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“What people do at slumber parties is none of our business, Sophie Marie,” Cole said with an authoritative tone I’d never heard from him. He pinned his brothers with a warning look they heeded as best they could with Carson still rubbing his torso and Keaton red in the face, from anger or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell. The thought of him blushing made me giggle, and he swiveled his head to face me, brow arched.
I shrugged, too amused for my own good. “Well,” I started, changing the subject before Keaton withered from so many eyes on him, “I’ve gotta get back to the farm. Sophie, will you come tend the bees with me one day? Or if that’s too scary, we can just pick flowers.”
Sophie lit up. “Can I wear a bee suit and everything?”
I nodded. “We’ll even eat a comb fresh out of the hive, if you want.”
“Can we go today?” she was already half off her chair.
Cole answered. “We’ve got the car wash today, so how about we wait for Daisy to tell us when she’s free?”
Disappointed, she flopped back into her seat.
“Don’t worry,” I promised her. “Maybe tomorrow?”
She grinned, nodded, and tucked back into her breakfast.
“Bye, guys,” I sang, Keaton in my wake as I headed for the door. “See y’all in a few hours.”
They called their goodbyes behind me.
“Sure you don’t want to stay for coffee? Breakfast?” Keaton asked, holding the door open for me and following me out.
“It’s so late, I’ve gotta get back. We wasted coffee time with a different sort of pick me up.” I smiled at him over my shoulder.
When he laughed, my heart nearly shot out of my ribs like a dove from a box. That sound was maybe my favorite sound in the whole world.
“I should say I’m sorry for that, but I’m not,” he noted.
“I’ll take that over coffee any day of the week.”
I turned when we reached my truck, but he was so close, there was nothing to do but lean back on the door, his hand planted on the metal next to me as he descended for a kiss. And for a moment, we just enjoyed that kiss for exactly what it was, without promise or preamble. Just an honest appreciation for one another to enjoy as desired.
He packed me into my truck and stood there while I backed out, hands in his pockets, waving when I turned onto the road with a smile still on his face. I didn’t think I’d seen him smile so much in all the time I’d known him. The sight left me light and happy, my windows down and the music loud as I drove home. And I sang all the way, my joy fed by flickers of the night before and the imaginings of what would come.
I felt like a different person than I’d been just yesterday at this time. I’d spent too much of that time caught up in magic, I supposed, disconnected from reality, safe in Keaton’s arms.
If I didn’t remember every vivid moment so well, I’d think it was a dream. Things like this didn’t happen to me.
Except yesterday, they did. Because Keaton kissed me, and now I’d never be the same.
When I neared our driveway, I turned my radio down and rolled up the windows, hoping to avoid alerting my family of my arrival. I’d have to face them, true. But if I could get out onto the farm, I hoped I could face them one at a time rather than as a united front.
I parked in the front instead of the back, grabbed my bag, and snuck in, closing it behind me without making much of a sound. I paused just inside, listening for any signs of life, and sighed my relief at the silence.
Silence that ended just before my bag hit the ground.
“Shit,” I said under my breath, taking a deep breath to prepare myself for the onslaught as my sisters ran in like a couple of puppies looking for bacon.
“You stayed all night!” Jo crowed, looking mighty proud of herself for having done virtually nothing to secure that particular point.
Poppy had started giggling and couldn’t seem to stop. “Daisy. Daisy spent the night with somebody. I was so sure I’d be next.”
Jo whacked her arm and said, “So did I!”
“Thank you for your love and support,” I said sweetly.
“Oh, stop it. That’s not what I meant,” Poppy clarified.
“Well, what did you mean then?”
“Only that I didn’t think you had it in you.”
My face flattened. “Should I get you a shovel? Might make digging that hole a little easier.”
But Poppy was unfazed, hooking her arm in mine to drag me over to the couches. “Tell us everything.”
“I most certainly will not,” I answered, laughing.
“Oh, come on. Give us something.” She plopped us onto the couch, “Or at least give me something. Jo’s got Grant. All I have are romance novels, porn, and this.”
