Page 60 of Covington Acres

“I’ll take care of what needs to be done here,” Vince assured them. Because of course, Dennis wasn’t in today. That’s the way things went. “I’ll figure everything out. Take care of your family. That’s what’s most important.” Vince reached over and squeezed Colby’s shoulder, and…he wanted to bury himself in Vince’s arms, right there in front of his parents. He was the biggest asshole in the world because as worried as he was about his dad—and simple broken foot or not, Colbywasworried about him—all he could wonder was if this was the beginning of it. If his dad would have to slow down and stop working and Colby would have to take a more active role in Covington Acres.

And while he’d just been thinking about how much more he enjoyed it with Vince…it wasn’t all he wanted. He wanted more.

“Are you sure?” his mom asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Vince replied in unison with Colby’s, “Vince will do whatever needs to be done. The farm is in good hands with him.” Probably better than with Colby, who had draggedVince into a barn to have sex with him while there was a shit ton of work to do and his dad was getting hurt.

“Get in,” she told him.

This time it was Colby who reached out, who squeezed Vince’s shoulder. He wanted to lean in and kiss him, to tell him thank you. To explain his conflicting feelings because he knew Vince would understand.

But he pulled back, and Vince winked at him. “See you soon, babe.”

Colby nodded, got in the golf cart with his parents, and couldn’t stop thinking about how he wished Vince had called him baby.

They were ableto get his dad into Colby’s truck fairly easily. The local hospital was in Chelsea, so he drove them there.

“I should call Dennis and have him head down to the farm,” his dad said.

The automatic need to defend his friend bubbled up inside him, even though really, it wasn’t as if his dad was attacking him. Still, Colby couldn’t help but say, “Vince can handle it. I trust him.”

“We trust Vince. That’s not what your dad meant,” his mom said.

He shifted, feeling her penetrating gaze on him. She was too damn good at reading him, and he didn’t want to take the chance of her asking if anything was going on with them. He wouldn’t deny it again. He didn’t want to deny it, but it would add more pressure to the situation while they were still figuring things out.

“He does good work. He’s a good man,” Colby’s dad added.

“He might not be a Covington,” Colby said, “but he loves the farm. It’s a few hours. Let Vince be. Plus, I’m sure Dennis will want to see what’s going on with you.”

They agreed, and his mom called Dennis, Jackie, and Roe while Colby drove. They were all the worrying type, so he had no doubt his siblings would end up at the hospital with them. That’s just how the Covingtons were.

They got his dad into the ER, Colby and his mom joining him. When they took his dad to X-ray, they ushered them to the waiting room.

“Is everything okay with you, Colby?” his mom asked. “You seem…different lately. Happy, for sure, but also like you’re carrying the weight of something on your shoulders.”

Goddamn it. He knew this would happen. He ran a hand through his hair, ready to open his mouth and say whatever fell out, but before he could, Dennis came around the corner, Roe and Jackie right behind him.

“Is Dad okay?” Dennis asked. While they were all close, Dennis and his dad shared a special bond. Dennis looked up to Charles Covington, wanting nothing more than the exact life their parents had—that farm and their family.

“He’s fine.” Their mom got up and hugged Dennis, then Roe and Jackie.

“The doctor’s pretty sure it’s a broken foot. He’ll have one of those boot things and crutches for a while,” Colby relayed. “He also bonked his head and likely has a very minor concussion.”

“Not that it’s ever good timing to get hurt, but this is especially difficult,” Jackie added.

“Hell. I feel bad,” Roe said. “I know he’s been working harder on the farm to get things ready for the wedding. Maybe I should have taken some time off from the store.” He shifted, clearly feeling guilty.

“Oh, stop,” their mom said. “It was an accident. It’s no one’s fault. Your daddy is constantly working hard at the farm, whether there’s a wedding or not. I’m more worried about keeping him on those crutches than anything. We’ll figure the rest out together, like we always do.”

Dennis turned to Colby. “We’re going to need you more over the next few weeks.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll do whatever needs to be done.” And he would. This was his family and he loved them. One of the things that made them special was how they were there for each other. While sometimes thatdidcome with a lot of pressure, it was something Colby was honored to be a part of. Sometimes it was confusing how those two things could coexist, but then, he figured that was part of being human. “Vince will do whatever needs to be done too.”

“Holden and I still have jobs for the next week and a half, but the kids will help, and we’ll be there every spare moment we can,” Roe assured them.

“Scott and I will do the same,” Jackie added. “Though it might’ve been smarter to stop some of the farm activities this close to the wedding. Still doing all the goat and family activities makes things difficult.”

“Yeah, but we’re Covingtons. We’ll figure it out.” Mom nodded, and everyone else couldn’t help but agree with her.

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