Page 21 of Truly (Peachwood Falls #2)

L uke

I burst out laughing. “What the hell is this?”

The barn is not only clean but it is also organized . And I didn’t do it .

My chest warms as I glance back at the house and wonder if Laina did it.

I can imagine her out here in Kennedy’s pink boots with a pair of leggings and a tank top that leaves little to the imagination.

She’s as adorable as shit, and she has been helping me more willingly.

I only had to coax her with oral once yesterday .

But to imagine her out here on her own is wild.

And so fucking hot.

I leave everything from the feed store in my truck except the present I bought Laina. I’m almost to the porch before she throws open the door and waves.

“That trip took entirely too long,” she says, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing the hell out of me.

“I could get used to this.”

I scoop an arm under her ass and lift. Her legs lock around my waist as she kisses me again.

“Did you clean the barn?” I ask, stepping inside and closing the door behind us with my foot.

Her eyes sparkle. “Do you like it?”

“No. I love it. That was so sweet. Thank you, Pumpkin.”

She bites her lip. “Every time you call me that, I think of your tattoo, and then I want you to fuck me. It’s automatic. Boom, boom, boom.”

“Your wish is my command.”

“No, actually, put me down.” She unwinds herself from me. “I did something else, and it’s fantastic. I think you’re going to love it.”

“Wow. You cleaned the barn and did something else? You’re on fire today.”

“It’s been a good day. But also, your one-hour trip turned into four. I had time to kill. What happened?”

I hand her a pink shirt from the feed store. “First, I got you a present.”

She unfolds it and then giggles. “They even make them in pink?”

“Hey, women are farmers, too.”

“Well, I can’t wait to wear this. Thank you for being so sweet to me.”

I pour myself a glass of tea. “You’re my lady. Of course, I have to be sweet to you.”

She beams.

“What’s this other surprise?” I ask, taking a sip. “Tell me it’s lingerie.”

She makes a face. “No. It’s a cake.”

I laugh. “A cake?”

“Hang on.”

The garage door opens and then closes. Laina comes around the corner carrying a two-layer cake covered in chocolate icing. It tilts slightly to the side, despite her attempt at leveling it out with extra icing and cherries.

It’s the cutest damn cake I’ve ever seen.

“I was going through a cookbook I found in the back of a drawer,” she says.

I lift a brow, making her laugh.

“And this recipe looked delicious. You had all the stuff—major green flag right there, by the way—so I whipped it up like a professional baker.”

I start to tease her about the last cake she made … and burned. But I think she’s actually quite proud of herself this time. There’s no way in hell I’m diminishing that.

“What flavor is it?” I ask.

“You had a yellow cake mix, so I used that. But I put in a secret ingredient that’s supposed to make it smoother and richer. Then I made the chocolate icing.” She draws her finger around the edge of the cake plate, covering the tip in a thick layer of icing. “Here. Try it.”

She offers it to me. I grab her wrist, then suck the icing off, nipping the tip of her finger with my teeth.

It sends a line of fire straight to my cock.

I don’t know how I’m keeping up with her.

She wants to fuck three or four times a day—I’m here for it.

I’ll never say no—but I wonder how long she can keep up that pace.

It’ll be a fun experiment.

“That was very, very good,” I say. “Do you know what you should do?”

“Take this to the bedroom and roll all over it and then make you lick it off me?”

I nod. “Scratch my idea. Let’s do yours.”

She giggles. “What was your idea?”

“Take that with us to Mom and Dad’s tonight for dinner.”

Her eyes grow wary as she sets the cake on the counter. “Your mom is an excellent cook.”

“So? That cake is amazing. She’ll love it.”

“I don’t know …”

I pull her into a hug and kiss the top of her head. “Don’t do anything you don’t want to do. But I’m proud of you and your cake, and I want to show you off.”

She looks up at me. The pride in her eyes melts my heart. “Really? Or are you screwing with me?”

“I only screw you in the bedroom.”

Although, that’s not true. We’ve screwed in the bathroom, the dining room, the living room, and the kitchen table … Any room where clothes can be removed, they’ve been removed.

I press a long, lingering kiss to her lips. “I’m serious about the cake. Just think about it. If you don’t want to take it, I’m happy to leave it here and eat the whole damn thing.”

Please be good, or else I’m going to have to get very crafty with hiding pieces of cake.

I follow Laina into the living room. She waits for me to sit, then curls up in my lap. It’s her favorite spot, it seems.

“Sorry for taking longer than I said I would today,” I say, sweeping her hair off her shoulder. “Tucker—do you remember him? He owns a trucking company in town.”

“I don’t think I do.”

“Anyway, he called and asked me to swing by. He wants to put a benefit together for Cotton. They were good buddies. Their farms are side by side.”

“That’s nice of him.”

I nod, my chest tightening as I think of Cotton. “Tucker isn’t much of an extrovert, so he asked me and Gavin to help him put it together.”

“You’re going to?”

“Of course. I’ve been thinking of ways to show him our support. But we can’t just take food over there or go visit him since they’ve already left for Chicago.”

She rests her head against my chest. “What’s the plan?”

“Cotton started a community charity a long time ago that helps kids access horses. It’s expensive, and stables aren’t always close.

Through his program, kids from Peachwood County can take lessons free at any participating stable.

I think all the stables around here are involved.

” I smile. “It’s his pride and joy. We’re going to hold a fundraiser, so Cotton knows it will remain funded for a while.

Who knows what’ll happen to it once he’s gone. ”

“What are you going to do?”

“What started as a simple idea has steamrolled into about ten,” I say, chuckling.

Par for the fucking course for my family.

“I think we’re going to organize a car show next month.

All of Cotton’s friends are old car collectors, so they’ll be happy to participate, I’m sure.

Gavin talked to The Wet Whistle, and they will donate all profits on the day of the car show to Cotton’s family.

Mom is organizing an auction. Dad and Chase are putting together a fishing tournament the next day since a lot of the car guys will still be in town.

And I’m going to organize a tack sale. That’ll bring in all the horse people from all over.

Kennedy and Kate want to expand it to a community-wide garage sale. We’ll see.”

I stop when I notice Laina’s body shaking softly.

“Hey,” I say, nudging her.

She doesn’t look up at me.

“Hey,” I say again, peeling her away so I can see her face.

Tears stream down her pretty little cheeks, leaving black mascara trails behind. Her lips are pouty as they tremble.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, confused. “What happened?”

“Why are you guys so damn nice?”

She starts crying again. This time, I try not to laugh.

“Oh, Laina,” I say, pulling her against me again. “I have no idea why that makes you cry, but I’m sorry? I think? I guess.”

“Don’t be sorry. There’s nothing to be sorry over. It just … I’m a little emotional today.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.

She sits quietly, sniffling every now and then. I don’t push her to open up, but I just comfort her, letting her know I’m here.

Finally, she straightens up and pulls her hair back into a ponytail.

“When is all of this happening?” she asks.

“We’re shooting for three weeks from this Saturday if we can get it all put together and get the word spread fast enough.”

“Well, I can help with that.”

My brows pull together. “How?”

“I don’t want to announce it quite yet because I might have to move some things around. I don’t know. But I want to help. Would there be room for me to put together some kind of a concert?”

I’m stunned. My jaw hangs open, and I stare at her. Is she serious ?

“Maybe we can rent the college football stadium in Fairwood,” she says.

“It’s half an hour from here, but we could do it on Friday and advertise the Saturday activities.

Or do it on Sunday and hopefully bring people to town on Saturday.

I could do two concerts, one in the morning and one in the evening.

I’ll pay for security and the insurance, refreshments.

Whatever we make, we donate to your friend. ”

The center of my chest burns. I press a palm to my forehead and stare at her, speechless.

“I just want to do something,” she says. “My name has been used to draw attention to a lot of rich people and inconsequential bullshit. I’m just … I’m over it. I’m taking control like I should’ve a long time ago. What better place to start than to help the community I grew up in?”

“Laina, I don’t know what to say. This is an incredible offer.”

She kisses me softly. “Don’t say anything. This kind of thing is long overdue.”

I wrap her in my arms and rock her back and forth. I love you so fucking much .

The words are on my tongue, ready to slip into the air and world. But I’m not sure if she’s ready to hear them yet.

My life has been so lonely, so incomplete, without her.

I can see that now. I’ve survived but barely lived.

I’ve worked hard and built my business, and I’ve had fun with my family.

I’ve even gone on dates. But this? Having Laina in my house to welcome me home, to be eager for me to get here?

There’s absolutely nothing better. I’m sure of it.

We have to be at Mom’s in two hours, and I need a shower and a shave. But I can’t convince myself to get up with her in my lap.

This is what I always imagined it would feel like to have Laina here. Warm and full … like a home .

“I fired my dad today,” she whispers.

I flinch. “What?”

“It’s true. I called Anjelica and talked to her and Coy, and they’re getting the ball rolling. Coy has someone who might be a good fit for me to meet with next week. Regardless, I’m no longer having my father involved in my business.”

Oh fuck . I lace my fingers together at her chest. “Did something happen? Or is this just something that needed to be done?”

“Both.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m tired of everyone making decisions for me like I’m a child that can’t possibly know what’s best for herself. And I heard that Tom and my father were at a golf thing together.”

I bristle at the information.

How could her dad be in the same room with Tom Waverly? I don’t give a shit that he’s a powerful movie star. Tom obviously hurt his daughter. How is he not throwing punches, let alone playing golf with the fucker?

“It gets worse, if you can imagine that,” she says, her body going rigid. “A reporter apparently brought up the wedding, and Tom, with my dad standing right there, said we decided to do something more intimate. That I just got cold feet.”

I take a breath to keep myself from exploding.

“Are you mad?” she asks.

“I’m pissed.”

Her head falls forward. “I’m sorry. I had no idea, or I would’ve warned you, and I never imagined he would?—”

“ Whoa ,” I say, twisting her until she’s facing me. I hold her face in my hands. “What are you doing?”

“I’m apologizing.”

“For what?” I kiss her forehead. “Don’t apologize for other people’s bullshit. I know you had nothing to do with that.”

Her eyes widen. “You do?”

“Of course, I do. What did you think? That I’d believe a punk that’s bitter that his beautiful girl realized what a clown he is and left him?” I tap her on the nose. “ Come on . You know I’m smarter than that.”

Relief melts off her. The worry is replaced with a sly smile.

“How much time do we have before we have to go to your mom’s?” she asks.

“A couple of hours. Why?”

“I know a way you can kill an hour.” She hops to the floor. “What did we decide to do with that cake?”

My balls tighten. “It’s up to you.”

“I’ll bake your mom another one. This one is tilted anyway.”

She scoots into the kitchen, leaving me laughing behind.

God, I love this woman.

I really, really do.