“Look at this one! It’s all bumpy!” Jackson laughs, looking at the pumpkin with a look of disgust on his face.
“You don’t like it?” I ask.
“It has warts!”
“It does?” I make a move to touch it and Jackson grabs my hand, laughing.
“You’ll get warts too!”
I take Jackson’s hand and lead him to another row of pumpkins. He goes to a large, oval-shaped one that has to be heavy.
“I like this one!”
“I think it’s perfect,” I tell him.
Archer picks up the heavy pumpkin for us and puts it on the wagon he’s pulling. We make it through the rest of pumpkins, grabbing a few more little ones along the way. Jackson and I grabbed pumpkins from the store not long ago, but this is way more fun. I’ve never been to a pumpkin patch like this before. We go into a big barn to pay for our pumpkins and to get apple cider. The sun is out in full force today, making the fifty-degree air comfortable.
I’m having fun, and while I’m working it doesn’t feel like it. I really care about Jackson and seeing him light up and have fun makes me happy. We get our cider and take it outside, enjoying what could very likely be one of the last warm days this fall. Archer’s loading the pumpkins into the back of the SUV when Quinn’s phone rings.
“It’s Wes,” she says, brows coming together. Weston is at work today, and his call isn’t expected. “Hey, Wes. What’s up?” She waits a moment, listening to her brother. “Oh no. Yeah, yeah, we’ll be right there.” Another pause. “Archer’s with me, I’ll let him know.”
Archer, having heard his name, looks up. Once he sees the worry on Quinn’s face, he comes over. “What’s wrong?”
Quinn shakes her head. “Thanks, Wes. Just, uh, keep him calm if you can. We’ll be right there.” She ends the call and readjusts Emma on her chest. “It’s Bobby.”
Archer’s face falls. “Is he…is he…”
“He’s alive,” Quinn answers and starts to take Emma out of the carrier. “Wes has him.”
“Where is he?” Archer asks, fumbling with the last pumpkin. Obviously, something is going on and Bobby has significance to both Quinn and Archer.
“Wes has him.”
“Jackson,” I call, taking his hand and leading him over to Quinn and Archer. “Is everything okay?” I ask Quinn.
“No, it’s Archer’s brother, Bobby. He’s an addict and Wes found him passed out in the park. He’s been clean for the last few months.” She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. “I guess he relapsed.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
Quinn frowns, looking at Archer as he hurries to put the wagon away. “He’d been doing so well.”
I swallow hard. That’s something I know all about, and the disappointment that crashes down on you hard.
“How long had he been clean?”
“A couple months, which is the longest ever.” Quinn starts to take Emma out of her carrier. “Archer really thought it was for real this time.”
“It’s hard,” I say with too much emotion. Quinn catches on and tips her head slightly, flicking her eyes to mine. “You said Wes has him…did you mean in jail?”
“No, and thank God it was my brother who responded to the call about a drunk in the park. He took him to a cafe that’s like five minutes away and got him coffee instead of taking him to the station.”
“Is he supposed to do that?”
“Probably not, but he knows how hard Bobby’s been working…and how much this means to Archer.”
I feel a tug on my heart, pulling it up from the dark pit I shoved it in, bringing it closer to the spot it’s supposed to be in.
“Do you need to go get him?”
“Yeah. We can take you home first.”
“No, you don’t have to. You said he’s only five minutes away, so we should go.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod, words of truth bubbling inside of me. I know what it’s like to have a family member be an addict, and I want to tell her that she and Archer are good fucking people. And Wes too, but dammit, his goodness is so bad for me.
“Yeah, and I can hold Emma for you if you need help.”
“Thank you.”
It’s a tense ride to the diner, and when we get there, Jackson says he has to go potty. Emma is asleep in her car seat, and Quinn carries her in. Wes is sitting in the back, looking all gorgeous and heroic in his uniform.
“Daddy!” Jackson calls and runs to him. Wes gets up, face tight but smiling as soon as he sees his son. Jackson throws his arms around Wes’s neck and my ovaries explode.
Then I notice the guy who’s sitting at the table with Wes. He looks like Archer but is dirty, tired, and worn. It’s a look I know, one I used to see on my own mother’s face.
Archer rushes forward, and Bobby stands, face falling. Tears well in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Arch.”
“It’s okay,” Archer tells him, pulling him into a hug. Quinn sets Emma’s car seat on the table and puts her hand on Archer’s back. Bobby breaks away and looks at Quinn and then Emma. His face falls and he hefts back into the booth, covering his hands with his face.
“Hey, buddy,” I say, dropping down to Jackson’s level. “Do you still need to go potty?”
He does, and I take him into the bathroom. When we get back, Bobby is drinking coffee with Archer, and Quinn is talking to Wes near the door. Jackson goes to his dad, and Wes scoops him up. I slowly make my way over, giving them some space.
“Thank you, Wes,” Quinn tells him.
“It’s no problem.” Wes pats Quinn’s shoulder. “I’m glad I was the one who responded.”
Quinn nods. “Me too. The last thing we need is for him to get arrested again.”
I watch them and then look back at Archer. He’s ordering food for Bobby, who is still very much drunk and overly emotional.
“Do you guys have this?” Wes asks his sister.
“Yeah. We’ll order him some food and take him home. The Joneses are out of town this week, and we thought Bobby would be okay on his own. We’ll bring him home with us and look into rehab again.”
“Can I get food too?” Jackson asks.
“Of course you can,” Quinn tells him with a smile. “But you have to share your fries with me.”
“No!” he laughs. “Order your own!”
“I will. But I’ll still steal one of yours.” She smiles, and Wes looks up at me. His navy eyes meet mine and, Lord have mercy, that man is fine. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Quinn look from Wes to me and back again. “Can you join us for lunch?” she asks him.
“Yeah, I’m not doing much else and I eat lunch around now anyway.”
“Can I show you my pumpkin?” Jackson asks Wes. “It’s so big!”
“Sure, on our way out,” Wes tells him, setting him down. Jackson takes my hand and pulls me over.
“Hungry?” Quinn asks, giving a guilty smile. “Sorry if this isn’t how you imagined your day would go.”
“It’s fine,” I assure her, though she’s right. This isn’t how I thought my day would go. I didn’t think I’d see Wes and Quinn deal with a sensitive issue with nothing but concern and care.
Maybe there’s hope for me after all.
21
Weston
I zip up my coat, feeling chilled despite the warm sun beating down on me. Maybe I shouldn’t have ignored the fact that I woke up with a sore throat. But the day is over and I’m looking forward to going home and having dinner with Jackson and Scarlet.
I call Quinn on the way and check on Bobby. He’s at their house and has been sleeping it off for hours. I remember the first time Archer stayed with us while he and Dean roomed together in college because his brother got himself into trouble with drinking. They’ve been trying to help Bobby get clean for so long. It’s starting to get hard to think he ever will.
Scarlet and Jackson are outside when I get home, and she’s chasing him around like a zombie again. He fak
es a fall, dramatically rolling through fallen leaves. Scarlet sees me first and stops dragging one foot with her arms out in front of her. She smiles, and I have to work hard at ignoring the rush that goes through me, making my cock jump.
Her hair is a mess and leaves are stuck to the back of her sweater. Knowing she was rolling around in the leaves with my son makes her all the more attractive, and after the dream I had about her last night, I’m going to have a hard time looking her in the eye.
“Hey,” she calls, giving me a wave. Jackson gets up, smiling, and starts running again for Scarlet to chase him. “Your dad’s home,” she tells him, but he doesn’t stop. “Jackson,” she calls again and this time he stops.
“Hi, Dad!” He gives me a quick wave and turns to Scarlet again. “Can we keep playing now?”
“Dinner’s ready and waiting,” she reminds him. “I know it’s not Tuesday, but we’re having tacos.”
“Sounds good.” I stop a few feet from Scarlet and suddenly everything feels so fucking weird. We function like a couple but don’t touch each other. She takes care of my son and he’s enamored with her. She’s a little odd, but it’s one of the many things I find so damn attractive about her.
And that kiss we shared her first weekend here…there’s no denying we have chemistry.
“Have you heard from your sister?” Scarlet asks, brushing leaves out of Jackson’s hair. “I was going to text her and see how things are going but didn’t know if that would be overstepping.”
“I don’t think it would be, and yeah, I did. Things are going as well as they can, considering.”
Scarlet nods. Her concern is genuine, and her friendship with my sister makes this even weirder. No one in my family liked Daisy much. They tolerated her for my sake, but she never even made an effort to hang out with Quinn.
“That’s good, I guess. It’s hard when you think someone is doing well and then things go right back to the beginning.” She gets a distant look in her eyes and I get a feeling she’s speaking from experience. “And Wes…”
“Yeah?”
“What you did for him was really nice.”
“Bobby’s not a terrible person, and arresting him is hard on Quinn and Archer.”
“You really care about your family. It’s not something I see too often.” A slight flush colors her cheeks. She pushes her hair back, finding leaves at the end of her long locks, and shakes her head. “We should get in and eat.”
“Yeah,” I agree. We all go into the house, and by the time I get changed and back down, the table is set, and Mexican music is playing from Scarlet’s phone.
“We’re having a fee-yes-ta,” Jackson tells me, proud of himself for learning a new word. He takes my hand and leads me to the table. There are chips and salsa already out on the table, and Scarlet brings over two margaritas.
“They’re virgin, obviously, since there’s no tequila in the house.”
“I have one too!” Jackson picks up his plastic up and wants to ‘do cheers’ with everyone. Dinner is good, and Jackson tells me about his trip to the orchard. My sore throat gets worse and by the time I get Jackson bathed and in bed, I have a bad headache.
“Not feeling well?” Scarlet asks when she sees me get a bottle of painkillers from a cabinet in the kitchen.
“I think I’m getting sick,” I admit.
She sets her book down on the table and gets up, coming right over to me. She doesn’t stop until her small frame is lined up with mine, and she presses the back of her hand to my forehead. “You have a fever.”
“You don’t know that.”
Pursing her lips, she turns around and gets the thermometer and swipes it across my forehead. “See?” She flips it over to show me my temperature. “One hundred and one point seven. You are sick.”
“I’ll be fine in the morning.”
“Hopefully. You should go to bed and try to rest.”
I make a face. “I’ll go to bed later. I want to watch TV for a while.”
She raises her eyebrows. “You sound like a child.”
“And do you go to bed at eight-thirty when you’re sick?”
“Oh, of course. And I drink extra water and always make sure to take my vitamins.”
“Don’t give up your day job to pursue stand-up comedy.”
She laughs. “But my witty sarcasm is everyone’s cup of tea.” She sets the thermometer down and goes back to her book. “Do you want to continue American Horror Story?”
“Sure,” I say, and we go into the living room together. I make it through one episode before I start to feel worse, and as much as I want to stay on the couch and imagine taking things farther with Scarlet, I go up to bed.
I feel even worse when I wake up in the morning. Scarlet is already downstairs making Jackson breakfast.
“How are you feeling?” she asks, cutting up an apple.
“I’ve been better.”
She trades the knife for the thermometer and takes my temp again. “Your temp went up. You should stay home.”
“I’ll take some Tylenol and my fever will go down. I’ll be fine.”
“Wes?”
The kitchen light turns on and I look up, blinking. Scarlet stands in the threshold, hand still on the light switch, eyes narrowed as they adjust to the dark.
“You okay?”
I pick up the pill bottle I dropped, head throbbing so bad it’s hard to function. “A little shitty,” I admit. I felt like shit when I came home from work, and the fever never went away. I don’t get sick often, but when I do, it’s usually bad.
And right now, I feel like I’m dying.
She crosses the kitchen, stopping in front of me and putting her hand on my cheek. “Jesus, you’re burning up.” She grabs the thermometer. “One-oh-three point four. That’s really high, and you’ve had a fever for over twenty-four hours. Maybe you should go into the ER or something. You could be dehydrated.”
“I don’t need to go to the ER.”
She takes the pill bottle from me, looking worried. “Trust me, I’m not one to suggest going to the hospital, like ever, since they rip you off on bills.” She rolls her eyes. “It’s bullshit, but having a high fever for this long isn’t good for you.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Maybe.”
She takes out two pills and hands them to me. I grab a glass and fill it with water.
“No need to worry.” I try to smile, but the lights above me are making my headache worse I’m not entirely sure I won’t throw up. “I’m gonna go back to bed.”
“I’m going to come check on you in twenty minutes,” she says seriously. “And make sure your brain hasn’t fried.”
Bringing my hand to my forehead, I nod, wincing from the movement, before dragging my ass back up the stairs. I crash into bed, closing my eyes and praying for the Tylenol to bring down this damn fever and make the headache go away.
It doesn’t.
I toss and turn, trying to get comfortable, which is hard to do since every bone in my body is aching now. Scarlet softly knocks on the door.
“Wes?” she whispers. “Are you awake?”
“Yeah.” I sit up, squinting in the dark. I can see the glow of the thermometer in her hand as she draws near. She sits on the edge of the bed and brushes my hair back. Her touch is soft and gentle, instantly comforting me.
“You still feel warm.”
“It’s been twenty minutes already?” I mumble.
“Eighteen. I’ve been timing it.”
My eyes fall shut and I smile. “You really are worried, aren’t you?”
“I am.” She takes my temperature. “And I have good reason to be. Your fever went up.”
“That’s probably because I’m covered up.”
She presses her lips into a thin line, not convinced. “You can get brain damage from high fevers.”
“They have to be higher.”
“Wes,” she stresses, hand falling to my thigh. I’ve imagined her here, in my room�
��in my bed…touching me so many times before. But not like this. Still, having her here is nice. “It’d be one thing if you woke up with a really high fever and we waited it out. But this has been going on for over a day. You probably have the flu. People die from the flu. And you could give it to Jackson.”
Dammit, she knows exactly what to say to make me bend.
“Fine. If I still have a fever in the morning, I’ll go in to the doctor.”
“Thanks.” She brushes my hair back again. “Lay down. I’m bringing you a wet rag and some cold water.”
“You don’t have to,” I tell her, though that sounds heavenly right now. “And I don’t want you to get sick.”
“I’m already exposed. Jackson too.”
“He’s probably the one who gave this to me,” I say with a smile. Then my headache intensifies, and I squeeze my eyes shut, laying back down. Scarlet leaves, coming back a minute later. Ice clinks against the sides of the water glass, and she makes me get up and take a drink before gently pressing the wet rag to my forehead.
I don’t remember the last time someone took care of me like this. Daisy was never very maternal—obviously—and while she cared and really did love me for a while there, so much of our time was spent fighting or ignoring each other that it’s hard to remember the good times.
“Do you have another thermometer?” she asked, picking up the rag and flipping it to the cool side. “Because the forehead one won’t work now.”
“Yeah, there’s one in Jackson’s bathroom.”
“It’s not a rectal thermometer, is it?” she jokes.
“That’s actually the kind I prefer.”
She laughs and runs her fingers through my hair. I’m feeling a little out of it thanks to the fever. I’m not going to kiss her again because I’m sick, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I confess what I’m feeling.
Because right now I know that I’m starting to fall for her.
22
Scarlet
The bed frame creaks and I startle awake. I sit up, goosebumps covering my arms, and blink in the dark.
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