AlexI sighed. “I know, but I don’t want to give him my heart only to have him leave. I don’t want that kind of misery. I nursed you through several of those breakups. You were a mess.”She shrugged. “That’s because I give my heart to anyone. I’m not very discerning. You and I are like yin and yang. You are extremely guarded. You tell no one anything and are very closed up. I’m an open book. I give my heart freely.”“And how’s that working out for you?” I asked dryly.She laughed. “I could ask you the same question. How’s it working on your end of things?”“I get your point. For the record, I did open up to him. I told him about my parents.”Her eyes went wide. “You did?”I nodded. “I did. He told me about his late wife. We’ve both got some baggage. We’re both a little nervous about getting into something. At least, I think he was, but now not so much. I’m not sure what he expects from me. What if I can’t live up to what he wants me to be? What if I fail him? Fail Oliver?”“Alex, you
DamionI got up early, butterflies in my stomach that left me feeling anxious. My life was going to change, which meant Oliver’s life would change. I wanted to make him a nice breakfast. It would make the news I had to tell him a little easier for him to handle. I hoped anyway. I had held off on saying anything until I knew for sure. I had gotten the email late last night. Things were happening and they were happening fast. I figured there was no point in dragging anything out. It was like pulling off a band-aid in one fell swoop. I preferred to get it over with, rather than let the pain and suffering linger.I flipped the pancake in the pan, checked it and slid it onto a plate. “Oliver, breakfast is ready,” I announced.I was waiting for him to tell me it was too early. I was about twenty minutes ahead of our regular schedule. I wanted to give us some time to talk and answer any questions he had about our new plan. I had woken him up early and got him moving. I was glad he was a morn
DamionI needed my nights and weekends free to be with Oliver and hopefully a girlfriend and maybe one day, a wife. It was going to be extremely difficult to leave Alex behind, but with time, it would get easier. I needed someone who was ready to settle down. She wasn’t that person. I cared for her, and I appreciated what we had, but it wasn’t meant to last.“I don’t want to go,” Oliver said after taking a few more bites. “I like it here. I want to stay.”I smiled. “I know you like it here, but we have to go.”“But, Dad,” he whined. “I don’t want to.”“I promise things will be different. I will be home more often. We’ll spend more time together.”He tossed his fork onto his plate and pushed it away. “I don’t want to go.”I could see the tears in his eyes and hated that I had to do it to him. “I know. I get it. I like it here too, but it isn’t the place for us. I know it’s hard for you to understand, but one day, you will. You’ll understand and things will be better.”He got up from th
AlexI watched him approach the porch. He didn’t look happy to see me. It wasn’t exactly the reception I had expected or hoped for. The last time we had been on the porch, the chemistry and sexual sizzle between us had been off the charts. There was none of that now. His jaw was set as he climbed onto the porch, his gaze holding mine.“Hi,” I said with a small smile.“Hi.”“Can we talk?” I asked.He shrugged. “I suppose.”He made no move to sit down. It was a very clear signal he didn’t want me to stay. “Would you like to sit down?” I asked, feeling a little ridiculous considering it was his porch.He flopped down. “What is it?”“Damion, I can tell you’re mad. I’m sorry.”“It doesn’t matter.”“It does matter.”“Not really.”I sighed. He was going to make this difficult. “I—”“Before you say anything, I should tell you I spoke with Harvey,” he said.I nodded. “Okay. And?”“He told me you were going to inherit the farm if I didn’t come back,” he said, his eyes hard as he looked at me.“
Alex“Yes. My old boss called, and they want me back. They are willing to pay to get me there. It’s an offer I can’t refuse. I’ve already told Oliver we’re going back as soon as the school year is over, or close to it.”“You’re just going to get up and leave again?”“It’s not again,” he snapped. “When I left here thirteen years ago, I never promised I would be back.”“Sure seems like you like the idea of being a ping-pong ball.”“I don’t think you really have a lot of room to judge in this situation,” he said, the vein on the side of his neck becoming more pronounced. “This is my life. You don’t want to be a part of it, so I really don’t know why I’m telling you anything.”He got up and stomped into the house. I was not going to let him walk away that easy. I followed him inside, yanking the screen door so hard I damn near pulled it off its hinges.“Cut and run,” I said. “Isn’t that what you accused me of?”“No, I think you said that,” he said, opening a drawer in an old desk. He pull
DamionI was mentally and physically exhausted. I couldn’t seem to make a right move. Every choice I made ended up being the wrong one. It was taxing my psyche and making it impossible for me to think straight. I kept hopping back and forth over the same fence looking for greener grass only to find it was all dry.I put my head in my hands, my elbows resting on my desk in my old office, and groaned. “What the fuck?” I muttered. “What in the actual fuck?”I couldn’t believe I had missed my job. I hated it. I hated all of it. I yanked at the tie around my neck, pulling it down and giving myself some room to breathe. I hated the tie. I hated the suit jacket that seemed to be tighter than usual. I hated the office with very little sunshine and no fresh air. New York stunk. I hadn’t realized it stunk until we had walked out of the hotel we were still staying at while I searched for a townhouse.I had found several apartments that were close to work, but Oliver had dug in. He wanted a backy
DamionDid I really come back to deal with shit like this? I didn’t know why I thought things were going to be any different. It was the same old shit. I was getting paid a lot more, but I wasn’t sure it was worth it. I was miserable. I was unhappy and the thought of living the rest of my days feeling like that was not appealing.I did my homework on the situation, cringing as I read through the last issue. It was a nightmare. I was embarrassed to have my name attached to the damn thing. I had nothing to do with it, but my name was still in the fine print. That was something else that hadn’t been taken care of.“I’m leaving,” I said to my assistant as I walked out of my office.Her brows shot up. “Already?”“It’s four. Part of my agreement to come back included me getting out of here by four every day so I can pick up my son.”“Okay. I’ll make a note of that.”I didn’t say anything else. I left the office without saying a word to the employees still diligently working. Since I had bee
Alex“Oh my god! Seriously! What the hell are you doing?” I wanted to say so much more. I wanted to wring the neck of the kid that had been riding my last nerve. I wanted to kick rocks and punch a bale of hay. I hated feeling so angry, but I couldn’t shake it. The anger left a bitter taste in my mouth and a burning fire in my belly.The young ranch hand looked up from what he was doing. “Uh, I’m putting gas in the chainsaw.”I closed my eyes. “No! That is not the gas for the chainsaw. Did you not read the can? That is gas.”He looked at the can and then back at me. “I know.”I threw my hands into the air and shouted. “No. No. No! That one. The one that says ‘chainsaw mix’!”“Oh, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, quickly capping the first can and going for the second.I shook my head, muttering under my breath as I stomped back to the other two kids that were hooking up the trailer to the truck. I had taken a job close to home on a ranch. I didn’t typically take ranch jobs, but this one paid wel
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,”