by Shannyn Leah
Sina turned to Dax. “Alright, the orchard is yours for the night. I’ve left the evening lights on for when the sun sets, and you’ll still be able to see all the activities.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good night!” Sina waved before she jogged back up to the house.
Dax took Ava’s hand. “We’ll start with the corn maze.” He gave her a devilish smirk. “I’m not opposed to getting lost with you.”
She lightly slapped him. “Smart aleck.” But she leaned into his side for the walk through the playground, passed the farm animals and to the corn maze. The warm air, but cool breeze made it a gorgeous evening to be outside.
He stepped aside at the opening of the maze. “How’s your sense of direction?”
“How’s yours?”
He shrugged. “When I know what I want, I don’t back down and I fight for what I want. I get what I want and protect it and treat it right.” He leaned closer. “That’s you again.”
She laughed. “Stop it. I know. I can read between the lines.”
“I think you and I have too many lines. Tonight we are going to erase them until all that’s left is the bare truth.”
Her smile faltered. She wasn’t sure what that meant but he didn’t let her debate it, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the cornfield.
~
AFTER A RIDICULOUSLY sizable amount of giggling fun in the corn field, Dax surprised Ava again with a private take-out meal he’d had situated on a hay wagon. The center of the hay pile had been gutted out like a fort of hay bales built up around them. Glowing lanterns awaited them, lighting their dinner which sat on a wool blanket under a sky of stars. Ava couldn’t have envisioned a more romantic or creative evening.
“I didn’t know you had a romantic streak in you,” she told him after dinner and they’d crawled atop the hay, overlooking acres of dark country land.
“I was thinking this week, there’s a lot about each other we don’t know. There are some misconceptions that need clarifying and concerns confronted before we take the next step in our relationship.”
She hadn’t known his feelings ran deep either. “And what step is that?”
“Moving in together, marriage, kids.”
She choked on her sip of wine. “I thought maybe a second date.”
“You have small expectations.”
“You have ridiculous expectations.”
He chuckled, handing her a metal pail. “But first, we’re going to make a fall bucket list.”
She took the pail, glancing inside and seeing a pad of paper and pen. “What’s a fall bucket list?”
“All the things we want to do this fall and then we’ll do it. Together.”
“I would like to go apple picking.”
“Write it down. Don’t tell me.” Dax was already jotting notes down on his paper.
“Alright. Are we going to share these afterwards?”
“Yes. Now shhh, all your chatting is distracting me.”
Ava laughed. “Yeah, yeah.” She focused on the pad of paper as if it were a school assignment and, before she knew it, she’d written a pretty long list. She bulleted it before following Dax’s orders to tear the paper into strips and toss them in her bucket. They exchanged buckets.
“One at a time,” he said. “You go first.”
“Okay.” She pulled out one of his papers and unfolded it. She needed to lean toward the battery operated lantern at her side to see his writing. “Make out in a corn maze with Ava.” She shook her head. “I thought this game was serious.”
“That’s very serious. I am dead serious about making out in a corn maze with you and there just so happens to be one right behind us.”
“Are all your papers about getting into my pants?”
“There is no mention of pant removal, but I’m not opposed to the idea.”
She shook her head and nodded at the pail on his lap. “Read.”
“Alright.” He pulled one of her papers out. “Pumpkin carving. I think we can arrange that.”
It was her turn again, and she reluctantly pulled out a paper. “Make out with Ava on a hay wagon. Dax!”
“Again, very serious.”
She grabbed another paper. “Make out with Ava against an apple tree.” She looked up at him. “How many places on this one property can we make out?”
“Keep reading.”
She read through his papers and his suggested make-out places. By the end, she was laughing so hard that her sides hurt. The man was inscrutable.
When she finished, Dax handed her one last paper. “This is my goal.”
She unfolded it, a smirk on her lips, half expecting him to announce that he planned to have sex with her before the night’s end. What she hadn’t expected was him to mirror her most nagging fear. She read the note. “Make Ava see that I’m not interested in any other woman except her.” She looked at him. “I don’t know what to say. I am worried.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want to be. When I’m with you, I don’t think about the other women, but when you leave…. You have a playboy past and now you’re trying to rush into a future with me.”
“I know this is fast and I know there is likely some important shit that we don’t know about each other, but I am, beyond a doubt, certain, that I don’t want to live the rest of my life without you by my side.” He grasped her hand, turning his body to face her. “I don’t know what I can do, besides give you my word. When have I ever not stood behind my word?”
She covered her hand over his. “I don’t want your word before you’re ready to give it to me. Because I know that once you give your word, you do stand by it. I don’t want you resenting me but feeling obligated to love me because you gave me your word.”
“And I think you only believe that because we don’t know anything deeper about each other than what we’ve let the other see. Tonight, we change that.”
“Do we have to? Tonight has been amazing. Let’s just make out in the corn maze and figure out reality tomorrow.”
He grinned, looked as if he was seriously considering her offer, but shook his head. “As tempting as that is, and it’s damn tempting, I want to talk tonight.”
“You continue to surprise me, Colyn.”
“I continue to surprise myself.” He shifted his pants around and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Keep it up and I will pull you into a make-out session right here.”
She laughed. “What do you want to talk about?”
“The reason I’ve never gone on a date.”
“You’ve never gone on a date?”
“This is my first.”
Patting his hand, she said, “I will tell you now, generally heavy topics on a first date tend to scare your date away.”
“I’m going to chance it.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He dropped the light teasing and she wasn’t sure how to prepare herself for his admission—whatever it might be. “I know you’ve heard the stories about my dad’s reaction to my mom’s death and they’re true. He was a total mess. As I watched the strong man I’d always known him to be diminish into someone who could barely get up in the morning, I decided I would never give my heart to a woman. I would never lose the power of my own control and follow his path of weakness.”
“You’re not weak, Dax. You’re the strongest person I know. If it hadn’t been for you at Rowdy’s funeral, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through.”
“When my dad died, I realized that I have no control. I have no control over who comes and goes in my life and I have no control over who I fall in love with.”
Ava’s body froze. Maybe she’d heard him wrong. It was too soon to be using such a word.
“Do I need to clarify that I’m referring to you?”
“I snore.”
“I know.”
“And I’m not a morning person. I like to sleep in and not wake up and hit the gym at the ridiculous ti
mes you do.” She didn’t know what she was doing, listing her negative qualities. Perhaps to scare him away. “I like organization, a routine, a schedule, and I like you,” she continued. “I like it when you randomly pop into the house, bring food without double checking if I’ve made a meal, or when you touch me or kiss me and especially when you promise me a future I’ve never envisioned. All of these flare something inside in me.” His hand cupped her face, his thumb gently touching her cheek. “Liking you doesn’t scare me as much as you liking me back.”
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I believe you.”
“Is there any chance of one of my other fall bucket lists coming true tonight?”
“There’s a wool blanket down there we could put to use.”
Dax covered her mouth with his and she wondered how they’d gone this long.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
~
“HEY MISS A.”
Ava smiled as Ross made his way across Dax—and now Olivia’s—shop. She couldn’t help the feeling of safety embracing her knowing Rowdy had secured her daughter’s financial future. The man had been their guardian angel. As the thought passed through her mind, her eyes moved from Ross to Dax sitting behind the wheel of Charlie, aka, the car h’de refused to go near when Rowdy had been alive. But now, he sat smiling beside her daughter deep in a conversation. Undoubtedly, car talk Ava would never understand.
Another fleeting feeling of security enveloped her, another notion of a guardian angel, protector…partner for life.
“Miss Anderson?”
She looked back at the young boy standing in front of her. “Sorry, Ross. How’s your day going?”
She smiled at him, pleased to see the changes that had occurred in the shy boy. His stride held a dose of extra confidence, his smile carried higher on his face. Good signs for a boy from the wrong side of town, the residential trailer park. Although his grades were high and his personality as sweet as honey, his lack of popularity had hit his confidence hard. Generally, he walked the halls with his head down, ignoring his surroundings in an attempt to be invisible. However, since working with the hard-asses in this shop, she’d noticed he’d made some new friends at school this semester.
“Good, thanks.” He eagerly smiled at her, squeezing an iPad in his hands. She knew he’d stopped her for more than a casual hello.
“What’s up?”
“After Rowdy—” He glanced down and his eyebrows furrowed before he looked back up with genuine sympathy. “Passed away. I’m sorry Miss A.”
“Thank you.”
“Anyway, Stone put me in charge of the shop’s YouTube channel. I don’t know if it’s because no one else knows how to work it or because…” He glanced around before lowering his voice. “He wants me out of his way.”
“The shop has a YouTube channel?” she asked.
He nodded. “Rowdy use to load random videos during the week and Stone wanted me to continue to give little insights of the shop.”
Ross, the techie. Good choice, Stone.
“There’s tons of footage on here.” He flipped the iPad open and swiped the screen. “I’ve been uploading the generic stuff, but I wanted to talk to you about all the footage of Rowdy and Olivia working on Charlie.” He nodded at the car behind him, but kept his eyes on the screen. “Here’s an example.” He pressed play on a video and angled the screen so she could watch. She heard Rowdy’s voice before seeing the old man wearing his oil-stained slacks and rolled up shirt. He glanced at her daughter, who stood wide-eyed and in “learning” mode, asking questions.
Tears pooled in her eyes as Ross continued talking. “There’s tons of these. Actually, the entire Charlie process is catalogued on here, but he never posted any online.”
Ava heard the teenager speaking, comprehended his words and nodded with him, but her eyes couldn’t tear away from her daughter’s smile and Rowdy’s teaching face. Without realizing it, her hand lifted and her finger touched the screen. The video stopped. Ava jerked her hand away.
Clearing her throat, she swallowed and stepped away. “Sorry.”
“That’s alright.” He flipped it closed. “Anyway, I could make a tribute to Rowdy from this perspective; his journey re-building his wife’s dream car with Olivia.”
Happy tears sprang to her eyes. “Ross, that would be beautiful.”
“I wanted to get your permission before posting Olivia on the shop’s YouTube channel.”
“Yes, of course. You have it. Thank you.”
“I’m going to do it in a series of videos and incorporate Dax and Olivia as they continue the legacy.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Dax doesn’t care. I barely got a sentence out and he waved me off.”
Ava chuckled. “Ross, it’s an amazing sentiment.”
“Rowdy was nice to me, didn’t look down on me because of where I live. He helped me learn the ropes.” He smirked. “He was still a hard-ass and all, but nice, you know?”
“I do. Are the rest of the guys here nice to you?” Her eyes darted to Dax and back.
Ross chuckled and then shrugged. “It’s a different kind of nice. I better go.” He hitched his thumb over his shoulder before he held up the iPad. “I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
“Thank you.”
He only walked a few feet before turning back to her. “Oh, and there’s some footage on there with Rowdy and Olivia over at the fire station that I was going to add to it too. Being he was the fire chief and all. I found some great moments with Rowdy teaching her about the truck’s engine—”
“No,” Ava said. “Leave that out. Just do the shop.”
“But—”
“The shop or nothing, Ross.” She hadn’t meant to sound cold, but she still didn’t want to idealize firefighting in her daughter’s mind.
“Sure thing, Miss A. See you around.”
Dax and Olivia hadn’t moved since she’d arrived. Neither had they noticed Ross or her chatting in the bay. She thought she’d stumble across the two engrossed in some sort of ‘shop talk.’ She’d been wrong. Stopping beside the driver’s side door, two guilty faces looked up at her, feet on the dashboard and ice cream cones in their hands.
Ava bent down, and leaned on the door frame. “What’s going on in here?”
Her daughter looked at her with a serious face, almost tipping toward the teenager she would one day become. “Momma, we’ve been out here working all day on Charlie. We needed a break.”
Ava laughed and swatted Dax. “Have you been teaching her this attitude?”
His stare lingered at where her hand had touched him before looking at her with his gorgeous eyes. They’d never been as readable as he’d allowed lately, letting her into his every thought, feeling, and emotion. Sometimes she felt like a trespasser, not deserving the extra he gave when she had locked herself up tight.
“She has a point,” he said.
Ava pointed between them. “You two are spoiling supper.”
“No, I’m still hungry, Mom. Come in and sit with us. Charlie loves company.”
Ava eyed the bucket seats. “Thanks, sweetie, but there’s just not enough room.”
“Squeeze in, Mom. Grandpa used to sneak ice cream with me, and now Dax is, so you have to too.”
Dax pushed his door open, forcing Ava to step back. After he pushed his seat as far back as it would move, he patted his lap, “Come on in, Ava.”
She glared at him. “I’m good.”
“Mom!” Olivia stretched her neck to look at her mother. “Get inside Charlie now!”
Ava bit her lip to keep from laughing at her daughter’s demand. Dax, on the other hand, let the laughter roar out of him. At the same time, he grabbed Ava’s arm and awkwardly tugged her inside the car. The limited space left her forced to press against his chest as she settled on his lap. His outstretched legs arched up, but she managed to fit her legs between his.
Dax dug his solid fingers through her hair before grasping a fistful and pulling her ear
against his lips. “I’ll kill the bastard Charlie if he ever tries to get anywhere near you,” he hoarsely whispered for only her to hear.
Ava’s breath caught in her throat. His boldness caught her off guard and her hand slipped down his inner thigh. Thankfully Olivia gave more attention to her cone, and missed Ava’s flaring pink cheeks.
“Turn the music up, Uncle Dax.”
Ava glanced at her daughter, her ‘Mommy mode’ coming out. “What do you say?”
Olivia frowned. “Please.”
Dax chuckled and reached for the volume button, taking Ava with him.
When they settled back on the seat, she asked, “Are you being nice to Ross?”
His eyebrows knitted together in a quizzical look. “Who’s Ross?”
“Your co-op student/employee.”
“Oh, you mean Rusty.”
She shook her head, but couldn’t keep the smile from lifting the corner of her lips. “Dax, you’re awful. You can’t remember his name? You know that you pay him.”
His face crinkled into a mortified state. “You’re kidding?”
She shook her head.
“I like Ross,” Olivia said. “You should be nicer to him.”
“I am nice to him.”
Her daughter sent him the cutest arched-eyebrow look Ava had ever seen. “No you’re not and you don’t even know who he is.”
Ava laughed.
Dax grunted. “And to think, I snuck you contraband.”
“What’s contraband? We should sneak Ross some.”
Dax ruffled her messy hair and Ava cringed at her daughter’s tiny oil-stained coveralls and the dark smeared marks on her face. “We’re going out for dinner,” Dax said. “Let’s go, runt.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
~
DAX PREPARED FOR A FIGHT as they walked out of the shop. Instead of taking them to his vehicle, he suggested walking to supper. Ava agreed, but he had a different meal plan than her. He stopped in front of the fire station.
Her long dress did a little swoosh as she turned to face him. “Did you forget something?”
He handed her the supper tickets and her hair fell down around her the shoulders of her denim jacket as she read their destination. She stared at the tickets a little longer than necessary.