by Amber Kelly
“When are you and Elle going to start a family?” I ask him.
“When the good Lord sees fit. We’ve been practicing like rabbits.”
Faith grabs at his nose.
“Uh-oh. I see another one coming,” he says before lifting her and doing it again.
Faith laughs so hard that a string of drool escapes her mouth and drops on his forehead.
“Ah, direct shot,” he says before pulling up a corner of his shirt and wiping it.
Myer comes out with a plate of seasoned chicken and heads to the grill on the small concrete slab off the side of the porch.
“Hey, Foster. Dinner will be up in about twenty,” he greets.
“You need any help?” I ask.
“Nah, once these grill up, we’ll be set. Dallas has everything else ready.”
We eat outside at the picnic table, and us guys clean up, so Dallas can nurse Faith and put her down. Well, Myer and I clean while Walker plays in the yard with Beau, who is already in his pajamas.
Dallas hovers in the doorway, watching them.
“We need to replace those boots,” she says.
Beau is wearing a pair of worn-out cowboy boots with his sleepwear.
“I know. I tried to get him to wear the new sneakers to school yesterday, but he wouldn’t hear of it. So, he did field day in gym clothes and boots.” Myer chuckles.
“If you ever have a kid, don’t buy them a pair of boots because they’ll be the only damn things they wear from then on. He wears them with shorts, dress pants, sweats, swim trunks. I’ll have to pry them off his feet once they are too small for him.”
“You can go relax, Dal. We’ve got this covered,” he tells her.
“I will as soon as you two are back out there, chaperoning the children.”
Once we have everything put away and the dishwasher loaded, Myer grabs us each a beer, and we go out in the yard with them.
Beau is throwing air punches.
“Pivot on your back foot when you use that cross. It will give you more power,” Walker coaches.
“What are you two doing?” Myer asks.
“Little man is having some trouble with one of the dudes at school. Apparently, he pushed him off the monkey bars today. I’m teaching him some self-defense moves.”
“Watch, Daddy,” Beau calls.
He hops backward, and he starts making guttural noises while wildly swinging his arms as Walker backs up. He manages an impressive jab and uppercut sequence, but Walker is able to block those.
“You have to be faster if you want to scare him off,” Walker yells.
Beau takes that moment to rush forward, and he throws his rear leg with all his body weight behind the kick. Walker tries to block it, but it’s too late, and the kick lands squarely on Walker’s manhood. He cries out in pain and drops to his knees.
“Boot to the nuts, boot to the nuts,” he shouts as we burst into laughter.
Dallas comes running out of the house at the sound of the commotion.
Beau is jumping up and down with his arms up in victory.
“What happened?” Dallas asks.
“I defeated him,” Beau says as he points to Walker.
“Defeated him?”
“Yes, he’s the bad guy,” Beau says.
“Walker was teaching Beau some self-defense punches and kicks to defend himself with on the school playground,” Myer helpfully explains.
Dallas’s face turns red as she looks at Walker and screams, “You what?”
Needing another minute to catch his breath, Walker holds up a finger and slowly stands.
“He’s being pushed around by an older boy,” Walker informs her.
“I know. We’re dealing with it. I can’t believe I leave you three alone with our eight-year-old for five minutes, and you have him throwing punches. Couldn’t you be normal and teach him how to play football or something?”
“Trust me, his foot found a ball,” Walker coughs out.
She shakes her head. “Poor Elle,” she says before taking Beau by the hand and leading him inside.
“What’d she mean by that?” Walker looks to us for an answer.
“No idea,” Myer replies.
Walker hobbles to join us.
“How are things with you and Sonia?” he asks as he sits carefully.
“Good. Better than good actually,” I tell them.
“Excellent,” Walker declares.
Myer elbows my side. “That is good news. We adore her.”
“Damn right we do. Not only is she my girl’s best friend, but she also takes care of my momma like she’s her own. She’s a fucking angel,” Walker adds.
“You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know,” I inform them.
“Just be sure you don’t forget it. I’d hate to have to hurt you,” Walker warns.
“That’s awfully big talk from a man who just had an eight-year-old knock him to his knees,” I tease.
“Ha-ha. I let him kick me. I just didn’t think he would kick that low.”
“He’s four feet tall. Where’d you think he’d land it?” Myer laughs.
Walker rolls his eyes and then gives me a serious look. “I’m just saying, that dickhead she was married to was a piece of work. She deserves someone who’s going to be a good man, who loves her and does right by her, even when no one is looking.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I tell him.
“All righty then, I’m going to head home and put a bag of frozen peas on my nuts.”
“Yeah, I’d better head home too. Thank you for the food, man, and tell Dallas I said her broccoli casserole is better than her mom’s.”
“She’ll love that. See you tomorrow.”
Sonia
I pull up to Momma’s house and blow the horn. She comes running out of the place with her purse and a bottle of wine tucked under her arm.
“Don’t you look snazzy!” I tell her as she gets in and buckles her seat belt.
She is wearing a pair of floral-print leggings with a navy turtleneck and a light-blue furry vest that goes almost to her knees.
It’s bingo night at The Old Depot, and Momma and her friends use it as an excuse to cut loose and enjoy some adult beverages while trying to win prizes, like new cookware and designer purses.
Elle and I usually serve as designated drivers for Momma and Elle’s aunts, so they can have fun without worry.
“You like it?” she asks as she strokes the vest.
“I do. It looks good on you.”
“The boutique just got a shipment of these vests in a variety of colors, and I figured showing up at bingo in one of them would be the best advertising I could do.”
“Very clever,” I agree.
“Where’s George?” she asks as she looks in the backseat.
“I left her asleep in her crate. I’m going right back home until you call for pickup.”
“No hot date tonight, then?” she asks.
Her prying doesn’t bother me in the least. I talk to her about everything. I told her all about my few dates with Foster—well, I might have left out a few details.
“Not tonight. He’s helping Payne do a few things at the farm.”
“I’ve been praying for you two,” she says.
Prayer is her answer for all things.
She slides her eyes to me. “You should too.”
She reminds me of this all the time as well.
“I know, Momma.”
“That means, you haven’t,” she assumes.
“I used to pray. I used to pray all the time. I prayed that God would heal Daddy, and he didn’t. I prayed that God would heal my marriage, and he didn’t. So, if he’s never going to answer my prayers, what is the point?” I ask.
“He did, baby. He just said no—that’s all,” she answers.
No?
“Or he just ignores me,” I mutter.
“He answers every prayer, Sonia Leigh.”
“Why would he say no to those pra
yers? I wasn’t asking to be rich or a model or the president of the United States. I just asked for the people I loved to be healthy and happy and to love me back,” I say, not hiding my frustration.
“I prayed the same prayers you did. I wanted your father to live. He was the love of my life, and I was scared to go on without him. I prayed for him to be healed and no longer suffer. And he was. Not in the manner I had hoped for, but God healed him and took away his pain. I also prayed for your happiness, for you to have the kind of marriage we had. One full of love and laughter. One where you felt safe and adored. And he answered again. He removed the bad that was in the way, so he could bring you to the good. Don’t you see, Sonia? God’s grace is sufficient,” she says.
If she says so.
I kiss her cheek before she hops out of the car.
“Wish me luck. I feel like this is going to be my night,” she says as she turns back.
“Good luck, Momma. Bring home all the goods.”
She smiles and then walks off through the doors.
Elle drives up and unloads Doreen and Ria. I pull off to the side and wait for her to come over and roll down her window.
“Want to come by the apartment and have a mug of cocoa while we wait for the wild ones to finish their night?” I ask.
“Sure. Walker was still at Payne’s when I left home. He’ll probably be there a while.”
I head home, and she follows.
As I unlock the door for us, we can hear George’s barks from upstairs.
“Sounds like someone is upset,” Elle says as we enter.
“She was sleeping when I left. I guess she woke up to find me gone and freaked out. We’re working on her separation issues.”
“She’ll get there. Woof just does his thing. He greets us when we first get home, and I can coax him onto the couch for snuggles on the rare occasion, but other than that, he’s pretty self-sufficient.”
Woof is Walker’s sweet old hound dog that Elle inherited when they married.
“Good to know.”
I let the puppy out, and then I use my coffeemaker to brew a pot of cocoa. I pour us each a huge mug and toss in a few mini marshmallows.
We sit on the couch as George plays on the floor with her toys.
“Spill,” Elle demands as she blows over the top of her cup.
“Spill what?”
“Everything,” she says.
I proceed to tell her all about the sleepover at Foster’s house, and I leave none of the details out for her.
“Wow,” she says when I finish.
“I know. That was two orgasms in one night, and I didn’t have to fake either of them.”
“You should never, ever have to fake them.”
Ricky was a selfish lover. He didn’t want to put in the effort to get me there, but he’d get aggravated if I didn’t, so I’m embarrassed to admit, I did fake it from time to time.
“So, are you two a couple?” she asks.
“I don’t know. My marriage is pretty much done, and his will be soon. I guess we’ll see how it goes and talk about it then.”
Elle raises one eyebrow.
I wish I could do that.
“You don’t have to wait until the ink dries on his divorce papers to talk about your relationship,” she says.
“That’s true, but I don’t want to push. I always do that. I’m trying to be more go with the flow, going forward.”
“Riiight.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“It means, you are who you are, Sonia. You don’t do casual. You never have. There’s nothing wrong with that, and you are allowed to tell the man what you want.”
“I thought you and Bellamy were always preaching for me to slow down and take my time to make sure it was right,” I say, quoting them almost verbatim.
“That was because neither of us liked Ricky. He didn’t treat you right, and he was never an equal partner, not even going into your marriage. We wanted better for you. It wasn’t how fast you fell in love; it was how blindly you fell in love. All I ever want is for you not to settle.”
“And what is your impression of Foster?” I ask.
I’m starting to trust my friends’ instincts. If they say I need to step back and take a deeper look at a relationship I’m in, I’m going to start doing just that.
Elle grins. “I adore him. I’ve been praying you two would finally find your way to each other,” she says.
Her and my mother.
“I think I adore him too. It scares me.”
“If you’re not a little scared, it wouldn’t be worth your time,” she assures me.
We change the subject, and she tells me about her plans to go off the pill next month.
“I can’t wait to be an auntie,” I squeal.
“Walker can’t wait either. I’m the hesitant one. Sophie makes being a mom look so easy, but I have Lily Claire over for one sleepover, and I’m an exhausted mess for two days.”
I place my hand on hers. “That’s okay. If you’re not a little scared, it wouldn’t be worth your time,” I repeat her advice.
She laughs. “So I’ve heard.”
Foster
The next few weeks are a flurry of activity as Payne and Charlotte put the finishing touches on the cider mill.
Charlotte is a marketing genius because the week of Halloween, all I see and hear around town is the buzz about the grand opening.
She even managed to get advertising spots on local television stations out of Denver, Colorado Springs, and Aurora. The bed-and-breakfast and the inn downtown have been booked to capacity for those weeks, and a few of the local residents have even rented out their rooms above their garages or in their guesthouses. The whole town is excited about the visitors planning to stay in Poplar Falls.
“I’m turning people away,” Charlotte grumbles.
“Why?” I ask.
“They’re coming from out of town, and we don’t have any accommodations for them. They’ll have to drive forty miles to the nearest lodging.”
“Sounds like Myer can’t get those cottages and tree houses built fast enough. This place is going to be a gold mine,” I tell her.
She shrugs. “I don’t care about that. I just want for the rest of the world to get a little taste of the beauty that is Poplar Falls.”
That surprises me. “Really?”
She turns to me. “It might not seem like it, but I don’t place too much affection in material objects. I like nice things, but if they were lost, stolen, or damaged, I wouldn’t fall apart. Well, except when Payne destroyed our Nespresso machine, and that wasn’t about the cost; that was about good coffee. If I lost my grandma’s opal ring, I might be sad, but my memories of her are not locked in the ring. The joy of my wedding day won’t be tied in the pretty china we receive. If a dish chips, it chips. It means it was loved and used well. A car is a car. Suppose it gets dinged in the grocery store parking lot … oh well.
“Don’t get me wrong; I love presents as much as the next girl. I love wrapping paper and bows and surprises, the whole shebang, but if the gift tarnishes, breaks, or goes missing, I don’t freak out. I’m more excited by the fact that you took the time to pick something out just for me than by what’s inside.
“My affection is held in memories. I appreciate a trip together, an adventure with people I care about, a week of new memories, photographs of our shenanigans; I treasure those things the most. That’s what I’m trying to create here for others. People are more important, and their time and love are the best gifts they can give and share.”
I let what she said sink in, and I look at the place for the first time through a different lens. I saw a big profit machine for the farm and the town; now, I see a place for families to bond and kids to get the attention they are starving for from their overworked parents.
“Wow,” I say.
“Yeah, wow,” she agrees.
I’m about to head home when a pair of arms wraps around me from behind.
/> “Hi.”
The scent of honey surrounds me, and the ache of a hard day’s work just slides away.
“Hey yourself,” I say as I turn to take in her smiling face.
“I was on my way home, and for some reason, my car headed this way instead,” she says.
“Is that right?”
She nods.
“Remind me to thank it later,” I tell her before I pull her in for a kiss.
“Want to take a walk with me?” she asks against my lips.
“I sure do.”
I take her hand and lead her toward my house.
She stops and tugs my arm.
I look back at her, and she grins.
“I want to walk in the orchard.”
I look up at the darkening sky. It’s twilight, but it also looks like rain.
“We should probably do that when the sun’s up,” I inform her.
She stands there, fiddling with her jacket.
“Sonia?”
She sighs. “I wore layers,” she says.
“Huh?”
She steps closer and whispers, “I wore layers. To protect my back from prickly tree trunks.”
It takes my mind about ten seconds to catch up, and when it does, all thoughts of cold and rain fly right out of my head. I grab her hand and start marching us toward the apple trees.
“Foster,” she calls.
“Yeah?”
“Your legs are longer than mine. Can you slow down a bit?” she requests, and I realize that I’m more or less dragging her along with me.
I stop, and I scoop her up into my arms and continue my march.
I can hear her giggling against my neck, and it only spurs me forward.
When I get us deep enough into the cover of the trees, I set her on her feet, and she starts walking backward as I stalk toward her.
As soon as I have her up against one of the trees, my hands settle on her hips, and I bring my chest to hers.
My mouth finds hers in the dark, and I devour her lips as my hands slide down and around to cup her behind and bring her in closer. Her head falls back against the rough wood, opening her throat to me, just like the other night. I dip my mouth to the pulse point right behind her ear and kiss a trail down as she reaches up, threads her fingers through my hair, and tugs hard. I use my body to hold her in place as I explore with my hands and tongue. She is firm and soft, and the heat of her envelops me.
