by Gen Griffin
“Why don’t you just take the rings off?” Cal asked. He looked slightly uncomfortable but he wasn’t running away from Katie’s sudden burst of emotion. Trish thought better of him for staying.
“I tried that,” Katie said with a sniffle. “Some lady stopped me in the grocery store in Canterville and started lecturing me about loose morals and teen pregnancies. I finally looked at her and said I was 25 and married to a Sheriff’s deputy.”
“What did she say then?” Gracie asked.
“She told me I look like I’m 12. As if I needed a reminder.” Katie put her cheek on Gracie’s shoulder. “I’m so miserable and hormonal right now. I don’t know why y’all even put up with me.”
“Because we love you?” Addison walked back down the trail to the creek. He had a bright red two piece tankini in one hand. “Why are you crying, baby?”
He moved to take Katie from Gracie. He pulled the smaller girl into his own arms and carefully wiped the tears off of her face with the palm of his hand.
“I feel fat, sick and ugly,” Katie told him.
“You’re not.” Addison shook his head at her and pressed the swimsuit into her hand. “I promise. I’m greatly looking forward to seeing you in this.”
“You’re a horrible liar.” Katie smiled through her tears.
“Am not.” Addison grinned down at her. “I think pregnant girls are sexy. Especially you. Did you know your boobs have gotten bigger?”
“Considering that none of my bras fit anymore, yes. I’ve noticed.” Katie poked one of her boobs. “I’m kind of hoping they stay this way.”
“Me too,” Addy said. “But just in case they don’t, you should totally put your suit on now so that I can have a better view of them for the time being.”
“You are such a dog.” Katie put both her hands in the middle of his chest and pushed him playfully backwards.
“But you love me,” Addy teased.
“You can always make me smile,” she said. “Now leave so I can get changed.”
“I don’t mind staying,” Addison said. “I've already seen everyone here naked.”
“Jesus Christ,” Cal muttered. He opened another beer and drained half of it in a sip.
Gracie sighed. “You changed my diapers. It doesn't count.”
Katie wrinkled her nose but she gave a small smile. “I don't want to talk about it.”
“I didn't want to be reminded,” Trish said.
Gracie frowned at her. “When did Addy see you naked?”
“I need new bathroom curtains,” she explained with a sigh. “Mine are lace and he's a lech.”
“Oh, yeesh.” Katie took a swat at Addison. “Don't you have anything better do than spy on girls through their bathroom windows?”
“Not when the bathroom windows are directly across from my bedroom windows. If we really wanted to, we could run one of those old tin can and string telephone lines from my place to hers.” Addison grinned as he got himself another beer.
“I never had one of those as kid,” Trish mused. “Could be fun. As long as you promise you'll stop watching me shower.”
“David is going to slaughter him if keeps watching you while you shower,” Cal said. “Trust me, Addy's spying days are over if David's living with him.”
“True.” Addison rolled his eyes and then grinned as he headed back towards the houseboat. “I guess I'm going to go and get myself another beer. Come on Cal. Let's give Katie her privacy.”
“I'm so glad this place is secluded,” Katie said as she pulled her dress off.
“Its nice,” Gracie said. “We have all the privacy in the world. We can do whatever we want out here and no one ever says a word.”
“Thank God,” Katie said. “The guys would probably be in jail by now if there were any witnesses to some of the crazier stunts they pulled. Do you remember the time your brother borrowed the county bulldozer?”
Gracie laughed. “You mean the time he wrecked the county bulldozer?”
“Trying to get his own truck out of the mud?” Katie smiled despite the tears that had freshly dried on her cheeks.
“Yup. It was hilarious. He had mud all over him and he kept slipping. Fell flat in his face in the mud and he was so drunk he fell asleep right there in the ruts.”
Trish stared down at her own swimsuit, privately thinking that Katie wasn't the only one who was glad no one else had access to this property. She'd almost been tempted to swim in her clothes but the thought of being chafed by wet denim for the rest of the afternoon had been enough to motivate her to at least try on the swimsuit she'd borrowed from Gracie. The tiny triangles of fabric barely managed to keep her nipples covered but the suit did tie properly behind her back and neck. She'd had to retie the bows on the sides to avoid giving herself a fairly severe muffin top but the suit did just barely, cover her most private bits of anatomy. She turned to face Gracie and Katie, who were still giggling about the wayward bulldozer as Gracie tied the halter top of Katie’s tankini for her. “I'm glad this place is private because I think I’d probably get arrested for indecent exposure if I went out in public in this suit,” Trish said.
Both girls turned to look at her. Katie was still holding her pony tail up. Gracie shook her head. “I already told you, you look great in that suit.”
“Really?” Trish stared at her in disbelief. “I feel naked.”
“I’m not sure I would do too much jumping around in that top, but Gracie is right. You look hot. David is going to lose his mind when he sees you,” Katie said with a shake of her head. “Assuming he ever decides to put in an appearance today. Where is David?”
“No idea,” Gracie said. “He busted his phone a few days ago so we can't call him. Addy said he took off on the Harley after they got back from talking to Tate earlier.”
“Great,” Katie sighed. “He'll turn up whenever he decides he's done being moody and antisocial. I still can’t believe David’s place burned to the ground last night.” Katie said softly. “Ian was sure David was going to be dead in that stupid trailer. Those things burn so fast once they catch fire.”
“It scared the crap out of me too. All I could think about was how many nights we’ve all slept there. I keep thanking God over and over that David woke up and got out of there.”
“God was definitely with him last night,” Katie said. “Of course, God is always with David. That boy takes more chances than anyone else I know. I wish he’d quit before he gives me or his Momma a heart attack.”
“Maybe Trish will have some luck getting him to think twice.” Gracie looked over at Trish with a hopeful expression. “David’s a good guy. One of the best guys I know. He just doesn’t think sometimes. He gets so focused on taking care of everyone else, he forgets to take care of himself.”
“I saw that last night,” Trish admitted, surprised when she realized she’d said the words out loud. Both the other girls looked at her expectantly so she explained about the apartment building fire and the escaped alligators. “He wasn’t worried about the house burning down or trying to save anything.”
“Typical David,” Katie said with a shake of her head. “Worries constantly about taking care of everyone else. Never stops to take care of himself.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” Trish said with a small smile. Gracie looked like she was going to say something else, but a shout from the houseboat interrupted her before she could get the words out of her mouth.
“Can we come out now?” Addy asked. “I'm burning up. It would be nice to swim before the sun goes down for the night.”
Gracie looked over at Katie. “Up to you.”
“No, you can't ever come out,” Katie called back to him. “Its a girls only swimming hole today.”
“Yeah right,” Addison walked out of the houseboat and began climbing a huge oak tree grew next to the bank and a rope swing had been tied to one of the tree’s thickest limbs. Addy made his way out onto the tree limb, holding the rope with both hands. “Y’all watch. I’m going to
do a double back flip.”
“More like a double-splat,” Katie whispered in Trish’s ear. Trish giggled.
“Show off!” Gracie yelled as her brother jumped off the tree and flipped one and half times before crashing into the deep blue spring-fed pool below him. “I can do better.”
“Really?” Addy waved one hand at the tree as he tread water. “Go for it.”
“I will.” Gracie began to climb the wooden boards that had been nailed to the tree to serve as a ladder.
“I can't get over how beautiful the water is,” Trish said to Katie.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Katie said. “I just wish it weren't quite so cold. The water stays at 63 degrees all year round. The best way to get in is the swing. I’d be up there with Gracie if I weren’t pregnant. Rope swings are definitely against my doctor’s orders right now.” She looked longingly at the swing.
“Hey Trish, want to try the swing?” Gracie was standing on the tree limb and holding the rope swing, exactly the same way her brother had been doing a moment before. Trish was still amazed that she hadn’t realized Addy and Gracie were siblings the very moment she had laid eyes on Gracie.
“Go for it, Trish.” Addy was coming out of the water, dripping freely. “You look like you need another hug,” he told Katie as he wrapped his wet arms around her. Katie shrieked as Addison picked her up and began carrying her into the water for a very slow, pregnancy-safe dunking.
Trish wiggled her toes in the icy water for another moment and debated the rope swing. She wasn’t normally the kind of girl who wanted to take the plunge off a rope swing, but then she’d never worn a bikini out in public before either. Or shot an alligator in the street. Or been proposed to by a man who she'd barely known for 24 hours.
Trish looked back up to Gracie and the rope swing. “I'm probably going to bust my butt.”
“No you won't,” Gracie replied. “Watch me.” She grabbed the rope swing in both hands and jumped, not releasing the rope until she was over the deepest, darkest blue part of the water. She neatly turned a single flip and then plunged into the icy creek with a splash. She resurfaced a moment later, grinning. “You have to try it, Trish.”
Trish stared at the tree for another minute and then shrugged her shoulders. She’d done so many out of character, out of her comfort-zone things in the last couple of days that making a fool out of herself on the rope swing wasn’t going to matter one way or the other.
She climbed the tree and shakily made her way out to the middle of the tree branch. Gracie swung the rope up to her and she caught it on her second try. She felt like she was going to fall off the tree if she didn’t jump soon. The water looked a lot further down than it had from the ground. Closing her eyes, Trish clutched the rope as tightly as she could and jumped.
For an instant she felt like she was flying and then her hands slipped. The shock of hitting the cold water was vicious but exhilarating. It was all she could do to swim to the surface.
Upon surfacing, Trish realized that tiny bikinis were not meant to withstand rope swings. Her top was floating in the water four feet away from where she was treading water. Gracie was laughing. Addison was shouting good natured cat calls as she quickly retrieved the bikini and pulled it hurriedly back over her head and into place.
“You didn’t have to put that top back on,” Addy said cheerily. “I’d actually prefer all y’all girls went topless.”
Trish snorted at him and began to swim towards shore. She was almost back on the bank when she saw David. He was standing on the creek bank with a half-empty bottle of whiskey in his right hand.
She had wondered what he would look like without his shirt on. Now she knew. He was beautiful. David was all lean muscle. His chest was deeply tanned and he had the most defined, tightest set of 6-pack abs that Trish had ever seen. His black swim trunks were riding low on his hips and left relatively little to Trish's overactive imagination. The tattoos that had been so distracting every other time Trish had imagined what David would look like without his clothes on turned out just to be window dressing. The artwork took nothing away from the fact that David had the most incredibly well-built body Trish had ever had the privilege to touch.
“Wow,” Trish whispered under her breath, just loud enough for Gracie to hear her, follow her gaze and burst out laughing.
“He's not too bad, if you like tattoos.” Gracie put one hand the small of Trish's back and shoved her towards David.
“I didn't think I liked tattoos,” Trish said softly as David closed the gap between them. “I think I just changed my mind.”
“God I hope so,” David replied as he held one arm out to her. He had the words 'Southern Bad Ass' framing his collarbone and a swamp scene with a large alligator in the center of it had been drawn in directly underneath the words. The skeleton of a civil war solider was resting against the gator's side and holding a flag pole in one bony hand. The confederate flag that was attached to the pole covered most of the left side of David's chest, directly over his heart. “Its a little too late to change my mind on the tattoos.”
Trish took his hand and let him pull her against his chest. She'd been afraid things would be awkward between them after the way they'd parted this morning, but she’d had nothing to worry about. The minute she felt his hot touch against her skin all of her hesitation melted away. She pressed her forehead against his collarbone and wrapped both her arms around his narrow waist. His arms felt warm and strong around her. Her hormones surged as she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of him.
His lips brushed against her hair and she lifted up her chin so that her mouth could meet his. His warm skin felt better against her own bare flesh than she had ever imagined possible when she had been with Curtis. Her tongue tickled his lips and she wanted so much more from him. She wanted him to touch her everywhere. She wanted to taste every inch of his body.
She felt David’s hand begin to slide up her back, rubbing her bare skin. She shuddered and pressed closer to him. Right this moment, she was willing to be stripped naked in front of God, Jesus and all of David’s friends if it just meant that he would keep touching her.
“We were wondering when you would decide to turn up,” Cal said, his voice serving as a reminder that they were far from alone.
“I needed to clear my head,” David told him. He kept his arms tightly around Trish's waist. “Take care of a few things.”
“Like what?” Addison pried.
“None of your business.” David turned his attention back to Trish. “I went by your grandfather's house to talk to you. He told me you'd gone out with Gracie.”
“I figured you'd be able to find me here,” Trish told him. She reached up and brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. “Besides, I needed to get out of that house.”
“I don't blame you.” David lowered his lips back down to hers. “You don't know how bad I've been wanting to have two minutes alone with you.”
Trish was just about to press her own mouth against his when Addison flying tackled both of them back into the water, shattering the moment of passion with a loud splash and a shocking burst of ice cold submersion. Trish kicked her way to the surface for the second time, coming up out of the water just in time to see David sweep Addy’s legs out from under him and knock him backwards into the spring. Gracie chose that moment to perform a cat like pounce from the rope swing and the next thing Trish knew, she was being picked up and thrown into the deepest part of the spring. The fight was on. She grabbed Addison right as he went to toss her for a second time, pulling him off balance just enough so that Gracie could jump on his back and dunk him.
David went to pry Gracie off Addy only to be tackled again, this time by Cal. Gracie grabbed Trish’s hand and pulled her into the fray of splashing water and tangled limbs.
Trish was laughing too hard to breathe by the time she’d managed to wrap her legs around David’s waist in an effort to dunk him. His green eyes were blazing with laughter as he put both his muscular arms aro
und her waist. “You didn’t think this one through, sweet pea.”
“Maybe not,” Trish admitted, still trying to catch her breath.
“You know I have to dunk you now, right?” David asked.
“You don’t have to,” Trish put special emphasis on the ‘have to’. “I think you just want to.”
“Maybe you’re right,” David said. “Or maybe I just like the way you feel when you’re wrapped all around me like this.” He intentionally fell backwards in the water, dunking himself and Trish along with him.
Chapter 35
The smell of good food cooking on the grill kept wafting through the air. Swimming had taken what little energy Trish had left and she was only halfway paying attention as Addison and Katie argued over what would happen in the sequel to a book they apparently both liked. Trish nestled into David's shoulder and laid her head against his chest. “I'm really glad you came,” she told him. “I was worried you weren't going to show up.”
“Sometimes I just need some space. Addy's my best friend but between my house burning down and Tate finding that body, I just needed to be alone so I could get a handle on my own thoughts.” He was playing with the ends of her hair and sipping on a glass of whiskey that Cal had made him mix with a can of coke. “I'm still sorry about today.”
“I'm not,” Trish said quietly. “I've had a great time getting to know your friends.”
“Our friends, you mean?” He looked at her curiously. “They're your friends too.”
Trish started to tell him that they were only hanging around with her because of him and then she realized it wasn't the truth. Addison had introduced her to David. Gracie had invited her to come swimming with her today. She frowned thoughtfully.
“What's wrong?” David asked.
“Nothing,” Trish shook her head at him after a minute. “It just occurred to me that you are right. Your friends are my friends.”
“Of course they are.” David seemed nonplussed.
“Curtis's friends were never my friends,” Trish revealed unexpectedly. “They always treated me like an outsider. Just another girl Curtis was sleeping with. Even after we were married, most of them barely remembered my name. I went to college with them and some of them still acted like they didn't know me unless Curtis was standing by my side or they needed someone to cheat off of on a test.”
