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
DamionI rather unenthusiastically slid the bacon onto the plate of scrambled eggs before calling Oliver to eat breakfast. I wasn’t feeling all that hungry myself and stuck with my coffee. Because I wanted to give him the idea of normalcy, I sat down at the table with him.“You’re not hungry?” he asked curiously.I shook my head. “No. I had some toast earlier.”“Did you already feed the horses?”I nodded. “I did, while you were sound asleep, snug as a bug in your bed.”He grinned. “I’m not a bug.”“I think you’re the cutest bug.”He took a bite of bacon. “Did you make a plate for Alex?”Hearing her name made the burning in my gut more intense. “No. She isn’t eating breakfast here today.”“Is she going to be here for lunch?” he asked.Listening to his questions about her whereabouts only fueled my own anger. She had flipped on a dime the day before. She’d been fine and laughing one second and then her phone rang. Instead of telling me what was bothering her, she’d run away from me. I w