by JoAnna Grace
Their laughter continued through the shower. Both of them got a lot dirtier before they washed each other off.
“By the way,” Tina panted, leaning her head against the shower wall, “since you didn’t ask, I assumed you figured I am on the pill, and I am.”
“I didn’t care either way.” Bo soaped up a sponge and washed her back.
“And if you knocked me up?” She huffed and turned around. Did he seriously not think about using protection?
He waved her off like it was no big deal. “Then I’d have two angels instead of one. I’d make an honest woman out of you and we’d have a baby.”
Tina froze, staring at Bo. Her heart had just started to calm from their lovemaking, now it hammered hard again. She pushed her hair back off of her face. “Shit, Bo. You act like you’d marry me today if you could.”
“I would.” He rinsed himself off. Since she was unmoving, he gently brought her under the spray of water and rinsed her off, too. “Don’t act so damn surprised. I told you, I went through four years of Hell. I’m not letting Heaven pass me by. You, Tina Foster, are my Heaven.”
Tina blinked rapidly, wishing her blurry eyes were from the shower. She cursed under her breath and turned her back to him. He was intense, that was all there was to it. Bo was a no bullshit kind of man and while she respected him for that, it was overwhelming.
Bo put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed gently. “I love you. Those aren’t words I throw around, Tina. They aren’t a pickup line or a tool to get you into bed. I love everything about you, so much that the thought of having a baby with you or spending the rest of my life with you doesn’t scare me. It excites me. Being with you excites me. I know it’s going to take you longer to get there, but you’re worth the wait.”
Bo kissed the back of her head and got out of the shower, leaving her to her thoughts. Tina stood under the water contemplating how deeply he cared for her. It made her shiver with awareness. He made it sound so simple. She’s his. He’s hers. And they live happily ever after.
Except that wasn’t how the world works. Husbands die. Wives die. Boyfriends cheat. Girlfriends cheat. She’d seen it all before; ugly divorces and exes that hated each other so much they couldn’t live in the same town. What if they did have kids? Did she really want her children going through that?
Love was a risk, a huge risk.
He’s worth it, whispered a voice from deep inside her.
Tina sucked in a breath. Now that she’d found Bo, now that she knew her heart could soar so high, could she live without him? She didn’t want to. Hell no. She might not have much faith in love as an ideal, but she could have faith in Bo.
She wrapped up in a towel and dried her hair.
Bo was sitting on her couch, dressed in his slacks and shoes, nothing else. He twisted his shirt in his hands and stood when she came out. “I freaked you out, didn’t I?” He rubbed his temple with one hand and hit his shirt on his thigh with the other. “Tina, I’m sorry. I know you’re not anywhere close to thinking about mar—”
“Were you going to leave?” Her breath caught in her throat.
“What? No, I just don’t have any other clothes. Unless…you want me to leave?”
Tina shook her head quickly. “No.”
He stood there, looking down, twisting the shirt in his hands.
“You’re wrinkling my shirt.” Tina approached slowly and took it from his hands, pressing it to her cheek. “It’s my new favorite.”
Bo’s chest relaxed and he grinned. “I didn’t think this through. Now I don’t have a shirt.”
“I have an idea. Why don’t we get you some clothes, not that I don’t enjoy the view, but it’s my view and no one else’s. And we can just hang out, do whatever you want to.”
Bo nodded. “On one condition, you have to sing at Bear’s tonight.”
Tina frowned. “Not you, too.”
“Number one fan, right here.” He pulled her into his arms and satisfaction lit her from the inside.
They spent the day together, happy and laughing and kissing. Tina suggested a movie, so they hit a matinée, went driving through the country, met Keri at a piece of land she wanted to develop, and ended up having an early dinner with Keri, Marshall, and their daughter, Misty. The day flew by and Bo dropped her off in time to get dressed up and meet their friends at Bear’s that night.
Being with Bo was effortless. They danced, they drank, they talked about life and got to know each other better. This was the easy part. Tina had no hesitation about their relationship outside of the worksite. The real challenge would come Monday morning.
After a fantasy weekend with Bo, Tina hated to kiss him goodbye Sunday night. He insisted on going home to get some laundry done and get ready for the work week. She had to admit, there were plenty of things she needed to do as well. Bo was a beautiful distraction.
It probably wouldn’t hurt to see if her father was still kicking, too.
Tina came downstairs and had a late snack with her father. Late snack meaning a beer on the back porch.
“So, I guess you two are pretty hung up on each other, huh?” Daddy said.
“Something like that.” She took a swig of her beer, the only way she could disguise the perma-smile on her face.
“You love him?”
“Yep.”
“You sure?”
“Yep.”
“He love you back?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Did he say so?”
“Yep.”
“He scared to talk to me about it?”
“Yep.” Tina grinned at her Daddy, who grinned back.
“Good. Means he’s smart.”
“He is.”
Daddy leaned back, narrowed his eyes making his brows dip together. “You’re sure enough in love with that boy, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Daddy. He’s…incredible.”
“That’s not an adjective you use when referring to most men.”
Tina’s smile spread wide and she pulled up her knees to her chest. “He’s not most men, Daddy. He’s intense and honest and determined. He’s been through some tough shit and he’s a survivor. We started talking about politics at Bear’s the other night and he was explaining parts of the law I didn’t even understand. It’s like,” she shrugged and shook her head, “it’s like, he let jail make him a better person, not a criminal. He read and studied and learned another language. Did you know he speaks Spanish? Two dialects, proper Spanish and the local Mexican dialect. He and Keri were going back and forth at dinner like it was no big deal.” Tina let out a deep breath. She glanced over at her father who stared at her like she had sprouted another set of eyeballs. “Sorry. I’m sure you don’t want to hear me gush like some love-struck teenager.”
“Actually, I was just thinking how nice it is to see you gushing like a love-struck teenager. You’ve never done that before.” He took a swig of his beer, still staring at her. “I wondered if you’d ever find someone who made you all silly and happy like this.” One side of his mouth pulled pack into a smirk.
“I told you, Daddy. He’s different.”
“Good. Tell him I want him to come to poker at Terry’s Thursday night.”
“Fine, but keep one thing in mind.” Tina finished off her beer. “He’s probably not going to cower to the whole ‘cleaning my gun’ speech.”
“Eh…” Daddy waved her off. “I’m not going to do all that. Give me some damn credit, woman. I already know what his intentions are.”
Tina scoffed. “Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”
“I imagine he means to be a more permanent part of our lives. I just think we need to discuss what that looks like.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head and sighed.
“And I think it needs to be mandatory that when he comes over he brings beer.”
Tina frowned at her father. “No. No blackmail. No demands. No threats.”
Daddy sagged his shoulders like a disappointed kid. “Now you�
�re taking all the fun out of it.”
Tina rose, laughing, and kissed her father’s cheek. “I’m going to go look at the schedule for the week.”
“I, uh, put Bo on your crew all week. That okay, or do you want some separation at work?”
Tina hesitated opening the screen door to the house and met her father’s knowing eyes. “That’s fine. I’d rather find out sooner than later if he can’t handle it.” The very thought of Bo turning into another Steven made her chest ache. Trial by fire was the only way she’d ever know.
MONDAY MORNING, BO KNEW that this was the real test of his and Tina’s relationship. She was scared to death that he would be like that other guy, and he had to prove her wrong. He had to act like nothing had changed with them behind closed doors. She might’ve kissed him in front of the crew last week, but then she whisked him off so she didn’t have to deal with the questions.
This week was the gauntlet. He had to make it through the next five days to prove to her he could submit to a female boss. What she didn’t know was that for two years, he had a female jailor on his block. Having a woman boss him around all day was nothing new. He just happened to know what this cute blonde looked like naked.
Bo had never been a religious man, and, yet, he said a little prayer that his love for Tina would be evident, even if it meant not showing it at all.
As soon as Bo arrived at the Ragland house, he found Terry and started to work like normal. Tina arrived with a truck cab full of wall paper. She waved him over to help her unload it.
“Have you ever done wall paper before?”
“No, ma’am. Today seems like a fine day to learn if I need to.”
Tina crinkled her nose. “This is some of the most expensive wall paper I’ve ever bought. No offense, but I might get Gary and the prophets to help me until you get the swing of it. I can’t afford to fuck this up.”
“Understood. I can finish the trim out painting while you get prepped and then I can come watch and learn.”
“Oh, okay then.” Tina’s smile was a quick flash, contemplating for sure.
“Baby,” Bo leaned in so none of the other guys could hear, “I love you.”
She closed her eyes and a genuine smile stretched across her face. “I love you too, Bo.”
“Now, go teach me something.” He grabbed an arm load of the paper and a five-gallon bucket of the glue, ready to follow her lead.
The rest of the day, Bo was her most attentive student. He watched her lay out the first couple of runs of the wall paper, careful to match up patterns and not put down too much glue or crinkle the delicate material. By lunch time, he was helping cut. By the end of the day, he put up a piece by himself.
Tina had made the Ragland house her priority and it became just as much a priority to him. Nothing was too good. By Wednesday, the rest of the house was ready for the sheetrock. The electrical had been updated and brought to code the week before and they were set to start on repairing the walls.
This was Tina’s most dreaded part of the job. Sheetrock days wore her out and they had at least a week’s worth of work in the huge house. Wednesday night, Bo sent his Nan a text about quitting time. Then he found Tina screwing in the last piece of rock for the day.
“Done, thank fu—hey babe.” She turned to see him and hopped down off the ladder. “I’d kiss you but—”
“The rest of us would gag,” Jason said, slapping Tina’s legs with his work gloves. “See you love birds tomorrow.” He stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes at Bo. “Does this mean our Friday beer nights are over? ’Cause I’m not cool with that. You’re the only DD I have.”
Tina rolled her eyes. “I can spare him for one night of the week. Two if you count poker nights with Dad.” Tina grinned and wiped the white dust off her hands.
“Good. You know, too much of a good thing is still too much. Unless it’s getting laid, then there’s no such thing.” Jason wiggled his brows.
“Tell your doctor that the next time you get tested for STD’s.” Bo said and punched him in the arm.
“Funny.” Jason flipped him the bird and sauntered out to Tina’s and Bo’s laughter.
Bo put his hands in his pockets to keep them off of her. She was tired and she didn’t like to be touched when dirty. “Nan is making dinner for four. Your dad is going to head over in about an hour or so, and there’s a jetted tub with your name on it.”
Tina’s shoulders slumped. “Bo, I’m exhausted. I might not be great company and I’ll want to be asleep by eight.”
“Join the club, sweetness. Water’s running. Come on. Go grab Dixie and an overnight bag. I’ll see you at the house.” He kissed her cheek and left.
When he arrived home, Nan had once again outdone herself. The table was set, the whole house smelled like cookies. “Bo Allen, will you go out and check the grill, honey?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He rotated the chicken and came back inside.
Nan wiped her hands on a rag and leaned a bony hip on the counter. “Now, I don’t mean to be nosey, but I’m old and my heart don’t handle surprises well. You’re not going to propose or anything crazy are you?”
“Hell no,” Bo said and laughed. “I’m not trying to scare her off, Nan. She’d never talk to me again, if I did that. I just want this, us all getting together, to be natural. You know? You’re all the family I have, and Duane is the most important family she has. I just want this to become normal.”
“You’re planning. That’s wise. Warming her up, warming her dad up.” She shook her finger in the air. “Smart, Bo Allen. Smart.”
He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “I’ve got to keep this one, Nan. No letting her go.”
“Agreed. Now, go get clean. You smell, son.” Nan shooed him out of the kitchen.
Tina arrive about the time he stepped out of the shower. She was still in her work clothes and looked like she was about to fall asleep. “You said something about a tub?”
Bo slipped on his pants and walked her downstairs to Nan’s room.
Tina sighed when she saw the claw foot tub, filled with bubbles and steaming. “Oh my God, you’re so getting lucky tonight.”
“Not why I’m doing this.”
Tina wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I know why you’re doing this and that’s what makes you so wonderful.”
“Enjoy. I’m going to help with dinner.” Bo closed the double doors to the bathroom and left her to it.
Nan smiled at him when they heard Tina singing a few minutes later.
Bo kept on cutting up tomatoes for the salad. “She sings when she’s happy.”
“Keep her singing, son. Keep her singing.” Nan danced around the kitchen, humming in harmony with the lovely melody coming from the bathroom.
Duane arrived about an hour later with a jug of sweet tea and a six pack. Duane was having trouble with his legs cramping so he traded his canes for a wheelchair once he got inside the house. He had to tell Nan all about his accident and how Tina stepped up to take the reins. He was a man proud of his daughter. No one could blame him. Bo was pretty damn proud of Tina, too.
The four of them had a great dinner. Nan even made Dixie her own casserole so she could eat, too. Nan and Duane had a lot of mutual friends and acquaintances in town, so there was no lack of conversation, even though Tina wasn’t in a talkative mood. There were three generations sitting around that table, and Bo took a hard look at Duane. Until he was next to Nan, who was well into her seventies and had the head of white hair to show for it, Bo never realized how young Duane actually was. He was in his early fifties, old enough that he could have been remarried after Tina’s mother died, and young enough to still have a chance at it. It made Bo wonder why Duane was still single. Tina never mentioned him dating and only once had she ever hinted around about the possibility.
Before Duane headed home, he turned to Bo and stretched out his hand. “You coming tomorrow night?”
“Yes, sir. At Terry’s?”
/> “Yep.” Duane kissed Tina’s hair. “Does Dixie need to come home?”
“She can stay,” Nan said from the kitchen. “She’s helping me clean the dishes.”
Duane shook his head. “All right then. Thank ya, Nancy.”
“Have a good night. I’ll make sure these kids behave.”
Duane muttered something unintelligible under his breath when Bo tried to help him down the stairs.
After they cleaned up and locked the doors of the house, Bo and Tina headed up to his room. They were both so exhausted they could barely see straight. Tina fell into bed and only moved to cuddle to him when he joined her under the covers.
Bo never thought to make a move on her. Sure, she was temptation, especially when she backed her bottom right into his crotch and sighed. However, his woman needed sleep, and he needed to occupy his brain with something else. It took three repetitions of the National Anthem in his head before he finally relaxed.
This is what he wanted every night. How could life get better than this? Their families joined together, having a meal after a long day of working, and their bodies joined together, even in rest. He’d been alone for over four years, without friends and family. Now, under this roof right now were the two women who meant everything to him. Well, three, including Dixie, who hopped up on the foot of the bed and settled in for the night.
This is what heaven was made of, and an angel slept by his side. Bo drifted off, finally at peace with the world.
Sometime in the middle night, he stirred awake, his body aching with need. The dreams that filled is mind were coming true. He was sprawled out on his back and Tina knelt between his legs bringing his fantasies to life. His muscles strained and his control went out the window. Her mouth was a miracle and it drove him straight through the clouds and into space.
“Sweet Jesus, woman. That’s a hell of a wakeup call.” He panted as his body relaxed into the bed afterwards.
“You’ve earned it.” Tina grinned.
“I’ll draw you a bath every day. I’d also be happy to reciprocate.” Bo licked his lips in anticipation.