by Piper Frost
Finally realizing I'm staring at her, she looks over and smiles. A true Carter Dawn smile. Traces of sympathy gone. The hint she wants to beat me at my games vanished. I gravitate toward that smile like it's actually for me and before I realize what I'm doing, I wrap my arms around her, pressing my nose into her hair and inhaling deep.
"You smell like bacon," I moan.
"Great," she says, pulling away. "I was busy taking care of a drunk last night and haven't had time to shower this morning so sorry about that." She grabs a plate from the counter and shoves it at me. "Bacon. And..." She spins and turns back around with a mug in her hand. "Coffee. Hangover cure-all, right?" She's got a tiny dimple right next to the tip of her grin when she's smiling like that.
"Guess we'll see." I glance out the sliding door but don't see Tommy. When she sits across from me I stare at her, wondering what the hell I'm doing, but it doesn't stop the words. "What do I say to him?" I quickly look at my plate when she looks at me surprised I even asked.
"I can't tell you how to make this better with him. You know the guy better than I do. But I can tell you what I'd do." She takes a deep breath and leans back in her chair. "You need to lay off the alcohol, Grant. And that's coming from someone who only cares about how Affton and Tommy would handle your death. I don't want to deal with that aftermath."
"You're a compassionate broad, Carter Dawn." I smirk, shoving bacon into my mouth. "That knows how to cook bacon."
"In all seriousness, as much as I hate you, you've kind of grown on me. And I'd feel horrible if you died because you drank too much and did something stupid, which by the sounds of it happens pretty regularly." Her brow cocks and there's a look like I'm an asshole on her face. "If something happened and I hadn't said anything or tried to help you, I'd feel pretty shitty." She breathes heavy. "And I might miss your ass, too," she mumbles almost unintelligibly.
"Literally? My ass? You don't get an ass like this without dedication." I grin over at her and wink when she rolls her eyes.
"Well it's not like I could say I would miss your dick. Since, you know, you refuse to stick it in me." She shrugs and stands up, heading for the coffee maker.
"I'm damn sure glad there aren't kids around this house to hear the conversations that I walk in on," Tommy says, making a beeline for the coffee pot. “Thanks," he tells Carter when she refills his cup for him. He turns and leans against the counter, glaring at me.
I shrug and smirk at him. "Truce?"
He shakes his head. "No." Hopefully the scalding coffee he's downing will cool him off.
Carter's eyebrows push together but she remains silent, waiting for me to grovel or something. I don't fucking grovel.
"You're going to stop drinking, Grant," he says like I got no say in it.
My eyes flash from her to him and his eyes are pinned on me with the most serious expression I've ever seen from him. I rub the back of my neck, trying to think of how I can talk my way out of this but I got nothing.
"You say that like I got some sort of problem. The only problem was that I drank tequila. You know nothing fucks me up like tequila does."
Tommy sets his coffee mug down on the counter and crosses his arms in front of him. "Grant, would you say you're like a brother to me?"
"Yeah." I shrug with a nod. "Creepy brothers that fuck the same chicks." I wink at Carter.
"And Affton. You're a fan of her?" He ignores my comment and his eyes are still pinned on mine.
"A fan like she's my Jo? My sister I fuck? Yeah."
His eyes narrow and he lets out a growl. "Then why the fuck would you pilot a plane with the girl that your brother's in love with as a passenger when you're piss roaring drunk! Do you know how lucky we are that you haven't killed not only yourself, but my fucking girl, too?" He storms over to me, slamming his fist on the table and leaning down to get in my face. "You've put my family in danger how many times? How many times in the last year have you piloted a plane with the love of my life in it when you were under the influence of any type of alcohol?"
I don't think answering 'every time' is going to keep me safe, so I drop my gaze.
"It was the tequila," I mutter the pathetic excuse, but he's not wrong. Not only have I flown her around drunk, I've driven her around while drinking from a flask. We all just laughed it off...it's not so funny when you start thinking about what could happen.
"Fuck the tequila!" he roars, slamming his fist to the table again before Affton appears behind him and rests her hand on his back.
"Grant." She steps forward. "I'm putting you on a leave of absence until you start taking this seriously."
"Affton!" I bellow and get to my feet. "I'm supposed to fly you to Germany soon! What're you going to do? Take a boat?"
"I'd rather fucking walk than trust you with my life anymore," she snarls at me. I've never seen her so angry. "I never thought about everything you risk each time I put my life in your hands. I'm done. You're done until you take this seriously." She walks out of the room before we hear the tears but I saw them.
I look at Tommy. "You can't be serious, dude. I'd never hurt your girl."
"The Kenshaws are on board too, Grant. No more work. Period. Until you can clean yourself up. I've already talked to Brandt." He backs away and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry we didn't do anything like this sooner. And I'm sorry it got this out of hand."
"So now what? I'm the Felder of the group? You all think I'm as big of a fuck up as he is?" I harshly laugh.
"Who's Felder?" Carter speaks up.
"No one of importance," Tommy growls then looks over at me. "And no. You're not the fucking Felder of the group. He needed to go because he was actually a helpless fuck up. We all started wishing he weren't around much anyway. You, on the other hand, need to get your shit together because I'm not gonna fucking lose you." He curses. "Fuck, Grant."
I stare at him. My fucking brother. The only person I've ever looked up to. And the disappointment on his face is the worst fucking part of all this.
I nod. "I get it." I have no choice here. I'm defeated. "I'm sorry."
"I love you, man." Tommy says, walking over to me and hugging me tight.
"Yeah, I love you too, dude. I'm not trying to scare anyone or piss them off. Tell Affy I'm sorry. I mean it." I let him go and head out the back door before he sees the emotions on my face.
Lose my family, or lose the booze? What choice do I have here?
Well this day turned out way different than I had thought it was going to when I woke up this morning. I assumed a little fucking around, then that went to the shitter when Grant, yet again, didn't let me come. Then I assumed I'd come back here and be able to finish myself off but now we've got a shit show of tempers and guilt and the deflated look on Grant's face when Affton screamed at him made my chest ache for him. Why do I have to care for the asshole like I suddenly do?
I watch him head out back and when I go to follow him Tommy stops me.
"Let him sulk. We gotta stop babying him." He huffs. "This is so fucking stupid," he growls before slamming his mug in the sink. This whole thing is ridiculous, but mostly because his so called friends have let it go on for so long without trying to help him. The man obviously needs help.
"I'm not babying him," I snap, shoving past him. "But leaving him alone probably isn't the best thing to do right now either."
I slide the door open and see Grant sitting against the fence, playing with Ginnie. He doesn't look up at me but I know he heard me come out here so I walk over to him and slide down to the ground, sitting right next to him.
"I'm afraid of goats," I say, eyeing Simon like he's going to eat me alive.
"They'll eat the shirt right off your back. Maybe you should stand closer." He gives me a half smirk, not even amused at his own stupid jokes anymore.
"Didn't try very hard for that one, did ya?" I nudge him. "So, seems like you're free for the foreseeable future. Want to see how many burger places we can find between here and California?"
/>
He snickers and shakes his head. "I'm unemployed. I can't even afford to walk back to my apartment in my boots."
"So I guess that means you're stuck with me." I get to my feet and hold my hand out. "And I want to leave because the vibe in this house is really getting me down." I keep my hand outstretched, waiting for him. I have no clue what we're doing or where we're going but maybe I can get his mind off things for a bit. I want to hate the man, but in all honestly he's dug his way into my life somehow and this isn't just a sympathy day. This is because I truly don't like seeing him like this. This isn't Grant.
"Girl, you've got issues." He laughs at me, taking my hand.
"Yes. My therapist would agree with you." I don't let his hand go and he doesn't try to pull it away. I head straight for the back door and walk back into the house. "Guys! I'll be home later, don't wait up!" I yell to wherever Affton and Tommy are then glance back at Grant. "It's almost like living with my dad again, but there's way more sex happening in this house."
"Mom and dad might kick you out for dating me." He laughs and I pause in my stride toward the front door. Dating?
"We uh..." I glance down at our hands and something inside me warms to the thought. "Dating, huh?" I can't help my face from brightening but I don't want to look too hopeful. From everything I know about this guy, Grant and dating don't go in the same sentence.
"Unclench those pussy muscles. It was a joke. I know we ain't dating. Ms. Uptight needs to stick with her own kind. I'll stick around for the good time until you find a prince charming and get blinded by love and you settle for a mediocre lay."
I drop his hand from mine to swing open the front door, trying not to let the disappointment show. Why I even let myself entertain the thought is beyond me.
"Great. Glad we got that settled." This is why I want to hate him. Because the man is destined to ruin me, but I can't stay away. I'm like a fucking bug and he's the damn bug zapper. God, listen to me. I'm making country life metaphors now. "Did you want to grab something to eat? A movie? Is there even a movie theatre in town?"
"Baby, I'm a worthless bastard, but you ain't buyin' me a meal or payin' for my movie ticket. We're gonna have to find some fun the southern way." He looks down at my feet and chuckles. "Maybe you'll want to put some shoes on. Ticks."
"We're not doing anything outside. It's hot. And...ticks." I shake my head, clicking the auto-start on my car while we have a standoff on the front porch. "And I wasn't offering to pay, you idiot. You make enough money and obviously don't spend it on housing or cars, so you've probably got a good bankroll going." I pat his cheek but the look on his face tells me he's not amused.
"I just smashed a forty thousand dollar bike. My piece of shit apartment costs a grand in rent monthly. And I still have a truck payment to maintain. Like I said. I'm unemployed. And I'm broke. Remember when I said I don't have my shit together? I wasn't joking. I got no cushioned bank account. No 401K. Broke."
"But you make a fuck ton," I whisper, letting it all click together the longer he stares at me. Sure he's got payments, but he should have leftover each month. The fact that he's that broke is a harsh reminder that he's probably spending everything he's got left over on booze. "Okay," I resign. "We can find free fun if you won't let me buy you food. But I refuse to get any ticks on me."
"Nothing with ticks. So, I'm hungover and I don't think you can be drunk with a hangover. Can I drive?"
I glance at him then narrow my eyes. "My car?" My baby? On these rock roads? "Uh..." The bright blue paint on my Mustang is proudly still fully intact as much as these roads have attempted to murder her in the last couple months, but with him behind the wheel I'm sure I won't be able to say that for much longer.
"I ain't good enough to drive your Mustang?" He's wearing a grin, but his eyebrow's cocked in a challenge. I don't like a challenge. And I don't have a stick up my ass.
I let out a growl and shove my keys into his chest. Hard. "You put as much as ding on her from these roads and I'm shoving a knife in your balls the next time you pass out next to me."
"Beautiful but scary." He chuckles, snatching my keys before getting into the front seat.
I buckle in and glance over at him. "I'm serious," I growl as he takes off. All he gives me in return is that cocky look on his face before he hits the gas. Groaning, I lay my head back, ready for the pings to start cracking my heart and soul, but they never come. He doesn't speed. He doesn't ruin my car. He's surprisingly careful which makes me think he's not all that bad. He's got a big bark, but maybe his bite isn't as bad as I thought it was.
"You brought me to the farm." I lift an eyebrow. He pulls onto the Kenshaw property and kills the engine. "And it's....there are ticks here." And cows. Terrifying cows. And probably Bird Flu. And mother fucking goats.
But I'm not uptight. And I refuse to give him a reason to call me that today.
"Welcome to the south, baby. Get your uptight ass out of the car. You like kids?" He glances at me, opening the door.
I let out a low growl. Okay starting now I won't give him a reason.
"No. I like kids less than I like goats," I mutter, standing out of the car and shutting the door. "And I'm not uptight. And don't fucking call me baby." I storm toward him and jut my hand out, palm open. "Keys, please."
"I'm not going to stop calling you baby. Get over it. And you're more uptight than a virgin at a gangbang. Don't use that language around the kids." He tosses me the keys then jogs ahead. "Uncle Grant is here you little shits!" he screams, taking off in a run toward the field where they're all playing.
Why? Why does someone have that many kids? Don't they know how that happens? And how it ruins your sex life? Well, not that my sex life is any different, honestly. Maybe Grant would find me less uptight if he'd actually finish what he started for once!
I beep the lock on my car then head toward the field. Grant's busy swinging kids in circles and as I approach the circus, Brandt steps out of the barn.
"How much has he had to drink today?" he asks, shoving his hat off his head and swiping the sweat from his brow.
My brows push together and I go into protective mode. "None," I blurt. "He'll be back to work in no time."
"I sure hope so." He chuckles and shakes his head like he doesn't believe the words that come out of his mouth. "We all care about the asshole. Strangely enough. But no more danger stunts."
"Who do you think you're telling? The man doesn't listen to anyone but himself." I raise an eyebrow at him then turn to look out at the field. Grant's got two kids on his back and he's spinning in circles so fast I'm shocked his hungover ass isn't puking yet.
"From what I hear from Tommy, he'd listen to you, Carter." My eyes flash to him and he shrugs. "I just call it as I see it. I gotta get back to work. Take care," he says before ducking back into the barn.
He...wouldn't listen to me. That's just...laughable.
I finally make it over to them and the kids eye me like I'm a complete stranger even though I've seen them numerous times over the few months I've been here. Like I said, I don't like kids, and they don't seem to like me. I just don't know how to act around them.
"So is this what you had in mind?" I ask Grant, laughing at him.
"No. I used you for a ride here. Had to speak my peace with the Kenshaws." He stares at me.
"Oh," I say, unsure whether I should be shocked or proud of him. "Okay. I can wait out here." I take a deep breath and try to ignore the gnats buzzing around me. Don't be uptight. Don't be a priss.
"Why don't you use the stick in your ass on the piñata the kids have." He puts down one of the small children and they all run away like a herd. "Sit your pretty ass tight. I'll be ten minutes." He jogs away.
I glare at him as he crosses the field. Glare. Stare. Drool. It's all becoming one jumbled mess in my head. He's so real one minute then he turns around and is a huge fucking asshole the next. A hot one, though. With a nice ass too. And shoulders. Real nice shoulders.
I hear the k
ids playing behind me and sigh heavily. God, I hate kids.
Spinning, I paste on a fake smile and walk over to them, allowing them to climb on me as they take to me like a fish takes to water. I'm sweating my ass off running after these little jerks, but something about the smallest one's bright blue eyes and almost white hair makes me want to keep making him smile. He's adorable.
I don't know how long it's been since Grant walked away. I've become infatuated with making these kids laugh. Have you ever heard the real laughter of a child? It's amazing! Why can't adults be this carefree and fun?
We're laying in the grass, counting the puffy clouds in the sky and trying to find shapes in them when I hear someone approaching. Pulling up to my elbows, I shield my eyes from the bright sun and am met with Grant towering over us.
"Hey," I say, sweaty and gross. God, I feel so disgusting but that was the most fun I've had in a long time that didn't include alcohol or parties.
His eyes narrow and his head shakes likes he's confused. "Uh..." After a minute he lifts a basket. "Lunch. And it was free." He winks putting his hand out to help me stand.
"Did you set things straight with them just so you could steal their food?" I brush off the grass and dirt from my ass and try to ignore the itching on my legs from lying in the grass that long.
A grin fills his face, admitting what I thought but he grabs my hands. "All of you better run for the hills or I'm mowing you down with a four wheeler," he warns the kids that shriek in laughter and faked horror as they run away. Grant starts pulling me toward a barn.
