Chapter 22

Abe

“Holy fuck. That is some tasty shit,” I said, wiping my face with a napkin.

“I know. I can’t believe this isn’t more popular back home. I’ve heard of it, but I’d never tried it before today.”

Cheyenne closed her eyes, moaning as she shoved another forkful of the delicious mixture into her mouth. Who knew fries covered in gravy and cheese curds could bring a woman so much pleasure?

I fished my phone out of my back pocket and snapped a picture of her with gravy dribbling down her chin.

“Our fans are gonna love this,” I chuckled as I uploaded it to our website.

“Don’t you dare!” She reached across the table, grabbing at my phone.

“Come and get it,” I laughed, wiggling my eyebrows as I shoved the phone down the front of my shorts.

“Very mature, Abe,” she muttered, shaking her head before taking another bite of her poutine.

“I already posted it,” I said, retrieving the phone from my shorts and holding it up.

“Let me see.” She snatched it from my hand, her face turning a deep shade of crimson when she saw the picture. “Oh my God, Abe. I have gravy on my face! How could you post that?”

I shrugged. “It’s cute.”

“I’m gonna get you back. Look out.”

“Bring it on, baby. I’m still waiting for you to make good on your other threat. Remember? After I threw you in the water back at Honeymoon Bay?”

“Oh yeah,” she said, smiling warmly. “That seems like such a long time ago.”

“It’s hard to believe we’ve been on the road for five weeks.”

“Yeah.” Her face fell. “Only one week left.”

“Hey,” I said, reaching across the table and taking her hand. “We’re not over after the trip. No way am I letting you go.”

“You have to go to New York.”

“I don’t ~have~ to do anything. And if I decide to take the job in New York, what’s stopping you from coming with me?”

“Nothing,” she replied hesitantly. “Well, except for the fact that I have no job there.”

“I bet you’d have no trouble finding a job as a pastry chef in New York City.”

“It might take a while. I’m just out of school, and I have no experience.”

“You’ll have your ten grand. And I’ll take care of you, baby. We could find a nice apartment together.” I smiled lovingly at her as I ran my hand up and down her arm.

“Are you sure that’s what you wanna do?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I love you, Cheyenne. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

I studied her intently, my stomach twisting. What if she didn’t feel the same way?

I’d been so caught up with my own issues that I hadn’t considered the possibility that she might not be ready for a serious commitment. She’d turned down another man’s marriage proposal.

“Do you want to come with me to New York?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper before she jumped up and squealed. “Yes!”

I picked her up, swinging her around in a circle before kissing her. Hard. Long. Passionately. “It’s gonna be great, sweetheart.”

“I don’t care where I live as long as you’re there.” She gazed up into my eyes, happiness radiating from her. “I love you, Abraham McLean.”

“I love you, Cheyenne Carson.”

***

We wandered around the poutine festival and took in a live musical performance before heading back to the campground.

The lights of Drummondville, Quebec, twinkled behind us as we crossed the Saint-Francois River.

“I think I like western Canada better,” Cheyenne said as she stared out the window into the darkness.

“Oh yeah? You don’t like Quebec?”

“It’s nice. I just like looking out the window and seeing the mountains.”

“Yes. That is nice. There are no mountains around New York City.” I glanced over at her. “How about we agree that New York is temporary? We’ll move somewhere with mountains someday.”

“Okay,” she said. “Sounds like a plan.”

When I pulled onto the grass in front of the RV, I was shocked to find a familiar red pickup truck parked there.

Cheyenne jumped out of the Jeep just as Craig and Chase came running out of the trailer. Craig scooped her up in his arms, hugging her tightly before letting Chase have a turn.

“What are you guys doing here?” she asked.

“It’s only a two-hour drive up here from home,” Chase explained, glancing at me. “We decided to come check on you, make sure you’re okay.”

I hesitated by the door of the Jeep, unsure if I should run for my life or step up.

Cheyenne turned around. “What are you doing, Abe?”

“I’m just hanging out over here,” I said, laughing nervously.

“Come over here, silly. My brothers aren’t gonna lay a finger on you.” She glanced up at the big, burly farmers. “Right, guys?”

“Is he treating you right, sis?” Chase asked.

“Yes,” she replied with an exaggerated sigh. “Just stop with the overprotective shit.”

I closed the car door and walked over to Cheyenne, sliding my arm around her waist. “I’m in love with your sister. You don’t need to protect her from me. I plan on taking good care of her.”

“Cheyenne, we need to talk to Abe alone,” Craig said.

“No way,” she said, shaking her head vehemently.

“We’re not gonna hurt him. We’re just gonna talk.”

“It’s okay, babe,” I said, rubbing her back. “I’ll be fine.”

“Fine. I’ll be right inside.”

“How did you guys get in?” I asked after Cheyenne disappeared inside the RV.

“I still have my key,” Craig replied.

“I’m gonna get a fire going,” I said, grabbing some wood from the pile.

After I had a roaring fire burning, we sat around the pit in silence, staring at the flames as they licked away at the wood, sending a plume of smoke into the star-studded sky.

“What are your intentions with my sister?” Craig asked.

“I asked her to move to New York with me.”

“What?!”

“What?” I threw my hands up in the air. “I love her. I want her with me.”

“You’ve never even had a girlfriend, Abe,” Craig said. “What happened to the guy who swore he’d never get married or have a long-term relationship?”

“I fell in love.”

“You’ve only been together for five weeks,” Chase barked. “You guys barely know each other.”

“We’ve been together twenty-four-seven,” I shot back. “Think about how many dates it would take to rack up that kind of time.”

“He has a point,” Craig interjected.

“You’re actually supporting this relationship?” Chase asked, glaring at his brother. “I know he’s your best friend, but Cheyenne is our little sister.”

“Abe promised me he wouldn’t hurt her. I believe him.”

“When did he promise you that?”

“Before I let him go off alone with her. I knew something was going on between them from day one.”

Chase shook his head, sighing heavily. “Don’t get me wrong, Abe. I like you.

“I’m just worried you’re gonna get to New York and back to the real world, and you’re gonna decide you don’t wanna be tied down. Then what happens to my sister? She would be crushed.”

“So you want me to end things with her now? Rather than taking a chance on something that has the potential to go the distance?”

“What? Are you talking marriage?” Craig stared at me, his mouth hanging open.

“Yep. Eventually. That’s my plan.”

“Holy shit, man. My sister got her hooks into you good.”

“She sure did,” I chuckled. “Speaking of hooks, how’s Julie?”

He frowned, averting his gaze to the fire, the glow illuminating his sad expression. “We broke up.”

“I’m deeply sorry, Craig,” I said.

He shrugged. “We want different things from life. I’m not into all that high society shit, and the charity functions, and all the two-faced people.”

“How’s her leg?”

“I don’t know. She hasn’t spoken to me since she left the hospital in Campbell River. Her parents flew out to get her.”

“That must have been awkward.”

“She didn’t tell them about the baby. We decided it was best to keep that information to ourselves.”

“I suppose,” I said. “Listen, guys. If we’re done with the interrogation, I’d like to go to bed. I assume you’re spending the night?”

“Yeah,” Chase replied. “We’ve got quite a few farm hands this summer. Cam can handle the morning chores.”

I put out the fire and we headed inside. Cheyenne was curled up in the recliner, fast asleep with her iPad on her lap.

I placed the tablet on the table and lifted her into my arms. She sighed, resting her head against my shoulder.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” I murmured, pressing my lips to her temple. She mumbled some gibberish, but her eyes remained closed.

I glanced up to find two sets of wary eyes watching my every move. All the Carson siblings had the same cornflower blue eyes. “I’ll be right back with some blankets and pillows for you guys.”

I carried Cheyenne into the bedroom and placed her in our bed. “I’ll be right in, sweetheart,” I whispered.

“Where are you sleeping?” Chase asked when I pulled out the sofa bed.

I sighed, scrubbing my hands over my face. “In the bedroom with Cheyenne. The same place I sleep every night.”

“I’m not comfortable with that. I realize that you and my sister are”—he paused and squeezed his eyes shut—“sleeping together. But you can’t do ~that~ when I’m in the same trailer.”

I laughed. “No problem, Chase. We’ll just do it twice tomorrow night.”

He clenched his fists, his face turning a deep red. “Not funny,” he growled.

“Good night, guys,” I said as I turned out the light and headed into the bedroom. I stripped down to my boxers and crawled in next to my sleeping angel. I’d never felt so happy or content in my entire life.

***

“Good morning, baby,” I whispered, pressing soft kisses to Cheyenne’s shoulder. She wiggled her bum against me, turning my morning wood into a raging erection in two seconds flat.

“Careful. Your brothers are in the other room. I promised them we wouldn’t do it while they’re here.”

“Why would you make that kind of promise?” she asked as she rolled onto her back, gazing up at me with sleepy eyes.

“So they wouldn’t beat me up and dump me in the river.”

“Did you guys finish your man-to-man chat?”

“Yeah.”

“Are they okay with us dating?”

“We aren’t dating,” I said, climbing on top of her and settling between her thighs. “We’re in a relationship. You’re mine. End of story.”

“Okay,” she panted, rubbing herself against me while I sucked on her nipple. “Are my brothers okay with us being in a relationship?”

“They were after I told them I was gonna marry you,” I murmured, lifting my head to gaze into her beautiful eyes.

“Abe,” she giggled. “We aren’t getting married. We just got together.”

“I didn’t say we were getting married ~today~. But eventually.”

“You’re goofy.”

“Goofy about you, sweetheart.”

I pulled up onto my knees and hooked my fingers in the waistband of her pajamas, yanking them down to her ankles.

“Abe,” she hissed. “They’ll hear us.”

“Not if you control yourself,” I said right before plunging my tongue between her delicious pussy lips. She moaned softly, squirming underneath me as I alternated between sucking and licking her clit.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered.

“Yeah,” I grumbled, reluctantly pulling my mouth away and climbing off the bed. “It sounds like your brothers are outside cursing about something.”

“We better go see what’s going on,” she said, pulling her pants up.

We headed outside and found Craig and Chase staring at the flattened tires on their truck.

“What the fuck?” I circled the truck, staring in disbelief. All four tires had been slashed. I glanced over at the Jeep, expecting to see the same thing. But they were intact.

***

“Did the park owners say if anyone else had their tires slashed?” Cheyenne asked as she set cups of steaming hot coffee in front of us.

“They haven’t had any other reports yet,” Craig replied. “The guy was gonna go canvass while we wait for the cops to get here.”

“Why would they slash your tires and nobody else’s?” she questioned, dumping sugar and cream into her mug.

“I have no fucking idea. Cam is gonna lose his shit. We should’ve been on the road back home by now.” Chase sighed heavily as he leaned back in the chair, running his hands through his curly blond locks. “Not to mention Laura. Abby is teething. Kept her up all night. Ma has an appointment in Burlington this afternoon. So Laura can’t even catch a nap.

“She’ll have to take Ma, and Patty will have to look after all the kids. Cam can’t leave if we aren’t back.”

“You guys are here until tomorrow, right?” Craig asked.

“Yeah,” I replied. “But we didn’t have much planned. Just park activities. We did the poutine festival last night. That was the main attraction for this stop.”

A white police cruiser with French writing on the side drove up, stopping on the edge of the grass. Two male cops got out and walked toward us. The campground owners pulled in behind on a golf cart.

“Bonjour,” the taller cop said, reaching out his hand to me.

“Hi. Abraham McLean.”

“I’m Officer Martin. My partner, Officer Durand. I understand you had some vandalism last night?” He spoke with a strong French accent.

“My friends did. They were just visiting us for the night.”

“Who owns the vehicle that was vandalized?”

“I do,” Chase said. “Chase Carson.”

The officer jotted some notes on his pad. “Did you have any altercation with any person in the park while you were here?”

“No,” Chase said, shaking his head. “We drove up from Vermont last night to visit my sister. We never left the campsite all night.”

“You’re the sister?” Officer Durand asked, addressing Cheyenne.

“Yes. Cheyenne Carson.”

“Who owns the RV?”

“It’s a rental,” I explained. “We’re working for Twenty-First Century Parks, traveling across Canada promoting their campgrounds.”

“Just you and your girlfriend?”

“Yes,” I replied, liking the sound of that. My ~girlfriend~.

“Have you had any other trouble on your trip?” Officer Durand asked.

“No. Not all.”

“It’s a little strange that someone slashes only one set of tires in the whole park. Seems targeted.” Officer Martin stared at Chase with his eyebrow cocked.

“I have no idea why,” Chase said, shrugging. “I don’t have any enemies. I didn’t piss anybody off here. Not that I know of anyway.”

“Okay. We will file a report. That’s about all we can do at this point.”

“Thanks for coming,” I said, shaking the officer’s hand.

“Here’s my card. If you have any further trouble while you’re here, call me.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the card.

***

I barely slept that night. After Craig and Chase got new tires and headed home, we just relaxed for the rest of the day. Before bed, I turned on all the outside lights and kept the inside lit up in the living area.

The last thing I wanted to do was wake up to flat tires on the Jeep or the RV. I got up several times and went outside to make sure nobody was around.

“What’s wrong, baby,” Cheyenne mumbled when I climbed back in bed for the gazillionth time that night.

“Nothing, sweetheart,” I whispered, kissing her forehead. “Go back to sleep.”