Page 51 of No Place Like Home
When I left Summer behind Saturday night—the girls had their bachelorette party in Nashville and would be getting home today—things were good between us, but it still felt like something was off with her, like there was more she wanted to say.
I spent Sunday working around my temporary home and my mom’s house—cutting grass and getting to know Big Red. I fixed up the chicken coop and placed his food and water inside the large shed. He watched me most of the day, perched just outside the double doors on a single fence post I dug into the ground. By the time I was done, I think he and I had finally called a truce.
The guys came over for a cookout Sunday evening, and I spent another night alone.
Now, here it was Monday morning, and I needed to start my day. I put a coffee pod in the Keurig, spread cream cheese on a toasted bagel, then slipped on my Hey Dudes and headed outside.
I breathed in deep, filling my lungs with the crisp morning air and stretching tall. I took in a few more deep breaths—then was interrupted by a loud crow. Big Red had greeted me once again.
“Hey there, dipshit. Did you sleep in your new house?” I pulled off a piece of my bagel and squatted. I held out the bread and stayed perfectly still, waiting to see how he would react. The large red rooster slowly strutted toward me and plucked the bread from my grasp, just as Summer’s car came up the driveway. He clucked and strutted away quickly, bread still held in his beak.
My eyes followed her car as she pulled beside the Jeep. I stood, wiped my hands on my pants, and tried to calm my heart.
She turned off the car, got out, and finally made eye contact with me. “Hey,” she said, a bit more chipper than I expected. The smile she gave me filled her face and took my breath away. She looked put-together, like she’d already showered and was ready to start her day. She didn’t look worried at all. Maybe I was reading too much into things.
“Hey,” I answered. “Did you have fun?”
“Yep,” she replied, greeting me with a quick kiss before walking toward the house. I followed behind, leaning against the counter as she got a drink from the refrigerator and opened it.Be patient, I told myself.See if she brings anything up.
“Rowan, I’ve been thinking. About us.” She sat at the counter with her back ramrod straight.
My brows raised. Whatever she had to say seemed damned important.
“You can have it your way,” she said.
I leaned back against the sink, crossed my arms over my chest, and tilted my head. “I can havewhatmy way? We haven’t talked since Saturday.” I motioned with my hands. “I have no clue what you mean.”
“We can be a couple, because I’ve got feelings for you.” Her eyes softened and her voice calmed. “I spent two days thinking about us and how you feel.”
I was in shock. She said this so nonchalantly. Did I hear her correctly?
“But we’ve got to do somethings my way too,” she said.
I walked to the counter and leaned across from her. I wanted to say something, yet at the same time, the thought of stopping her from saying more scared me. I wasn’t sure where this was going, but if I understood at least one thing from her revelation, it was that she had feelings for me. That was a start. A pretty damn good one. “I’m all ears,” I said.
She hopped off her stool and started pacing, gesturing almost as much as she spoke.
It was fun to watch.
“We need to keep this under wraps. We can’t go around all lovey-dovey and hang all over each other. No handholding in public either. We can’t be kissing when people are around. No one wants to see that or know what we do behind closed doors. Do you understand?” She finished her speech with her hands on her hips and a saucy head-tilt.
Damn, she looked hot.Thiswas a version of Summer I could get used to.
I chuckled, even though I knew it would piss her off. But how the hell could I help it? She just admitted to me she had feelings for me. She admitted to me shewantedme. Being incognito so no one else knew was something I sure as hell could deal with—for now, anyway. My grin felt like it might split my face.
“No stupid grins,” she said.
I shrugged, “Thought you liked my grin. You said it was sexy.” I walked around the counter toward her.
“Did you not hear me?” she asked as I rubbed my hand up her thigh.
“Oh, yeah, I heard you. I heard you say you had feelings for me, and we could be a couple. Compared to what I thought you were going to say, this is amazing. If I need to keep it all incognito, I’ll take it—for now.” I placed my hands on her ass and stood close. “You and me? I like it.” I leaned in to kiss her, bringing my hands up to the sides of her face and holding her while I took the kiss deeper. She wrapped her arms around me, and I felt her shiver. I moaned and pulled her closer until we came up for breath moments later.
ThisSummer was so much better than the one who pushed me out the window into a rooster. She felt more confident and ready to face the world.
“Are you good with no PDA?” she asked as she leaned back.
My eyes passed over her beautiful face and porcelain skin. I combed through a lock of her chestnut brown hair. “Summertime, I’ll do anything it takes to have you. I’d go incognito, undercover, stay behind closed doors, and keep you my secret as long as you need. Fuck. See how hot all those things sound?” Yeah, my dick thought so too. “Trust me, it’s hotter than if everyone saw us inpublic holding hands and doing whatever else. You and me behind closed doors is my favorite.”
