I was thankful to see Vince feeling much better now and felt like shit knowing that it was mostly an issue of not giving him enough fluids. I was the worst parent in the world. I couldn’t look at him. I felt so ashamed of myself.
“Dad, are we going home now?” he asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes. I knew he hated the hospital. There was this frightening aura that lingered around that place, making him feel uneasy to be in a place where needles and knives were used to cure people. Seeing his face was heartbreaking.
“Yeah, buddy. Everything’s fine now.” I held his hand tighter as we exited the hospital, walking toward the parking lot.
Going home, I had a heavy heart. It had been a long day, and I was weary as hell. Linda would have known what to do when he first got sick; my ex-wife would have understood the signs and symptoms.
I asked the same questions I’d asked a million times. Why weren’t we enough for her?
As soon as we got home, I looked over and noticed Vince was sleeping beside me. I didn’t wake him up, but instead carried him into the house and took him straight to his bed so he could rest.
Just when I was about to leave his room, I heard the doorbell ring. I walked to see who it was and found my beautiful neighbor standing on the porch. Kylie. I opened the door, and she stood before me, beautiful yet simple in her usual, cowgirl getup. My day brightened up almost immediately.
“Hi,” she spoke, smiling at me. She had a container of something in her hands that smelled like heaven.
“Hi, pretty girl.” I moved back and let her in. Before she set a foot inside, she handed over what she was holding in her hands. “What’s this?”
I opened the lid of the container, curious to what’s inside.
“I made some stuffed chicken and mashed potatoes, and I thought Vince would love to try it out.” Her cheeks were flushed, bringing that rose color to her fair white skin.
“Thanks for these, I’m sure they are good.” My stomach rumbled, and I reached out, pulling her close and kissing her cheek. “Stay for a little bit?”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” She walked into the living room and took a seat on my couch, looking like she belonged there. She looked around as if searching for something. “Where’s Vince?”
I gave her a pitiful look, recalling my poor parenting. “He’s still down with the flu. We spent the day in the ER because I was so worried about him this morning.”
Fear raced across her pretty face. “Oh, no! Is he okay? Can I see him?”
It warmed me to know she wanted to. “Yeah. He’s better. Come on.” I walked her to Vince’s room. He was still sound asleep, sawing logs.
“Poor baby.” She walked in and got on her knees, leaning over and kissing his forehead. Foreign emotions filled the center of my chest. I was falling in love with the girl. She got up and joined me back in the hall, the worry in her eyes matching mine for sure.
“I guess you’re forced to share the dinner with me instead,” I kidded.
She looked pleased with the suggestion and went to follow me back into the kitchen. “I swear it’ll make another dish of it tomorrow for Vince to try out.”
“That sounds great. I need to take him back up to the doctor’s office tomorrow instead of the hospital just for a quick check up. They’re wanting to watch him until he’s back to being a hundred percent.” I unpacked the meal she brought. It looked inviting and tasty. “This look great, Kylie. You didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to.” She put a few things on the table and sat down, a smile lifting her perfect lips.
I grabbed a bottle of wine from my pantry and two glasses and joined her. Something about having her there was so right. It left the day not feeling so damn gloomy.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s eat.” It felt like a candlelight dinner out at a five-star restaurant except that we were here at my dining room table instead. Despite the simplicity of the ambiance, the vibe felt romantic; it felt right. It was one of the simplest yet best things in life. Free and beautiful and unforgettable.
“So, Vince just has the flu?” She took a bite of her meal and watched me.
“Yeah. We’re going to do a few tests soon to make sure it’s nothing else, but the doctor seemed pretty confident.” I licked at my folk and watched her closely. “Did you see the side yard when you came up today? Those damn hogs tore it up again.”
She laughed hard. “Those hogs have been tearing up both of our lands for a while, Hunter. Someone needs to get out there and turn them into bacon.”
“That is not bacon anyone is going to want to eat.” I snorted and reached for her hand. “I haven’t gotten them yet, but I swear I’ll make them suffer.” I sounded villainous, but she found my teasing amusing.
“I would love to watch you do that.” She finally gave her laughter a rest and posed a pretty smile instead.
My pulse picked up as I studied her. She was far too beautiful for a man like me, too innocent, though I’d taken her virginity as my own already. I wanted her again, the voice in my screaming for me to reach out and take her.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to put on a show for you when I finally get to it.” I smiled, but the expression faded as my thoughts shifted back to Vince.