I gripped her upper arm. “What family picnic?”

  She blanched. “The traditional Memorial Day Kelly family picnic.” Her eyes moved back to me. “You forgot,” she whispered accusingly.

  “No,” I whispered back sharply, “I didn’t forget because I didn’t know about it. We canceled it this year, remember?”

  She shook her head. “It’s on your damn phone, Nathaniel! Molly couldn’t do Monday so we moved it to today.” She motioned to her husband and daughter, who were now walking to the pond knowing we needed a few minutes. “We came early,” she hissed, “fixin’ to help you set up.” She narrowed her eyes as she looked at my porch. “You never bring your girls here, so how in the hell was I supposed to know you’d have one here today?”

  One of my girls? I hated how cold her tone got when she said those words. As if I would bring some groupie here. I wouldn’t even bring the women I dated; hell, the closest they ever got to coming home with me was the place outside of Nashville.

  April wasn’t paying any attention to me or my reaction to her words and kept talking. “Well, shit, Nate! Your momma’s gonna to be here in an hour. And if that woman is still here when she gets here, she’s gonna kill you.”

  I rolled my eyes, ignoring the last statement. “Who all is coming?”

  “Everyone!”

  I dropped my hand, turning back to the house. There wasn’t enough time for me to get her out, and I didn’t want to, anyway. I didn’t want to give up my time with her just because my family was full of nosy, opinionated people.

  “Babe? Can you come down here a minute?”

  Lia startled when I called to her, but she nodded, slowly coming down the stairs.

  I held out my hand when she got close enough, yanking her into me. “Lia, this is April Pike, my personal assistant. April, this is Lia.”

  It took a second, but each woman realized who the other was at almost the same time. April, the true Southern belle she was, recovered much quicker than Lia, but neither said a word. I draped my arm over Red’s shoulders, pulling her close. “April here was just telling me that my family will be here in the hour.” I felt Red tense, very unhappy at the news. I needed to let her know that I was unaware of the incoming attack. “Apparently, we’re having a barbecue. Want to help me whip something together quick?”

  Lia nodded, happy I’m sure just to get away from the woman in front of us. “I’ll get Mike and Cash to start the grills and move the tables,” I told April as I started to back away from her. “We’ll see you in a little bit.”

  Lia’s eyes were wild when we shut ourselves in the house. Her face was painfully blank, but I could feel the stress coming off her in waves. I leaned against the wall and pulled her between my legs. “Hey”—moving my fingers to her chin, I tilted her head to make her look at me—“I didn’t know they were coming. You okay? I can have Carson take you somewhere for the afternoon if you want.”

  She shook her head. “No. I want to be here with you, but won’t your family think it’s weird that I’m here? We didn’t really end our relationship on a high note last time.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t care if they do have a problem with it.”

  She gave me a nasty look. “I do!”

  I smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Okay. Truth is, no one knows you’re here. Molly and Noah know about last weekend, but no way in hell they told my mom. So yeah, it’ll be a surprise. But fuck them. We don’t have to explain shit to anyone. We’re two old friends catching up. This is my place. I want you here. Isn’t that all that matters?”

  Lia took a deep breath. Her entire body seemed to relax on exhale. “They still hate me?”

  I nodded, smiling. “Damn straight.”

  Her smile was almost sinister as she let her hands trail down my stomach to my jeans and then cupped me. “You are so lucky you’re amazing in bed.”

  “That’s not luck, darlin’. It’s pure skill.”

  She tipped her head back and laughed. When she stood upright again, the tension was completely gone and there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “I absolutely adore you, funny guy.”

  The feeling was mutual. I could only hope that my family didn’t drive her away. Because I definitely needed more of Lia in my life.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  ~ Cecelia ~

  As soon as I could escape, I retreated to the kitchen. They were just too much. Apparently, Alabama people didn’t do rude. No, they killed you with motherfucking kindness. Good Christ! If I had to deal with one more smile, one more compliment, or one more hug from one of those women that I knew, just absolutely knew hated me, I was going to scream.

  Natalie had been only nine the last time I’d seen her, so I was hoping that maybe she’d have good memories of me. Nope. She seemed to be the most irritated by my presence, but she’d been trained well. Every time I caught her watching me, she’d smile and offer me more sweet tea.

  Nikki seemed genuinely pissed off at the world, and no one, not even her beloved brother escaped her wrath. Every time I talked to her, though, I didn’t get the feeling her rage was directed at me. I blamed pregnancy hormones; this heat was killing me and I wasn’t making a tiny human.

  Molly – while completely caught off guard by my presence – hadn’t been unkind as much as indifferent. She wasn’t the chatty straightforward girl I’d met at the bar the weekend before and seemed to avoid me at all costs. She did manage to steal Nathaniel away from me every chance she got, and once I caught them in what looked like a heated discussion.

  Patty, on the other hand, was full on nice bitch. She may have been born Yankee, but she was all Southern woman now. She told me that if she knew I was coming, she’d have baked me a cake. That I was aging well. That I was as white
as a piece of cotton. That I needed to put some paint on my barn and that they’d wait for me – which I didn’t have a fucking clue how to translate. And she followed each one with a, “bless your heart.” I surmised she was telling me that I needed to lose some weight, that I hadn’t, in fact, aged well at all, and that my skin was pasty pale. But I didn’t speak crazy so I couldn’t be sure.

  I looked around the bright yellow kitchen, thinking about how happy I’d been just a few hours before. Ugh. One more night. One more night. That’s all I had left with Neil, so if I had to put up with his insane family for just a few more hours, it was worth it.

  “Thought I might find you here.” I didn’t turn around, but felt instant relief as Mikey came up behind me. “Is it that bad?”

  I faced him, thankful when his arms were there, and fell into his embrace. “Worse.”

  He chuckled. “Aw, come on, Lee. They’ve all seemed like they were being really nice to you.”

  “Ha!” I mumbled against his chest. I would have explained what I meant, but a throat clearing in an obnoxious way had us pulling away from each other. “Mrs. Kelly.” I nodded at her.

  She only stared me down. “Mike, can you give Lia and me a few minutes, please?”

  “Uh.” He paused for a second too long and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah. Sure thing,” he corrected after getting a nod from me. “Later, Lee.”

  Patty waited a few minutes, making sure we were completely alone. “Does my son know?”

  I was confused. “I’m sorry, I’ve missed a step. Does your son know what?”

  “That you and Mike are a couple.”

  She said it so matter-of-factly that I laughed. “Mike and I are definitely not together. He’s like my brother.”

  Tapping on the counter with a perfectly manicured nail, she laid it all bare. “Why are you here, Lia?”

  “Because Neil invited me.”

  “Nate,” she corrected snootily, “I’m sure didn’t just pick up the phone and invite you.” Well, she’d gotten that part correct. “So, I’ll ask again, why are you here?”