Chapter 13

Zeke

The hideous orangepancake sizzled in the pan as I flipped it. Rainey had always loved pumpkin pancakes, something that made my stomach turn just thinking about. Pumpkin was a fuckin' vegetable and didn't belong in something as wonderful as a pancake. Don't even get me started on it being in lattes. But it was Rainey's birthday, and what Rainey wanted, Rainey got.

I just hoped she didn't want to leave Blueball today, cash in hand.

She'd been different yesterday. Distant. Like she was in her head about something and I couldn't figure her out. Back when we were teenagers, I'd been able to pick up on her emotions almost as quickly as my own, but grown-up Rainey had me scratching my head. There were too many years between us. Years that had stacked up experiences that didn't include the other person.

Pulling the pancake off the pan, I plated it and topped it with an overwhelming amount of maple syrup and a dollop of whipping cream. I put the plate on a television tray and added a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice and a red rose from the front yard stuffed in a bud vase. It wasn't gourmet by any means, but it was the best my meager cooking skills could manage without burning the house down.

She was still asleep on her side when I entered the bedroom, the door quietly swinging open when I put my shoulder to it. One hand was on my pillow, showing off the strings that dangled from the ruined sleep shirt. The crazy woman had cut off the arms last night. Her leg was outside of the sheets, as if she'd tried to throw her leg over where my body would have been. That image almost made me bobble the tray. With a steadying breath, I went to my side of the bed and gently put the tray down.

Rainey's eyes fluttered open and I watched in quiet rapture as she blinked up at me in confusion. She was so fuckin' beautiful it made my ribs ache.

"Happy birthday, baby girl," I whispered.

Her lips instantly curved into a grin and everything felt right in my world for the first time since the day before she left Blueball. "You remembered!" Her voice was a croak, but had never sounded lovelier.

"Don't get too excited," I warned, sucking in a deep breath and holding my hand up. I began to sing happy birthday, every single note off-key. Rainey exploded into laughter but clapped along like it was a fuckin' symphony. When I got to the end, she sat up and threw her arms around my neck, rocking the tray of food dangerously. I steadied it while hugging her back.

She pushed away well before I'd gotten my fill of her. Her gaze dropped to the breakfast and her eyes went misty. She covered it up by rearranging the covers so she could sit against the headboard and eat with her legs tucked under. "Jeez, Zeke. How does one not know the words to the happy birthday song? It's literally just one sentence over and over again."

I narrowed my eyes at her, knowing she was teasing me. "Want me to try singing it again and again until I get it right?"

Her gaze flew up to mine, eyes now clear. "Oh, please no."

"Then eat your fuckin' breakfast and be grateful."

She held my gaze with a soft smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Rain." I patted the lump I figured was her leg and then left the room, not trusting myself to stay in her presence any longer without blurting out something that would surely make her run.

Daisy kept whining to get back into the bedroom with Rainey, but I wasn't going to lose my dog to the woman along with my heart. "Come on, girl," I called, pulling open the back door and enticing her with a game of fetch. We played for close to an hour before both of us had burned off our excess energy. When I stepped back inside the house, Rainey was dressed in a pair of jean shorts that hugged her luscious ass and would make a blind man stop to stare.

And just like that, all that frenetic energy was back.

"What would you like to do today?" Rainey asked, bending down to put on her sandals, unaware of the state of my shorts. Daisy's tail whipped my legs before she scrambled across the hardwood to get to Rainey's side. Rainey giggled, fending off her kisses while she got her shoes on and I tried to get myself under control. Was it irrational to be jealous of one's own dog?

"It's your day," I said, voice rough as I looked anywhere but at Rainey and adjusted myself. "But I thought you could take my truck to Crazy Beans and grab us some of that fancy coffee shit you like so much?"

Rainey straightened and I looked back at her, thinking it would be safe with that ass turned the other way. Then I caught sight of her front side in a white tank top with dainty bows tied at the top of her shoulders. Little pink flowers dotted the material. She looked like feminine perfection wrapped in a bow just for me.

"You don't mind me taking your truck?"

I shook my head, trying to make my brain cells work. Pretty sure all the blood flow in my body was south of the border. "Why would I?"

Rainey shrugged her tan shoulders. "It's just that Danny never let me drive his SUV unless we were on a long trip."

I grimaced at the sound of his name on her lips. Without a working brain to tell me it was a bad idea, I walked over and cupped her face in my hands. She needed to understand how much better she deserved. "Danny was a fuckin' idiot. Men with even a tiny ounce of faith in their woman will let you drive their car."

My words hung in the air between us. Rainey was my woman, always had been. She just didn't know it. Rainey stilled, her eyes searching mine. "You have faith in me?"

"I always have," I answered truthfully. It was her own faith in herself that had been lacking.

Her lips tilted up in a smile, but her eyes stayed sad. And I couldn't bear that sadness in the woman I loved. Especially on her birthday. So I did what I'd been wanting to do since we stood before a judge and promised to love, honor, and cherish each other.

I showed her.

My lips were on hers, and for a heartbeat, I panicked, wondering if she'd push me away. Panic fled the second her hands gripped my forearms and she pulled herself into my chest tighter. Her lips moved, softening, welcoming me. My tongue flicked against her bottom lip and she opened for me, a tiny groan escaping the second I took advantage of the invitation. Her body swayed, all her weight pressing against me as if she instinctively knew I would hold her. The kiss spun out of control, both of us succumbing to an attraction I'd hoped was there but could never confirm until this very moment.

Something lit inside my chest that had nothing to do with the obvious heat between us. This was a flicker of true hope. The first sign that what I felt for Rainey, what I'd always felt, was actually reciprocated.

And so I tore my mouth from hers and let her go, stepping back and watching her sway on her feet. Her eyes flickered open, confusion and lust fighting for dominance. My entire body ached with regret, but I was steadfast. I'd faced the loss of Rainey for twelve fuckin' years. I would not mess this up again. Rainey needed space to figure out what she wanted. If I pushed now, she'd close up on me and run.

So I whistled for Daisy to come over from her doggie bed in the corner of the living room. "I've got a quick job to check on, but we should be back at the same time if you leave now."

"Leave?" Rainey was still in the same spot.

I grinned at the back of her head as I moved to find my keys and wallet. Fighting for Rainey's love was never a game, but it did require strategy. And I had her exactly where I wanted her. Dazed, confused, and wondering if staying in Blueball—with me—was her best option.

"Heads up." I tossed her the keys right as she turned to me. She almost missed them but caught them before they hit the ground.

With a wink and a smile, I left her there, pretending to walk down my driveway. In actuality, I had no job to check in on, but I needed her to leave the house. Daisy stared up at me like I was a dumbass as we hid behind a dense copse of trees just down the road from the house and waited.

"I have a plan, Daisy girl. Just trust me."

I could have sworn she chuffed like a human snort. I heard my truck before I saw it, which stopped me from explaining my entire plan to a dog. There wasn't much of a plan anyway. Rainey made a right turn at the end of the driveway and I waited until the sound of my truck vanished down the road. Then Daisy and I headed back for the house. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I texted my friends.

Me: The coast is clear.

It didn't take long for my driveway to fill with cars. Paisley, Keva, Audrey, and Marlo filed into the house and out the back door with platters of food and bags of party favors. They barked out orders to me and I complied, appreciating their help even if some of it baffled me. Why did a birthday party need streamers hanging from the trees? That would be a bitch to take down later. Considering I'd never thrown a get-together at my house though, I shut my mouth and did what I was told.

We had very little time to get things set up for a barbecue lunch before Rainey was back. I'd asked Lawson down at Crazy Beans to come up with reasons to keep her there longer, like getting our coffee orders wrong, but knowing Rainey, she might just flip him off and come home without coffee if she got irritated enough.

"Are you sure about all this?" Marlo hissed at me finally. She'd been glaring at me the entire time we got this party set up.

I snapped the lid down on the cooler of beer—not that light piss beer—and tried to allay her fears. When Rainey had come back to town, Marlo had jumped right in to help me, a mark of a true friend I didn't take lightly.

"I know the timing is strange, but you didn't know us back in high school, Marlo. Rainey is it for me. I love her, and I need you to give her a chance."

Marlo looked like chewing rusty nails might be preferable to giving Rainey a chance. She grimaced but nodded her head. "Fine. I'll give her exactly one chance, but don't forget I understand you too, Zeke. We may not have the history but I see you. You love hard and you deserve to be loved hard in return."

Marlo hadn't physically touched me but her words hit like a punch to the gut. She was right, of course. Everyone deserved to be loved, but I also knew something about Rainey that Marlo didn't. Rainey had never been raised in a loving household. Her dad had been indifferent to her, at best. Sure, Gertie had tried to show her love, but Rainey was a temperamental teenager by then who rejected all her attempts at affection. How could I expect Rainey to love me back when she didn't even know what love was?

I opened my mouth to let her know I appreciated her protectiveness, but the glass slider opened and Gannon, Lincoln, Boston, and Vander piled out onto the back deck. Daisy began to bark her head off, chasing an unsuspecting guest until someone else caught her eye and she bounded over there. Someone started up a speaker with country music flowing at full volume. One of the guys started my barbecue and longneck bottles of beer were passed around. More people started flooding my backyard. In dismay, I tried to catch Paisley's gaze to glare at her, but she stealthily avoided me. I specifically told her to keep the invite list small.

When yet another old teacher of mine slapped me on the back with a congratulations on my marriage, I was already looking for the exit. Wendy, from the courthouse, stood next to my mother, the two talking with their hands more than their mouths. Gertie kept watch by the back slider, which was a good idea. I headed that direction and made it just in time for it to open and a beautiful blonde head to poke out.

The entire crowd shouted happy birthday at Rainey, whose face drained of color. The two iced coffees balanced in one hand began to wobble. The crowd broke into the happy birthday song, sung off-key and at different paces, but the overall energy was upbeat. The last note rang out over the music coming from the speakers and Rainey's face crumbled.

Gertie grabbed the coffees from her hand just in time. Rainey spun on her sandals and ran back inside the house. The crowd went quiet and I held my hand up. Fuck. I never should have let this thing get out of hand like this. I knew she wouldn't want the whole town here.

"She's okay. Just overwhelmed. Keep eating. I'll go get her."

Then I raced inside to rescue the birthday girl.