Page 70 of Baby Blue
“I wish you had,” Anne almost barked, and it startled Blue. Polly jumped too. “I wish you’d said something, told them he was taken.”
Blue reached over and laid a hand on Anne’s arm. “They don’t need to know that. We know it, and that’s all that matters.” There was no chance for him to say anything else before she hopped up, jetted away from the table, and disappeared out the back door.
“What was that about?” Polly asked, still startled.
“I don’t know, but I’m about to find out. You go get ready for bed. Make sure Toady’s getting ready too. One of us will be in there in just a few minutes.”
“Okay.” The girl rose from the table and headed down the hallway, but Blue called out to her.
“Polly?”
She turned. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for inviting me tonight. I had a good time. It was fun! We should do that sometimes, just the two of us. You know, go someplace and have dinner or something. I should do that with Toady too,” he said, musing aloud at the end.
“He’d like that.” As soon as she stepped into her bedroom, Blue took off out the back door to find Anne.
It took him a second but when his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw her, leaning up against the tree across the yard. “Anne? Baby? You want to tell me what that was about?” he asked when he reached her, but she didn’t say a word. “Anne?” When she still wouldn’t answer him, he grabbed her, spun her, and stared into her face. She was crying, and that scared him. “Babe, what the hell?” he whispered, and all she did was sob. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No! Don’t you get it? Women are watching you, looking at you, wanting you. I’m thirty pounds overweight, my hair is a mess, and I look worn-out and old. I can’t compete with that, Brent!”
“You don’t have to. You already have me. There’s no competition. Look, I’ve had those women.”
“Those women?”
“Yes. No. I mean, women like them. The kind that undressed me with their eyes when I walked into a room. Yeah, it’s an ego stroke, but in the end, it’s just plain boring. You know what’s way better?” When she shook her head, he grinned. “Getting my cute, sexy little neighbor lady to stop hating me and have sex with me. Nowthat’sway better!” Even though tears were still rolling down her face, he heard her chuckle just a little. “Well, it’s true! Hell, I’d go to a bar and I could look around the room and tell you which women would fuck me. It wasn’t me. It was any man who came across their path. There was nothing particularly special about me. They just wanted a fucking from a guy they knew they’d never have to see again. So, congratulations to me. I was the local resident dick with some muscle behind it. You know what it got me? Alone. That’s what it got me. What I have with you?That’sreal, babe. You know what I love most about making love with you? When we’re finished, I know it’s not going to be the last time. For me, that’s not just good. That’s fucking amazing, baby. I wouldn’t trade that for all the cute teachers in the world.”
“When you say it like that, I believe you.” A soft hand rose and stroked down his face, its touch seeming a bit odd without his scruff. “I love you, BrentWallace. I love you because you’re real and raw and open. You don’t lie, and you don’t mince words. You just say what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling, and even though you try to do it without hurting anybody, you don’t hold back. And I really, really respect that.”
“Good. Then we’ve got something to work with here. Now come on. I’ve got two nights of sets coming up, so I need some sleep. And then on Sunday we can relax and kick back. Is Indie down for the night?”
“I hope so. She was fussy tonight. I think she missed you.”
“I missed her too, but I had a good time with Polly, and that little Crystal girl is cute as a button. Oh, and I made some friends. Five guys. One of them is named Randy something, and his daughter and Polly played soccer in elementary school.”
“Randy Carver?”
“Yeah! That’s it!” Blue slipped an arm around the back of her waist and turned her toward the house, then started walking slowly that direction, pressing her along. “Him and four other guys. And you won’t believe who was there.”
“Who?”
“Turner!”
“No shit?”
“No shit. He started in on me and I let him have it.”
“Brent! Did you cuss and carry on like?”
“No! I did not! I was very clear but I was very careful. I didn’t want to get thrown out of the dance!”
“So what did he…” They kept chatting as Blue walked her across the yard and through the back door. He needed some sleep, but he could honestly say the night had been worth it. He’d learned a lot about himself. He’d learned about Anne’s insecurities too.
His plan? To love them right out of her.
“Results!”Blue had run from the mailbox to the house, the big envelope in his hand. Saturday afternoons were almost sacred for the little family of five. They were getting ready to go to the park for a picnic when Blue thought to check the mailbox.
“Did you pass? Tell us! Tell us!” Polly screamed.
