Back Road Chances (Roughneck #2)

by Nicole Hart

  “I’m so excited! You’re gonna be a momma!” I said.

  “I know! I’m kinda scared to death, but so happy at the same time,” she said.

  “How’s Jase?” I asked.

  “Girl!” She giggled. “He hasn’t stopped smiling. It’s the cutest thing ever. He’s so excited.”

  “I’m so happy for y’all!” I couldn’t wait to call Moon and tell him.

  “Thank you! Of course, Jase is already freaking out about going back to work and leaving me, but I’m trying to convince him that I’ll be ok. I have you to take care of me.” She laughed.

  “Hell yeah you do!” I said.

  “Ok, I better get off here. These international charges are ridiculous. But I’ll see you Sunday, ok? Love you Sam!”

  “Love you too, momma!” I said with a giggle.

  “Holy shit.” Lainey said.

  “Y’all be careful.”

  “Ok, bye.”

  “Bye,” I said, and ended the call. Lainey was going to be a mom. This was crazy. But she was going to be amazing. I immediately scrolled my contacts and called Moon.

  Chapter 6

  Moon

  I was out in the back barn checking on the mash. I hardly even drank this shit anymore, but I always took it to some of the guys from work. The process of it just relaxed me, I’m not sure why though. I was also grabbing a jug of shine out of the freezer for the bonfire tonight. I would rather spend the night alone with Sam, but people expected these parties from me. And I didn’t want everyone to know that woman was turning me into a pussy. So I agreed when Junior asked if I was up for it. I’d known him since high school and he was a decent guy. He had a new girlfriend he wanted to show off so I figured I might as well. I made sure Sam would be there though. I wanted her with me, even if I had to deal with a bunch of drunk fuckers at the same time.

  Jase and Lainey were still on their honeymoon and wouldn’t be back until Sunday, and I know Sam was disappointed her best friend wouldn’t be there. But we both knew they would be skipping these parties from now on. I couldn’t believe ol’ Jase was going to be a dad. He changed a lot once he met Lainey. He was so quiet and serious all the time before her. Now that fucker always had a grin on his face. I knew he was whipped the first night he met her, when he came knocking on my door at two in the morning asking questions about her. And now they were having a baby. Their relationship went lightning fast; they were married in six months. I’d been in love with Sam for six years and I can’t even get her to stay the night with me. But I wasn’t going to let it fuck with my head too bad. We were making progress. I knew that for sure. And I was thankful for those baby steps. Pretty soon I was going to force myself to nut up enough to tell her how much I loved her. I’d probably have to tie her up to keep her from running for the hills. Fuck, I couldn’t dwell on the vision of Sam bound beneath me. That’s something we’ve never tried. But if I knew Sam, she would be up for it.

  Later that night, I was sitting on a barstool, hanging back watching the party going on. Sam had to work late and then she had a few errands to run so she wasn’t here yet. I wanted to see her. It was hard even going a day without touching her anymore. I tried to turn my feelings off when I was at work; otherwise I would never get through it. But when I was home, I wanted her with me. Always. I thought about the roses I left every morning for her. I had a plan and I was going to stick with it. No matter how much it scared the shit out of me.

  And there she was. She walked into the barn looking as beautiful as always. She was wearing those cut off shorts with her boots and a fitted black shirt that hugged those tits. Damn, I was jealous of that fucking shirt. Her long blond hair bounced with every step. She locked those beautiful blue eyes with mine and started strutting that fine ass over to me. I couldn’t wait for her to walk all that way so I rose off the barstool to meet in the middle. We almost collided into each other, and Sam slammed her lips into mine. She swept her tongue into my mouth as she grabbed my hair with both hands. Mother Fucker. I couldn’t help but cup her ass and squeeze. The little moan that came from her throat almost made me lose my fucking mind. She pulled her lips away from me and I sucked her hot breath into my mouth. Wine. She’s been drinking. But she didn’t seem drunk, so I didn’t mention it. But it wasn’t like her to drink and drive. Not after what happened to Lainey’s parents. But I wasn’t going to lecture her. Instead I grabbed a fistful of hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her into me. She pulled my bottom lip in her mouth and sucked on it.

  “DAMN!” I heard someone yell, and then laughter afterwards. I was so wrapped up in her, that I completely forgot we were in a barn full of people. And apparently Sam did, too. She looked around and let out an embarrassed little giggle. Sam didn’t get embarrassed very easily, this was new.

  “I need a drink,” she said, as she scanned her eyes, looking for the cooler. I slapped her ass as she walked towards it.

  “You want a beer?” She said over her shoulder, as she walked away.

  “Yes ma’am,” I said.

  As the night wore on, the party got rowdier. The Shine was being passed around like it was water and the barn was getting loud. I only drank two beers because I didn’t want to be drunk if things got out of control. Plus Sam was drinking quite a bit and I felt like I needed to keep an eye on her. I wanted to protect her in case any of these drunk fuckers decided they needed to get too close to her. Friend or not, I would knock someone out if they touched her. She was playing a game of beer pong and she was losing. Bad.

  Junior’s new girlfriend walked up to me and started talking. The music and voices were too loud, I couldn’t hear her.

  “What?” I mouthed, I knew there was no way she could hear me either.

  “How long have you known Junior?” She leaned into my ear and asked, then backed away.

  “Since high school,” I said, leaning in again. Damn, who turned the fucking radio up so loud? Hank Williams Jr. was singing about his family traditions and everyone was screaming along.

  “I like him,” she said in my ear. I just shook my head and smiled. She seemed like a nice girl. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw trouble coming. Full speed.

  Before I could even reach my hand out, Sam had Junior’s new girl by the hair and pulled her to the ground. Oh shit!

  “SAM!” I yelled. But she didn’t respond. At the same time I yelled, Junior grabbed Sam around the waist and pulled her off his girl. Sam started going fucking nuts, kicking and screaming.

  “Get your mother fucking hands off me!” she screamed at Junior, as she reached her elbow back, aiming at his chin. Junior dodged it and I lunged at the both of them.

  “Let her go!” I screamed at Junior, and he did immediately.

  I wrapped my arms around Sam and tried to hold her still as Junior lifted his girlfriend off the ground.

  “Calm down!” I said in her ear.

  “Don’t fucking touch me!” she yelled, trying to wiggle away from me.

  “What the fuck, Sam?” I said, holding her as tight as I could without hurting her.

  “If you want her, go for it. I don’t care, Moon!” she screamed.

  “What are you talking about?” I yelled right back.

  She was breathing heavy and still fighting me. She was drunk. Really fucking drunk.

  “I fucking saw you!” she yelled.

  “You need to calm the fuck down. Now!” I said, and squeezed her tighter as I said the word now.

  Her body stopped thrashing and she got really still with her head down.

  I scanned the room looking for someone to help me shut this shit down. Fuck, I wished Jase was here. My eyes went to Brice, one of the only sober ones here. I sold him shine sometimes, even though he never touched it. I never asked why he wanted it.

  “Brice!” I yelled. When he looked over at me I swiped my hand across my neck and he nodded. He immediately went to the sound system and turned it off.

  “Party’s over!” He yelled and started escorting people o
ut as I walked Sam into my house. There was lots of mumbling and giggling but all I cared about was getting them gone and getting Sam taken care of.

  I still had one arm wrapped tightly around Sam as I shut my front door behind us. She hadn’t said a word. She was stumbling.

  “Come on. Time for bed,” I said, as I led her to my room.

  “I’m not staying,” She slurred.

  “Don’t even try that shit, Sam. You’re staying. Period.”

  “Don’t fucking tell me what to do!” she said, as she fell onto my bed.

  I just stood over her for a minute until I was sure she had passed out. When I heard her light snoring, I gently pulled her boots off and covered her with my comforter. I sat in a chair in the corner for a while, until I was sure she wasn’t going to wake up. I don’t even know what the hell happened to piss her off so bad. This was a conversation we were having as soon as she sobered up. But I couldn’t help but laugh just a little. My woman was feisty. That poor girl didn’t stand a chance.

  Then I walked out to the barn and took it in. Someone had puked right outside the door and there were bottles everywhere. I was getting too old for this shit. I wasn’t in high school anymore. I wanted a life with Sam without all this. Hanging out with my close friends and having a good time was one thing. But this wasn’t fun anymore. I was done partying with high school buddies that were only interested in using my place for a party house. I didn’t need it anymore. All I needed was her. Things were definitely changing.

  Chapter 7

  Sam

  Shit, my stomach was churning. If I didn’t move, maybe I wouldn’t puke. What the hell did I do last night? I remembered beer pong and Junior passing the shine around. Why did I keep sipping it? That shit was nasty. Oh God. Junior’s girlfriend. I vaguely remembered seeing her whisper in Moon’s ear. Moon smiling. Hair pulling and screaming. It didn’t seem real, it was all a blur. Oh hell. I acted like a fucking idiot. But why was she whispering in his ear? It was loud in there. I remember that. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Wait a minute. I wasn’t at home. The blanket was different. I hadn’t opened my eyes yet, but I knew I wasn’t in my bed. Shit. I couldn’t tell if I was in bed alone. I couldn’t flip over to find out. But I needed to open my eyes. God, I needed a shower. I peeked open one eye. Fuck, it was bright. But there it was right in front of me. The single white rose. I acted like an ass and he still left me a rose. I was humiliated. I needed to go home. I took a couple of deep breaths and forced myself to slide out of bed. Don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke. I willed my stomach to calm the fuck down. When I turned around I saw Moon sleeping next to me. He was beautiful. His light snoring was so cute; I wanted to cuddle next to him. No. I needed to go home. I couldn’t look at him when he woke up. I didn’t want him to look at me. I grabbed the rose and my boots, and then tiptoed out the door.

  I walked into the bathroom with a bag of Cheetos in my hand. This would do the trick, I was sure of it. I crunched on the magic carbs while I waited for the water to heat up. Patch was sitting in the corner; he refused to let me lock him out of any room, including the bathroom. Once the mirrors started to get foggy, I finally got up the energy to move. I stood under the steaming hot water and let it run down my body. Why did I get so drunk? I shouldn’t have started drinking so early. But when I made the decision to finally stay the night with Moon, I got nervous. So I figured a couple of glasses of wine would calm my nerves. Mix that with the beer and that fucking shine, it was over. I never got drunk like that, not anymore at least. I always wanted to be in control of the way I acted, and last night I obviously wasn’t. But I still wanted to know why the fuck she was whispering in his ear. I knew I went a little crazy, but it still pissed me off. Who the hell did she think she was being so close to him? He wasn’t moving away from her though. Fuck. Jealousy was ugly. I don’t even know if it had ever even happened to me before. I usually didn’t care enough to even get jealous. I didn’t like the feeling. It sucked, actually.

  When the water started to get cold, I climbed out and wrapped an oversized towel around me. I made it to my bed and flopped down on it. I heard the ding of a text message.

  Moon: Where’d you go Rocky?

  I couldn’t help but giggle at his comment but I wasn’t ready to answer. I didn’t know what to say. I should apologize for being stupid and drunk. But I was still a little pissy about Junior’s girlfriend, whatever her name was. The room was still spinning a little. I needed more sleep. So I laid on my bed, still wet in my towel and felt myself sink into my pillow.

  The sound of my phone ringing woke me up but I had already missed the call. It was from Moon. And there were two text messages.

  Moon: Hello?

  Moon: Are you ok?

  I looked at the time and realized it was ten; I had been asleep for two hours. Patch hadn’t moved from the floor beside my bed. Then another text message came through.

  Moon: Since you can’t answer me, I’ll be there in 5.

  Since I knew it took ten minutes to get from my house to Moon’s, I knew he was already driving when he sent the text. So there was no need calling him now. Do I pretend like I was still asleep? Seriously, did I just consider that? Yeah. I did.

  When I heard his truck pull into my driveway, I realized what a wuss I was when I covered myself with the blanket and squeezed my eyes shut. Patch let out a little bark.

  “Sshh,” I hissed quietly. I heard the front door open and the sound of his boots coming closer to my room.

  “Don’t act like you’re not awake Sam. I know you don’t sleep that hard,” Moon said from the doorway.

  But I kept my eyes closed and remained still. I was pathetic.

  “I brought some shine with me if you wanna take some shots,” he said with a laugh.

  “Fuck you, Moon,” I mumbled from under the blanket.

  “That’s what I thought,” Moon said, as he flopped down on my bed, way too hard and I’m sure it was on purpose. I couldn’t help but let out a whimper, my stomach was being a bitch. Patch immediately ran over to the side of the bed where Moon was and put his front paws on the bed waiting for attention, which of course he got.

  After a minute, Moon turned his attention back to me.

  “You can’t answer my texts?” He asked.

  “Sorry,” I said quietly with my back to him.

  “I was hoping I was finally gonna wake up next to you,” he said.

  “You’re not pissed at me?” I asked.

  “I’m a little pissed that you took off and didn’t answer my calls.”

  “What about the way I acted last night?” Still unable to look at him.

  “Nah,” he said. That was it.

  “Why was she whispering in your ear?” I didn’t mean to sound so pissy, but I was and there was no getting around it.

  Moon just started to laugh. That really pissed me off. My stomach started to get butterflies, and not the good kind. The mad kind, and mixed with a stomach full of alcohol was not a good combination. I had to force my muscles to relax or I was going to throw up.

  “What the hell’s so funny?” I demanded, but I still couldn’t look at him.

  “Sam?” he said, and I could tell he was still smiling way too big.

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Turn over. Look at me.” He said, quieter and more sincere.

  Fuck!

  I turned over slowly but didn’t look up.

  “Look at me,” he said, as he rubbed my chin. And so I did.

  “It was nothing like that, I promise.” He said, as he took a strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear.

  “Then why was she all up on you?” I needed to know.

  “It was loud as hell in there. She was just asking how long I knew Junior. It was the only way I could hear her. I swear,” he said, and then kissed my forehead. “It was nothing.”

  I just shook my head.

  “Do you believe me?” He asked.

  “I’m sorry for being an asshole,” I said. I
knew he was telling the truth. Nothing about last night was very clear, but I did remember how loud it was.

  “It’s ok to be jealous sometimes,” he said, as he scooted closer to me.

  “I wasn’t jealous.” I lied.

  “Liar,” he said, and then laughed quietly.

  “I know,” I said, and nuzzled my face into his chest. Then Moon reached under the blanket and put his arm around me.

  “Are you naked under there?” He said with bright eyes as he took a peak. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Yep. But you can’t shake me around. I’ll puke. Not even kidding.” I said.

  “You’re so mean,” he said.

  “It’s too tempting under there,” he said, as he put his arm back on the outside of the blanket and scooted against me.

  “Go to sleep Moon,” I said, as I curled in a ball against him.

  “I’ll try, but he’s got a mind of his own and he likes attention,” he said, as he nodded his head downward.

  “Fiend.” I said with a giggle.

  “Only for you darlin,” he said, and wrapped his arm around my neck, then kissed me on the head.

  I let out a loud exhale and drifted off to sleep.

  Sunday Afternoon

  I was working on getting my laundry done when I heard a text message come through.

  Lainey: We’re baaacccckkkkk biotch!

  Me: Ur gonna be a mom, you need to lose the fucking trash mouth

  Lainey: Every bad thing I ever learned was your fault.

  Me: True. Are you home?????????

  Lainey: On our way. Come see me tonight! I miss your face!

  Me: Ok. We’ll come over around 7?

  Lainey: We?

  Me: Moon

  Lainey: YAY!

  Me: Don’t start. Are you craving anything yet fatty?

  Lainey: Um, first, fuck you. And second. PIZZA!!!!

  Me: Those prego hormones have kicked in I see. LOL.