As much as my libido, and my lady parts, would love to give him what he wants, if we’re late, my mom and Piper will kill us. And more unfortunate is the fact that I’m staying at Piper’s tonight after the rehearsal to help with all the last-minute wedding crafty crap she insists needs to be done. Okay, it’s not crap and had she not been sick all week, we would have it all done and I’d be living out some fantasies with my man.
Pulling myself from my own dirty thoughts, I finally respond to Jameson. “Just about. I need to throw a few things in my bag for tonight, then I’m good to go. Oh, and a pillow.”
Jameson doesn’t respond immediately so I saunter toward him, a little more sway in my hips than usual. With my makeup bag in one hand, I slowly walk my fingers up his arm. He shivers. I giggle.
“Put your dirty thoughts on hold, big boy. We’re in the home stretch, only two more nights of this pre-wedding chaos. At about this time on Saturday, we’ll be partying it up with everyone. And, if we’re lucky, tequila will finally appeal to me, and I’ll get tequila frisky.”
I barely finish my sentence before Jameson is scooping me up into his arms, the hem of my dress lifting to expose my thong, and the hand more interested in the hair at the nape of his neck than holding my makeup bag, drops it to the counter. My laughter intensifies as he grabs a handful of my ass. But the moment he kisses me, the laughter turns to a moan and like every other time he kisses me with such desire. Before I’m able to suggest we could be a few minutes late, Jameson slows the kiss and places a quick peck on my lips.
“You look beautiful, Ashton. I’m a lucky bastard.” I roll my eyes dramatically.
“No shit I look good. That’s a given,” I tease. “You better put me down, those five pounds I’ve put on with this wedding stress are going to break your back.”
“Shut up. You look perfect. And your tits look delectable.” His voice is husky and his eyes full of want. Just a few minutes . . .
“Nope, put me down, big guy. Piper will kill us both. I love you and would love nothing more than to allow you an opportunity to feast on my tits, and anything else you’d like, but we’ve gotta go. Shit, we have twelve minutes to get there.” I squirm from his hold and rush to my bag, tossing in my makeup bag.
“Relax, Ash. It’s three miles from here. We’ll be fine. Get your shit, and I’ll lock the house.”
I nod in response as I grab Jameson’s T-shirt he tossed on the bed earlier. If I’m not sleeping with him tonight, I’ll at least be comforted by his scent and clothes. I walk out of the room and toward the front door and see him standing waiting for me. I will never understand how I deprived myself of this for so long.
“Ari, please put that down.” My four-year-old niece is pushing every one of my buttons today. I love her like she was my own and as much as she wants to help me pack my belongings, she’s creating more work for me than anything else. Not that I have a ton of things to pack. When I moved into my sister’s house a few months ago to help care for her kids while she worked on her sobriety and began grieving the loss of her husband, I brought the bare minimum with me, leaving my former life in the dust.
Now, moving in with my boyfriend to his newly purchased house, I realize how little I have. Clothes, a few pictures, my laptop, and my bedding is about it. Owen isn’t in much better shape himself. He’s been in an apartment with his roommate and best friend, Landon, for years. By now, they’ve taken to a lottery on who gets what furniture. Since both guys recently purchased homes and are moving out, they wrote out the names of items on scraps of paper and put them in a hat. Each took turns drawing from the hat to determine what furniture and major kitchen or electronic item they took.
So, we’re starting our life together with a massive television, a blender, Owen’s bed, the kitchen table, and my bedding. I wanted to put this move off another week to allow us time to shop for furniture and the basics but Owen wouldn’t wait. He hates staying here at my sister’s house, says he feels like she still doesn’t trust him and is judging him. I hate staying at his place because . . . well, I’m not quiet in bed and feel like Landon is in the room with us.
“Sorry, auntie . . .” I hear her sniffles before I realize what Arizona has said. Turning toward her, I see she’s broken a little ceramic turtle I had on my dresser. I smile at her because it holds no real significance, and I know she feels awful.
“Ah, chickadee. It’s fine. You’re being a big help to me. What do you say we put this packing off until later and go have a popsicle on the deck?”
“Okay.” She sniffles again. I hate that she feels bad so I pull her into a hug and tickle her sides until the sniffles turn to giggles.
“Is Uncle Owen coming over for popsicles?”
Be still my heart. Arizona just started calling Owen her uncle a few days ago. It’s like she knows it drives my sister nuts and insists on proving a point. Owen and Arizona have always had a connection and bonded quickly over his love of using an excessive amount of ketchup. He talked to her like a person and not a child with no opinions. She loved that and ultimately, him. Dakota is still warming up to him but knows how much better for me he is than my ex, Kent. Kent was a dick of epic proportions. But if it wasn’t for him and his lack of empathy, I wouldn’t have moved to Lexington and never would have met Owen.
Speak of the devil. Ari and I are sitting on the steps of the deck with our popsicles—cherry for me and grape for her—when he walks up behind us.
“What’s up ladies? Oh cherry, let me get in on that.” Owen tugs my hand toward his mouth as he sits down next to me. The mischief in his eyes has me giddy and wishing little ears and eyes weren’t nearby. He takes the popsicle in his mouth, his tongue swirling before he sucks the dripping juice. I sigh. He laughs. Fucker.
“Uncle O, we can get you your own. You wanna grape like me? It’s the best!”
“Nah, squirt. I’ll share your auntie’s. How was your day? Did you get packed?” I give up “sharing” with him and hand him my treat as I recount my packing efforts and the realization neither of us have much to move in and, once again, maybe we should wait.
“Negative. Not happening. We’re moving in tonight. I already have my stuff there, and the bed is ready to go. That’s all we need until next week. I told you, we’ll drive to that damn store you went on and on about and buy everything we need.”
“Ikea, babe. It’s Ikea. I know. Do you think this is smart? We’ve only been together a few months. What if you hate living with me? What if you hate that I have seven boxes of tissue all over the place? What if you realize I’m a moody . . .” I pause and look at Ari who has moved away from us and is bent over trying to not get the dripping juice from her popsicle on her clothes. She’s unsuccessful. “Asshole,” I whisper.
“Minnesota.” I love when he says my full name. Only him.
“Owen.”
“Look, I know it’s fast, but when you know, you know. I wasted too much time trying to figure my shit out and now that I have, I’m done screwing around. You and me. That’s what it’s about. And you can have five hundred boxes of tissue. Hell, put one on every surface in the house. I. Do. Not. Care. I care about you. I love you.”
Damn him. He spent months having me wondering where I stood in his life and now that he’s admitted his feelings it’s like he can’t stop declaring them. Each time I fall a little more in love. Owen Butler is the swooniest of boyfriends ever. He surpassed any book boyfriend I had the day he told me he loved me, and now, he just solidified it.
“’Cept me, right Uncle O? You love me and Cali too. We’re your best girls.”
Arizona is staring at Owen with a look that shows she means business. I know, and Owen knows, she has him wrapped around her little finger. He picks her up and places her in his lap, sticky hands and ruined outfit and all, before leaning over and kissing me. It’s not full of passion, it’s completely appropriate for little eyes, but it is full of promises.
“I love all my girls. I’m very lucky to have you all in my lif
e.” Owen pauses as we both hear the slider door. “Even your mommy, Ari.” I snicker at his statement. Dakota is one of the reasons Owen and I are together now. She knew how I was feeling, she put in to words what I was struggling to say and set him straight. That doesn’t mean she isn’t a little leery of how quickly we’re moving, but she’s supportive because she knows he truly loves me and wants to make me happy. I rest my head on his shoulder as he continues, “I’d do just about anything for you all. But, your auntie, she’s my number one. She’s the brightest star in my sky.”
And, that is why Owen Butler is getting lucky as soon as I can get him out of here. I hear a faint sigh behind me and know that, as much as my sister wants to play tough, she knows why I’m moving out of her house and into Owen’s only weeks after making our relationship official. She’s been through a lot, and while she still has a long way to go, it’s time for all of us. The girls need their mom to be their mom and their aunt to get back to her life.
I’ve been downplaying the size of Minnie’s boobs since she started asking me a few weeks ago. When she first asked me if they were bigger I was half listening and said no. If I remember anything from when my parents were together, it’s when your woman asks you if anything on her looks bigger or fatter the answer is: “You look beautiful.” Always.
At first, that response worked. Then after a few more days she insisted I feel them. Compare them to what they were the week before. Who am I to deny my girl what she wishes? I felt them, all right. And then I stripped her naked and blew her mind on the counter of my new house.
Our new house.
Sure, it’s only in my name for now, but it’s our home. Well, it’s a house with a bed in it. We really do have to go to that Ikea place she keeps talking about. I looked it up online. Seems like a lot of work for me when we make the purchases. If there’s a diagram, it means work.
Today, she’s standing in the bathroom in only a bra, turning from side to side. I’m watching her poke at her stomach. Her flat and perfect stomach. I snort as she stands board straight and thrusts her chest out. It’s bigger, sure. But not in any way I’ll ever complain about. What can I say, I’m a tit man?
“Do not mock me, Owen Butler. This isn’t funny. I’ve gotten fat. I’ve put on the freshman fifteen or something.”
I walk behind Minnie, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my chin on her shoulder. We’re facing the mirror and I place a chaste kiss to her shoulder drawing a sigh from her lips. My hands glide across her ribs and up to her voluptuous chest, cupping her amazing tits in my hands.
“You are perfect in every way, Minnesota.” She rests her head back on my shoulder and sighs again. A small smile greets me in the mirror, and I kiss her again but this time I give her a little love bite.
“Owen, you have to say that. You want in my pants.”
I laugh and let her out of my embrace before smacking her ass. “I get in your pants, or up your skirt, whenever I want. You can’t deny this, baby,” I tease shaking my ass as I walk away. I hate that she doubts how beautiful she is.
“Did you get a talking to from Jameson like I did?” I ask as I buckle my belt. Minnie walks out of the bathroom and, much to my chagrin, pulls a top over her head, covering herself.
“Yes. Seriously, you’d think he forgot how much time he spent this past summer out of the office. I think he’s nervous Ashton isn’t going to appreciate his surprise.”
“Oh, she’ll appreciate it. Eventually. I doubt right away, though. Knowing Ash, she’ll freak out and get mad at him. Then he’ll say something chick-like, and she’ll melt like she always does. They’re nothing if not predictable.”
Minnie playfully slaps me on the arm as she walks by and I act injured. She doesn’t stop and keeps walking out of the room. Normally, we ride to work together, me dropping her at the office before heading to a job site, but today we won’t be driving in together. Tonight, she’s going to hang out with her sister and nieces. Since I’ll be alone, I decided to head out to Landon’s place to hang out. As much as I love living with Minnie and wouldn’t change a thing, Landon and I have been roommates for years. It’s kind of weird not hanging out.
I follow Minnie to the kitchen and watch as she pulls both of our travel mugs from the bare cupboards. Thankfully most of this week is packed with pre-wedding activities before Ben and Piper’s wedding this coming Saturday, and we don’t need more than the coffee cups in our cupboards.
Minnie hands me my cup with coffee made exactly how I like it. I’m a lucky bastard, that’s for sure. I almost screwed up by letting her go, so lost in my own head and living my life based on assumptions and misunderstandings. The night she agreed to give me a second chance was the best night of my life. That wasn’t too long ago either. And, while I know most of our family and friends are looking at us like we’re moving too fast, I have no doubt Minnie is it for me. I told her the other day, it’s as simple as the saying “when you know, you know”. That’s never been truer. Honestly, I knew the minute this beautiful blonde beauty ran into me in the parking lot at work that she was a game changer.
Okay, I didn’t know she’d be the woman to make me suddenly believe in love and commitment, but I did know she would be worth getting to know. That is, after I assumed she was there for Jameson. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case.
“Do you really think Ashton will be angry, Owen?” Minnie asks as we lock up the house and head for our cars. “I mean, he went to a lot of trouble for this trip and what he has planned.”
I open Minnie’s door and wait for her to settle in and buckle her seat belt before I kneel before her. “Min, I know Ashton. She’s a fight first, ask questions later kind of girl. But the minute she lets it settle in, she’ll realize the secrecy and surprise is coming from a good place.”
Minnie smiles that beautiful smile of hers, blue eyes dancing, with a glimmer of a tears. My girl is a romantic through and through. “But, babe,” I say, standing as she looks up at me and nods, “don’t tell her you knew for weeks. She’ll be angrier with you than J; it’s how she rolls.”
“Got it,” Minnie says with determination. “See you this afternoon?”
“Yep, I don’t think I need to go in the office, I’ll just get the stuff from the shop and head to the job site,” I reply before leaning down and giving her a quick goodbye kiss.
After sending Minnie off, I walk to my Jeep and hop in. The weather is starting to change, the days are shorter and the temps cooling so my top is on. While I let my car warm up, I shoot a text off to my crew reminding them of what needs to be done and that I’ll be at the site late. Jameson trusting me to run his crew and his business in his absence has been an honor, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let these guys screw off. That’s why I told them I’d only be fifteen minutes late instead of the hour it’ll probably take me.
My relaxed and carefree morning took two shits before lunchtime. First, the inspector chose today of all days to show up at the site. We’re on schedule, and my crew does a good job, but it’s still a pain in the ass to stop what I’m doing and deal with that. Thankfully it went well but not before we lost two hours of work. Then, one of the guys on the crew missed the fucking safety lecture I gave him and wasn’t wearing his safety glasses. Not to worry, he has both eyes, but he did have to run to the clinic to make sure he didn’t scratch it or anything more damaging.
I text Minnie and let her know I’m not going to make it for lunch. She’s the best girlfriend on the planet and had a sandwich delivered to the site for me. I send her a text thanking her, and she tells me she’s worried I’ll skip lunch altogether. See? Lucky bastard. Also, I’m known for being a little angry when I’m hungry or “hangry.” I think part of her forethought is my crew.
I’m thinking how lucky I am when I knock twice on Landon’s shop door. He looks up at me from where he’s sanding and rolls his eyes. “Dude, seriously. Did you just get a hummer in the car or something?”
“Fuck off man. Don’t talk ab
out Minnie like that,” I warn.
“Minnie wouldn’t care, she loves me. Tell me what’s got you with that pussy grin on your face.”
“Dude, what’s your problem? Hummer and pussy grin? That doesn’t sound like you. You’re the nice one of our group.”
“Nah, man. That’s Ben. I’m the quiet one. The thinker. Ya know what I’m thinking? I’m fucking sick of being the last one single. I’m watching all you guys find women, and I’m over here at Sunday dinner with my parents having my mom attempting to set me up with every single girl at church. It’s pathetic.”
Landon’s always been the logical one in our group, the assessor. He’s a thinker and observer, never one to do anything in life without carefully weighing the options. I’ve always depended on him to point out when any of us are about to do something stupid.
Landon is precise, meticulous. Even though he looks at most things in life with a logical approach, his true talents lie in turning abandoned wood into beautiful art. He’s currently finishing up his wedding gift for Ben and Piper. Keeping the details to himself, he’s only told them the size dimensions and weight for hanging purposes. Curiosity has been killing Piper the last few months as she stares at the designated blank wall in her house, waiting for the gift to arrive.
So as much as I’m used to my confident, meticulously assessing best friend, this version on Landon? Defeated and down on himself? That’s not my best friend. Landon Montgomery is happy. He’s almost fucking jovial.
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