They sat at the dining room table, and she glanced around the large room, noting that the walls had fresh paint but no pictures hanging on them.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
She sucked in her lips as she stared at her plate for a few seconds, then lifted her gaze to him. “Can you tell me about your grandparents? When you mentioned them to Jack, I could tell that you cared a great deal for them. I was just wondering about this house. It’s so big and so beautiful, and I can tell that you have kept it up, but it seems to lack…um, personality.”
Chuckling, he said, “Babe, I think you can say it doesn’t just lack personality. It has zero personality.”
She waited, not wanting to pepper him with questions but hoping that he felt as though he could share with her. He did not make her wait long.
Leaning back in his chair, he said, “From what they told me, my grandparents built this house right after they first got married. They wanted to have a house that they could live in their whole lives and hoped to have a large family, so they built a big house. My grandmother had trouble conceiving, several miscarriages and then, finally, she had my father. He was an only child, but from what I can tell, they lavished love on him.”
“And yet you said they weren’t close…”
Nodding, he said, “My father was a teenager in the seventies and fell into a bad crowd. He experimented with drugs and drank to excess. He ran around, and while he never got into serious trouble, he always seemed to be right where others were when trouble was happening. From what I understand, the sheriff brought my dad home several times. He was never arrested, just always with the people who were causing trouble. There came a point where my grandparents had to enforce tough love, but in his case, he basically told them to go fuck themselves, and he refused to have anything to do with them.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” She thought of her own loving father and could not imagine him ever behaving that way. “I assume that’s why you said you weren’t close to him either.”
“My dad married my mom, who at the time liked the same things he did. They partied a lot, from what I was told. But she matured, they had me, and for the most part, she was a pretty good mom. She gave up partying, joined the PTA, started doing all the things that she should.”
Snorting, he continued, “My dad was a hard man, a big man. On the outside, he said and did all the right things. He came to all of my ball games, but God help me if I didn’t play as well as he thought I should. Behind closed doors, he was demanding and demeaning, and it got worse if he had been drinking.”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” she admitted. “I guess I expected him to be aloof and lackadaisical.”
“My dad wasn’t an alcoholic, but when he drank, he got mean. He wasn’t physical, but his words were harsh, and they could hurt.”
“And your mom?”
“She mostly wanted me to toe the line so that Dad wouldn’t take things out on her.”
Blinking, Carrie was stunned. Gasping, she said, “I can’t imagine any mom who would not throw herself in front of a train for their child!”
He stared at her, his gaze warm, and said, “And that’s why Jack is lucky. You’re the best kind of mom there is.”
His words touched her heart, but she remained silent, giving him more time to finish his story.
“My dad was a hard man to understand, but I think he realized he pissed away his youth, pissed away his young manhood, and pissed away all the things that were now open as possibilities to me. So he began to live vicariously through me. He wanted me to get a baseball scholarship. He wanted me to be the best on the team.” Looking at her, his lips curved slightly as he asked, “Did you know I went to high school with Mitch, Grant, Aiden, Brogan, Callan, and Zac? I was part of the Baytown Boys baseball team. Hell, there were a lot of us, and many of us are still in the area. My dad appeared very supportive at every game, but I knew if I wasn’t playing the way he wanted me to, there was hell to pay at home.”
Grasping his hand, she asked, “Did he hurt you?”
Shaking his head, Colt replied, “Mostly he was just demeaning. Not only to me but to Mom, too.”
“So you escaped to your grandparents’ house…here.”
This time, his smile widened, and she could tell the memories were better. “I loved them and loved this place. My grandfather was thrilled when I had a great game and supportive when I didn’t. I don’t think I ever walked into this house when my grandmother didn’t have cookies, a pie, or cake ready for us to dive into. I know it pissed my dad off that I was so close to his parents, but I didn’t care. Honestly, by the time I was sixteen, I was as big as my dad and certainly stronger. I think he understood that I was getting to a point where I was no longer going to take his abuse.”
“How did he feel about you joining the Army?”
“He felt that I joined the military as an ultimate ‘fuck you’ to him, but I wasn’t ready to go to college and had no interest in trying to play college ball. I turned eighteen right as I graduated from high school and joined the Army the next month. It pissed him off, and we never talked again. The fact that I had gone into the military police made him even madder, according to my mom.”
“What happened to your parents?”
“My mom died of ovarian cancer a couple of years after I left home, and my dad just deteriorated. I think he began to drink more, and he ended up having a car accident, which killed him. I was always thankful it was only him and that he did not injure anyone else.
“I re-enlisted a couple of times before getting out and coming here to take the sheriff’s job. I was in the military for twelve years, and during that time, my mom and dad died, my grandfather died, and I was married and divorced.”
At that last tidbit of information, she jolted, eyes wide and mouth open. “Married?”
20
As soon as Colt saw Carrie’s stunned face, he realized that the information he had just blurted required more finesse than he had offered. Sighing, he squeezed her hand as she was trying to pull it back, not wanting to lose their connection. “I’m sorry, Carrie. That didn’t come out the way I meant. I should never have just said that without preparing you first.”
“I…I was just not expecting that.”
She held his gaze, and he took it as a positive that she was no longer trying to pull her hand away from his. “I’m afraid that it’s a tale that’s not much better than what I’ve been telling you.”
She bit her lip, her head tilted slightly to the side, but remained quiet.
Hoping he was reading her right, he said, “I met her when I was at my first station. I was barely twenty years old, but careful to avoid the bars around the base that we had been warned about. Some of them were full of women hoping to snag a soldier. Instead, I met her one day at a beach. She was gorgeous, smart, we talked and laughed, and for the next couple of months, we were inseparable. She had a job at an advertising agency, and we talked about getting married. I was upfront with her, letting her know that being married to a soldier was going to be hard. She would be alone a lot of times, and we would definitely have to move. But she swore she was ready, all for it, so we got married. The first four months were great, but slowly, I began to see the handwriting on the wall. My hours were long, and she complained. I’d want us to hang out with some of my buddies and their women on the weekends, but she said they were common. My paycheck came in every two weeks, and she said she had no idea how little soldiers made.”
Carrie was watching his face, her expression serious, but he had no idea where her head was at with what he was telling her. Wanting to know, he asked, “What are you thinking, babe?”
“It’s kind of weird, Colt. It’s a little bit like jealousy, but that’s ridiculous because this was a long time ago. I think maybe I’m just envious that this other woman had your heart in her hand, but she wasn’t taking care of it.”
He did not think it was possible to care more for Carrie than he already
did, but at her words, he felt his heart open up, wanting to take all of her in. Squeezing her hand, he admitted, “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” Gaining her sweet smile, he wanted to finish his story so that she would know all about them and they could lay it to rest.
“I got deployed and was gone for a year. When I came home, everything was different. She had fallen in love with someone from her office…someone who made good money and was home every evening by five o’clock. The crazy thing was that it didn’t suck horribly. By the end, I had realized that the marriage was a mistake. I was too young to truly understand what kind of woman I wanted to be with and was just glad that we had not had any children together.”
“So, you spent another ten years in the Army?”
Nodding, he said, “Just about. I got my Police Science Degree while I served overseas for a couple of tours and then was tired of it. My grandmother was still living but not doing well, and I found myself homesick for the Eastern Shore. I came home, ready to become a detective, but the sheriff’s position came open. I decided to run and ended up running unopposed, so here I am.”
She grinned and admitted, “I remember the first time you came into Joe’s Place. You were so handsome, my knees felt weak.”
At that, he chuckled and asked, “How come you never made a move on me?”
“Me make a move on you? I was just a small-town waitress in a diner, an unwed mother who had little to offer any man, especially not a man like you.” Before giving him a chance to respond, she added, “But what about you? Why didn’t you make a move on me?”
“Honestly? I didn’t think I had a chance with you, Carrie. I noticed you right away. Not a lie, honey. You’ve got a figure that would make any man hard just looking at you. But besides your great fuckin’ figure, you have the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen in my life. I was about to make my move when Jack came in one day. I realized that you had a son, and at first, I assumed you were married. Later, when I found out that you weren’t…well, I didn’t feel like I was in a position to become someone’s father figure.”
He observed her holding her breath and was uncertain if she even realized it. Leaning forward, he said, “Breathe, babe, ‘cause I’m definitely ready to be a father figure to Jack.”
The air in her lungs left her body audibly in a loud whoosh, and he leaned in for a kiss. It soon flamed, emotions and confessions all tied up into passion.
Standing, he drew her to her feet, pulled her close, and said, “Let’s go back to bed.”
Her lips slowly curved, and she murmured, “Sleepy, already?”
“Not until we’ve worn each other out making love.”
She softly repeated, “Making love. I like the sound of that.”
“Make no mistake, Carrie. That’s exactly what we will be doing.”
Carrie had only been in Jillian’s Coffee Shop one other time and was entranced by its character. The dark paneled walls, brass sconces, beautiful artwork, and glass cases holding knickknacks from bygone times, along with the scent of roasting coffee beans made her decide to come back more often. Jillian had greeted them warmly and seated them at a corner table near the front. She and Colt were both enjoying a full Belgian waffle breakfast, accompanied with egg, bacon, and coffee.
The night before had been exactly as Colt promised. They had gone back to bed where he made love to her, slow and easy and worshipful. When he finally tucked her back into his front, wrapping his arms around her, tangling his legs with hers, she found sleep came easily. Her body was sated, and while they had covered a great deal of territory with their dinner conversation, what remained was that he wanted to be a father figure to Jack and she knew that he cared for her.
She woke this morning with his cock nudging her ass and discovered she was not too tired for another round of sex. In fact, she would have continued to stay in bed, but Colt was insistent that he take her to breakfast.
So, now, ensconced in a delightful restaurant, she enjoyed her breakfast. Her phone vibrated a message, and she pulled it from her purse, took a look, and grimaced.
“What’s up?”
She sighed and replied, “It was from our landlord. He’s letting me and George know that he’s redoing George’s side of the duplex. He’ll make some upgrades at the same time and has decided to go ahead and do upgrades to my side as well. That’s all very nice, but that means that George and I can’t go back right away.”
“I don’t see that that’s a problem, babe. George is settled in his apartment at my house. You and Jack are settled with me also.”
Holding his gaze, she bit her lip and said, “But it was only supposed to be very temporary.”
His brow shot down, and he asked, “Are you feeling temporary with me?”
“Course not. You know that.”
Shrugging his large shoulders, he said, “Then keep staying with me, and we’ll see what we feel like doing by the time the duplexes are ready.”
Leaning back, she huffed. “Doesn’t that seem like we’re moving fast?”
“Carrie, we’ve known each other for five years and just admitted that for all five years we both thought about each other. I don’t think that’s the definition of moving fast.”
A giggle slipped out, and she admitted, “I suppose you’re right.” Sighing, she added, “I just need to figure out what to do about Jack’s birthday party. I didn’t cancel anything because I thought I would be back into our house—”
“Have it in my house,” Colt interrupted.
Wide-eyed, she said, “Colt, do you seriously want to have fifteen or more eleven-year-olds running around your yard and in and out of your kitchen?”
He laid his fork down and leaned closer. “Carrie, babe, this is us. I’ve been alone, but that house was never meant for a single person. I hadn’t found what I was looking for, but now I have. I don’t want to rush you. I don’t want to rush us. But right now, it’s your home. It’s Jack’s home. And we’re going to have a fuckin’ birthday party there for him.”
Another giggle slipped out, and she nodded. “Is it okay if I tell you that I think you’re awesome?”
Picking up his fork, he said, “You can absolutely tell me I’m awesome. But only if you let me tell you that I think you’re even more so.”
She hated to bring it up, but said, “We still haven’t decided what to do about Peter.”
“Has Jack talked about him?”
Shaking her head, she said, “No, not really. When I’ve mentioned him, he just says that he doesn’t want to talk to him.”
“Well, considering at this point Peter wasn’t requesting to talk to him either, I think that’s fine.”
“What about the money?” As soon as the word money left her mouth, she saw a dark cloud pass over Colt’s face. Not understanding it, she remained quiet, hoping that she was not ruining their perfect morning.
He sighed heavily, then said, “I want to take care of you and Jack. When I said I was ready to be a father figure, I meant in all ways. And that includes financially. But that doesn’t mean the fucker shouldn’t pay. If Jack doesn’t want it now, then it can go into a fund that he can either use or give away when he’s an adult and ready to make that decision.”
She was quiet for a moment and then held his gaze, seeing his concern, and offered a little smile. “This is nice. A little scary, but nice.”
His thumb ran over her knuckles as he held her hand and asked, “What is, babe?”
“This. Our talking. It’s nice to have someone besides my mom to talk over decisions that I’m making about Jack.”
A slow smile spread over his face, and she was mesmerized by the warm look in his eyes. “I’m serious, Carrie. This is you, and me, and Jack.”
They finished their breakfast, still enjoying the ambiance of the coffeehouse and their company while sipping their coffee. She looked over and said, “Oh, there are two of Jack’s camp leaders together. I guess they must be friends.”
Jack looked o
ver his shoulder and watched as Tad and Will walked in with Tom Pearl and another man he did not know. Curious and more than a little bit suspicious, he asked, “I recognize Tad from the middle school and two of the other men, one working at the pharmacy and one working at a pawn shop. Who was the other man you recognize?”
“The one in the blue shirt is Brian Jeter. He works with Pastor Hackett at the church where Jack is doing camp.”
“He works with youth?”
“Yes, but not just middle school. He also works with teenagers. Jack says that they’re separated for part of their activities and then they all come together. I was a little nervous about having an eleven-year-old with high schoolers, but the church seems to have it well in hand.”
21
Colt stood in his kitchen watching Jack excitedly talk about the sleepover and the scary movies they had sat up and watched. Carrie was smiling, enjoying every story, the love she had for her son obvious in every action. The house had come alive, reminding him of when his grandparents lived there.
Once Jack wound down, Colt moved over to the counter, leaned forward, placed his weight on his forearms, and said, “Jack, I’ve got a couple questions I want to ask you. Is that okay, bud?”
Jack was shoveling down a bowl of cereal even though he had eaten breakfast at the sleepover. He looked up at Colt, nodded, and replied, “Sure. Ask away.”
Grinning, Colt said, “I’m just curious about your church camp and science camp. I’m interested in the men that lead them.”
His face scrunched, Jack asked, “Pastor Hackett?”
Shaking his head, Colt clarified, “No, Brian Jeter and Tad Jamieson.” Seeing Jack nod slowly, he added, “I just wonder what you can tell me about them, and your impressions of how the camps are run.” Jack was a smart boy, and Colt hoped he was not catching onto the fact that he was being questioned, although one glance at a wide-eyed, glaring Carrie let him know that Jack’s mom certainly knew.
Our Time (Baytown Boys Book 11) Page 16