by HJ Bellus
I smile seeing so many of his mother’s features in his face. I stand up slowly, laughing that my partially naked boy is ready to chase an ice cream truck with me. I grab his little hand and begin running. It’s more like a long gated step for me, but Coop puts all of it into his run. When I spot the neighborhood kids open the door, then it’s game on.
“Shoulders, Coop.”
He raises his little arms for me to pick him up and I throw him on my shoulders. He keeps one hand on his hat, and the other clutched around my chin as I full-out sprint to the truck.
We beat all the kids to the truck and order handfuls of ice cream. It will always be my secret from my family that I own the damn truck. Chasing ice cream trucks is one of my favorite things to do with them.
Dribbles of vanilla ice cream fall on my chest. I’m sure Coop is up there doing his best to get the ice cream down as we walk back to the house. The boy has my appetite.
“Let’s not tell Mom we had this much ice cream before dinner.”
“Okay, Daddy.” He pauses for a minute. “I can’t wait until my sister can do this with me.”
I squeeze his little calf with my free hand, smiling like I just won a million dollars. There’s a car in our driveway when we make it back to the front lawn. Peaches steps out of her rental car and Coop goes wild. He loves his batshit crazy Aunt Peaches. He flies into her arms, smearing his ice cream mess all over her, even offering her a taste of his half eaten ice cream cone.
Vannie never wakes up through dinner with the loud noise coming from the three of us. We enjoy a night eating greasy pizza on the couch and watching some dumbass cartoon. Right before he dozes off in my arms, I whisper in his ear the same thing I tell him every night before he falls asleep.
“You are a king, my son. May your heart be wild, and your soul wander until your picture is painted perfectly.”
He groans and then drifts off. I pack him to bed using baby wipes to clean up his face and hands. The house is lit up with a half empty pizza box next to an empty one. Every single light is on along with the television.
“You’ve done real good here, dumbass.” Peaches swats me in the back of the head.
“Thank you.” I wrap her up in a long hug.
She makes monthly visits to ensure she’s an active part in my children’s lives. We both freeze when we hear the beginning of a cry coming from my bedroom.
I rush down the hall and grab my daughter before she wakes Vannie who is curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed sleeping.
“Hey, baby girl,” I whisper to her and kiss her chubby cheek. “Let me warm up some titty milk for you.”
I’m a fucking professional at warming up bottles with one hand. Coop looks a lot like me from his blond hair and the way he acts. But my little girl is a replica of her mom with the same nose and wild, dark hair. She couldn’t be any prettier.
“C’mon, work with daddy here.” I bounce and coo to my little girl.
“Give her here.” Peaches holds out her arms.
I gently lay my little girl in her arms. It’s the first time she’s met her great niece. Tears fill her eyes as she studies the little girl. I have to turn away to finish warming up the milk.
By the time I’m done, she’s in full pissed mode when I relax back into my mom’s old rocker. She latches onto the bottle fast.
“I’ll always have your six, Maria Belle.” I brush her cheek with my finger.
Her eyes drift closed as she finishes her bottle.
“She’s perfect, Hart.” Peaches kisses my forehead.
I shrug. “I know, she is my daughter.”
Peaches shakes her head, her exhaustion coming through clear as day. She grabs her bag and quietly sneaks into Coop’s room. He has a special bed just for when his Aunt Peaches visits.
After changing and burping her, and then rocking Maria back to sleep, I place her in the bassinet that’s on my side of the bed tonight.
I crawl into my own bed pulling Vannie to me. She rustles around and then sits straight up in the bed.
“I’m going. I’m going.”
“Hey, baby.” I grab her around the middle pulling her back to me. “She’s asleep.”
I pull her tank top over her head and then put my hands where they belong…on her beautiful skin. “Go back to sleep, Shug.”
She answers me with light snoring. Her half shattered heart pendant still hangs around her neck. We’ve had to replace the chain a few times, but Vannie refuses to take off her friendship necklace that she shared with my mother.
I’m feeling a bit of Coop’s pain right now. Every night before we fall asleep, Vannie sings me a song she wrote for me. I had no clue she did it one afternoon many years ago on the floor of Peaches’ living room while I slept. She only sings to her children and me these days, and it may be one of my proudest accomplishments.
I’ve lost a lot in life, but in the end, I have everything.
The End
More from HJ Bellus
May 8th
Wild Country (The Country Duet Book 1)
Based on a TRUE STORY
Add to your TBR —> http://bit.ly/2onXLuZ
Some have it all.
Hunter Yates truly does.
He’s humble and kind, even though he has it all. It’s his small town roots that keep him grounded. He’s a simple man from a small town with a heart of gold. Perfection carved from beauty.
As he sets off in the world, it’s his humble beginnings that keep his boots planted on the ground. Hunter finds himself amidst a toxic relationship. He struggles to get out of it, but it’s his heart that keeps him from letting go.
All he ever knew were the ways of Sweetwater Ranch, until the day he left for college. The world is a brutal place and his heart and soul are one and the same with the wild country. A ranch boy, who has everything, but gives everything at the same time.
When it’s time to decide, does he go with his heart, or the worries of everyone else?
Acknowledgments
I’m so excited to finish this novel. All of the words are because of you. Yes, you the reader! I continue on in this wild journey from your encouragement and love for words. Toss on Hart’s hat and live life out loud!
I, HJ Bellus, love Emma Mack above rainbows and glitter, unicorn farts and puppy licks. So there’s that…and every word is meant with love! Emma, thank you for making me believe and pushing me on. Your support is everything to me.
To Ahren Sanders! That’s right, Miss Asshole herself. I had to give a shout-out to one of my FAVORITE books of all times! Ahren nearly killed me with her book. When you finally meet in person and you SHOUT asshole…you know she’s made a mark in your life. I live for her words and stories…you all have to go check her out!
Ahren Sander’s Amazon Page ——> http://amzn.to/2p3Pae5