Chapter Fifteen: Andrew

Sunday dinners at the farm were a staple in our family. Sometimes, it was just the immediate family. Sometimes, if we were in harvest and had a full staff, the ranch hands and their families would join us. At one meal in particular, Mom served fifty people. She loved it though. My mother’s act of love was cooking.

As the family grew, my mother added more tables and chairs, but it still always felt as intimate as it did when it was just the seven of us.

I didn’t make it to as many dinners as I used to when I was in college. Then, it was a way to eat anything not fried or from a vending machine. But then I was usually traveling across the country for the rodeo if I found one I was interested in. I used my job as a procurement specialist for the farm as my excuse. Companies wanted to meet the people negotiating their contracts, and I was more than happy to fulfill that request.

Not only did it get me away from Ashfield, the place where I swore I wouldn’t return until I made something of myself to prove to everyone I could be more than just a farmer, but it gave me opportunities to fill that other void inside me with women I’d never see again.

But the one thing I hated most about the family dinners were the incessant questions. To be fair, I was the worst of the lot when my sisters brought a new beau into their lives, but it was justifiable, since I was their big brother. Yet when the attention turned to me, I felt like a fish trapped in a tank that was too small.

Kelsey had been itching to come to another dinner. She’d only had the chance to attend one so far. We missed others, because I was being an asshole and didn’t want to go, and then she had been sick.

Glancing across the console, I saw she leaned away from me in the truck, her head resting on her crossed arms in the open window of the truck. The breeze blew her hair in turbulent waves behind her.

“It’s so beautiful here. I don’t know why anyone would want to live anywhere else.” She’d been on a small tirade since learning about my breakup with Nicole. Mom was the only one who knew the entire story until now. And when I thought back to the memory, none of it was as detrimental as it had felt at that time.

I thought my world had ended. In my mind, I thought I lost my chance at a happily ever after like my mother got in the end. Because back then, I expected to come back to Ashfield after graduating college. Where was I going to meet someone new?

But hindsight was twenty-twenty. I’d been a foolish kid, ready to make a decision that would change my life forever. Nicole knew it at the time, but I was blinded by love. And I thought she was too.

Kelsey was more furious over how Nicole went about ending things. And she felt like a woman scorned on my behalf. She even asked if I still had the ring I purchased. I did, but only because the jeweler wouldn’t allow me to return it, and I didn’t want it sitting in a pawn shop somewhere. Regardless of the outcome, the ring had been important to me at the time. The small half-carat diamond set in a yellow-gold band was in a lockbox at the bank. I had zero desire to move it from that spot.

Though, if I found a matching diamond, I could have it turned into a pair of earrings for Kelsey. Her ears twinkled as the gold studs in her ears caught the sun’s rays.

“Some of us take a bit more convincing to succumb to the small-town lifestyle. It’s not for everyone.”

I wanted to remind her even she had mentioned she was itching to get back to Nashville, but I held back.

We were unofficially, officially together, but only behind closed doors or in the shadows of alleyways. Neither of us wanted to hurt my sister, but I knew the secret would come out eventually. I was hoping that maybe that would happen after Kelsey left to go back to her home, and I could take the brunt of Rory’s anger. Kelsey had enough going on in her life.

We took the sharp ninety-degree turn in the road where the bed-and-breakfast could be seen off in the distance. It wasn’t so long ago I missed meeting Kelsey in that same spot. After she entered as a guest, I assumed as I listened from the hallway that she was one of Owen’s conquests who had arrived. If I hadn’t stormed off, embarrassed after hearing she was merely his physical therapist instead, then maybe we wouldn’t be where we were now.

Reaching over, I slid my knuckles down her shoulder until she gave me her hand to hold. She glanced at our joined fingers and smiled up at me, before returning to her view outside.

We passed the entrance to the B&B and continued the trek to the sprawling ranch. Finally, we came up on the massive stone entrance and followed the driveway to the house.

“Has Rory shown you the event venue?”

“No, but I’m dying to see it.”

“I can take you before we leave tonight. Saturdays are usually booked up, and Sundays are the cleanup days. Autumn hired a great team to run it, and it’s booked out almost three years in advance now.”

“That’s crazy. Do y’all help out too?” she asked as she stepped out of the truck. I was a little slower, since I needed to grab my crutch, per my therapist’s orders after I woke up with it swollen.

“We help when we can, and I know all my sisters did a lot at the beginning, but it’s Autumn’s baby. When it blew up all over social media, she hired a team fast, and the rest is history.”

“You have one seriously talented family, Andrew,” she said, and I nodded.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” Dark clouds hovered over the mountains, hinting at a storm later. We desperately needed the rain, so it was a welcome sight. Almost a month of no rain and the wheat nearly broke in half when a stiff wind gusted through.

But for now, the sun shone down on us like she thought it was still summer outside.

“I’m nervous. Do you think your mom will mind that I made a dessert?”

“Firstly, you didn’t need to make anything, and she’ll be grateful. Secondly, you know everyone in the house, Kelsey.”

“But it’s the first meal where they all know I’m knocked up.”

“And?” I goaded her.

“And that means they know I have sex, Andrew. Your wonderful, traditional parents will know that I had sex before I was married.” She covered her face with her hand not holding the dessert dish and blew out a breath of frustration. “Oh my gosh, I can’t do this.”

She tried to scurry away, but I gripped her elbow at the last second.

“You’re not going anywhere. My family isn’t going to judge you, Kelsey. You know them better than that. Plus, if it helps, my mom bought me my first box of condoms in high school.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“That she knew I was going to have sex.”

“It’s different. You’re a guy, and I’m a girl.” She pouted and crossed her arms. I waited for her to stomp her foot too, but she must have resisted the urge.

“Look, if you want to go, I’ll take you home.”

Doing a complete one-eighty, she looked up at me with wide, angry eyes. “What? No way. I’m not missing dinner.”

“Okay.” I knew better than to argue with her and point out that she did, indeed, suggest she wanted to leave. But I also knew that hormones surged in pregnant women, causing their emotions to go all over the place.

Every night, we spent an hour reading over the pregnancy books. She got a kick out of learning size comparisons and even downloaded an app that showed her food that the baby’s current size matched.

This week, he or she was the size of a strawberry.

The front door opened with a flourish, and my mom stood on the other side with her hand planted on her hip. “I’m not sure if you know, but dinner will be served inside.”

“Sorry, Mom.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek before stepping over the threshold with my crutch under my arm.

“Kelsey, come on in. You can help me settle an argument with my daughters.”

I was propped up on the couch in the living room by the time Kelsey made it into the open concept kitchen.

My sisters were arguing about something, and it seemed like Kelsey was going to be the tiebreaker.

Nash walked in shortly after and kissed my mom before noticing Kelsey and I had arrived. He stood behind his recliner, greeting all of us. Nate, Owen, Talon, and Colton were focused on the hockey game playing on television.

“Mom says dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes,” Dad said to the group.

“Sounds good,” I said as Owen jokingly complained about starving.

“Hey, Andrew, can I talk to you for a minute?” I immediately reverted back to the kid who thought he was in trouble. Sweat prickled along my hairline and everything.

I was forty, for cripe’s sake. I shouldn’t be scared of my stepfather, but there I was, shooting worried glances at my sisters as I followed him to his office.

We stepped inside the wood-paneled room, and I closed the door behind me.

“All right, I’m going to come right out and ask. Am I in trouble?”

Nash let out one of those full belly laughs that left you smiling. “No, son. I don’t think you’ve ever actually been in trouble. I never had to worry about you.”

“What about the time you caught me drinking beer on the water tower and throwing the cans at the passing cars?” I reminded him.

He shrugged. “Not your finest moment.”

“You grounded me for a week.”

He smirked. “That was mainly because we didn’t like the kid you were hanging out with. And then the next week, football season started, and you never did it again.”

He was right. Football helped me keep my head on straight. It gave me purpose in a way that school never did.

“Other than that one scenario, we never had to wonder what you were up to. You were always a good kid.”

“I worried that if I acted out, y’all would send me away,” I divulged.

“What made you think that?” Nash asked, sitting on one side of the leather couch, gesturing for me to sit on the other.

Shrugging, I explained how the fact that I wasn’t his kid, and he and my mom had their own family, always made me feel like I was just the extra. And not in the good, bonus way.

It took every ounce of strength I possessed to be vulnerable with the man I looked up to my entire life. He was the only father I knew, and he set the mark on how to be a great dad. But even being great never squashed those insecurities.

I’d sworn to Kelsey that I’d talk to him about the internal battle I was waging by taking over the farm and where the self-doubt stemmed from.

His shoulders slumped. “You know, I made a promise to your mother when we married that I would never make you feel less than any children we would ever be blessed with. I’m sorry if I did that.”

“You didn’t,” I assured, hating that I put that doubt in his mind. “You never treated me differently than my sisters. I don’t know why the fear was still there. It’s what kept me from wanting to take over the farm. I still don’t believe I’m the right person for it.”

I went on to tell him how the farm had been in his family for generations, and I was only his kin through marriage. Nash nodded along, listening to me get everything off my chest.

“You are my son in every way that matters, Andrew. I loved you the moment your mom brought you on a date because she couldn’t find a sitter. I knew I was going to marry you both. Because marrying her meant I was getting you too, and that was the best gift anyone could have given me.

“I love your sisters, even though they drive me crazy and are probably perched outside the door trying to listen to our conversation.” He paused, and we listened to the scurrying of feet drift away. “I love them, without a single doubt, but my love for you is different. It’s almost… more. Because I love you for myself, and because I needed to love you extra for him . I wanted to make sure when your father looked down on you from heaven that he thought I was doing a good job of being the most important man in your life. And you know how single moms have to be a mother and a father to their child? I needed to be your stepfather and father.”

There was no use in fighting against the emotions swirling through me. I used the back of my hands to wipe away the tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

“I love you so much, Andrew. You’re the best person I know to take over the farm. Even if your last name is Keyes, you will always be an Easterly. It’s just a name. But it’s your heart that carries on the legacy.”

“I love you too, Dad,” I said as he reached over and hugged me in a way I hadn’t felt since I was a kid. That kind of all-consuming hug where it gives you renewed strength.

“You don’t call me that nearly enough.”

“Sorry. I’ll work on it.”

Sitting back, I wiped at my eyes again and watched as Nash did the same.

“Now that we’re on this topic, I wanted to talk to you about Kelsey.”

I audibly groaned as I tossed my head back against the couch.

“Not in that way, son.” He chuckled. “I can see you have feelings for her. It’s not hard to notice, if someone is paying attention.”

“But Rory—” I started, but he interrupted.

“I get it. It’s a slippery slope, because she’s friends with your sister. Well, really, all your sisters. They’re a little too wrapped up in their own lives to notice. But what I wanted to say was this. If you’re in it for just a quick roll in the hay, then end it before she gets too attached. I can tell you from experience that it takes a certain kind of man to raise another man’s kid. And if you’re not all in, you would destroy two people’s lives.”

“Yeah, I know.” It was something that had been on my mind since the first doctor’s appointment.

“Don’t get me wrong, Andrew. I know you have a big heart, and you would love that baby unconditionally, as if it were your own. Just make sure you’re ready for the sacrifices that you’ll have to make. And in the end, you’ll get the best kind of reward.”

“I… I want to be there for her. I care for her.”

“I can see that. I know you’ll do what’s best for her.”

“Is it crazy that I may love her already?” I asked, because Nate and Owen already hinted they thought I did. After Nicole, I had no idea what love was.

“Not at all. I fell in love with your mother after our first date. If it’s the right person, I think love can be possible at any time.”

A knock sounded on the door, and Mom peeked her head inside. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Wonderful. We’ll be out in a second.”

She nodded and ducked back out. Nash stood, and I followed suit. He was right. He had been the best stepdad and father I could have ever asked for and had proven his love for me many times.

He crossed toward me and slapped me on the shoulder in a supportive way. I remembered his hand being larger when I was a kid. Nash always seemed like this impenetrable man, and now I could see how time had taken its toll. Time that I’d spent inside my own head, unable to see how much the man loved me.

“I’m really proud of you, Andrew. That’s a really good woman out there, and I could see how she’d be your perfect match in every way.” He smiled. “Before you go, I want you to know, whenever you’re ready, I’ve set aside your mother’s ring for you.”

“Hasn’t that ring been in your family for generations?” I gawked.

“It has. Made it through eight happy marriages that I can recount. We want you to have it.”

“But what about—?“

“Don’t worry. Your mother has already chosen her replacement.” He chuckled, and I joined him before sobering once again.

“I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“It’s here whenever you want it. There isn’t a time limit.”

Taking a deep breath, I let the magnitude of the gesture settle in my mind. He could have given the ring to any of my sisters’ husbands, but he wanted me to have it. And that was more than I ever expected.

He left the office with a warm grin, and I took a minute to collect myself before joining the group. Everyone was starting to situate in their seats, and I walked into the kitchen, where my mom stood placing the stuffed peppers into a large serving dish.

Walking up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her and said, “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” She reached up and patted my cheek like she always did.

“Can I help you carry anything?”

She handed me the bread basket while she carried the peppers, and I trailed behind her over to the dining table.

After setting the bowl down in front of Nash, I rested my crutch against the wall and took my seat on the opposite side of the table, beside Kelsey.

She leaned toward me as everyone started plating their meals. “Everything okay?”

I paused and took in her gentle, caring features. Her eyes held a warmth and concern that only a mother could. “Everything is great. Dad and I talked.”

“Oh. The stuff we talked about?” she whispered as I grabbed a slice of bread from the basket.

“Yep.”

“I’m so relieved you did that.”

“Thank you for pushing me.”

“What are you two whispering about over there? Something you should share with the class?” Rory asked from the other end of the table. Even now, she was in teacher mode.

“None of your beeswax, Aurora Borealis,” I told her.

“Don’t call me that,” she huffed and smacked her hands on the table.

Kelsey started laughing beside me, breaking the tension around the table and taking everyone’s attention off what the two of us could’ve been whispering about.

Once our plates were loaded and everyone started eating, I slipped a hand under the table and gripped Kelsey’s upper thigh.

Her eyes darted over to mine, and they were as wide as the rim of her water glass.

“Thank you,” I mouthed, and all her rigidity slipped away.

“You’re welcome,” she returned, and I squeezed her thigh once more, then went back to eating.

Once dessert was brought out, I announced that I was going to show Kelsey the event venue before it started raining, since the clouds were making it dark outside, and I grabbed my crutch. Mom promised she’d save us a slice of her pie and a scoop of Kelsey’s banana pudding.

Outside the mudroom door, I gestured for Kelsey to follow me down the pebbled path. The storm was definitely heading in our direction, so we made our way into the barn, where we stored the UTVs. On a set of hooks hung the keys, each numbered to match a particular vehicle. I grabbed the key for the one that had a zippered rain barrier, in case it poured before we made it home.

The UTV zoomed down the path between the fields, the journey taking about fifteen minutes before the large two-story barn came into view. During its renovation, buildings were added along the back for a full-sized kitchen and bathrooms. There were also luxury suites on the upper floors for wedding guests to get ready.

There was one particular spot I loved the most though. When the barn was a dilapidated mess, it was where I used to play. Autumn said she didn’t let the crews touch it when they were renovating.

“Come on. We have to be quick,” I said as I parked the vehicle and jumped out, ignoring the crutch in the back seat. Kelsey rolled her eyes when I walked without assistance.

“Stubborn,” she mumbled, because she knew I hated using the thing if I could avoid it.

“This way,” I said as I tugged her hand inside the barn. A few people from the cleaning crew were inside. A huge Greek wedding reception had taken place the night before, and the event ran until the early morning.

I said hello to the people we passed on our way to the stairwell. Once we reached the top, Kelsey walked over to the large pane windows that gave a breathtaking view of the Smoky Mountains.

“Wow. I don’t think there is a more beautiful view in all of Ashfield.” Kelsey sighed as she leaned against the glass.

“It’s pretty great. Aspen has a place she goes when she hikes that has an amazing view of the entire town.”

“Hm….“

“This isn’t what I wanted to show you, by the way.”

“It’s not?”

“Nope. Follow me.” Off to the side was a ladder built into the wall. It used to extend all the way to the floor, but when the landing was added on the second floor, it was cut in half. I hoisted Kelsey up and stood beneath as she climbed. When she reached the floor above us, I began my ascent, mostly pulling myself up as I went.

When I reached the top, Kelsey stood near the small opening in the darkness.

I searched around the wall and found the light switch Nash helped me install when I was in fifth grade. Flipping the switch, a yellow glow from a single bulb in the middle of the room illuminated the loft.

“Wooow,” she breathed as she looked around the space.

I had a bedroom at the house, of course, but this was where I played. Drawings littered the walls. Newspaper clippings about me were tacked onto the wood. Pictures from school and camps were pinned on a corkboard.

“Look at you. You were adorable.” Kelsey pointed out a picture of me in eighth grade, when I won the science fair. My glasses and braces made me nearly unrecognizable.

“Sure.”

“You were. Believe me. I went through the same awkward phase.”

“Now that, I find hard to believe. Come on. There is one more thing I want to show you.”

“This isn’t it?”

“Not completely.” I turned down a long, narrow hallway that led to the opposite side of the loft. There was a sliding glass door that opened onto an outdoor deck barely big enough for two people. Mom used to worry that I would fall off the roof somehow, but Dad assured her that I was fine.

“Oh, my goodness. This is so cool!” Kelsey exclaimed as she stepped out onto the deck. During renovations, they changed out the wood and the door, then the roof was replaced.

“If you look hard enough, you can see the Ferris wheel at the Fall Festival.”

Kelsey leaned over the railing and narrowed her eyes, while I instinctively reached out to take hold of the back of her sweater.

“Yes!” she shouted.

“On a clear day, you can make out most of the town.”

“I am so jealous of you right now.”

We stood on the deck until the first raindrops sprinkled along our arms. Inside, I locked the sliding door and walked over to the main loft space. The sound of the rain hitting the metal roof was like nature’s own drum. The steady beat was something I’d fallen asleep to many times in this space.

“Come here.” I beckoned Kelsey as I tugged at the bottom of her sweater.

She quickly placed herself between my arms and pressed her hands against my chest. My hands cupped her face and slid back into her hair, gathering the strands until I held them in a single fist. Without much effort, I tilted her head back and pressed my mouth against hers in a needy kiss.

Using my free hand, I stroked the skin above the waistband of her jeans, feeling her tremble under my touch.

“Andrew,” she moaned into my mouth, and I captured each note of desire.

“Going to have to be a quick one, baby.”

“Okay.”

I made quick work of undoing her jeans and slipping them down her hips. I stroked my hand over her panties, growing addicted to the way it made her body shiver.

Her moans of need echoed in the small space as I tugged down the panties, exposing her pussy to me.

I spun her quickly so that she could brace her hands on the small table against the wall. Releasing her hair, I unfastened my jeans and yanked them and my boxer briefs down to my ankles. The tip of my throbbing cock immediately sought out her entrance as I guided the velvet crown across her drenched folds.

“Yes,” Kelsey groaned, and I bent forward, placing my hand over her mouth as I fisted her hair again with my hand.

“You need to stay quiet, baby. Unless you want everyone down below to know I’m fucking your pussy right now.” Her body nearly collapsed against the table, and I grinned, knowing she loved the idea of being caught by someone. “If I move my hand, you going to be quiet?”

She nodded, and I slowly released her and went back to guiding my cock into her sex. Her tight cunt welcomed me as I drove myself completely inside her.

Kelsey wailed and then slapped her own hand over her mouth as I slid out and then thrusted back in.

“I bet you like knowing that anyone could find us right now. Knowing that someone could stumble upon me destroying your pussy.” Her sheath clamped around my cock, and she shuddered. “Oh yeah. My dirty girl likes to be watched.”

“Andrew,” she whimpered as she reached down with both hands and gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles were white.

“That’s it, baby. I can feel you coming.”

Her back arched beneath me as she crested, and then those waves inside her channel milked my shaft until I was spilling myself deep within her. Kelsey’s head hung forward as she worked to steady her breathing, and I leaned over her, attempting to do the same.

Pressing my lips against the back of her neck, I kissed the soft skin and then slipped my cock free. Taking a step back, I put myself back together.

“Oh my gosh, I think I died,” Kelsey whispered as she dropped forward and rested her head on the table. Between her legs, drips of my cum raced downward. I captured the rivulets with my fingers and scooped them away. Searching around the space, there was nowhere to wipe my hand off, so I slipped my hand into my pants and wiped it on my underwear. It wasn’t like they weren’t already covered in precum to begin with.

Gently, I tugged her panties and jeans up her legs, kissing each ass cheek before covering them with the material.

“That was… unexpected,” Kelsey said as she turned around, and I secured the button at her waist.

“Was it really?” I jokingly asked, and she shook her head while grinning.

Flicking off the light, we climbed down from the loft area. I went first, and when she followed, I turned her around when she was about halfway down, lifted the edge of her shirt, and chastely kissed her stomach. I’d done it without even thinking, and my chest constricted as she gasped at the contact.

I’d been escorting her to appointments and reading the books with her nightly, but it was the first time I’d shown any sort of possession over the baby she carried inside her womb.

“Andrew….“

“Come on, let's get back to the house before they send a search party after us.”

We dashed past the crew still cleaning. Kelsey ducked her head, but I noticed the blush on her cheeks when someone smiled at her.

The rain had picked up. We were soaked by the time we made it to the UTV, and we only had to go a few feet.

“The storm is really coming in,” she said, looking out the front window of the UTV as I started it up.

I chuckled and asked if she really wanted to make a “coming in” reference, and she rolled her eyes.

The drive back to the farm took double the time, because I could barely see the path ahead of me. At one point, I feared we’d gone off track, then the view of the shotgun-style ranch hands’ homes came into view, and I knew exactly where we were.

Once I parked and placed the keys back on the hook, we stood just inside the large opening.

“We’re going to smell like sex when we get inside.”

“Well, not much I can do about that,” I pointed out, “except our little rain shower probably washed us clean.” My phone buzzed in my pocket, and there were a few messages. The most recent being from Mom, telling me that all my sisters except Autumn had gone back to their houses to miss the storm. Apparently, Autumn couldn’t pull her husband away from the hockey game until the next period intermission.

“We’re in luck. Rory left.”

“Really?”

“Yep. You know what that means?”

“What’s that?” she asked, her eyes narrowed in curiosity.

“I can do this,” I said, pulling her out into the rain and spinning her in my arms. I dipped her back until her hair nearly touched the ground, and when she came back up, I kissed her like I meant it.

Like she was all I could think about.

Like I more than liked her.

Like she was everything.

I knew then… I loved her after all.