Chapter 27

I shut the window and turn to Easton. My eyes slide up and down his body. He looks like a daydream, a wild fantasy of mine.

He sighs heavily, pulls me toward him, and rests his hand around my waist. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.” I slide my lips across his because it feels so right.

“I blame you for this.” He chuckles.

“Why?” I pull away.

“Because your timing is always shit,” he says.

My head falls back on my shoulders and I can’t hide the laughter. “That’s true. But it’s about the chase, isn’t it? Guess you’ll have to be patient.”

He leans forward, capturing my earlobe in his mouth. Then he whispers, “I’d wait a lifetime for you.”

“Are you even real?” I ask.

My fingers thread through his hair as his teeth nibble against my skin, and goose bumps trail over my body as he kisses me.

Butterflies swarm inside my belly and I desperately gasp. I can’t believe this man could be mine.

“As far as I know,” he says. “Do I feel real?”

“Yes.”

I’m not sure if my heart is ready for this. It’s still shattered and not fully repaired, and I’m afraid Easton will be the one to break it, especially with that smile.

My stomach growls and he tilts his head. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” I laugh. “Lost track of time, I guess.”

“Seems to happen a lot. First food … then dessert.”

Before he walks away, I grab his hand, pulling him back to me, my eyes trailing over his tattoos. I reach forward, tracing the outlines of the clouds on his shoulder. “Easton, wait. Did you draw these?”

His blue eyes sparkle. “You noticed?”

“It’s your specific style,” I say, walking around him, gazing at his left shoulder, noticing his ink tells a story across his chest and down his arms and back. “It’s the big life-changing moments.”

“Yes,” he says breathlessly.

I steal a glance, my eyes trailing over him like he’s living artwork, a gorgeous canvas of a man. As I study him, he doesn’t take his gaze from me.

I move in front of him. “You’re hiding your talent in plain sight.”

“You’re the only person who knows.”

I paint my lips across his. “All your secrets are safe with me. Now, let’s go eat some biscuits and gravy.”

“Pass,” he says. “Do they deliver?”

Laughter bursts out of me. “You’re not in the city anymore, Dorothy.”

“You’ll learn everything is deliverable for the right price, my little heartbreaker.”

“I guess. So, why is Weston here?” I ask curiously as I slide on my shoes.

“As a distraction. For us.”

I smirk. “So, he’ll pretend to be you?”

“No, but people will assume. And he won’t let them think otherwise.”

“He’s your decoy?”

Easton nods. “When necessary.”

I wake to an empty bed. For a brief moment, disappointment covers me like a warm blanket. I grab my phone and check the time. When I see it’s nine a.m., I realize I slept in and missed breakfast.

I pull a pair of faded jeans with ripped knees and a Nirvana T-shirt from my suitcase, then slide on my Converse. After I brush my teeth and get dressed, I go downstairs.

I immediately run into Summer.

“Good morning,” she says, pulling me into a tight hug. We’re the same age, and we graduated high school together. “It’s so good to see you. You’re glowing.”

“You too! Congrats on the pregnancy, ma’am. Remi told me. I’m happy for you.”

She smiles. “Thank you. We’re excited about it. Just praying it’s not twins.”

“Oh goodness, for your sake, I hope so too,” I say, looking around, seeing if Easton is anywhere inside.

She lifts a brow. “He’s on the back porch. Oh, and I think they ate all the pancakes, but I can make more if you’d like.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Thank you for everything.”

She smiles. “I was relieved when Remi texted me yesterday and told me you were staying. I thought I would be dealing with an asshole through the weekend,” she admits.

“Ah, yeah. You still are,” I tell her with a laugh. “But he’s calmed down. I think.”

“Okay, well, I’ll let you get to it.” She shoos me away.

I open the back door and see the Calloway brothers sitting in rocking chairs next to one another. I move in front of them, crossing my arms over my chest, looking between them. They’re wearing the same thing. Both of them smirking, mirror images of one another.

I take a step forward.

“Ah. Are you choosing correctly?” he asks with a clenched jaw.

“Don’t want to embarrass anyone,” the other says, sipping from a mug with a brow raised.

The fact that they are each wearing jeans, a black T-shirt, and a light-blue jacket that makes their eyes look like the sky doesn’t help me any.

“Did you plan the twin thing today?”

Neither says a word, and this feels like a test, one I don’t want to fail. Maybe I’m too confident in my decision, but I take a step forward, lean over, and place my lips inches from who I believe is Easton.

The real one wouldn’t be able to handle this if I got it wrong, and when I don’t hear any protest, I kiss him. Immediately, he kisses me back. His hand threads into my hair as he pulls me onto his lap.

“Please tell me I guessed right, or this is going to be embarrassing,” I whisper with a laugh.

“You did,” he says, brushing his fingers through my strands. “Did you sleep okay?”

I nod, knowing he held me until I fell asleep last night. By the time we ate, we were too tired to do anything but sleep. I felt safe with his strong arms wrapped around me.

Weston bursts into laughter. “Oh, so you know, for future reference, I’d stick my tongue in your mouth.”

Easton’s jaw clenches. “No, he wouldn’t.”

“He has no idea what I’d do.” Weston sips his coffee, grinning as he stares forward at the pasture, where a few training horses are grazing.

I can tell he enjoys pushing Easton’s buttons, but I know he has his brother’s best interests in mind.

Always. That’s indisputable.

I focus back on Easton. “How were your pancakes this morning?”

“I was polite,” he tells me, grumbling. “For you.”

“Thank you,” I say. “It’s called Southern hospitality. You accept food, eat it, and say thank you with a smile.”

“This will take some adjusting,” he admits. “I’m accustomed to saying no and meaning it.”

“Not while you’re here,” I say.

“Not when I’m with you,” he corrects.

“I like seeing you two like this,” Weston says. “Don’t even have to pretend.”

Our heads snap toward him.

“So, when is the wedding?” he asks casually, rocking back and forth.

“Sometime within the next thirty-one days,” Easton confirms. “Don’t ask me again. I know you’re keeping count.”

Brody comes from around the house, steps onto the porch, and stretches. Sweat covers his shirt, and he’s wearing athletic gear and running shoes. His muscles bulge out of his clothes, and I can’t help but notice that his legs are covered in tattoos too.

“Okay, you’re scary as hell,” I say. “I think I do like having you as my bulky shadow.”

I turn my focus back to Easton. “If we want to visit my mother today, we should probably get going. I believe she has a book club meeting tonight at five. Also, can we go alone?”

Easton tucks loose strands of hair behind my ear. “If that’s what you want.”

Weston snickers, and we ignore him.

“Brody, have fun hanging out with that one today,” I say, pointing at Weston.

He shrugs, then grabs the handle of the screen door. “I’ll be upstairs, showering.”

I stand and pull Easton with me. “I’d like to take you around town first. Grab a mocha. Maybe we can visit the bookstore?”

“If it will make you happy.”

“Very much.”

“Consider it done. When would you like to leave?” He checks his watch.

“Now,” I say. “I’d love to get the family stuff over with right after lunch.”

“Let’s do it,” he tells me.

“Remember, the world is watching,” Weston reminds us.

Easton shakes his head as we walk through the B & B. Summer is on the phone and gives us a wave as we exit out the front door.

I stand on the porch, looking at the car. “I can’t believe it’s here.”

“I don’t believe in serendipitous events, but⁠—”

“So, you’re letting me drive?”

He meets my eyes, taking a pause. When he lifts the keys and places them in my outstretched palm, I clamp my fingers around them and pause.

“Seriously? This isn’t a cruel joke?”

“What do you think?” He smirks.

I jump into his arms, wrapping my arms around him. He holds me against him, lifting me with his strong hands under my ass as I kiss him. Carefully, he walks us toward the car.

“Thank you,” I say.

He carefully sets me on the ground and opens the door for me. “Please don’t make me regret this.”

I place my hand on his shoulder. “I’ll drive it like I stole it.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Then, I slide inside, sitting behind the red steering wheel with the cobra in the middle. I’m in the twilight zone, driving this car in Valentine. It’s more like a dream come true.

Easton climbs into the passenger side, opens the glove compartment, and pulls out a pair of Ray-Bans.

“I think I’m having déjà vu,” I tell him as he buckles.

He leans over, captures my lips with his, and smiles against my mouth. “I don’t even fucking think so. Unless my brother kissed you.”

“No, he didn’t. He knew better.”

I crank the engine, and it roars to life. I press the clutch, putting it into reverse. Rocks kick up when I give it gas, peeling out. The power beneath my hands is like nothing I’ve ever felt, and knowing what this car represents makes me smile. Weston chose it because he knows Easton better than anyone.

“She’s a beast,” I say, patting the red dashboard as dust trails in our wake.

We pass the veterinary clinic, and Cash Johnson—the owner and doctor—unloads bags from the back of his truck. He stops to watch the car in action. Hell, I would too.

“Already turning heads,” Easton says, rolling down the window.

I do the same and hang my arm out the side.

We stop at the end of the driveway; I look both ways, and we take off down the winding mountain road. The smell of fresh air fills the car, and Easton’s messy hair blows in the wind.

“Woohoo!” I scream out the window to nothing. No buildings. Just open land. And cows. And us.

I floor it, and soon, we’re hugging curves, driving eighty miles per hour to town. The power under my hands, combined with the mean growl of the engine, puts a smile on my face. The only regret I have is not being able to show my father.

He’d have been as impressed as me, especially considering the significance of this model in muscle car history. The thought nearly takes hold of me, and I push the sadness away.

“Everything okay?” Easton asks, reaching over and squeezing my shoulder.

He sees me, and I appreciate how he notices me when most don’t.

“Yeah. I was thinking about my dad. He’d have loved this car. Though I think he would’ve wanted to drive it.”

“I’d have let him.”

The thought warms my heart, considering I know how protective he is of his vehicles. Easton’s eyes scan over the mountains. They’re not as big and impressive as Grand Teton, but they are still beautiful. I steal glances as he removes his jacket and tosses it in the back seat.

“That should be illegal.”

“Hmm?”

“You, dressed like that. No wonder you have a fan club.”

He shakes his head.

“To think, until two weeks ago, I didn’t know or care who Easton Calloway was.”

“And now?”

I lick my lips. “I kinda don’t want to share you with the world anymore.”

He gives me a sly grin. “Relatable.”

When we roll into town, people stare.

I park at the grocery store and glance at him. “You coming?”

“Sure,” he tells me, and we get out. “What do you need?”

“It’s not what I need; it’s what we need,” I whisper, walking to the pharmacy section in the back. I stand in front of the limited choices of condoms with my arms crossed. “What size?”

Easton’s glasses cover his eyes, but I notice the ghost of a smile on his lips.

This amuses him.

“What would you guess?” He stands confidently.

I grab the extra-large ones, ribbed for her pleasure.

“Megapack,” I say. “Think we can blow through thirty?”

“In a night?” he quips with a half grin.

We walk to the front. His hand rests on my hip as we wait at the end of the line.

“Self-checkout isn’t an option?” he whispers.

“No one would be in your business if it were,” I tell him over my shoulder as I set the box on the conveyor belt.

“Well, hello, Alexis,” Mrs. Ballard, the clerk, says. Then, she glances down at the massive box of condoms and scans them. Her brows lift. “This all?”

“Oh, one more thing,” I say, grabbing a few candy bars. “In case I get hungry.”

When she gives the total, Easton steps forward, sliding his card. He gives her a smile and a nod, and I think I see her have heart palpitations. As I look around the small space, I realize all eyes are on us. We are center stage right now.

“We don’t need a bag,” I say, and she hands me my goods and the receipt.

“Have a nice day,” she offers.

“Thanks. I think I might,” I tell her with a wink, tossing the box in the air as Easton follows me to the car.

We get inside and he glances my way. “You almost gave that woman a heart attack.”

“No, Easton, you did.” I place the key in the ignition and crank the engine.

“You realize there was a man with a camera across the street.”

I grin. “Just giving them all something to talk about. They can report on that. Everyone in Valentine will know before lunch that I bought a box of extra-large condoms and two candy bars.”

“And tomorrow, the world will know,” he says.

“Are you embarrassed?” I ask, glancing at him before I reverse.

“Fuck no.” He shakes his head like he’s offended.

We drive the short distance and park in front of the coffee shop. We order two iced mochas while, once again, every single person stares at Easton. Then, we take a stroll to Main Street Books. Easton interlocks his fingers with mine and smiles at me.

“I like it here,” he admits as we pass a beauty parlor and a real estate office. “It has charm.”

“It’s home. I miss it when I’m away. But I miss the city too.”

“I get that,” he tells me, pushing open the door to the bookstore.

The bell rings above, and moments later, Hayden Shaw, the owner’s son, greets us. He’s several years older than me, and he’s engaged to Kinsley Valentine. He moved back to town last year and proposed to her on New Year’s Eve.

“Hey, Alexis. You’re popular around here these days,” he says.

Easton flips his glasses on his head and Hayden smiles at him.

“Hayden Shaw,” he says, holding out his hand.

“Easton Calloway.”

They give each other a firm handshake.

“It’s Lexi,” I correct as Easton places his hand on my shoulder, rubbing his thumb across my back. I love having him close. “Call me Alexis again, and I will kick your ass, Shaw,” I threaten.

Hayden chuckles. “Right. Apologies, Lexi. What brings you two in here today?”

“Do you have any Kama Sutra books in stock?” I ask.

Easton chuckles and shakes his head.

Hayden walks past me, leads us down a long aisle, then points at the shelf. “Here ya go.”

“Thanks,” I say, examining the small selection.

“I know what you’re doing,” Easton says, leaning against one of the shelves.

I trail my finger across the titles. “And?”

“You’re feeding the beast. Pregnancy rumors will spread next.”

“That’s going to happen anyway,” I admit, pulling a few from the shelves. “What other reasons do people have to get married so quickly?”

He dips down, kissing me. “You’re right. But you’re fanning the fire.”

“Let it burn,” I tell him. “I think these should do.”

“Beginner, intermediate, and advanced Kama books. Anything else?” he asks.

I nod. “Actually, yes. I want to browse the romance books.”

“Lead the way,” he says, following me across the store, carrying all three sex books in his hands.

When I was younger, I’d save my allowance to buy books I probably shouldn’t have read. I always found Kinsley in here too.

Easton gives me space, watching me as my eyes scan the bright-colored covers that draw attention. I pull a few from the shelves, read each back cover, and slide them back in place.

Easton pulls the ones I picked up and adds them to the stack in his arms. “Any others?”

“What if I wanted them all?” I say, my hand running from the top of the shelf to the bottom.

“Done,” he says.

“No, no, I’m kidding, Easton. You’ll never see me again if you buy these books. Seriously.”

I pluck a few others and add them to the growing stack he’s holding in his arms. “Anything you want?”

“Just you,” he mutters.

“You’ve got me,” I tell him.

“For one year,” he whispers.

When our eyes meet, I can almost imagine the life we could share. I try to push the thoughts away, but they take hold, digging roots deep into my soul. My dad always told me when I found the man I was supposed to be with, I’d know. I thought that man was Beau. But as I look at Easton, the feeling is different. It’s intense, beautiful, dangerous, overwhelming … and I want to be irrational with him.

I swallow down the lump in my throat and take a mental snapshot of him like that—tattoos on display, holding a stack of sex and romance books. I understand why so many have turned him into a thirst trap. It’s too easy.

I smile, hoping I never forget this image of him, exactly like this, with the sunlight shining through the store’s front windows, his eyes softly watching me.

“What?” he asks.

“About the year thing? That’s still to be determined.”

He reaches forward and places the back of his hand on my head. “No fever. Sure you’re not sick?”

I roll my eyes. “I’ll take it back then.”

He wraps his free arm around me. “We’ll see what happens.”

After Easton pays, we make it to the car. He carries my bag of books with one hand and slides his other in the pocket of my jeans, holding me against him. I can’t help but glance at him.

“The eye-fucking, Alexis,” he says, but it comes out like a low growl.

He’s the master at keeping his head on straight. But I can see behind his glasses that he’s side-eyeing me.

I burst into laughter, tucking my hand into his back pocket. “For show.”

“Bullshit,” he mutters, smirking, pressing his fingertips into my ass, and those butterflies tingle. “I know better now.”

I can’t hold back my smile as we walk the few blocks to the car.

Easton sets the books in the back seat and opens the passenger door for me. “I’m driving now.”

I hand him the keys with a laugh and get inside. “Only because I want you to have the experience.”

He grabs my hand and places a kiss on the knuckles. “I’m in charge here.”

“That’s what you think.” I give him a wink and grab the door handle, closing it.

He taps the roof before he runs around to the driver’s side. After cranking it, he gently revs the engine before we take off.

“Do you know where you’re going?” I ask.

“Yes,” he says, shifting the car into fourth gear, hauling ass.

I look up at the clouds and the blue sky, floating my hand out the window. Fifteen minutes later, he’s turning into my parents’ driveway.

“You know, if you file for divorce, you’ll have to deal with my mother,” I warn.

“If. Nice word choice,” he says, parking and turning off the car. “And I’ll be happy to.”

As Easton opens my door and I step out, I hear my mother saying my name.

“Alexis?” my mother says again.

I give her a warm smile as my nerves get the best of me.

“Hey, Mom! Surprise!”

She walks to the edge of the porch. The shock on her face is evident.

“I want you to meet someone, Mama. This is Easton Calloway. My boyfriend and the man I’m marrying,” I say with Calloway confidence.

He grabs my hand and interlocks his fingers with mine. My mother notices, and I think I see her smile.

“Well, you two come inside and catch us all up,” she says, leading the way.

“Us?”

“Your brothers and I were about to eat lunch.”

“They’re here?” I glance at the time on my phone. It’s almost one. I thought they ate lunch each day at eleven.

“Yeah,” she says. “They got caught up in the field today and arrived late. It’s lucky timing that you’re here.”

Easton glances my way. He knows my timing is awful, which can only mean one thing—this might be a total disaster.