“Sothat’swhy Skylar didn’t want to put anything up there,” I mused as he pulled the bed from the wall one-handed.
With a bit of maneuvering, he slid the headboard behind my bed and pushed everything back into place.
He stood next to me at the foot of the bed. “I’m going to grab my drill and attach it to the bed frame, but I wanted to see it in place first.”
“Wow...” I was, for once, at a loss for words.
“It’s okay if it doesn’t fit your style. You don’t have to accept it,” he said, uncharacteristically nervous.
I stared at him. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever owned. Why wouldn’t I like it?”
“It’s just a pretty piece of wood that I finished.”
“The finish makes it art, Kessler. You left the nature of the wood intact but shined it up and smoothed out the rough edges,” I said, running my hand over the surface. “It’s gorgeous, and it feels perfect to the touch.”
Sexy, actually, but I kept that to myself.
Kess shrugged, almost a little embarrassed. “You helped me with my garden, and this felt like a way to return the favor.”
I gestured at the piece in question. “I can promise you, planting a few lantana bushes is not the same as the gorgeous work you’ve done here.”
“It wasn’t a contest, Rowd. I enjoy doing nice things for my friends, and that’s what we are. Friends.”
Ugh.
I mean, yes, I was happy to be his friend, but I wanted to be so much more. Even though I had no clue what that’d look like. Besides, I’d already embarrassed myself the night of his party. Not that I would ever forget his kiss.
God, I was such a mess.
I settled for a hug, stepping into his embrace. His arms automatically went around me, and I circled his ribs, resting the side of my face against his broad chest. He seemed a little surprised, or at least he went quiet. But he didn’t shy away from the contact, and he smelled so fucking good.
I probably held on for a little too long, but when I finally released him, he left his arm around my back, pivoting to face the bed while still in a half hug. “So, you like it? It’s not too big?” he asked, pointing out the fact that the headboard extended beyond the edges of the mattress.
“Oh, not at all. I also like that it means if I got a bigger bed, I could still use this.”
“That’s kind of what I had in mind, too,” Kess said, his voice rough.
There was an awkward silence, then he pulled me in for another hug and kissed the top of my head. “So, since you like it, I’m going to go grab my drill and some screws and attach it to the frame.”
“Thanks, Kessie,” I said, using the nickname that Stevie used for him. “Do you want some coffee?” I asked as he made his way onto the front porch.
Kess looked over his shoulder with a soft smile. “That would be fantastic.”
He sent me a small salute and took off jogging back toward his house, giving the blackbuck a wide berth. He also managed to keep the Dall on this side of the fence. I chuckled, then set about making a new pot of coffee.
The headboard was, objectively, too large for the space. Still, I was glad that it had Skylar’s approval. He certainly knew what he was doing with the decorating, and this addition just...worked. Both as a headboard and as a focal point for the room.
“I guess I’ll hafta actually make my bed from now on,” I muttered to myself.
I looked around the cabin again. The blues and whites contrasted beautifully with the brass fixtures, and this new headboard pulled it all together in a way that made me feel more adult than I ever had.
Just a few years ago, I was bouncing from place to place. Sometimes on a friend’s couch, sometimes in places that didn’t even have air conditioning. Standing in the middle of my space, I was startled to realize that this was the first time I had air conditioning, a refrigerator, and a stove all at the same time.
Life had somehow gotten better for me, and I wasn’t totally sure how that’d happened. Of course, if I’d said that to either Woody or Skylar, both of them would have smacked me upside the head. They seemed hell-bent on reminding me how hard I worked, but for a long time I’d been convinced that all of my hard work meant nothing. That I was just like that guy who rolled the boulder up the hill over and over again.
It was hard to deny, though, that I seemed to have gotten the boulder over the top of that damn hill. It was scary to think about what was next because I’d gotten used to things not working out in my favor.
I looked out the window and Kess was already making his way back, his gorgeous house in the background. I loved the hybrid modern and natural style, and I was sure it cost him a pretty penny. The cabin was super humble in comparison, but he’d never acted like my place was less than or I was less than because I didn’t make the kind of money he made. Yet—and still—another reason I was crushing on him so hard. He was such a decent and good man.
