“So they’d be yours.”
“Yes.”
I smiled at him. “Agreed.”
The muscles in his jaw flexed.
“Let’s go already. The kids are restless.”
“Fine,” he groused at me.
In the car after lunch, on the road toward Half Moon Bay, Tristan was asking Cy about leprosy for some reason, Pip and his mother were playing I Spy, and I was watching Micah draw me in his sketch pad.
“I like that rhinoceros,” I told him. “I’ve never ridden one of them before. Probably like bull riding, ya reckon?”
Micah nodded.
“Yeah.” I yawned, leaning closer to him.
He reached up and, not turning from looking at his page, put his left hand around the side of my face and smoothed his fingers over my cheek. I let my head clunk gently against the top of his and heard him sigh before I closed my eyes. I had no idea how tired I really was.
I felt a hand on my right knee, shaking gently, and when I opened my eyes, Cy was there, looking down at my face.
“We here?” I asked, sitting up and stretching.
“Yeah,” he said, sounding miserable.
I caught hold of his arm and pulled him close, our faces just inches apart. “I don’t want us to fight no more. Let’s stop fussin’ at each other and kiss and make up.”
His smile was sweet and sad and happy all at the same time. “I would love that.”
I puckered up, and he started laughing. “So not hot.”
“No?”
He lost it, and I grabbed him and pulled him into my arms and kissed him until it wasn’t funny anymore. I made sure when he got out of the SUV he was uncomfortable and squirming and cursing my name and promising retribution.
“Oh yeah?” I teased him.
“Oh, cowboy, you’re going to be so sorry we’re not alone,” he threatened me, eyes still cloudy with passion, his lips swollen and dark and bruised. He looked like I’d mauled him.
“Why’s that?” I asked, following him up the cobblestone path to the front door.
He grunted. “Because you are so going to want my ass, and I’ll be damned if you’ll get it.”
“Maybe it’s about time you had mine,” I said softly.
He froze.
I was proud of myself for not laughing, and when he turned to face me, mouth open, his eyes round in shock, I casually asked him what was wrong.
“You?”
“I?”
“You.”
“We’ve established this.” I grinned at him.
“You—” His breath came out in a rush. “—said you’ve never trusted anyone else enough to top.”
“That’s right.”
“So you’re saying what? You trust me enough?”
“That’s what I’m sayin’. Yessir.”
“Jesus, Weber,” he groaned, reaching for me, leaning hard, hands fisted on my chest, in the flannel shirt I was wearing under the new peacoat he had just bought me. “Don’t tease me.”
“When have you ever known me to do such a thing?”
“Never.” He closed his eyes, inhaling me.
“So then?”
“Oh, baby, please let me have you,” he moaned hoarsely as I kissed his forehead. “I’ll be so…. Weber, I’ll be your first.”
“And only, I suspect,” I told him. “Trust doesn’t come easy to me.”
He swallowed hard before he opened his eyes to look up into mine. “Do you have any idea how beautiful your eyes are?”
“Faded blue, like jeans, my mama used to say. They ain’t nothin’, not like yours, not brown and gold all mixed up together. Yours are somethin’ to see.”
He shook his head and then let his head fall forward against my chest.
“So now—” I chuckled. “—who’s gonna be sorry that we’re not alone?”
“I really hate you.”
“I know it.”
“Cyrus!”
We both looked up toward the front door, and Carolyn was there waving us in.
“Hurry up!” she yelled.
He grabbed hold of my hand and led me toward the house. Inside, it was enormous, made to look like a giant hunting lodge, all river rock and logs, the only thing that didn’t make sense being the skylights.
“Cyrus, honey?”
There were a lot of people all converging at once, and I was jostled away from him, and since standing there waiting for everyone to finish and talk to me, even acknowledge me, left me waiting there like an idiot, I walked out through the open sliding glass doors onto the back deck. I saw the boys then, running around with two little girls and three German shepherds, two of the black and brown variety and one that was black.
“Weber!” Pip screamed for me, leading the girls over.
The dogs saw me then and all ran at the same time. I went to my knees to greet them, and the warning barking became the joyous kind with wagging tails, wet noses jabbed into my eyes, tongues on my face, and general happy whimpering and whining. Soggy tennis balls got dropped at my feet, and I worked the dogs hard at the same time I played tag with Pip and the girls. I kept an eye on Micah and Tristan as they climbed the big oak tree, and when I thought they were high enough, told them not to go up anymore.
The girls were Vanessa and Victoria, and at five and seven they were already stunning. At sixteen and eighteen they would be breaking hearts. Raven black hair and huge pale-blue eyes, in contrast to the boys with their dark chestnut-brown hair and deep blue ones. They were all adorable, and the continuing sounds of laughter made me smile. I lost track of time and it was nice.
“Hello.”
I turned, and there was a man there a little taller than Cy’s six one but not as tall as my own six three. “Sir,” I greeted him, knowing of course who he was. There could be no mistake that this was the patriarch of the Benning clan. He was a bigger, more muscular version of the man I had never been able to get out of my head since the first day I had met him.
He came forward, hand extended, smiling at me. “Owen Benning.”
“Weber Yates,” I said, taking his hand and shaking it.
“It’s awfully nice of you to be the only one out here watching my grandchildren.”
I smiled at him
