Being Neighborly (9 page)
Authors: Carey Heywood
Once I have it up in her room, and in a corner ready for her to unpack, I undress. Sliding under the covers I pull her flush against, my lip curling into a satisfied grin as her body molds itself to mine, even in sleep. I was an idiot to consider throwing this away. Pushing her away is a mistake I’ll only make once. I know now it was wrong to think because of my injury that maybe I wasn’t man enough for her. What I’ve learned is it takes a true man to admit their weaknesses.
I’m lucky enough to have the love and support of Bethany despite them.
Epilogue
Eight
Months Later
“We’re going to be late,” Bethany groans, arguing but not really arguing as I lift her dress up.
“No such thing as being late to a picnic.” I ease her down onto me and we both moan as I fill her.
Number one perk of moving in with Bethany, other than just being around her all the time, has been the on-the-fly sex. We can be on the sofa just hanging out and she’ll slide into my lap, or at breakfast, if I catch a glimpse of her gorgeous breasts, I can just bend her over the kitchen counter, and lastly like right now, some hard and fast up-against–the-wall sex before we walk out the door.
Is it strange owning and working a farm I’m not currently living on? Some days, but being able to fall asleep next to Bethany ev
ery night makes it worth it.
Slipping my hand between us
, my fingers furiously circle her clit until she comes all over my cock. Ladies always first, I wait till she’s done before I follow. She teases me about it, but ever since I regained feeling in my foot, sex standing up has been my downfall. I can’t lie; it makes me feel powerful, and knowing I’m not going to trip or drop her takes all the anxiety out of it.
“Ready
, hornball.”
I lower her legs and kiss her. “I love your pet names
, darling.”
She gives my ass a squeeze before going to the bathroom to clean up. Ever since she went on the pill
, we’ve been condom free. I’ve never experienced that before her, the feeling of absolutely nothing between us. If I thought sex was addictive before, it’s even more so now.
“All better
?” I joke once she’s all done.
“I should have just left it and had you explain to your parents why I had
cum running down my leg.”
I cringe and shake my head as she laughs at me. Once she’s close enough
, I pull her in for another kiss.
She pulls away, grabbing my hand and tugging me to the door. “No way
, mister, we’re already late enough.”
“Like being outside will stop me
,” I argue, vividly recalling the time I bent her over the back of my truck, that time on the front porch or the time chasing fireflies turned into chasing each other.
She slips into the driver’s seat. I let her drive my truck one time and now it’s her favorite thing to do. She’s lucky she looks so sexy behind that wheel
; only thing I love more than my truck is her.
“Are we bringing anything?” I ask, suddenly realizing my hands are empty.
She tilts her head to the back of the truck. “I carried the cooler out when you were in the shower. There’s extra ice and a fruit salad in it.”
“I would have carried it
,” I argue.
“I know but I didn’t want to forget it so I just loaded it while I was thinking about it.”
That’s my girl. She doesn’t wait for someone else to take care of her. She just does it. It doesn’t always work out well. I smile to myself remembering the first time I met her. If she hadn’t been stuck under the table she was trying to put together all by herself, she might not have made as great of an impression on me. I won’t ever know for sure, but either way, she’s had me hook, line and sinker since day one.
Bethany parks not far from where the tents are set up. We’re lucky it’s a good day for a picnic. We’ve had nothing but rain the past week but it was sunny yesterday and there isn’t a cloud in the sky today as well. The ground has dried up nicely so it’s grassy and not muddy where the grills are set up.
The kids are running around blowing bubbles while the grownups are socializing in circles not far from the keg. There’s a table with drinks and cups for folks to serve themselves.
I grab Bethany’s hand, lif
ting her knuckles to my lips. “Uh oh, somebody brought a box of wine. I’m guessing I’m driving home tonight.”
She giggles, covering her mouth. My girl loves some wine in a box.
I carry the cooler over to the drink table and take out the fruit salad, passing it to Bethany. I watch her walk it over to the dessert table, my eyes glued to the gentle sway of her hips. She turns, right before she reaches the table and gives me the ‘stop looking at my butt’ glare. I ignore her and just keep on staring. She goes around to the backside of the table and starts talking to Bess so I grab a beer and head off to find my dad.
As I suspected
, he’s manning one of the grills. “Hey, Pops.”
He lifts his bottle to mine and I clink it. “Hi Beau. Farm is looking real good
, son.”
“Thanks. We’ve had a good year. The
food bank is thrilled and we’ve been able to barter for a new tractor.”
I should have known better than to mention a new tractor to my dad and expect him
not to want to see it. I just didn’t expect him to leave mid-conversation and stick me with grill duty.
“How’d you get stuck grilling?” Bethany asks a bit later as she walks up.
“Mentioned the new tractor to my dad and he took off. I didn’t want the fish to burn so I figured I’d hang out here until he got back.”
“What glass is that?” I tease
, pointing to her wine.
She smacks my stomach lightly. “My first.”
My dad makes it back not long after to reclaim his grill duties. Bethany and I make the rounds together to chat and mingle with everyone in attendance. Once the food is ready, we head over to some picnic tables and chow down. As the sun sets, we light tiki torches while the kids start roasting marshmallows. I ease down into an Adirondack style chair and pull Bethany into my lap.
“Mmm
,” she mumbles, snuggling against me.
“When do you want to head home?”
I ask, gently kissing the back of her neck.
“Soon if you keep that up.”
“Let’s go.”
I collect our cooler from the drink table while Bethany says our goodbyes. She’s had a few glasses of wine so I drive with her cuddled up to my side.
When we get to the house, she pops into her office to check her email while I head out to the back porch. After a couple minutes, I ask her to join me.
“It’s dark out here. Want me to turn on the porch light?”
she asks from the doorway.
“It’s not that dark
. Come here, baby.”
Silhouetted from the light inside the house
, she almost glows before she closes the door and joins me out on the porch.
“I poured you a glass of wine
,” I say, passing it to her.
“Oh
, baby, I’m already a sure thing,” she teases, taking it.
“And I’m sure about you.” I lean over and kiss her cheek.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” she murmurs.
“I have something for you
,” I say, handing her a glass jar with a firefly inside.
“
Aww. Little guy. When’d you catch him?” She sets down her wine and lifts the jar to get a better look.
As she moves it the ring slides across the bottom, clinking on the glass. Her eyes widen as they focus on the ring. “Beau?”
She looks up at me but I’m not there. Her mouth drops when she looks down to see me on one knee in front of her.
I take
her free hand and wrap both of my hands around it. “Bethany. In a moment you are going to free that little firefly from that jar and I hope let me put that ring on your finger. You freed me, darling, from the fear that I wasn’t good enough. Even when we didn’t know if my foot would get better, your feelings for me did not waver in the slightest. You are the most caring, generous, crazy, beautiful woman I know and I’d be honored if you would consider becoming my Missus.”
Even in the dim light the hint of tears gliste
n in her eyes as she nods her head. I stand, pulling her into my arms and kiss her. She stays wrapped up in me as she opens the lid of the jar to release the firefly. I lift one arm from around her and reach into the jar to collect her ring.
“This was my grandmother’s ring on my mom’s side of the family. She’s been saving it for me and swore I couldn’t have it without her blessing. She was thr
illed when I asked for it for you.”
It slips right on. “It’s a perfect fit
,” she sighs.
“You’re my perfect fit.”
The End
Acknowledgments
You.
If you are uncertain if this applies to you, please allow me to elaborate. If you are reading this, it applies to you. If you have written a book I’ve read or read a book I’ve written, for all the mint chocolate chip ice cream in the world this applies to you. If we’re related, by choice or not, this most definitely applies to you. If you tell friends about the books you’ve read and loved, and if any of my books fall into that category, it
abso-freaking-lutley applies to you. If you’ve reviewed a book and or emailed me or any writer after being moved by something they’ve written, it will forever apply to you. If you help craft an author’s words into its beautifully finished product by editing, proofing, or creating a gorgeous cover to show it off to the world, it without a doubt applies to you. If you’ve been there for me during my moments of self doubt and offered me words of encouragement on this incredible journey, until I have no stories left to tell, it will apply to you.
Thank you.
About the Author
N
ew York Times and USA Today bestselling author with six books out and many more to come. She was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Ever the mild-mannered citizen, Carey spends her days working in the world of finance, and at night, she retreats into the lives of her fictional characters. Supporting her all the way are her husband, three sometimes-adorable children, and their nine-pound attack Yorkie.
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Other Books Available everywhere
The Other Side of Someday
Better
Him
Her
Stages of Grace
Uninvolved
A Bridge of Her Own
Coming Soon
Yesterday’s Half Truths
(fall 2014)
Them
(2015)