Demanding All Of You

by Ali Parker

  “Are you guys ready to go?” I asked.

  “Yep,” Oliver answered.

  “Let’s do this,” I said. “You guys better be good at this fishing thing. I’m craving a good fish fry.”

  Alex got to her feet. “I hope you’re not disappointed. I brought along the poles as well, just in case.”

  I laughed. “That’s assuming I can fish any better than you guys can with the bow.”

  “I’m good,” she said with a sexy smile. “Really good.”

  I grabbed her, yanking her against me. “I know,” I whispered. “Don’t tease.”

  She giggled, slapping at my chest before pulling away. We loaded up in her truck. I was going to have to make it back to the city and buy my own truck. The rental was only a short-term thing. I was not going to make my grandfather’s truck my own. It would be there, and I would keep it running, but I couldn’t bring myself to drive it around.

  She drove us out to her secret spot, which seemed to be the worst kept secret in Geraldine. I carried the small bow that Oliver was going to use while she carried the larger one. I wasn’t convinced it was actually going to be a fruitful fishing trip, but I was looking forward to trying.

  “Okay, it’s very important you watch carefully,” Alex said to Oliver.

  He gave her his full attention, intently listening as she walked him through the steps of what to do. I could watch the two of them all day. She talked slowly, clearly, and was using her hands to show him what she was saying. Oliver rarely gave me that kind of attention. She mesmerized him.

  Me too.

  “Ready?” Alex said.

  Oliver nodded. Together, the two of them took a few practice shots before reeling it in. “I can do it,” he finally said. I could hear the confidence and determination in his voice. I had no doubt he would succeed.

  Alex stood just behind him, prepared to help him should he need it. “Good job,” she coaxed. “Now, aim low.”

  I watched as Oliver waited, holding the bow at the ready before releasing his barbed arrow. “I got him!” he cried out.

  “No way,” I breathed, stepping forward to watch him slowly reel it in. Sure as shit, he had managed to shoot a short-nose gar.

  Alex turned and looked at me. Her bright smile warmed my very soul. “Yes, way. He’s a natural.”

  “Good job, buddy! That is amazing.”

  Oliver’s bright smile lit up the area. The kid looked like he was going to explode with excitement. “I got one!” he said again.

  “All right,” Alex said. “Let’s get this guy off and let your dad handle him while we look for our next one.”

  I nodded, understanding what she was saying. I took the fish off the hook and tossed it in our bucket. I was hoping to have it filled. I could almost taste the fish covered with butter and lemon juice. It had been a long time since I had fresh fried fish.

  Alex came to stand next to me, obviously trusting him to shoot the bow himself. “You can’t eat that,” she whispered.

  I looked at her. “What?”

  “Well, you can, but it’s not great. I’m hoping he catches us something a little meatier and less bony.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I really want some fish.”

  She laughed. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

  I watched her load her own bow. I felt a little useless, but I was certainly enjoying the show. She could be the hunter today. Hell, she could be the hunter all the time. I was digging the camo thing on her.

  Chapter 54

  Alex

  Our fishing had been a bust—again. I promised Damion I would eventually catch him an entire bucket of fish that he could feast upon. It just wasn’t going to be that day. I personally didn’t care that we hadn’t caught any fish. I had such a great time hanging out with the boys, the rest of it didn’t matter.

  “How about ice cream?” I suggested.

  “Yes!” Oliver jumped up and down.

  “I think ice cream would be great,” he agreed.

  We loaded up our gear into the back of my truck and headed to the diner to get some hot fudge sundaes. We took a booth near the back of the place, taking advantage of it being mostly empty.

  “I’m glad we’re back,” Oliver said as he scooped a big chunk out of the sundae.

  “I’m glad you’re back as well,” I told him.

  “We had to live in a hotel,” he pouted. “Dad promised me we would get a yard. We didn’t. We had to be in a hotel. I didn’t have my own room or my toys. The hotel room was tiny and I had to be quiet all the time. It only had one TV.”

  “Wow,” I said with feigned horror. “That sounds terrible.”

  Oliver nodded. “And my teacher was mean.”

  “I’m sorry, that isn’t nice,” I told him.

  “She wasn’t mean,” Damion interjected. “She just didn’t smile a lot.”

  “She never smiled. She put me in the naughty chair because I didn’t want to draw a picture of something stupid.”

  I almost burst into laughter. “Oh no. That is definitely not nice. You should get to draw whatever you want.”

  “They made us listen to piano music and we had to speak in another language.”

  “It is one of the best schools in the city,” Damion said. “He was in a prep class for first grade. It teaches them good habits.”

  “He’s five,” I said dryly. “His habits have yet to be formed. Kids should be kids. They will have plenty of time to develop habits when they’re adults.”

  “I hated it,” he pouted.

  “I’m so sorry,” I told him, looking up at Damion. He looked irritated and embarrassed.

  “We were looking for a house,” he defended. “We were in a hotel while I looked for a house.”

  Oliver continued his list of complaints. “They wear uniforms and you have to go to school all the time. I hated it. It was dark and there was no playtime.”

  “I’m sorry. That sounds terrible.”

  He nodded. “It was, and—”

  “Oliver,” Damion said, stopping the rant. “She gets it. You hated New York. Your life was miserable. We’re back now.”

  “I missed you, Alex,” Oliver said, completely ignoring his father. “My dad missed you too. He was always angry.”

  I smiled. “I know exactly how he felt. I’m very glad you’re home.”

  He grinned. “We’re home.”

  We finished our sundaes before heading back to the farm. Oliver was dragging in the typical sugar crash. “I should go,” I said, not wanting to but figuring it was time.

  “Can you read me a story?” Oliver asked. “I got a new book that has a whole bunch of stories in it. Just one, please?”

  I looked at Damion, silently asking permission. “If you have nothing pressing, it’d be great if you can stick around,” he said.

  “I would love to. Come on, Oliver. Let’s see what this book is all about.”

  I followed him into his room. There was a suitcase half unpacked sitting on the floor. He grabbed the book and climbed onto his bed before patting the spot next to him. I smiled and climbed onto the bed beside him.

  I started reading the story. It was a classic fairytale. I never had fairytales read to me. I never got to cuddle in a comfy bed with my mother or father next to me, doting on me. Oliver was a lucky kid. Damion was more of a parent than both my parents combined. He was loving and patient and paid attention to his son. That was one of the things I had longed for. I wanted my parents to notice me. I supposed that could be used as an excuse for some of the rotten things I did. I got their attention.

  “Can you read one more?” he asked when I finished the first story.

  I could hear the sleepiness in his voice. One more story and he would probably fall asleep. I didn’t know much about kids, but I figured a nice nap couldn’t hurt.

  “I would love to read another one,” I told him.

  I started reading again. I could feel his little head slumping against my arm. His breathing slowed.
I finished the last paragraph and slowly closed the book. I waited to see if he moved or said a word. When he didn’t, I knew for certain he was asleep. I very carefully extracted myself from his bed, gently laying his head on a pillow. I found a small blanket on the foot of the bed and covered his little body with it.

  I stood over the bed, watching him sleep for several minutes. He looked so peaceful, like he didn’t have a care in the world. I sighed. To be a kid again. Not the kid I had been, but the kid Oliver was. The kind of kid that knew his life was in good hands. That he would be protected and loved no matter what he did.

  I walked out of the room, pulling the door closed behind me. I peeked in Damion’s room, saw the unmade bed and the suitcase on the floor. I smiled at the sight. I liked the messiness.

  I went into the living room, looking for Damion. It was empty. Then I heard the familiar creaking sound of the rocker. I smiled and walked out onto the porch. Damion looked over at me. He smiled. “I poured you some lemonade.”

  I took a seat in the other rocker. “Thank you.”

  “Did he fall asleep?”

  “He did. Two stories and he was out.”

  “Thank you. I could see he was exhausted.”

  “He’s such a good kid. I almost envy him. Not envy him, like jealous, but I wish I would have had you as my dad.”

  “I don’t know if you want to envy him. He hasn’t had a mother all these years. He’s had a dad that works too much.”

  “But he’s had a dad that loves him and supports him. That’s what a kid needs. I don’t think it matters if it comes from a dad, a mom, a grandparent, or even an adopted parent. It doesn’t have to be all sunshine and flowers, but just mostly sunshine.”

  He laughed. “That was a very good pep talk. Thank you for that. I am going to be a better father. I’m going to shower him with so much sunshine and flowers he’s going to want to escape me.”

  I burst into laughter. “Maybe you don’t have to go that far.”

  “Thanks for hanging out with us today. He really does like you. Love you. The whole time we were in New York, he talked about you. He was so pissed at me. The kid really gave me a run for my money.”

  “I’m glad he pressured you into coming back. I’ll have to thank him later.”

  “What have you been doing?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What have you been doing the past few weeks? I would have thought you would be halfway to Arizona or Utah or something.”

  I smiled, staring out at the horizon. “No. I thought about it, but it turns out I wasn’t in the best mood. I was working at a local farm until the obnoxious little punks pissed me off. I lost my cool and walked off the job.”

  He hissed. “Damn. It’s like we are the same.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I lost my shit with an obnoxious little punk and walked off the job.”

  I burst into laughter. “Oh no. Really?”

  He nodded, blowing out a breath. “I may or may not have knocked the asshole around a bit. So, you see, I can’t go back. I probably have a warrant out for my arrest right now. I certainly won’t be getting a job doing what I did anytime soon.”

  I rocked back and forth a few times. “You did it on purpose,” I said in a low voice.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You needed your hand forced. You did the one thing that would get you blackballed in the magazine world. You can’t go back.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think it was quite like that. The guy really did deserve to get his ass kicked. He insulted me and took a dig at Oliver. When my grandfather came to visit me just before he died, I found myself in a similar situation. God, you should have seen the look on his face. He was so disappointed in me. He couldn’t believe I had let a man talk to me like that. When this dude started running his mouth, I heard my grandfather in the back of my mind. I was not going to embarrass him again.”

  “Oliver was kind of one of those guys you could see getting in bar fights, just because someone disrespected him.”

  Damion laughed. “He probably would have if he wasn’t stuck at home raising a punk kid.”

  “Maybe you saved him from that life.”

  He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “You’re awfully philosophical lately.”

  I grinned. “I’ve done a lot of growing and living in recent months.”

  “Me too, me too,” he whispered.

  He reached across the space between the chairs, holding his hand out. I reached for it, giving his hand a good squeeze. “I’m so happy you’re back.”

  “I’m happy to be back. So, what do you have going on the rest of the week?”

  I laughed. “Nothing. I will need to work at some point.”

  “Look around here. I might need to hire someone with your expertise to put this place back together.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t think I want to work for you.”

  “Hey,” he protested.

  “No offense, but mixing business with pleasure never ends well. I don’t want to spend too much time with you. You might find out you don’t like me.”

  “I like you plenty. You’re just worried I’m going to keep you naked all the time, which by the way is a very strong possibility. You’re probably right. You can’t work here. Nothing would ever get done.”

  I laughed, giving his hand another squeeze before getting to my feet. “I should probably get going. You have some cleaning to do.”

  “Hey,” he said, pretending to be offended. He got to his feet and pulled me close. “I do have a lot to do in there.”

  “I know you do. I’ll see you tomorrow maybe?”

  “You can’t hide from me,” he promised.

  I gave him a kiss, letting it get heated before I pulled back. He groaned and tried to pull me back in. “Nope. You never know when Oliver will get up. I don’t want to traumatize the kid.”

  “You’re right. Thanks again for today. Oliver had a blast.”

  “You’re very welcome,” I said, waving as I stepped off the porch.

  I got in my truck, waving again when I saw him standing on the porch and watching me leave. I drove down the driveway, a huge smile on my face. Everything was good. I felt good. I felt right. Things were falling into place. It was like working on the world’s biggest jigsaw puzzle for years and getting down to the final pieces. I could see the happy ending. It was in sight, within my reach.

  I drove home, happier than I had been in a long time. Hell, ever. I thought about calling Sadie and telling her about my day. I didn’t because I didn’t want to gloat. It would definitely be gloating. I would keep it to myself for now.

  Chapter 55

  Damion

  I pulled up to the school, parking the truck and climbing out. I was hoping the day camp program would be a great way for Oliver to hang out with his friends while possibly learning new stuff. I hated the idea of sending him off while I was at home, but this was something he wanted to do.

  “Okay,” I said, prepared to give him a little pep talk.

  “See you later, Dad!” he said, rushing up to the front door.

  I laughed. It was not the same kid I had dropped off at the summer program in New York. “Can I at least get a hug?”

  He turned around and ran back toward me. I gave him a quick hug before releasing him. It was a lot like releasing a caged animal back into the wild. He raced inside the small building and was already down the hall by the time I made it in. The drop off was so much easier and less stiff. There wasn’t a mountain of forms or security guarding the place. It didn’t feel like I was taking him to prison. He was going to be a kid and have fun with other kids. I could hear laughter floating down the hall and knew it was the place for him.

  I left, stopping at the small gas station and grabbing something to drink before heading back to the farm. There was a lot to do, inside and outside. I had a lot of personal shit that needed to get done as well. I needed to change the address on my bills, get
a Montana driver’s license and a new truck. The list was long and the desire to do any of it was short.

  When I pulled into the driveway, I spotted a familiar truck parked next to the barn. I grinned, happy to see an old friend. I parked the rental truck next to my grandfather’s and headed over to where Justin was standing.

  “What the hell?” he said rubbing a hand over his hair.

  “You’ll have to be more specific,” I said with a laugh, having a pretty good idea what he was looking at.

  “You disappear without a trace or a goodbye. Then you show up and it looks like a bomb went off. The tractor and mower were all locked up and some dude told me he was running the place. When I told him he was doing a piss poor job of it, he kicked me out. Told me I wasn’t welcome anymore. I told him to get bent.”

  I laughed. “Sorry about that. Things kind of happened fast. I found the guy in the local paper and hired him without doing a lot of investigating into his background. I didn’t check his references. I’m glad I came back when I did. From the looks of things, I didn’t think he’d been here at all. I guess I have proof he was here. Although I don’t know what the hell he was doing the whole time.”

  Justin shook his head. “This place looks like shit. It’s overgrown, there is actual trash spread around, and there’s been a fence down out there since I came by two weeks ago.”

  I nodded, blowing out a breath. “I know. I’ve seen it. I just haven’t done anything about it. I had the horses brought back and made sure the pasture was safe, but that’s about it. I’ve got a shitload of work to do.”

  He blew out a breath. “Yeah, you do.”

  “Are you offering to help? Is that what I heard?”

  He laughed. “I think you need your hearing checked.”

  I grinned. “I knew you were a good friend.”

  “So, what happened?” he asked.

  It was a question I had expected. I owed him an explanation. We had become friends during my time in Geraldine and I had left without saying a word. It wasn’t cool. “Why don’t we grab a drink and I’ll tell you.”