“Night,” I manage, watching him leave like I’m not mentally photographing how his ass looks in those jeans.
But before I can properly mourn the loss of that view, Baby Crawford slides onto the empty stool in front of me, wearing a smile that probably gets him into all kinds of trouble.
“Hey there,” he says, and the first thing that hits me is how different his eyes are from his dad’s. Where Christian’s eyes are as dark as black coffee, his kid’s are light and golden, like whiskey held up to sunlight.
“Hey yourself,” I reply, setting the rag down on the bar and meeting his stare head-on. “So, you’re another Crawford.”
“Beauford… but yeah, technically, I’m half Crawford.” He says it like it’s a burden, like carrying half of Christian’s DNA is somehow a curse instead of a genetic lottery win.
“Ah, okay, family drama. Got it.”
I grew up with enough of my own, and I sure as hell don’t need to take on anyone else’s.
“Not really drama, but…” He releases a dry, humorless laugh. “My dad asked me to come all the way down here like it was important, and then he bailed to meet up with some woman.”
Okay, so that’s a dick move, but whatever. Maybe his kid was late, or maybe Christian’s the kind of guy who doesn’t let people down unless he has no other choice.
Ugh, or maybe some lucky woman is getting to ride that fine-ass man tonight, and it isn’t me.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Why do you need my name? You planning on heading back down here?” I try to keep my voice casual, maybe a little flirtatious, like I haven’t spent the last hour imagining what it would be like to climb his father like a tree.
“It’s not really my favorite place to visit,” he drawls, “but I could be tempted if the prettiest bartender in Rosewood Falls said she’d get a drink with me sometime.”
Chapter 2
Piper
It’s probablyweird to be seeing a guy when you had a crush on his dad first, but it wasn’t like anything was ever going to happen there. It was just me, caught up in harmless heart eyes and that stupid flutter in my stomach every time I caught a glimpse of him across the bar.
I’m sitting on the edge of my bed in nothing but a towel, freshly showered and shaved because… well, Baby Crawford is hot, and it’s been a minute. I haven’t been with anyone since I moved here. It’s only been a month, but working in a bar full of flannel-wrapped, boot-stomping cowboys most nights, I’m barely hanging on. Especially the one week after my period, when my hormones decide everyone is fair game, and even the way they tip their damn hats makes me feral.
Knocking on my door snaps me out of my thoughts, and when Violet strolls in wearing her tiny pink pajamas like she doesn’t have a care in the world, I have to physically restrain myself from hurling my hairbrush at her head.
She has these long, gorgeous legs, no hips, and a perky-everything gene. Meanwhile, I got Mom’s curves: a full ass, a soft belly, and tits that could take someone out if I turned too fast. Don’t get me wrong, I love my body, and I don’t talk shit about it, but sometimes I want to wear a cute little top without my boobs turning it into a tent.
“Well, don’t you look all set for your big night?”
“I’ve got plenty of time,” I mutter, tugging my towel tighter and ignoring her sarcasm.
“So, where’s this guy taking you?” Violet asks as she drops into the gray chair in the corner of my room, her legs slung over one arm. “Somewhere romantic, or are we talking fries-in-a-paper-bag level date?”
“No idea. He said we’d be doing some walking around and then grabbing drinks.”
“Walking around? What the hell does that even mean? Is he taking you to the hardware store? The cemetery? Where?”
“He said it’s a surprise,” I mumble.
“Are you sure you know him well enough to just take off with him?”
“We’ve been texting the past few days. It’s not like I picked him up in a parking lot. Besides, he’s Callan’s nephew.”
“Does Christian know?”
“No,” I say, grabbing my phone from the nightstand. “Pretty sure he doesn’t, anyway. He’s been down at the bar this week and hasn’t said a word about it.”
Her brow lifts. “And you haven’t mentioned it either?”
