Page 11 of The Solstice Additions
Kenan was stretched out on the new lounger I had bought, strumming his guitar as I sat on the top step, picking at the last bite of an onion bagel. The sun warmed the side of my face, and I could not think of anywhere else I would rather be than here with this man. I got lost in simply watching him play, his fingers moving with soft grace over the strings just as they did on my flesh. His hair was a blanket of curls, his arms long and strong, and his bare feet a tiny bit grass-stained.
“You belong here, you know that?” Tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. The notes died off as he lifted his head to study me through a curtain of hair.
“Do you mean here as in Whiteham or here as on your back porch?” He sat up straighter, his back popping slightly from being bent over his six-string.
“Yes,” I replied as this wave of whatever it was pushed more words out of my face. “Here, on this porch with me. Would you like to live here with me?”
His gaze flared, then softened as I sat there rigid with tension. What the ever-loving fuck had I just done? Why had I asked the wandering minstrel if he would settle down with me? Holy fuck, I was an idiot. Now he would freak out and leave and—”
“What about my cabin?”
Oh. Right. He did own a place that he loved. “Yeah, hey, no, that’s totally not…forget I said anything. Boy, it’s going to be a hot one. I could use a beer.”
“Brann, it’s ten after nine in the morning.” He placed his guitar to the side and slithered like a snake from the lounger to the porch, his backside sliding over the worn boards until he sat beside me.
“It’s five o’clock somewhere. Maybe London? No, not London, they’re only five hours difference. Australia! It’s got to be five there. Crikey, we could do shrimp on the barbie and warm up the ten pounds of corn we cut off the cobs.”
“Brann…”
I smiled shakily. “Yeah, I’m sorry for asking that. I was just caught up in the moment. You look so pretty sitting there in the morning light, and my head just got all fuzzy with romantic stuffing. It’s the pregnancy hormones.”
“Brann, sugar, you’re not pregnant.” He smiled sweetly.
“I’m absorbing them via osmosis from Nora and Wilma.”
“Brann, you damn goof.” He chuckled warmly as he looped an arm around my shoulder. A cardinal flitted down to the fence and into the pen to eat some of the scratch grain mixed into the goose pellets. His brilliant scarlet plumage stood out against the lush, dark green grass. “I would love to live with you.”
“Oh.” I stared at him. “Seriously?”
“Very seriously.” He captured my face and kissed me so deeply I felt lightheaded. “Are you sure this is an offer you want to make?” His dark eyes searched mine as he sought any signs of regret or trepidation. He would find none.
“I would love to have you here all the time. But I also know your independence and that house you now own is a big part of your recovery.” I placed my hands over his as they cradled my face. “I donotwant to do anything that will booger that up.”
The corners of his plush lips ticked upward. “I’m sure that being with the man I love all day and all night will not booger up one damn thing.” He kissed me gently. “We just need to figure out how to make two homes merge into one.”
I was sure we could do that. I didn’t know how, but we’d sort it all out later. But right now, I wanted more kissing. Lots more. Kenan, it turned out, was thinking the same exact thing about more kissing. We weresocompatible.
Chapter Nine
The next day, I plunked a dish in front of Lyle as he situated himself at the bar.
“What the hell is this?” He looked at the sandwich, then at me, and then at the other guys removing their ball caps as they readied themselves for lunch.
“It’s tuna salad on wheat bread.” I nudged the food closer to him as Kenan was filling icy mugs with soda while wearing a salty little smirk.
“Since when does the alehouse serve such gourmet fare?” Lyle asked, pulling the plate with a fat tuna sandwich, a pickle spear, and a handful of wavy chips closer.
“My boyfriend suggested that we try a few new additions to the menu. Today is debut day. After he’s done with those beers, he will be putting on the tuna costume I ordered and hitting the sidewalk to promote our new menu item.”
“I’m doing what now?” Kenan asked.
The regulars laughed. I gave him a hip bump. He smacked my backside before heading off to serve the girls from thecourthouse their ginger ales. The lunch rush broke free then, and I didn’t have time to jaw with Lyle or the other guys on my dart team until things quieted down.
I slipped behind the bar after making the last tuna sandwich of the day. We’d run out in an hour. My man was a genius even though I still preferred all my food fried in grease. Guess some folks were concerned about cholesterol. I began washing glasses. Kenan was clearing tables as the jukebox played an old Chet Atkins song.
Lyle was sipping on a cup of coffee. The others had left to return to work. “Don’t you have to get back to your job?”
“I’m part time now.” He seemed quite happy about that. “Next year I retire.”
