I hum and lean a little closer. Never mind that I haven’t seen a coyote the entire time I’ve lived here.
All the lights are off inside the house except the one we keep on over the stove. I pop my head in and double check to make sure no one’s around before giving him one last goodnight kiss.
When I float off to bed, his words replay. “I’ll be the best.”
Teetering on the edge of sleep, I suddenly jolt.Goddammit! I didn’t ask how he has so much money.
1. Top of the World by The Chicks
Chapter 26
Man-to-Man
Jonah
The next day, I have three dozen roses delivered to Renée’s university office. She deserves the entire flower shop, but I didn’t want to freak her out. She giggled mid-kiss when I asked her to move in with me last night, so hopefully she thinks I'm joking.
Let me be so clear: I wasn’t.
But my filter was gone and the words just spilled out and it wouldn’t be the first time I was accused of love-bombing. The thing is, I’ve never purposefully done it. Heck, I’m always the one being dumped. I’m the one who attaches like velcro! Angie once said something about me having anxious attachment... something or other. Guess when your mom dies young and your dad is emotionally unavailable for most of your life, things like this can happen.
I need to keep an eye on that, because I cannot rush this and risk scaring her off. From what she told me last night, it doesn’t seem like she’s had the opportunity to make many decisions for herself—and I want her to choose me with confidence.
I laid in bed most of the night replaying every moment with her and reminding myself that the work isn’t done. I haven’t won anything—except maybe those sweet lips of hers. Then I remembered I still had her panties from Strip Tease, so I wrapped them in my hand—again—and jerked off to the temptation of her plush, wet mouth.
I’m deliriously rereading the one text she sent me earlierthanking me for the flowers when my dad’s voice cuts in. “Son!”
“Huh?”
“I said can you hand me the drill.”
“Sorry.”
Dad unscrews the outside metal grate to my air conditioner to reveal a disturbing amount of dirty... lint? “That’s disgusting.”
“Yeap,” Dad sighs. “My bet is the last home owners didn’t clean this out for the last few years. You gotta stay on top of it every year.” He unscrews the rest of the grates as I begin scraping off sheets of fluffy matted dust.
“Heard you had a little birthday party yesterday.” He waggles his eyebrows but focuses on his task.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool. Between the animals and the inflatable obstacle course and the Nerf guns and the cake. It was perfect. Delta had a blast. I watched her snipe a few dads right in their chests,” I laugh. “Great aim. And she can sing too! Ugh, her cover of 'Blackbird?'” Incredible. The Beatles should give her the rights to that song because she owned it.” I smile dreamily. “She’s just like her mom.”
“Sounds like you’re pretty taken with them.”
“I just want... all the good things for them. I used to think I wanted to be the one who could provide that. But now, I’d rather see Renée and her girls find the good for themselves and be able to trust it.”
My father’s eyebrows pinch together like he doesn’t believe me. “You just bought your three-year-old niece and nephew a drum set and keyboard.”
And when my sister’s face dropped, it was worth every penny.
“What’s your point?”
“Even without money, you’re a generous person. I once watched you help a troop of Girl Scouts sell cookies because you felt bad that you didn’t have any cash to givethem.”
I gasp. “That’s right! Y’know they gave me a badge for that?”
“Can you honestly tell me you don’t wanna spoil them?”
The thought of giving them everything they’ve ever wanted feels incredibly satisfying.
