Page 46 of I Got You

Pulling into the driveway, the garage door is open, and the hood of my Suburban is propped up. I find Shane underneath the hood with Liv on a stool and Garrett by his side.

“Um, what are you doing?” I ask, really hoping they didn’t break my car.

Shane must hear something in my tone because he straightens, his growly face on. “Did you realize you’re five thousand miles overdue on changing your oil?”

Is he mad? I stare at him, trying to determine if he’s serious. Do I understand I needed to change my oil, like yesterday? Yes. Does it look like I have time to stop in and get that done any day of the week? No.

“Uh, are you mad?” I want to fully understand what’s going on here.

His massive hands move to his hips, and even though I want to be pissed for feeling like I’m getting a lecture from my dad, Shane, in a tight white t-shirt smeared with grease and looking irritated as hell, is just about the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I want to smile but bite my lip.

“You shouldn’t let it go that long without getting it changed. It’s hard on the engine. If there’s a leak, you could have an issue. You should check it regularly.”

I don’t want to like his protective nature as much as I do. “Ok. Does an oil change come with this lecture?”

The big man huffs, his broad shoulders lowering just slightly. “Yes. After I saw the sticker, we stopped and picked up some oil. The sludge is draining now.”

I look at Garrett, who’s studying the dipstick.

“Maggie,” Liv says, scrunching her nose. “Shaney just made the car poop oil. It was gross, but he said the new stuff will look like pee.”

I raise my eyebrows, and he shrugs. “Well, I’ll let you three get back to it while I start dinner.”

As I suspected, we have a houseful for dinner, which is fine by me. The more Hank and his friends hang out here, the more I know he’s not doing something he shouldn’t be.

Since he came in from the garage, Shane’s been quiet, like he’s retreated to somewhere I can’t see. He grilled the chicken while I pulled out extra food to feed all the growing boys, and then we ate in chaos and shifts while the boys remained entrenched in video games.

After cleaning up the dinner mess and starting a load of laundry, I find Shane on the couch. “Is master fire starter another hidden skill set in addition to mechanic?” He turns to look at me. “I need to get the kids in the shower, but there’s wood out back if you want to start a fire in the pit. When I’m done, I’ll bring the beer.” I don’t know what happened, but I hope I can pull him back from wherever he might be.

“Sure.”

Ok, then.

Two showers and a bath later, I open the back door to a roaring fire and my mysterious husband stretched out in a chair. I hand over a bottle, and he takes it. I plop down in the seat next to him and look up at the clear sky, enjoying the peace of the night.

Shane also seems content in the silence, and we stay like that for a bit before I break into the night.

“How did practice go today? Did you get things straightened out with Chip?”

“Chip?”

“Yeah, the bad attitude and giant chip on his shoulder.”

He takes another pull at his beer before answering. “My guys are looking pretty good. We have some minor things to work on this week, but I think they're ready. I want to see what they’ve got. Nick and I had a chat. I think we have an understanding, but we’ll see. He’s got talent. It’s up to him what he does with it.”

“I’m helping the dance team with their routine, and I know how you feel about girls on the field, but we’ll be interrupting one afternoon this week. Good luck keeping your guys focused.” I poke the bear to see if he’ll come out from where he’s hiding.

“Great.” He huffs. “You do that often? Help out with the dance team?”

“Sometimes. It’s the home opener, so….” I shrug. “Although I’m pretty sure the captain doesn’t care for my input. She’s into all that booty-flapping stuff that just looks ridiculous out there on the field. Some of those girls are really good and choreograph way more entertaining and classy routines.”

“Is she the tall redhead?”

I side-eye him, wondering exactly why he’s asking. The girl is drop-dead gorgeous. Tall, with long legs and flawless skin. “Yeeeesss.”

“That girl freaks me out. She was at the team party and wouldn’t leave my side. She happens to run into me way too often, wanting to chit-chat and dropping hints about where she’ll be hanging out.”

“Noooo.” I don’t believe it.

---