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His lips curved into a grin as he turned onto a narrow road. “There’s the sign. See for yourself.”
I turned quickly to read the sign, but by the time I saw the small wooden billboard, I was staring at the back of it.
“Motherfucker,” I muttered.
We pulled up to a one-story stone building that looked like it had seen better days. As we stepped out of Xander’s SUV, I noticed a small hand-painted sign next to the front door.
Bear Trodden Acres.
I looked over at the gorgeous jackass beside me, and he burst out laughing. Just seeing him let go and enjoy himself like that was worth every stupid name he’d called this place. I couldn’t help but laugh right alongside him.
“There you are,” a woman said, pushing her way out of the building via a screen door. Thankfully, she was wearing a loose-fitting sundress that flowed around her legs as she made her way toward us. “Xander, sweetie, who’s this?” she asked as she pulled Xander into a big hug.
The woman was slim and tanned. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was definitely something about her that reminded me of Xander’s dad.
“Aunt Lolly, this is Bennett Crawford.”
At the sound of the name, Lolly’s eyes widened, and she stepped back to take stock of me for a moment before looking back and forth between Xander and me.
“Your Bennett?” she asked.
Xander’s face softened as he looked over at me. “Yes, my Bennett.”
Would that ever not give me stupid butterflies in my stomach?
Lolly studied me for a moment before her lips curved into a sweet smile and she walked right into my arms. As we hugged, she whispered into my ear, “I hope to god you’re gay because I’ve had three different spiritual healers imply the two of you are soulmates, and I worried that might make things awkward for you if you weren’t.”
“You can stop worrying,” I whispered back. “And they were right.”
When she pulled away from the embrace there were tears in her eyes. “Really? You’re not just pulling my leg?”
I reached out for Xander’s hand. As our fingers threaded together, he lifted an eyebrow at me in question, obviously wondering what his aunt was asking about. I pulled him close enough for a quick kiss on the lips.
“Lolly wants to know if I’m gay,” I explained.
“Lolly, Jesus,” Xander said, frowning at her.
Before she had a chance to respond, I interjected. “I told her I wasn’t originally, but you’d made a compelling argument.”
Lolly stood there watching us with moony eyes, and I could tell how happy she was for Xander. “Come inside, you two. I made some lemonade and cookies.”
“Oooh, what kind of cookies?” Xander asked like a little kid.
“Snickernoodles,” she said over her shoulder as we entered the building. “I also have some store-bought ones.”
“Do you have any Moon Pies?” Xander asked. I snorted and tried to stifle some nervous giggling.
“Xander,” Lolly warned, but I could hear the smile in her voice.
“What about Tits Ahoy?” he asked.
“Stop that, or I’m going to whip up a quick batch of Lemon Puckers and make you eat them one at a time. Slowly,” she said with a laugh. “Bennett, how about you? What kind do you like?”
“Oh, well, my favorite snack is raw nuts, but I’d be happy to nibble on a pucker if—”
Xander’s hand clamped over my mouth before I could finish the sentence. By the time we settled down on the comfortable seating in the main room of what I learned was the community gathering house, the three of us were laughing so hard I could barely breathe.
A handful of older men and women came in, completely nude, and wandered over to grab a cookie off the tray on the coffee table. I tried not to look at their bare breasts and limp dicks swinging and bobbing as they walked.
“Oh Lolls, these look amazing,” one woman said with a smile for Lolly. “Any chance you made your famous chocolate starfish cookies? Those are my favorite.”
“Not this time, Margaret. Sorry.”
Lolly introduced us to her friends and they all welcomed us with friendly smiles. I tried so hard to be cool with the random nudity, but it was still difficult to get used to. Xander reached over to grab my hand, and I realized I’d folded a paper napkin until it was nothing but a tiny square between my fingers. I looked up at Xander. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
“S’okay,” he said softly with a smile. “I’d rather you be nervous than turned on.” He winked at me and squeezed my hand while I rolled my eyes.
Once the group had grabbed the croquet set they were looking for, they exited the front door with waves and good wishes for a safe trip home.
Lolly turned back to look at us, but before she had a chance to speak, I opened my stupid fucking mouth.
