Page 49 of Where We Call Home

“Does itsoundlike I’m okay?” I snapped, yanking the pillow off my face to glare at him.

Rhodes just smiled, unfazed by my snarky remark. He tapped my legs and pointed upward. “Lift them.”

I shook my head.

“Theo, lift your legs. Let me try something that might help.”

Help.There it was again.

As much as I hated feeling like the damsel in distress, the possibility of relief was too tempting. With a sigh, I gave in and lifted my legs.

“Wait,” I said suddenly, pulling my legs back. “Do you have a foot fetish or something? Is this going into your spank bank later?”

“Haha,” Rhodes replied dryly, his tone as unamused as his expression. He gestured with two fingers, beckoning my legs back. Somehow, like he’d cast a spell, they obeyed and settled across his lap.

He pushed my sweatpants up past my calves, and a wave of panic hit me. When was the last time I shaved? I debated pulling my legs back, but the ache in my feet won out. Rhodes wasn’t the type to care about a little leg hair. Plus, shaving was getting harder every day.

Still, the reminder was a nudge: I needed to book an appointment with my wax lady. No way was I giving birth in a few months looking like an untamed jungle.

“I like your socks,” Rhodes commented, pulling me from my thoughts.

I propped myself up on my elbows and looked down. The fuzzy cow faces stared back at me.

“I’m a sucker for a cow,” I said with a small smile.

“Would you want to come by the ranch sometime? I could bring you to the barn and see the cattle I work with.”

“I’d like that,” I said. “I’ve been there so many times over the last few months, and Istillhaven’t seen a single cow. I was starting to think the whole thing was a cover for something else. Drug ring? Money laundering, maybe? What does Boone Cassidyreallywant with Aspen?”

Rhodes scoffed and began applying pressure to the bottoms of my feet.

He wasn’t denying it.

The pads of his thumbs worked deep into the tissue, massaging away the tension. It feltreallygood. And not just because of the relief—it was the way his hands moved. The veins shifting beneath his skin, the delicate precision of his fingers...Was it hot in here, or was that just me?

I stayed propped up on my elbows, watching as he worked. He moved to my ankles, then up one calf, kneading with just the right amount of pressure. A groan of relief slipped out before I could stop it.

“Where did you learn this?” I asked.

“The internet.”

“What a weird search history you must have.How to give epic foot massages? I’m dying to know why.”

Rhodes cleared his throat, set down my first leg, and moved on to the second. There was avoidance in his gaze, like he didn’t want to answer the question fully.

“So, what are you thinking of wearing to the Halloween party?” he asked. My face crinkled into a curious expression at his shift in topics.

“What party?”

“Boone and Aspen’s. The Halloween party they're having next weekend.”

I frowned, caught off guard. A party? I hadn’t heard anything about it. Maybe I missed a text? The thought stung, though I wasn’t about to pull out my phone and check in front of Rhodes. Then again, it wasn’t like I’d been putting in the effort lately. I’d been dodging Aspen and Penny for weeks, avoiding the confrontation I wasn’t ready to face. Maybe after the baby was born. Maybe...never.

“I didn’t know about it,” I admitted finally, my voice quieter than I intended. “So I guess I’m wearing nothing. And no, I don’t mean my birthday suit.”

Rhodes chuckled, the sound warm and easy. “Why don’t you come with me? I don’t really want to go alone.”

“Oh, Rhodes, I don’t know.” My gaze drifted back to his hands as they worked, steady and capable. “It’d be weird.”

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