[Southern Heart 01.0] Southern Pleasure

by Kaylee Ryan

  “Yes! Thank you. I came in for a few things . . .” She shrugs her shoulders. “You know how that goes.”

  “Always.” Kinley offers her a kind smile and proceeds to take the items from the woman’s arms, placing them in the cart.

  “Thank you again.” The woman waves and pushes the cart on down the aisle.

  “That was nice of you.”

  “Yeah, she looked like she could use it more than us. Let’s go check out the clothes.” McKinley again links her arms through mine and pulls me to the other side of the store. She rattles on about onesies, sleepers, diapers, bottles, and a million other things that have my head spinning.

  I swallow hard. “Babies need a lot of stuff.”

  Hearing the desperation in my voice, she stops and turns to look at me. “Yeah, but you’ll have a shower. It’s a little unconventional with mom not being in the picture, so maybe we should plan it for after the baby’s born. Maybe a welcome home so everyone can meet the baby?”

  “Nope, too many germs.”

  Kinley laughs. “Already sounding like a dad,” she chides. “Well, I’ll take care of that. I’ll enlist Mom’s help.”

  “Yeah,” I say. My mind is racing; I’m overwhelmed.

  “I think I’ve scared you enough for one day. Let’s go get some food, I’m starving.”

  I let her lead me back out to the truck, my thoughts on everything that lies ahead in the coming months. “What sounds good?” I ask her, forcing myself out of my own head.

  “I’m easy. We can just pick up a pizza if you want. I’m sure Aaron will be home by the time we get back.”

  I nod in agreement. Kinley pulls out her phone and orders pizza. She surprises me when she tells them to just deliver to her house. I can feel myself relax a little. Their house was my second home growing up. Aaron has been my closest friend for as long as I can remember. Their parents are my second family. With my own parents living so far away, being with them is exactly what I need.

  Sitting at the kitchen table working on edits is how I’ve spent my day. Over the last month, I’ve done at least two shoots per week, which is more than I could have hoped for just starting out. They have all been referrals. Word of mouth really is the best advertisement.

  “How’s it going?” Mom asks as she carries in a load of laundry that was hanging out on the line. She loves the smell of fresh air-dried laundry. I have to admit I do too, which is something else I didn’t even realize I’d missed until I was away at school.

  “Good. Little Robbie is such a cutie. He was fun to shoot.” My session earlier this week was a two-year-old. It was his birthday pictures and he was such a ham. I love photography. I only hope it never begins to feel like a job. I hope it continues to stay fun. Not many people I know can claim they have fun at work, but I can.

  Mom sets the basket on the other side of the table and walks over to where I’m sitting. “Oh my. He is a handsome little devil. Look at that smirk,” she laughs.

  “Yeah, his parents are going to have their hands full with this one. He’s already got game,” I joke.

  Before she can reply, Aaron comes barreling through the door. “Hey,” he greets us with a smile.

  “What’s got you in such a good mood?” I ask him.

  “Evan just called and we’re going out tonight.”

  “Oookay, and why does that turn you into chipper ‘smile so big my face could crack’ Aaron?”

  He ruffles the hair on top of my head. “Well, apparently Misty showed up for today’s appointment after missing the one on Monday. He was able to find out the sex of the baby,” he explains.

  “Yay! Tell me,” I demand. It’s been killing us all for weeks. Not knowing is just too stressful.

  “Don’t know.” He shrugs. “He said I had to meet him tonight at Mike’s Tavern and he’ll tell me then.”

  He turns to head for the stairs. “I can’t wait that long. I need to shop,” I call after him.

  Stopping, he looks over his shoulder. “I’m leaving in twenty. Be ready,” he says.

  I glance at the time on my laptop. I’ve been at this all day. I could use a break. Luckily, I just need to change and add some lip gloss. My hair is in a side braid today and that is a more than appropriate style for Mike’s Tavern. Saving my work, I shut down my laptop and sprint to my room. I change out my yoga pants into jean shorts and a flowing tank. Grabbing a pair of socks, I rush back downstairs. My cowboy or as I like to call them, cowgirl boots, are by the door where I left them. Just as I slide them on, Aaron’s heavy footsteps get closer.

  “Ready?” he asks, pulling his shirt over his head. His hair is still wet, but he’ll still manage to make the girls swoon. Men, they don’t know how good they have it. Lucky for me, I’m not going in the hopes of picking up a male companion. I just want to see Evan’s face when he tells us what he’s having. I just need to know since it’s essential to my future shopping expeditions.

  I follow Aaron out the door and hear Mom yell, “Be safe you two, and have fun.” I can hear the laughter in her voice. Being two years apart, Aaron and I have a close relationship. Don’t get me wrong, I annoyed the hell out of him and Evan when I was younger. I followed them everywhere, but when push came to shove, my big bro was always there for me. As we became older, he didn’t seem to mind so much. That is unless his friends were hitting on me. Mike, the owner of Mike’s Tavern, has tried many times. Aaron and Evan both made it known I was off limits. It’s not that Aaron didn’t want me to date; he just didn’t want me to date his friends. Guys talk, and he didn’t want to hear or see anything that had to do with me, his little sister, in “that kind” of a relationship. At least that was the excuse he gave me. Obviously, Evan, being his best friend, backed him up in all things.

  Mike’s a good-looking guy. My teenage-self was interested but knew better than to push Aaron when he meant business. All he would have had to do was say the word and Dad would have shut it down anyway. Those two had some type of agreement. If Aaron approved, all was good in my world. If not, there was no use in me even attempting to date the guy. He would have Dad using his veto power. I could have rebelled, but didn’t. I love them both and know Aaron was just looking out for me. To be honest, he probably saved me from a lot of heartache.

  Within minutes, we are piled into his new truck and on our way. “So, I know why I’m excited to find out, but I didn’t expect you to be,” I say.

  Aaron throws a hand over his chest, as if he clutching his heart. “Sister, you wound me. Of course I’m excited my best friend is going to be a dad,” he replies.

  “You’ve just never been one who’s been much on kids.”

  “Well, I’ve not really been around many. It’s not that I don’t like kids, but guys are different than girls. You want to cuddle, hold, and kiss on them no matter whose kid it is. Me, I’m going to be Uncle Aaron to this kid. Of course I’m excited. I’ll be the same way when you have kids.”

  “And what about you?” He’s never mentioned really wanting kids before. I know he’s waiting for “the one.” He’s been vocal about that. At first, I used to think it was just a cop-out to keep from getting serious with anyone, but over the years, he’s convinced me to his way of thinking.

  “Yeah, I mean, it’s not like I’m itching for them or anything, but when the time is right.”

  “You know, what happened to Evan could happen to anyone. Not many would handle it the way he has.” It’s true. Evan has fought for his unborn child since the minute he found about him or her. Gah! I can’t wait to find out what he’s having. This “him or her” stuff is for the birds. Evan took to calling the baby peanut, but it seems odd for me to use the nickname and I hate when people say it. It’s is a baby, people!

  “You’re right, it could. I don’t know that there are many guys out there who would have fought as hard as he did.”

  “Would you?” I ask him.

  I watch him as he furrows his brow. He’s really considering my blunt question. “I would li
ke to think so, yes,” he finally says. “It’s hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes though. Walk a thousand miles and all that jazz.”

  Just like that, we’re in the parking lot of Mike’s. My excitement simmers back to the surface; that is until Aaron turns the questioning on me.

  “What about you? What if you were in Misty’s shoes?” he asks.

  “Never!” I say with conviction. “Never would I ever give my baby up. It might be a hard struggle if the dad didn’t want to be in the picture, or my family for that matter. Not that you all would ever turn your back on me; but I can tell you with complete certainty that I would never make the choices she has. I don’t know many women who would.” I end the conversation by climbing out of the truck.

  I stop at the front door and wait for Aaron. As soon as he reaches me, he throws his arm over my shoulder and pulls me close. “You’re good people, McKinley Rae.”

  I can’t help but chuckle as I elbow him. “Right back at ya, big brother.”

  After I told my grandparents, I called my parents to give them the news. Today has been . . . life-altering. I’ve known Misty was pregnant for a while now, and I’ve seen the slight swell of her belly with my baby. However, today was an experience I will never forget as long as I live. I’ve heard women—my mom, both of my grandma’s—talk about ultrasounds and everyone always seemed to be so excited about them. As a guy, I never really paid much attention. It didn’t affect me, so why would I?

  I don’t have words for the onset of emotions that flooded me the minute my baby appeared on that screen. Misty kept her eyes closed and earbuds in her ears. She literally wants nothing to do with this. I still struggle with that, especially after today. Ten fingers, ten toes, and a strong heartbeat. The tech assured me the baby is healthy. Still measuring a little small, but Misty has not gained a lot of weight either. The doctor counseled her once again about eating more since she’s eating for two. It took extreme effort to bite my tongue and not lash out at her. She missed her appointment this week. Took me two days to get her to call me back and get the appointment rescheduled. She doesn’t look strung out, just too thin. I handed her some money today after the appointment. She tried to argue that she didn’t need anything from me, but I made her take it. I meant it when I said I wanted to take care of whatever she needs.

  Aaron was my next call. However, I didn’t tell him. Instead, I told him he had to meet me here for a drink. It’s been a long week and I could use a little downtime with my boy. Not to mention that even though I’m ecstatic to have seen my baby, I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out on something. I should be sharing this night with my significant other, you know, the one I don’t have. That thought alone causes panic to build inside me. I want my baby, but I have no fucking clue what I’m getting myself into. Live and learn, they say.

  I choose a booth at the back of the bar. I don’t feel like fielding questions about Misty and me, or the baby for that matter. I want to kick back with my oldest friend and celebrate. I’m startled out of my thoughts when Aaron slides into the booth across from me. He’s wearing a huge-ass grin. My brother.

  “Gah! Tell me now!” I hear that sweet southern voice that can only belong to one person. McKinley Mills.

  She slides into the booth next to me, watching me, waiting. “Evan! You’re killing me here.” She leans her shoulder into mine.

  She and I have spent some time together since she’s been home from college. She’s always been a part of my life, but just recently I have learned to value her friendship as much as I do her brother’s.

  “Hey now, I might just make you wait until I finish this beer.” I grin.

  McKinley looks at the bottle sitting in front of me and smirks. Reaching over, she grabs the bottle, bringing it to her lips. I watch in fascination as she tilts her head back and drains it. Running the back of her hand over her lips, she places the bottle back in front of me. An ornery-ass grin lights up her face. “Now, spill it, Chamberlin,” she demands.

  Aaron throws his head back in laughter, which gives me a few seconds to adjust myself. Kinley is beautiful and her little demonstration, her lips around my bottle of beer, has my mind and cock thinking about her in ways I shouldn’t.

  “You win.” I reach over and grab the little brown paper bag that neither one of them have noticed. She grabs it from my hands and quickly opens it, pulling out two pink cigars.

  “A girl!” she shrieks and throws her arms around me. We’re in the booth and it’s awkward, but I return her embrace the best I can. Her response lifts my spirits.

  “Hell yeah! Congrats, man. You know all her dates are going to have to meet Uncle Aaron first,” Aaron jokes.

  “What the hell? She’s not dating until she’s thirty,” I laugh.

  “You can’t keep her locked away in some tower,” Kinley argues.

  “The hell I can’t,” Aaron and I say at the same time.

  Kinley just rolls those pretty brown eyes of hers, the smile never falling from her lips.

  I feel some of the stress of the week fade away. I know without a doubt that these two will be with my little girl and me every step of the way.

  “McKinley, is that you?” Mike, the owner of this place and a longtime friend of mine, says as he steps up to the booth.

  “Hey!” Kinley removes her arm from around my shoulder and climbs out of the booth to give him a hug.

  “When did you get back in town?” he asks as his eyes devour her. I want to be pissed, but I find myself doing the same thing. She’s wearing a tank top that makes her tits look incredible, a pair of short blue jean shorts, and a pair of cowboy boots. Fuck me. I knew looking was a bad idea, but I did it anyway.

  Focusing my attention on Mike, I ask, “Hey, can you get us all another round?” I lift my beer bottle and give it a little shake.

  “Sure, man.” He points to the small stage across the room. “Live band tonight. Kinley, you need to save a dance for me.” He winks at her and walks away.

  I look over at Aaron and he’s watching me. “You see that guy?” I ask.

  “Hmm,” is all he says.

  Kinley takes her seat next to me in the booth. “So, now that we know you’re having a little girl, we can get started on the room. That is if you still want my help.”

  “Definitely. I have no idea where to start,” I confess.

  “Well, we looked at furniture, so now you just need to decide which set you want. Are you thinking girly-girl room, or are you going to make her into a tomboy?” she laughs.

  I think about her question. Fuck me, I’m at a loss here. “Honestly, I just want her happy and healthy. If she wants to be a tomboy I’m good with it. If she wants all the girly frilly stuff, I’m good with that too.” I’m way out of my element.

  “Awe, you got this dad stuff down already,” she says.

  “Tell you what. Why don’t you decorate the room or nursery or whatever it’s called. I’m good with whatever you decide. We can go shopping, or better yet, I can give you my credit card and you can have it delivered to the house.”

  “Seriously? I can do whatever I want?” she verifies.

  “Yes. I trust you and I have no idea where to start. You would be doing me a favor. The only thing I want to pick out is the rocking chair. From what I’ve read, I’m going to be spending many nights in that thing and I want it to be comfortable.”

  “Done. When can I start?”

  Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out my credit card and hand it to her. “Whenever you want.”

  “Fuck, man, you do realize you just gave my sister your credit card? She loves to shop,” Aaron questions my sanity.

  “Yes. I’m counting on that. Misty’s at the halfway point. Twenty weeks. Five Months until my daughter arrives into the world. I have a ton to do and I trust Kinley to help me.”

  She sticks her tongue out at Aaron. “See, he trusts me,” she says, sliding my credit card into her purse.

  “Uh-huh,” Aaron says.

>   A waitress brings our drinks and conversation of my daughter fades as Aaron and I catch Kinley up on who’s with who in our home town.

  I’m nursing my second beer when I hear a loud squeal. This causes the three of us to turn our heads. Kinley’s best friend from high school, Olivia, who also happens to be Mike’s little sister, is practically sprinting toward us. Kinley squeals almost as loud and jumps up, meeting her halfway.

  “Gah! I missed you so much.” She hugs her friend tight. “Why didn’t you tell me you were back in town?” Kinley asks once they reach the booth. Olivia slides in next to Aaron and places a quick kiss on his cheek. She always did have a thing for him. Aaron seems to be unaffected.

  “I just got in yesterday,” Olivia explains. “I was going to call you tonight, but I wanted to stop by and check on my big brother. He’s done well with this place.”

  “He really has,” Kinley agrees.

  Mike joins us and sets four bottles of beer on the table. “Livvy, I didn’t know you were stopping by.”

  “Mom and Dad were hovering. So, I decided to come check the place out. You did good, big brother.”

  The band takes the stage and Olivia jumps from the booth. “Let’s get our groove on,” she says, holding her hand out for Kinley.

  Kinley stands and my eyes follow her. Those short-ass shorts, long tanned legs, and cowboy boots are fucking sexy as hell.

  Southern pleasure.

  “You can say that again,” Mike says.

  His voice brings me out of my Kinley trance and I tear my eyes from her. Mike is now sitting beside me. “What?” I ask him.

  “I agree, she’s full-on fucking southern pleasure.”

  Fucking Mike! Looking across the booth, I see Aaron’s not there. No wonder he’s not out of his seat kicking both of our asses. My eyes scan the crowd and I catch the back of him as he walks into the bathroom.

  Turning to face Mike, I see his eyes are glued to the dance floor. From the look on his face, I know it’s not his little sister he’s watching. My protective instincts kick in, only this time it feels different.