“Not everybody.”
“Name one person.”
“I don’t know. Don’t put me on the spot like this.”
We drove off the highway and into the camping area. It wasn’t a real camp area like from my childhood. This place was built for huge campers that needed freshwater and a place to dump grey water. It had large, open sites that were easy to pull through.
Mark was disgusted. I held my tongue. We weren’t here for the trees. We were here to be with his family.
We parked sideways on the backside of Keegan’s trailer. Caleb ran at us like a wild boy. Gabby stayed behind and waved shyly. “Uncle Mark, Uncle Mark!” Caleb shouted. The kid jumped onto Mark before he left the car (though I suspected Mark had waited for this to happen).
“Hey Chris!” Caleb shouted to me. Mark tickled his nephew, so Caleb laughed but didn’t ask for help. His eyes were shining with joy and wonder. He clearly idolized Mark.
I wondered what bad habits he would pick up from his uncle.
I got out of the car and waved to Gabby, but she didn’t move. Her arm was out of the cast and her eyes were half-hidden behind bangs and a bowed head. Mark and Caleb joined me as I walked to the fire ring. Caleb had claimed Mark’s hand and was dragging him to the firewood.
Mark waved to Gabby, who galloped into his free arm for a hug. She looked at me from around his arm, but hid when she saw me looking at her.
“Say hi to Chris,” Mark prodded.
“Hi,” she whispered without looking at me.
“Hi Gabby. Do you remember me?” Of course she remembered me... but what else were you supposed to say to a shy little girl?
Caleb didn’t care about his sister’s shyness or the fact that we hadn’t been welcomed by his parents. He wanted to start that fire.
“Uncle Mark!” He tugged on Mark’s arm. Mark relented and they gathered wood for the fire—Caleb taking one small stick and Mark taking an armful. “You need to make smaller pieces,” Caleb explained. “It’s in there. I’m not allowed to touch it.”
Denise left the camper at that moment. “Here’s trouble,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. I tried to give her a handshake, but she pulled me in for a hug. She kissed me on the cheek, too. When that was over, she looked up at me with a hard to read expression and a soft smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Chris.”
“It’s nice to see you, too.”
Keegan walked up behind me and clasped my shoulder. Then he gave me a big bear hug. “Good to see you again. Last I heard you were a goner.”
“Almost,” I admitted. “But Mark didn’t give up.” I smiled awkwardly and fidgeted. They looked at me like I was a majestic horse.
There was a thump, thump, thump echoing from behind my back and I was grateful for the distraction.
Caleb watched Mark chop the wood with rapt fascination. Gabby stood back tentatively, but was no less captivated. Mark gathered the splintered wood and asked for help assembling the teepee in the fire ring. Gabby bossed her brother around and helped build the fire. Mark wiped the bead of sweat from his brow and waved to his brother and sister-in-law. He winked at me. Mark never winked—only when we were in public.
“It’s hot!” Mark declared.
“Then the fire can wait,” Denise said.
“No!” Caleb whined. “Please, Mommy.”
“We’ll start the fire,” Mark assured his nephew. “But you know what they say... sun’s out, guns out.” Mark peeled off his tee in slow motion. He was well-practiced in the maneuver because of his day job. Then he gave me a nice flex, which earned him a huge eye roll.
Caleb was laughing and chattering. He pulled his shirt over his head, but it got stuck for a second. “There you go, bud,” Mark said when the shirt was off. He ruffled Caleb’s hair. I again wondered how bad of an influence Mark was going to be on his nephew. “Okay, babe,” Mark said to me. “Sun’s out, guns out.”
“Yeah, Chris. Sun’s out, guns out!”
I gave Mark a dark look. He lunged at me and my eyes flared, unsure of what he was going to do to me here in front of his family. I was rooted in place. My hands automatically lifted the bottom of my shirt. Mark coaxed me to take the rest off.
“Yay!” Caleb said with a laugh. “Sun’s out, guns out, Daddy.” Keegan didn’t need to be asked twice. “Yay! Sun’s out, guns out, Mommy!”
“No,” Keegan said. “Girls can’t take off their shirts. And Gabby has short sleeves, anyway. Show me those guns baby girl.” Keegan flexed for us.
Who is this strange family?
Gabby flexed shyly and laughed. Mark found the fire starter and allowed Caleb to squirt the logs (which was apparently what he had been dying to do, seeing as he shrieked with excitement when Mark handed him the bottle).
I pulled our tent out of the back seat—it was my uncle’s tent. Mark had wanted to buy one for us, but I said I could borrow one just as easily. There was always a chance that my uncle would ask my mom about it, but if she brought up what happened with the tent, I would let her know the truth... I went camping with some friends.
I opened the bag. Mark was next to me. “Where should we set up?” I asked him.
We found a spot that would be shaded most of the day and especially in the afternoon. I laid the tarp on the ground, then we set up the plastic frame. Then the canvas. It was much simpler than the canvas tent we had used on our first hike. And it was also palatially large—advertised as able to hold eight people, but was really only big enough for six.
We had a queen sized air mattress. I blew it up as Mark unpacked our bags. There was enough room in the tent for two mattresses so our bags fit in the side area and there was room in the front for our shoes.
“Wow,” Mark said. “Not like our first tent, eh?”
“No,” I said darkly.
“There was nothing wrong with that tent.”
We couldn’t sit up without hitting the top of the canvas. We couldn’t lie next to each other without touching.
“I don’t want to be reminded of that trip,” I said. “You tried to seduce me.”
“Did not.” He kissed me on the neck and pushed me on the air mattress, which squealed and I wondered if it was going to pop. “You were already seduced. I just couldn’t figure out how to make you realize it.”
“I was not seduced,” I scoffed. I tapped his arm so that he would let me get up. I arranged the sheets and pillows on our bed.
“You were in love with me,” he continued.
“Of course.”
“And you didn’t want to admit it.”
“Oh, I admitted it. That was part of the trouble. I loved you a lot... a lot more than anything else I’d ever felt.” I blushed. “Usually I spread the love around between my friends. But with you... you were greedy. You took it all for yourself.”
“You gave it willingly.”
I smirked at him. “I did. Love you.” I initiated a passionate kiss. Usually Mark started our deep kisses, but I was feeling expressive and I wanted to show him how well our love story had played out.
“Ew!” Caleb said from the door. “No kissing!” I heard him spit on the ground. “Uncle Mark, are you guys done in here yet?”
“Just about. What do you want to do?”
Caleb unzipped the door and jumped into our tent. He landed on the freshly made bed with a giggle. “I don’t know.”
“What do you usually do?” I asked.
“Usually we go for a bike ride. Hey! You guys could hook up the third wheel and we could go for a ride.”
“I saw your bike on the bike hitch.”
“I know,” Caleb whined. “I don’t like my bike.”
“Why not?” I asked. He had no problems with it last time we rode with them.
He sighed. “Daddy took off the little wheels and now I can’t do it.” His hands went up and down like a pendulum. He slapped the blankets in frustration. “Please, Uncle Mark. Will you hook up the little bike and take me for a ride?”
“W
hy don’t we look at your bike first. Eh, dude?”
“Okay,” he said in the way that all little kids do when they don’t really want to agree with an adult.
The three of us were still shirtless. “If we ride, we should have our shirts on,” I said.
“Sun’s out, guns out,” Mark chided.
“Sun’s out, guns out,” Caleb chanted. They both flexed at me. Mark used his eyebrows to taunt me, but I didn’t return the flex.
What a dunce! I was surrounded by dunces!
We checked out the bikes. Keegan and Denise were getting dinner things ready. We convinced Caleb to try the bike without training wheels. Mark promised he wouldn’t let go.
We rode around in the grass while holding his seat. Caleb was fine. He would be riding in no time—probably by tomorrow.
We went back to the campsite and made dinner. I got a special meal because Mark was extra protective of my diet, especially after last week’s episode. He wouldn’t let me eat any bread—even the brands that I could tolerate. I had slowly been relaxing my no bread rule. I still wouldn’t try white bread... but Mark was not amused by my sudden disinterest in that part of my diet.
I told him I felt fine.
“No cheating. No bread,” he threatened. “That’s what you told me when you met me. So that’s what we’re going to do.”
I shook my head at him, but loved him for his stubbornness. Sometimes I hated his stubborn streak, but when he was in the right... it was good to have such a strong-willed man at my side.
We ate, cleaned up and sat around the fire, breathing in the country air. It cooled off quickly when the sun went down so I changed into a nice warm hoodie. We made s’mores. Mark wouldn’t let me eat the graham cracker so I was stuck with just eating the marshmallow (it was not the same experience). I helped Caleb roast the perfect marshmallows. Gabby caught all of hers on fire.
Mark’s niece had warmed up to me during dinner and soon we were back to being fast friends. She gave me that odd smile with the teeth that were too big for her mouth.
That night I lay next to my man and slept as peacefully as I ever had. I didn’t even think about whether or not he wanted to fool around. If he didn’t give me any overt signs, then I wouldn’t be primed for sex. I needed to feel and see his hints throughout the day, otherwise I would do exactly what I did that night—curl up in his arms, cuddle and dive into a deep, restful sleep.
The next morning I got up and sat by the fire to do my morning typing. Denise was the first to get up after me. She headed to the shower house. They had a shower in the camper, but she didn’t want to wake up the rest of her crew. And plus, there was more hot water in the shower house.
It was a Saturday morning, which meant if you waited until after breakfast, there wouldn’t be much hot water because so many people would be showering at the same time. But we were both early risers and she took a long, luxurious shower. Some people like scalding hot water, and those showers could do scalding hot like nobody’s business.
Caleb was the next one up. He whispered to me to help him start the fire. I put aside my keyboard and smartphone. Caleb showed up with the firestarter.
“No,” I said softly, conscious of not waking anyone up. “Come here.” Caleb walked to me and stood directly next to my hip. I was crouching so we were the same height. “Stick your hand over the fire. Do you feel any heat?” I held my hand out evenly. Caleb flicked his hand over mine and shook his head.
“Here. This won’t hurt. Hold your hand where mine is. Do you feel anything?” Caleb nodded. “Yeah...” I affirmed. “There are still hot coals. That means we can start a fire without using that stuff.”
“But how?”
“We need to find dry sticks and leaves.” I sent him off to find sticks as I peeled bark off the firewood. He came back with a handful of leaves and a handful of straw. “That will work perfectly.” I pointed to the straw. “Now let’s start a fire.”
I poked around with the stick until we found a hot coal in the ashes. I showed him how to lay the straw out and how to blow on the coal to make the flame catch. Caleb thought we had a fire when he saw the first flicker, but it went out.
“See,” I said. “There was a flame.”
“But it went out?” His head was right next to mine—his body nearly on top of me.
“We need to have more straw laid out to catch fire after the first one. Then we need to add little sticks to catch fire after that. And after the little sticks, we can finally add in some bark and some big firewood.”
“Wow.”
“Do you want to help me?”
“Yeah.”
We laid out the straw. I had Caleb blow on it to start the fire, but I had to stop him and show him how to make an even, gentle current. A flame perked up out of the straw. “Now you do it. Little, gentle puffs. Just enough to give it oxygen.” And don’t fall in or your mother will kill me.
The flame flickered higher. I handed him a couple sticks. “Now make a teepee. Like we did last night.” He was scared. He dropped the stick before he got anywhere close to the flame. “It’s okay,” I said. “Let me get it started.” I laid a few twigs over our growing flames and blew on the fire gently. “Add in another stick.”
Caleb successfully added a stick to the fire. “Is that good?” It wasn’t perfect, but it worked just fine.
“Perfect,” I said. “Now add two more on the other side.” We worked back and forth until the fire was big enough to set a couple blocks of firewood in the ring. Once we got to the point where we didn’t need to blow on it, tending the fire got easier. By the time we were done, Keegan had showered, Gabby had woken up and breakfast was cooking.
“Look Daddy! I started the fire!” Caleb jumped on his dad.
“That’s nice. Breakfast is almost ready.”
I helped set the table and teased Gabby for being so shy.
“Uncle Mark!” Caleb called while tapping the canvas of our tent. “I started the fire with Chris and breakfast is almost ready.”
Oh shit!
I didn’t hear what Mark’s response was. I rushed over to avert a Grumpy Bear crisis. “Hey, why don’t you go get some pancakes,” I said as I approached. Caleb left without realizing the damage he had done.
Mark groaned as I unzipped the door. “The fuck was that about?” he growled. “I don’t think that’s funny.”
“He did that on his own,” I said with a laugh. “He loves his uncle. He worships you.”
Mark unleashed a yawn that sounded suspiciously like a roar. I kissed him and said I was about to make eggs if he wanted any. Keegan showed up at our door with a cup of coffee and I thanked him profusely.
Mark crawled out of the tent and stretched, then scratched his bare chest. Caleb watched his uncle and took his own shirt off. Denise chided Caleb, but the kid was too entranced with Mark to put his shirt back on. Caleb tried to get me to lose my shirt, but I told him it was too cold.
“We’ll sit by the fire,” Caleb answered. He huddled by the small fire and ate his pancakes. He promptly lost one of his pancakes on his lap. Denise set his shirt on the back of his chair, but he refused to put it on.
Mark leaned against me as I made breakfast. He was a Cuddle Bear... which was a miracle because after Caleb woke him up I had assumed I’d be dealing with Grumpy Bear. His breath smelled of coffee and his embrace was warm and comforting.
“You’re a bad influence on him,” I warned.
“Am not,” he said, cuddling against my neck. His hands gently touched my sides. “Why isn’t my breakfast ready?”
“Shut it. You are such a child.”
“Weya’s myy food?” he whined with an annoying baby voice.
“That’s exactly what you sound like,” I said. He kissed me on the lips—morning breath and all.
After breakfast, the sun started to bake. Caleb had warmed up and was ready to play. Mark put a shirt on. Caleb followed suit. We taught Caleb how to ride his bicycle. He wasn’t scared.
Mark and I traded places holding onto the back of his seat. At one point Mark let Caleb ride without the kid realizing it was under his own power, so he was clearly about ready to hit the road.
Caleb wore a helmet which made his head look extremely oversized on his tiny frame. “I’m not holding you at all,” Mark said. Caleb looked at him sharply, wobbled the wheel and wrecked. His leg twisted and the bike pressed against him. Mark caught him, but not enough to stop the pain.
Caleb sucked in a deep breath.
Keegan was at his side a second later. “Are you okay, buddy? Is everything alright?” Keegan lifted part of the bike.
“I can do it myself!” Caleb said angrily. He let Mark hold the bike so he could crawl away from the wreck. Keegan backed away and then returned to the campsite.
The three of us walked around the grass for a minute. “How are your legs feeling?” Mark asked.
“They hurt. But I’ll be fine.” He was very solemn. “Why did you let go of me?”
“You were doing great without my help.”
“But I fell.”
“You were riding on your own for a long time. You can do it. You just need to pay attention when you need to stop and when you need to go.” Mark was gentle with his nephew. “Do you want to head back to camp and sit down?”
Caleb nodded. Mark rolled the bike while I held the helmet. Caleb sat in his small chair and silently stared at the dwindling fire.
“Don’t put that log on the fire,” Denise said sharply. Caleb sighed and dropped the firewood in the ring.
“It’s going out!” he yelled after his mom admonished him.
“It’s too hot for a fire.”
“I want to make a fire.”
“We’re going to the beach. Don’t you want to go to the beach, or do you want to stay here in timeout?”
Mark had his bathing suit in his hands. “Let’s get changed, babe,” he suggested with a nod towards the camper. “It’s beach time.” We walked into the camper and left Caleb to fight with his mother.
“I didn’t pack a bathing suit,” I said. “You didn’t tell me there was a beach.”
The Lover (It's Just Us Here Book 4) Page 14