Cole
I’d been chasing my tail all day.
Spending a lazy morning in bed, in the shower, and in the kitchen with Grace mightn’t have been the most productive way to start a day, but it was certainly the most fun.
It wasn’t until I was racing through the paddocks on the back of the ATV with a smile on my face that I realized it’d been too long since I’d felt this good. And it wasn’t just the sex either. At least, I didn’t think it was. We’d laughed. We’d talked. We’d fallen asleep curled together, and even though we’d spent the night spooning on the couch, it was the best night’s sleep I’d had in a long time.
I raced through my chores trying to catch up, knowing I never would, but I couldn’t find it in myself to regret a second. In fact, if I thought for a minute I could convince Grace to spend the whole day with me, I would’ve blown off all my commitments.
The sun was already starting to set by the time I dragged my ass up the steps and across the porch. Rocket bounced around in circles, barking at me as I tugged my boots off.
“Are you hungry, boy?” I asked, bending down and scratching him behind the ears.
In response, he just barked again.
I set my boots aside and yanked open the screen door, letting Rocket into the house.
Half an hour later, Rocket was fed, and I was showered, changed and sitting on the rocking chair on the porch with a beer in my hand, waiting for Grace.
I chuckled to myself. I was sitting in a rocking chair waiting for a girl. I was such an old man.
When a set of headlights bounced down the road, I found myself sitting up a little straighter and setting down my beer. I dug my phone from my pocket and checked the time. It was a little after seven and a lot earlier than I’d been expecting her, but I wasn’t about to complain. The earlier she was, the more hours I got with her.
I heard the strain of the engine as it got closer, and my excitement faded. Grace’s car didn’t sound like that and if it did, she wouldn’t be driving it again until a mechanic had gone over it with a fine-tooth comb. This sounded like a wounded animal in pain. Squeaking, scratching, and straining.
I stood up and lifted my hand to block the glare of the headlights. The battered old truck had certainly seen better days. I couldn’t see the paint job through the thick coat of mud and whoever was behind the wheel must have been deaf because I could hear the music blasting from the porch.
I moved to the edge of the porch as the truck came to a halt. I tried to place whoever had decided to show up unannounced but had nothing. I held my breath. I didn’t like people at the best of times and unwelcome visitors were my least favorite.
The music fell silent, and the door was shoved open. “Hey, asshole,” a voice boomed.
Now I was really pissed.
First, they showed up uninvited with their crappy music blaring, interrupting my peace and quiet, then calling me an asshole. Well, they could go fuck themselves. I had a shotgun inside and I wasn’t afraid to run some entitled prick off my land.
I watched on, my blood boiling as the driver rounded the hood of the car and came to a stop.
The moment I saw him, my anger vanished, and tears blurred my vision.
“Zane?” I choked out, barely able to believe my eyes.
As he strode toward the porch, I saw the man before me. He looked older than the last time I’d seen him, but he was standing in front of me and that was more than enough.
“Tell me you’ve got a cold beer in there with my name on it,” he offered in greeting.
Ignoring his question, I raced down the steps, closing the distance between us before wrapping him in a huge hug. I didn’t care if it made me look like a pussy. Zane had quite literally saved my life, and I owed him everything. For him to be standing here now meant he’d survived, too, and we both knew, all too well, that not everyone did.
He hugged me back and when we broke apart, I was almost overcome.
“Oh, anyone would think you missed me,” Zane teased.
“Why would I miss an asshole like you?” I tossed back playfully, burying my emotions.
I could barely believe it. Zane was here. He was home and he was safe. I couldn’t wish for anything more.
“Want a beer?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
