“You got it. Like I said, everything you see.”
He let out a squeal as we rolled up to my cabin. “This is so cool!”
We headed up the three stairs to the large porch, and he immediately hopped on the porch swing. “Can I sleep out here?”
I laughed. “On the porch swing?”
“Yeah.”
“Only if you want the raccoons to join you.”
He grimaced. “Really?”
I pushed open the front door. “Yes, lots of wildlife around here.”
“Maybe I should sleep inside.”
“Good idea, bro.”
We cruised inside, and he bounced through every room like a ping-pong ball, his hands touching everything he passed. I kept thinking how something like that would drive Abby nuts. She was wound up tight about almost everything. Sometimes I’d watched her babble on about something, and ask myself if it’d be rude to toss a Xanax in her mouth while she was talking. Maybe there were some red flags about the relationship I’d ignored.
I’d spent months creating the floor plan for my place with my cousin Ashton who’s an architect. Almost like I was hatching the perfect plan for a faceless family I would have in the future. I didn’t get it, but I had to have every detail just perfect. Long front porch, big windows to let the sunlight shine, a stone fireplace, and wood floors, so I never had to worry about tracking mud in on carpet. The kitchen wasn’t huge but a good size with a center island and a large window with views of the pasture in the back. I upgraded the appliances because I’d become addicted to the cooking channel like a puss, but had become a pretty damn good chef through it all.
“How about we set you up in the room with the blue bed and Spiderman pillows, okay?”
“Who lives here with you?”
“Just me. My brother helped me build it a few years ago. Do you like it?”
“Yes, but why are there three bedrooms if it’s just you?”
A thump in my chest. While I had wanted Abby to move in, she’d been stuck in a lease for her apartment in town. Thank God she was. Yes, a breakup, but none of her stuff lying around to remind me of the wasted time on a relationship that swirled down the drain.
“Someday, I hope to have a family, maybe a boy like you. So, when I designed it, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of room.”
“Why doesn’t your brother live with you?”
Did this kid ever pipe down? “He has his own cabin close by. You see, when we were kids, just like you, we had a great foster mom who adopted us. She owns this land, and she wanted Austin and me to build our own houses close by since we work the ranch.”
His face lit up. “I hope my foster mom adopts me, we talked about it and she said if we do we’ll have a party when it’s done.
“That’s amazing. Can I come?”
His eyes grew large. “Yes! But I think you should bring snacks. Can you bring Ho-Ho’s to the party? They’re my favorite.”
I nodded and laughed. I’d been known to bring a few self-proclaimed ho-hos to some parties in the past, so it felt right. “You got it, big guy.”
A bit later, we’d done a jog/sprint down to the barn. I saddled up my favorite horse, Lola, before Austin pulled up in his truck and got out just as I was helping Grant get in the saddle.
“Who’s this pip-squeak?” Austin gave him a wink.
“This is Grant. He’s hanging out with me tonight.”
“Hey, I’m not a pip-squeak.”
“Sure, you are. You’re like a foot tall or some shit.”
“Bro, watch your mouth.” He had no sensor.
