DamionIt was early. Very early. She had said be packed and ready for a road trip. I had no idea where she was taking us, but I had loaded Oliver down with games on his tablet, a few books, a coloring book with a new box of crayons, and a shitload of snacks. Oliver had done great on the first trip across the country, but the trip back had been a nightmare. Mostly because he was pissed we were leaving.“Where are we going?” he asked again, his voice revealing he was still half asleep.It was just after five in the morning. Alex said we needed to get an early start. I worried she was hauling my ass back to New York, but she had made it very clear I wasn’t getting away from her that easy. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Alex said it was a surprise.”“I’m tired,” he said, rubbing his eyes.“You can sleep in the truck,” I told him.I was a little worried Alex’s truck would be some cramped quarters. I was also not entirely convinced it was all that roadworthy. I was going to ask her i
DamionWe ordered burgers and fries to go. All of us were more interested in getting to our destination than hanging out in a restaurant. I took over the driving, following the GPS and settling in for the ride.“Your turn,” Oliver said to Alex as he handed his tablet forward.I couldn’t stop smiling as I watched the two of them. She was playing one of his favorite puzzle games. He was so comfortable with her. I could see the admiration in his eyes when he looked at her. She was damn near perfect for us. Perfect would have been boring and too easy. I was glad there was a challenge. It would keep things interesting.It was just after four o’clock when we pulled onto the road that Alex said was actually Wayne’s driveway. “This is an impressive spread,” I said, my eyes taking in the huge farm.“I told you. That’s why it took me a while. This farm is no joke.”I brought the SUV to a stop, each of us getting out and stretching. I could smell barbecue in the air.“Where are we?” Oliver asked
AlexI carried the bowl of coleslaw to the table where the boys were all sitting. I took the remaining seat and scooted forward. I looked around the table, taking in the sight of the faces of the people I cared most for in the entire world. I really liked having them all at the same table. Damion took a long drink from the cold bottle of beer Wayne had at the ready. I watched as Wayne took his own drink.“This looks amazing,” Damion said. “I think I could get very used to your cooking. It’s not a craft I’ve done well at picking up.”“I’ve been a single man for a while. Learn or starve or eat sludge. I opted for the first.”Damion grinned. “I’m learning.”“How long have you been single?” Wayne asked.Damion looked at Oliver. “Five years.”Wayne slowly nodded with a look of understanding. “I see. So, Alex tells me you’re from New York.”Damion nodded. “I am.”“Wow. That’s exciting. What did you do?”“I was an editor for a magazine,” he said before looking at me. I could see the discomfo
Alex“Night fishing?” Damion asked.“I’ve got a pond, nice and stocked. I like fishing. I don’t like packing up gear and driving to the lake.”Damion smiled. “That’s a pretty good setup.”“I get to use my new pole!”“You finish your dinner and then we’ll get down there when they are really biting,” Wayne told him.We enjoyed our meal, everyone appreciating the tasty ribs. We talked about the county fair that would be setting up next month and what our plans were for the summer. It was a simple dinner with nothing fancy and it was absolutely one of the best evenings of my life.“You ready to get down there?” Wayne asked Oliver.“I’ll stay and clean up,” I volunteered.“I’ll help,” Damion said.“No, I got it. You guys go ahead.”“I think Wayne and Oliver can handle the fishing,” he said.“Darn right we can. I’ve already got chairs down there. Let’s go.”Damion gave Oliver a quick lecture about listening to Wayne and staying away from the water’s edge. I didn’t say anything. In the parti
DamionI walked back into the barn, wiping my hands on my jeans before rubbing them across the back of my neck. It was hot and I had been working hard since I had dropped Oliver off at school. It had been a hard two weeks since we’d gotten back from Wyoming. After talking with Wayne, I felt even more connected to the farm. I saw how important it was for him to have his farm stay in the family and the sadness that it wasn’t.I didn’t know if I believed in life after death or angels, but if my grandfather was somewhere looking down on me, I didn’t want him to be disappointed. I didn’t want him to have that same sadness I saw in Wayne. I was ready to give it my all and make sure he could rest easy knowing the family legacy was being taken care of.“You ready to tackle that irrigation line?” I asked Alex before taking a drink from the water bottle that was lukewarm and not at all satisfying. She got up from where she was sorting out the tools we were going to need. She was wearing anothe
Damion“I didn’t say that.”More hedging. Then a thought crossed my mind. “I’m sorry if I’m being insensitive, but is it because you can’t have children?”She smiled. “It’s not insensitive. I don’t know if I can or can’t, but I don’t know of any reason why I can’t.”I nodded. It was still not exactly the answer I was looking for. “I see.”“Hey, you never know. Maybe one of these days, I’ll find someone I like enough to go halfsies in making a baby.”“Oh,” I said, returning my focus to the pipes.She squatted down beside me. “I’m kidding.”“Which part?” I mumbled.“Most of it.”I was on my knees and forced to look up at her. “Most of it?”“I would love to have a family. I love the idea of family.”“I hear a but in there.”She sighed. “I don’t think I would be a good mother. I have nothing to go on. I don’t have an image of what a good mother should be.”I grabbed her hand and pulled her to her knees. “You don’t need formal training. Mothering just comes naturally to you.”“Not to every
AlexI couldn’t stop smiling. I loved teasing him. I didn’t feel the least bit guilty about doing it. I always followed through with my promises. I always made sure to take care of anything that came up while we were together. Our relationship had evolved a lot in the last couple of weeks. Once the no sex in the barn rule had been established, we had managed to get a lot of work done.He tried to pay me on more than one occasion, but I didn’t want his money. Truthfully, I wanted his company, and spending a few hours working on the farm every day was worth it. In the back of my mind, I knew I would eventually need to take a job, but for the time being, I liked what I was doing. I liked the freedom to come and go as I pleased.“Looks like they’re done,” Damion said from behind me.I looked toward the doors. The first couple of kids came out of school. I stepped away from the vehicle, waiting for Oliver to make his appearance. When he came out of school, he stopped when he saw the both o
AlexDamion looked up at me and smiled. I held up the sodas as I walked toward him. The phone in my back pocket vibrated against my ass. I pulled it out and saw it was Wayne. “I need to take this. I’ll be outside.” I walked out of the store and answered my phone. “Hello, Wayne.”“Hello yourself. How are you?”“I’m good.”“How are Oliver and Damion?” he asked.I turned to look through the window and saw them both laughing about something. “They are doing very well. Oliver is enjoying his time at day camp. It works out great. Oliver gets to hang out with other kids and it allows us to get some work done on the farm.”“Why don’t you hire a team to take care of that?” he suggested.I scoffed. “Because that is expensive and unnecessary.”He laughed. “When you have that much money, you don’t need to worry about stuff like that. Enjoy your time together.”I frowned, wondering if Wayne was losing his faculties. He’d said a few odd things during our visit, and just now, he wasn’t making any se
AlexHe winked at me. “I was thinking I might get me a little place in Montana.”I felt tears well in my eyes. I fanned my face. “Wayne, that would be amazing.”“Yes, it would,” Damion chimed in. “We’ll have a house built for you on the farm.”“Damion!” I blurted out.“Oh no, I can’t ask you to do that,” Wayne said.“You didn’t ask. I offered. We would love to have you around. We’ll need a guest house eventually anyway.”I could see the emotion in Wayne’s eyes. “That’s a very kind offer. I’ll think on it. I don’t want to put anyone out.”“Wayne,” I said, reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. “It would be an honor to have you around.”He smiled. “You drive a hard bargain, missy,” he teased.“I certainly do.”“Montana is a great place to live,” Damion said. “I wish I would have realized it earlier. I wasted a lot of time. I don’t intend to do it again.”“Good, because I won’t let you get away from me quite so easily.”“I’m not going anywhere,” he said with a grin. “Montana is
AlexThree months laterI carried the big bowl of homemade potato salad to the back patio and placed it on the table. Betty popped her head up from where she was curled up on her bed in the corner and out of the way. She would get her leftover treats after the dinner, even though I told Wayne he shouldn’t feed her people food. My favorite men in the world were sitting around the table, chatting and talking about the early fall. I smiled at each of them before going back into the kitchen of Wayne’s house to grab the tray of burger toppings.We had driven down to spend the weekend with him before school started and our schedule got a lot less flexible. Damion had offered to buy plane tickets, but I couldn’t do it. I actually liked the drive. We all got to hang out and just talk. There was no escape when you were locked in a car with someone.My life was good. Better than good. The final puzzle pieces of my life had slid into place. I felt settled. I didn’t feel the need to run. I hadn’t
AlexI opened eyes I didn’t realize had been closed. I stared into his light blue gaze as he rose over me. My hands slid up his forearms and over his biceps, rubbing over the skin that was hot under my touch. He was just as affected as I was.His cock slid over my slick pussy before he carefully nudged forward, breaking through the folds and finding home. He pushed once, and our eyes locked as he joined his body with mine. I felt a tear slide down the side of my face as he pushed himself all the way inside my welcoming body.“Oh, Damion,” I breathed his name before my eyes slid closed and my body finally gave in to the need that had been holding me in a firm grip since his kisses started.“That’s it,” he coaxed, kissing the tip of my nose as my body arched and bucked under his. “That’s my girl. All mine. You’re mine.”I opened my eyes and found him staring at me from just a few inches away. He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me until I could no longer think at all. I only felt. I
AlexI didn’t think I had ever been carried. Not like that anyway. I felt like a precious gift with the way he was looking at me. His gentleness was so much different than our usual way. It was strange and sweet at the same time.I watched as he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor before stepping out of the shorts he was wearing. I could truly look at the man’s body all day. His thick cock stood loud and proud, promising great things.He was perfect in my eyes. Tall and now very tanned after all our long days working together at the farm. His muscles were more defined than what they were when he first showed up in Geraldine. He had changed. I had changed.“Looking at something?” he asked with a soft smile.“Just admiring the view from down here,” I answered.He reached down, not getting on the bed as he undid the button on my shorts. He pulled them and my panties down my legs before reaching for my arms and pulling me to a sitting position. My shirt was lifted o
DamionI smiled. “I don’t think the money will change me. At least, I hope it doesn’t. It hasn’t so far.”“What do you mean?”“I mean I had the money before I came back.”Her mouth dropped open. “What? You have it? I thought you said you had to wait six months.”I nodded. “I did. Or so I was told. When I went to Harvey to ask about the will and where the farm would go if I turned it down, he told me you and he had talked. He said you told him you were impressed with what I had done and that I was taking it seriously. I told him it didn’t matter and had him draw up the documents to give you the farm. I told him to give the money to charity or whatever. I was in New York when I got the documents in the mail saying the accounts had been transferred to my name. A rather large check was included.”She shook her head. “You turned down the money?”I nodded. “I did.”“But you have it now?”“I do. I’ll admit I bought the SUV with cash. It didn’t make sense to carry a loan and pay interest.”Sh
DamionI heard the knock on the door and walked out of my bedroom to answer it. Sadie was standing on the other side, a soft smile on her face.“Hi,” she greeted.“Hi,” I answered, pulling the door open for her. “I was just folding the last bit of laundry.”“You’re folding your own laundry?” she asked.I groaned. “She told you.”“She did. Of course, she did. There’s a reason I offered to babysit Oliver without you asking. You two need to talk and I’m here to make sure that happens.”“I appreciate it. And yes, I do my own laundry. I also clean toilets and sweep the floors. I’m still the same man I’ve always been.”“I believe you. Now you need to convince her of that.”I shook my head. “You make it sound like it’s easy.”“I think I smoothed the way for you, but if you screw it up, that’s on you.”I laughed. “Good to know. Oliver is in his room. I’m going to toss a load in the washer and then I’ll head out.”“Take your time. My schedule is clear. This could take a while. Don’t give up to
Alex“Sadie, this is real. I’m not kidding. He inherited a fortune. The only reason he is here is to get that fortune.”“Did he say he wanted to leave?”“No, but—”She held up a hand. “Exactly. He came back for you.”I slapped a hand on the table. “This is what I’m trying to explain to you. He didn’t come back for me. He came back for the money.”“Do you honestly think he would jerk his kid back and forth across the country for the money? I don’t know him half as well as you do, but even I know he lives and breathes for that boy. He isn’t going to do anything that would hurt Oliver. He knows Oliver likes it here. Oliver couldn’t stop talking about how much he missed you when they were gone. How much Damion missed you. It’s real, Alex. Very real. Before you push him away, ask yourself if you’re really being rational.”I leaned back in my seat. “You’re being harsh.”“I’m sorry, but I have to be. I can’t let you ruin this. He’s so good for you. You don’t see how different you are with hi
AlexI glanced in the bathroom mirror as I washed my hands and face. I looked like hell. I wasn’t interested in showering. Not yet. I piled my hair on top of my head in a messy bun. Not cute messy but legit messy. I slid my slippered feet along the floor as I made my way to the kitchen. I needed coffee. A lot of coffee. I hadn’t slept much at all. Two nights of no sleep was wreaking havoc on me.There was a knock on my door just as I was starting my coffee. I slowly walked over to see who it was.“I see you,” Sadie called.“You can’t see through wood,” I told her.“Open the door.”“I’m not decent,” I retorted.“No shit. Open it anyway.”I sighed, unlocking the door and pulling it open, expecting the comments about the state of my appearance. “What are you doing here?” I asked.“Wow. This is a bad one. Have you showered this week?” She curled her lip. “I can flip you on your head and mop the floor with all that oil in your hair.”“That’s really not very nice,” I retorted.“You don’t lo
Damion“With that kind of money, I think you can certainly buy love.”“Not real love. I didn’t want some woman faking it.”“Do you think Alex is like that?” he asked, his tone slightly accusing.“Not at all,” I answered. “She’s the real deal. I know she loves Oliver and he loves her.”He was quiet for a few seconds. “Does she know you already have the money?”I shrugged. “I’m not sure. It seemed like she thought I had it or was going to be getting it soon.”“You didn’t tell her you had it before you came back the second time?”I slowly shook my head. “No. It seemed pointless. Alex is stubborn. When she gets something in her head, there’s no dislodging it. I didn’t see any point in arguing. She wasn’t going to believe a word I said. She’s convinced I’ve been lying to her from day one. Anything I said was going to be rejected. I didn’t want to stick around and listen to her insult me or what we had. I didn’t want to get mad and say something I would regret. I left.”“You do that a lot,”