“On what?”
Oh, Bella … Bella … Bella …
“The stuffing.”
“I didn’t know there was milk in stuffing.”
I gave her a tight smile as I set a pitcher of orange juice on the table for the boys and their girlfriends. “Well, you’ve never made stuffing before.”
“My mom doesn’t use milk in stuffing, but I suppose there are different recipes that call for different things,” Chelsea, Linc’s vocal little minx, piped in.
“But a whole carton?” Bella probed as she washed cranberries for me.
“No. I used the milk in the potatoes too.” I really should have said potatoes to begin with.
“Emma’s lactose intolerant, so make sure you let her know everything you added milk to,” Chase mumbled while focused on his phone.
“I’ll go get milk,” Finn said.
“No!” I took a slow breath as my reaction drew everyone’s attention. “I mean. Don’t be silly. You have a friend here. Just relax.”
“I can run and get it.”
I frowned at Bella even though she didn’t see me while facing the sink. She had done enough by inviting Kael and Dan inside earlier for coffee … which led to the milk shortage.
“I’ll go get it. I could use some fresh air after spending all morning prepping food.”
“I’ll go start the Tahoe to let it warm up for you.” See … I did teach Linc some manners.
“I’m not leaving right now.” I glanced at the clock on the microwave. “I’ll leave in about forty-five minutes.”
Linc gave me a suspicious eye squint.
I cleared my throat and headed toward the stairs. “I have a few things to do first. That’s all.” Before anyone could question my peculiar behavior, I hustled up the stairs to find sanctuary in my bedroom.An hour later, I pulled into the convenience store parking lot just as Kael exited the building with a shit-eating grin, sexy swagger, and two cartons of milk. He deposited the milk into the back of his truck, climbed into the driver’s seat, and pulled out of the parking lot.
“Where are you going?” I mumbled, following him despite my better judgment whispering in my ear, begging me to get my own milk and go home to my kids. But after walking in on Gwen scolding Chase for farting—using the words a fart is not a mating call—I felt my outing could be extended a smidge. It seemed unlikely that the cellphone-obsessed generation would be keeping track of the time.
A mile outside of Epperly, Kael pulled down a gravel road, and I had to put my Tahoe in four-wheel drive to follow him. It stopped at a dead end on the outskirts of a wooded area and the creek the kids used to hike along and play in when they were younger. He hopped out of his truck, holding a bag in one hand. With his other hand, he opened my door.
“My lady …” He held out his free hand.
I rolled my eyes. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
I took his hand and jumped down into the snow. He shut my door then opened the door behind the driver’s seat.
My laughter filled the crisp air around us with no place to go but across dormant fields and through the naked limbs of trees lining the creek.
“My lady …” He grinned, and I climbed into the back of the Tahoe.
“What’s in the bag?” I scooted over to make room for him.
“Treats.” He shut the door.
We sat on opposite sides in the back of my Tahoe with grins on our faces. It was odd and kind of amazing for no explainable reason.
“So …” he angled his body toward mine a bit “…do you come here often?”
I snickered. “Um … not as much as I used to when the kids were young. Of course, we’d bring the snowmobiles and drive them in that field over there.” I pointed out Kael’s window. “And in the summer the kids loved playing in the creek just beyond these trees. How about you? Do you come here often?”
Kael pinched his bottom lip, but it didn’t erase his grin. “This morning, my dad showed me this road. It’s where they pulled off for her to give birth to me. I think I knew even then … that one day I’d come back to this spot with someone special.”
I blew on my hands. “You are so full of it.”
“Sometimes.” He smirked.
“Your parents … that’s a lot of years of happily-ever-after. I’m having trouble figuring out your philosophy on life.”
“That’s good. I’d hate to be boring … or worse … predictable. Where’s the fun in that?”
“True. But I feel a little guilty that everyone else seems to know you better than I do. Tillie knew about your mom dying and probably a hundred other things I don’t know about you. Bella asked you some good questions this morning that revealed a part of you I knew nothing about. Yet … I’m the one …”