Under the Owl Tree

by Sara Daniell

  He kissed Millie’s head. “It’s nothing. Can you?” He looked at me. Millie was looking up at him, as confused as me.

  “You’re not staying the night?” Millie asked with a pout.

  Dane shook his head. “Sorry, kiddo. Not tonight. I will see if I can this weekend.” He looked at me. “If you can’t stay, I’ll—”

  “I can stay. I’ll text my parents and let them know I’m watching her.” I smiled at Millie when she looked at me.

  “Thanks.” He kissed Millie’s head again. “Love ya, kiddo.”

  She moved and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Love you.” She kissed his cheek and played with his hair for a second before she sat back down next to me. Dane stood. “Thanks, Hales. I’ll text you later tonight.” He kissed the top of my head and headed for the door.

  I WOKE UP to Millie leaving my side. I rubbed my eyes to try to focus better and saw Zach picking her up. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair.

  “What time is it?” I whispered.

  “Eleven. If I had known you were watching her, I would have come sooner,” he said in a whisper. “Where’s Dane?”

  “His house. His dad texted him and said he needed help with something.” I stood and fixed my shirt. “I didn’t mind staying.”

  Zach’s smile faded at what I said about Dane. “I’m going to put her to bed. I’ll be right back.” He headed upstairs with Millie.

  I went into the kitchen and got my purse and keys.

  “Thanks for staying, Hales,” Zach said as he came back into the kitchen. He smiled at me as he walked closer until I had my back to the counter. He placed his hands on either side of me on the counter so that his body was pressed against mine.

  I stared up at him. “I should go.” My heart started beating faster.

  He leaned down and kissed my neck. “I know.” He kissed my forehead. “But I don’t want you to go,” he whispered. It was so quiet; I almost didn’t hear it. “That’s a first for me.”

  “You could sneak me up to your room,” I whispered back, walking my fingers up his chest. “Which would be a first for me.” I smiled a little.

  He stared at me for a moment. He kissed me then put his forehead to mine. “Not tonight. You need to head home. The moment I sneak you anywhere, I want it to be just us. I don’t want to have to worry about being quiet or someone coming in.” He kissed me again. This time he deepened it, making him groan when he pulled back. “Okay, you really should go now.” He moved back from me.

  “Walk me out?”

  He nodded then laced his fingers in mine as we walked outside. “You up for a run in the morning?” he asked as we made it to my car.

  “Sure. Same time?”

  “Sounds good.” He smiled. “So, since no one can know, should we have code names?” he asked teasingly.

  I laughed. “That’s probably not a bad idea if we’re going to be texting each other.”

  He pulled out his phone and started typing something. He turned it to me and showed me that he had changed my name to Tiger. He grinned widely, revealing a dimple in his right cheek. It was the first time he had smiled wide enough for me to see it.

  I laughed and pulled out my phone. I went into the contacts and found him. I changed it to Sadie’s name and showed it to him.

  “I think I might actually like her. So don’t text me anything inappropriate, or my parents might start wondering which side of the fence I’m on.” I laughed.

  “I could always get you a phone on my plan.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  “You’d do that?”

  “Yes.” He looked at me seriously.

  “We’ll see.” I smiled and started playing with the buttons on his shirt. “See you in the morning?”

  “Bright and early.” He took my hand away from his shirt and kissed my knuckles.

  I kissed his cheek and then got in the car. I waved before driving off.

  Me: Hey. We should hang out for dinner.

  I smiled at Mom when she came into the kitchen. Practice today was killer as usual. I was taking a much-needed break and drinking an ice-cold glass of fruit water. I texted Zach because I wanted to see him, and I wanted him to feed me something super unhealthy, something I knew I could count on him to do.

  “What are you doing?” Mom asked as she stared at the grin on my face. “You seem happy.”

  “Just texting Sadie. Remember the girl I told you about? We might hang out later if it’s okay with you and her parents.”

  Poor Sadie. I wondered if she would actually like to hang out. I’d have to make a mental note to invite her over sometime. I looked at Mom.

  “Of course! We’d love to meet her.”

  I nodded. “I’ll make that happen.”

  Sadie: What do you want to eat, Tiger?

  Me: I want a cheeseburger SO bad.

  Sadie: With or without the bun? Do you want me to cook it or buy you one?

  Me: I want everything that’s bad for me. Including you. ;)

  Sadie: I’m not that kind of girl. Lol. I will put a burger on the grill. I’m at the cabin tonight if you want to meet me there.

  Me: Okay. See you soon!

  After getting ready, I headed to Zach’s cabin. I had Dane text the real Sadie to let her know I needed her to cover for me. She had no idea about Zach, but Dane said she didn’t ask questions; she just agreed. I owed her so big.

  I smiled when I got to the cabin and saw Zach grilling on the deck that overlooked the lake. The breeze was perfect, making the hot Georgia air tolerable. I slid the rubber band off my wrist and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I went up the stairs and stood next to him, peeking at the grill.

  “Yum.” I smiled.

  He smiled down at me. “They’re almost ready.”

  I sat down on a fold-out chair and started picking at the fringe on my holey shorts. “How was your day?”

  He made a face. “Okay, I guess. I hired two waitresses and a new manager.” He shrugged. “We’ll see how long they last.” He closed the grill and sat down next to me. “How was your day?”

  “Tiring but good. I think I’m finally getting in a good groove with the team. I think we’re going to have a great year.”

  “Me too. I wish I hadn’t missed practice the past couple of days. I should be there tomorrow.” He kissed my lips softly then stood and checked on the burgers. He used a spatula to put the burgers on a plate. “Everything is ready inside if you want to go in and eat.” He turned the grill off and closed the lid.

  I got up and followed him inside. “Where are the plates?”

  “I have everything already out on the table.” He led the way to a table that was set up for two in the kitchen. He put the burgers down on the free space that was left on the small table. “Eventually I should probably get a bigger table.”

  I smiled. “It’s perfect.”

  The grin that I had only seen once before showed up, giving a hint of his dimple. “I have a surprise for you.” He went to a cabinet and opened it. The inside was filled with boxes of Twinkies.

  I raised a brow and smiled. “Did Dane tell you those are my favorite?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.” He came back over to the table. “Whatever else you want I can stock here too. I’m usually the only one, besides Dane, that comes here.”

  We both sat down at the table and fixed our plates. “Dane really thinks highly of all of you.”

  “We think highly of him. He’s like a little brother to us. As far as I’m concerned, he’s family.”

  “Have you always lived in Stockbridge?”

  “No. We lived here when we were younger, but Elliot’s cancer and my father’s job moved us to New York when I was eleven. I moved back to Stockbridge to go to college.” He frowned. “Or rather play at college. Elliot moved here when our parents died. He went to your high school his senior year.”

  “And that’s where he met Millie’s mom?”

  “Yeah. He went to school part of the year and then home-schoo
led to be with Sam every day. They married a couple of months before Millie was born.” His eyes had taken on a sadness I didn’t like.

  “I’ve only experienced death once. My grandmother died when I was too young to really understand. I can’t imagine losing someone like you guys have. Your parents, Sam… I think it’s great that you all have each other to keep one another strong.”

  He gave me a weak smile. “If we didn’t have each other, we wouldn’t have made it. Sam pulled Elliot out of his depression after our parent’s death. Millie pulled him out of it when Sam died.” He took a bite of his food.

  “Sorry for the heavy questions.” I took a bite of the burger.

  “It’s okay. It’s part of getting to know someone. You’ll hear about Sam a lot anyway.”

  “Is there anything you want to know about me?” I took a drink.

  “I want to know everything. What was it like when you lived in Gulfport?” He took a bite of his hamburger and leaned back in his chair. Before I could answer, the chair gave way, and he fell to the floor. He laughed as he laid there.

  I burst into laughter. “Didn’t your parents teach you not to lean back in your chair like that?” I teased. I got up and held a hand out to him.

  “Yeah, they did.” He took my hand and yanked me down on top of him. “But being on the floor has some advantages.” He gave me his crooked smile.

  “Like?” I asked through laughter.

  He positioned my legs so that I was straddling his waist. He looked up at me. “It’s easy for you to take advantage of me,” he teased. He moved his hands to my thighs. “You’re beautiful. Did you know that?”

  I smiled and leaned down to kiss him. He gripped my thighs then gently rolled us over so he was on top of me. As he kissed me, one of his hands moved under my shirt. I hated how I lost all common sense when it came it Zach. He affected me in ways he’d never understand because even I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Emotions were so fucking unpredictable.

  “I’m falling for you, and I’m scared,” I admitted quietly against his lips.

  He moved back just enough to look in my eyes. He brushed a piece of hair out of my face. “I’ve already fallen for you, Hales. And it scares me shitless.”

  “You have?”

  He looked so serious as he nodded. “Yes. I have.”

  Emotions I didn’t even know existed surfaced. I kissed him softly and kept my lips barely brushing against his. “Show me,” I whispered.

  He locked his eyes on mine as if he was searching for something. He kissed my lips softly and then stood, pulling me to my feet with him. He led me to a room in the back of the cabin. He pulled me in, kissing me as he led me to the bed. “Are you sure?” he asked, pulling back slightly.

  My entire body trembled a little. I nodded as I held onto the bottom hem of his shirt.

  “Positive.”

  He let me pull his shirt off then he moved us to the bed, continuing to kiss me. I put my hand to his chest to keep him at a safe distance.

  “Zach?”

  “Do we need to stop?” he asked, his voice deeper than before.

  I shook my head and kept my eyes on his. “I’m just nervous.”

  He smiled the sweetest smile. “It’s okay to be nervous, Tiger.” He ran his hands gently up and down my arms.

  I took my hand off his chest and moved it to the back of his neck to pull him back down into a kiss. His hands found the button and zipper on my shorts. He started to slide them down my thighs, and I grabbed his hand to stop him.

  “What if I’m bad at this?” I asked, my breathing picking up.

  “Then I’ll have no one to blame but myself.” He cupped my face with his hands. “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

  I nodded and bit my bottom lip as I let go of his hand. He slid my shorts down my legs. “What does that mean? Blame yourself?” I asked, making him stop sliding my panties down mid-thigh. I felt like I might have a panic attack, but at the same time I was okay.

  “Because since this is your first time, it will be my job to teach you.” He kissed my bare thigh softly.

  Yup. Totally okay.

  I nodded again and lifted my legs to help him remove my panties completely. He helped me sit up enough to get my shirt and bra off. I covered my eyes with my arm.

  “What if I’m not enough, Zach?”

  I was completely exposed and completely freaking out. It obviously wasn’t his first time, and I couldn’t help but think about him comparing me to every other girl he’s ever seen this way. I moved my arm from my eyes to look at him, which was probably the bravest thing I had ever done in my entire life. At least it felt that way.

  Zach stopped what he was doing. “You are the first girl I have ever had feelings for, Hales. You’re the first girl that I have ever taken things slow with or spent time with like I have you. If you want to stop, I will. I won’t rush you into anything.” He laid in the bed next to me, his jeans still on. He ran his hand gently over my bare stomach. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he said as his eyes followed the movement of his hands. “You’re perfect, Hales.”

  “You’re the first guy to ever see me like this. I’m sorry for freaking out. Just tell me to shut up.”

  “I like listening to you talk.” He looked at me seriously. “And I plan on being the last person to ever see you like this.”

  I smiled, and hearing those words made me feel more comfortable. “Okay. I won’t say another word.”

  He chuckled then kissed me.

  Today we were working in the gym because it was pouring rain out on the field. I sat on a stool by the weights and talked to Dane while he lifted. Coach was making me be super careful with weight-lifting because he didn’t want me to overuse my pitching arm.

  “I can’t believe school starts in a week. I’m so nervous.” I took a drink of some water and waved at Gabe and Trevor as they walked by.

  Dane stopped lifting and looked over at me. “You’ll be fine. We’ll be right there with ya.” He sat up and rubbed his shoulder. He looked at Coach as Zach walked over to him and started talking to him.

  It was so hard to pretend like Zach and I were nothing around everyone. Dane was the only person who knew, and he was good at hiding it. But I couldn’t help but feel like everyone was watching us, which made me extra cautious.

  “Can you give me Sadie’s number? I need to actually hang out with her.”

  Dane laughed then nodded. “Yeah. I’ll text it to you after practice. What’s going to happen if you text Sadie the wrong thing?” he asked quietly. “Why don’t you just let him get you another phone?”

  “How’d you know about that?” I asked quietly and laughed. “Does Zach talk to you about us?”

  “He asked me about the phone idea after he asked how watchful I thought your parents were. Besides that, no, he doesn’t talk to me. Which I’m thankful for. Especially, since he was in an oddly good mood yesterday.” He raised an eyebrow at me.

  I blushed and looked at my hands instead of at Dane. “I have no idea why.”

  “Sure you don’t.” He laughed and laid back down on the bench. “You want to hang out after school? I’m going to be spending the night at Coach’s tonight since it’s the weekend.”

  “I can’t. My parents mentioned something about going out of town to have some family time before school starts.” I got up from the stool and looked at Zach and Coach as they walked over.

  “How’s your shoulder, Dane?” Coach asked as he looked him over.

  “Fine,” Dane said, moving before Coach could look at it. Coach and Zach looked at him oddly for a moment.

  I was doing my best to remain completely normal. I drank some water, fidgeted with my shirt, and looked at everything except for Zach.

  Coach looked at me. “You ready for school to start?”

  “Not really.”

  Zach kept his eyes on Dane then turned to Coach. “I have to head out. I’ll bring dinner home tonight.” He nodded t
oward me then left the gym.

  I walked over to the treadmill to get in some cardio before it was time to leave.

  I PICKED UP a pair of sandals I liked, and Sadie picked up the same pair. “We should get them!” She said with a huge smile.

  “I don’t know. I don’t really wear this kind of stuff. I tend to stick to my tennis shoes or Toms.”

  “Oh, come on, Hailey. You’re a girl. You should act like it.”

  I frowned. “I do act like it. I just don’t follow the latest fashion trends. I like to dress up every once in awhile, but I never really have reason to. It’s baseball uniforms or workout gear.”

  She rolled her eyes and laughed. “And what do you normally wear to school?”

  “My last school required uniforms” And that’s why we were at the mall. I needed an actual wardrobe for school since they didn’t require uniforms “You dress nice. Not too girly. You’re like the perfect in-between. Just pick me out things you would wear, and I’ll just go with it.” I laughed.

  “I can handle that.” She immediately went to skimming the shirt racks.

  I walked over to the jeans and pulled out a few pair that were the right size. My phone dinged from my back pocket. I pulled it out to see Sadie’s name on it.

  Sadie: You look very sexy today.

  I looked around confused.

  Me: How do you know? I haven’t seen you. lol

  Sadie: I have my ways.

  Me: Are you stalking me?

  Zach: Lol. I’m with Millie at Build-a-Bear. I saw you pass.

  Me: You’re here at the mall?

  Sadie: Yep.

  Me: I’ll come see you at Build-a-Bear if that’s okay?

  Sadie: I’d like that.

  I found Sadie and told her that I was going to the restroom and would meet her back at Rue21. I handed her the jeans I had picked out to hold for me and left the store. I found Build-a-Bear, and a huge grin spread across Millie’s face when she saw me.