“One of the things? You don’t know me that well, Ap—Drew.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Surely, you’ve noticed I hang around your garage more than I do ours?”
“I …” God, I’ve been blind.
“I know you. I knew you weren’t ready to date. I also know why, because your family warned me off. Now, that you seem to be exploring your options, I just want to be one of them.”
I shake my head. “You’re crazy.”
“See you tonight, hot stuff,” he says walking toward the door.
“Later, weirdo,” I grumble, making him laugh.
God, I really think I’m in over my head.Shit. Shit. Shit.
Chapter 12
Bb
“Aunt Beau!”I watch as Slider takes off running towards Beau. Her face absolutely lights up and somehow the whole room brightens.
“Hey, bud,” she laughs, hugging him close.
“Hey, Beau,” Ty adds, he walks to her, more than a few steps behind Slider. Beau keeps one arm around Slider, holding him to her side. She turns to look at Ty, her smile intensifying.
“Hi ya, Ty. I’m so glad you got to come,” she says. Ty gets close to her, and she doesn’t hug him, but she does put her hand on his shoulder and looks down at him with open warmth.
“Is he really going to be here?” Ty asks, making me smile. When Beau asked me if I’d bring Ty and Slider to the garage today to meet someone that she thought they’d like to meet, I agreed without finding out who it was. Ty already knew though. Apparently, Beau had invited him at the picnic. It’s supposedly some big baseball player.
I know it’s supposed to be America’s sport, but I don’t follow baseball. My kid is awesome at it. So, I watch him, but that’s it. I’ll support him in whatever path he chooses—even if I wish he was more into basketball or football. Still, considering how much this means to Ty, I’m reminded of how special Beau isand how much I’ve fucked up. I’ve gotten closer to her in the past week, but she’s kept me securely in the friendzone. I haven’t even been able to kiss her again. It’s getting frustrating as hell. I need to find a way to break through this woman’s defenses. Every day I spend with her, the need to claim her increases. I’ve been doing my best not to push her too fast. I wanted to give her time to get to know me.Clearly that’s not working.
“Hey, beautiful,” I finally say as I make it to her. I’m rewarded with a light blush on her cheeks.
“Hey, Hunter. Thanks for bringing the boys. Gordo says to tell you he owes you one.”
The boys are talking excitedly to one another and basically ignoring me and Beau now, so I lean down and whisper into her ear. “Do I finally get another kiss?”
She pulls away shaking her head. “I think I’ve had enough of guys hitting on me today. I told you, the two of us are friends.”
“Who else is hitting on you?” I ask immediately.
I see her body jerk with my question. Then, there is a look of panic that flashes over her face. I don’t think she realized what she was telling me. It pisses me off because in the next few seconds, Beau shuts down. I can’t tell what she’s thinking, and she looks away as if she’s dismissing me. “Hey guys, open that supply cabinet over there. I think you’ll be surprised.”
I watch the kids go to the cabinet and pull out two new mitts and baseballs. Apparently, she thought of everything. If the woman thinks for one minute that I’m going to lose her to another man, she needs to have her head examined.
“Hey, Ty?”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“You and Slider go out where Eli and Billy are. Me and Beau will follow you out in a bit. I want to check on a project she’s doing for the club first.”
“Sure thing. See you soon, Beau.”
“Okay, Ty,” she says after shooting me a dirty look. As soon as the door closes, she turns her furious face to me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she hisses.
“I want to know who the fuck is trying to move in on my property,” I snap back. If she thinks she’s the only one angry right now, she’s wrong.
“Your property?” she gasps.
