“I want her to be able to take care of herself,” I explained before I took the last swallow of coffee and placed the cup on the table between us.
“You’re a good mother, Stella. I don’t know how we survived so long without you.”
Leaning over the table, he met me halfway and kissed me. I loved our time together, but it usually happened after the kids were in bed, and we always had to be quiet. Monday was a holiday, so Matthew and Anna were going to spend the night with Hailey and Jacob.
Tomorrow, Colton had to go to Nashville for club business, which wasn’t my concern, but it would be my first night alone with the kids. He would be back Monday afternoon, but I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t scared to be alone but feared a problem with the kids and not having him here. There would be a guard outside the house while he was gone since we still hadn’t heard anything about his ex.
She hadn’t been spotted since Matthew saw her two weeks ago, but for me, that didn’t mean anything. After hearing stories from the other ladies about her, I knew she was unpredictable. Devlin said he had his cameras looking for her, but so far, she hadn’t been spotted in or around Portstill.
“What time are you leaving tomorrow?” I asked, and he offered me his hand.
“I have to be on the road by two, but I’ll be back by noon on Monday. Are you sure you don’t want me to send the kids to stay with Doris? She’s finally over her head cold and wants them to spend the night soon.”
“Let’s give her another few days to feel better and maybe they can stay next weekend?”
“I think that sounds great.” His phone chimed from the table, and he picked it up to read the notification.
Recently, he’d seemed a little off, and when I asked him about it, he said it was nothing. I didn’t fully believe him, but if it was something concerning me or the kids, he would tell me. I suspected it was club business, and I learned quickly that club business wasn’t old ladies’ business, so I didn’t ask.
He typed something into his phone and placed it back down before looking over at me. “I’m going to have to take care of some business before dinner. Will you be okay here until I get back?”
“We’ll be fine.” I hesitated before asking, “Is everything okay?”
He stood from his seat and placed his hands onto the back of the couch before leaning over and kissing me fully on the lips. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. I’m going to head out, but I’ve got my phone if you need me for anything.”
I brushed my hand over his bearded cheek and told him, “Be safe.”
I said the same thing to him every time he and I were apart. If something happened to him, I just knew the kids and I wouldn’t survive. He was our world, and without him, I feared we’d be lost. Reaching down, he picked up his phone and smiled at me before walking inside and leaving me alone on the back porch.
Missing him and being non-productive wasn’t good for my mental health, so I stood and picked up my empty cup from the table. Walking inside, I heard the TV blaring from the living room and I walked in to see Anna playing on her tablet while the TV aired some cartoon. Picking up the remote, I turned it down, and she lifted her head up from the tablet.
“Keep the volume down, please.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
I walked to her and kissed her on top of the head. “It’s okay. I just don’t want you going deaf before high school.”
I left her with her tablet and walked into the kitchen. If I wanted the sauce to be ready when Hailey and Jacob got here, I needed to get started on it now. After starting a pot of water boiling, I scored the tomatoes to put into water when Colton walked into the kitchen.
“I’ll be back, darlin’.” He pulled me close and rested his hands across my stomach as he kissed softly down my neck. “I’m going to ravage you tonight.”
I looked over my shoulder and replied, “I hope so.”
We’d started to become more adventurous over the last two weeks, testing my boundaries and slowly experimenting with different things. Nothing too wild, but so far, there wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I made sure to keep my eyes on him and the painful memories stayed away. The nightmares had left me alone since I got to the clubhouse, so there was hope the worst of my past was finally buried.
I wasn’t clueless that there may be something to trigger me, and he was still so careful with me, making sure to get permission before attempting anything. I couldn’t believe a man existed who was so kind and loving, but he was pressed behind me, telling me how badly he wanted me.
As he released me, I reminded him, “Dinner will be ready around three so they can get the kids back to the clubhouse before dark.”
“I should be back in a few hours. If I’m going to be late, I’ll let you know,” he said and kissed me one more time.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you too, darlin’. Have fun cooking.” He chuckled as I started slipping the tomatoes into the boiling water.
He was a grill master, but his ability to cook a homemade meal was severely lacking. We made a deal that I would handle the inside cooking and he would take care of the outside. He thought that would get him out of making breakfast, so I surprised him yesterday with a flat-top outdoor cooker. I smiled hugely as he looked at it, realizing his cooking was about to increase.
I pulled the tomatoes out of the water and heard small footsteps behind me. Turning, I saw Anna walk in and try to peek at the stove. I’d warned her of the dangers of injury in the kitchen, so after dunking the tomatoes into ice water, I turned to her.
