Page 25 of Rhodes to Love

“Hey, baby,” he said as soon as he answered.

“Hey. You at home?”

“Yep. I wanted you to come out here because I have something to show you.”

“Well, guess who’s on their way?” I giggled. “After I left the diner, I went to KJ’s house and chilled out. The minute I got in my car, I decided I would go to you this time. Besides, I’ve never been to your house.”

“See, we on the same wave. I got something planned for you. I been working on this shit all day, so I hope you love it.”

“If you put that much time into it, I’m sure I’ll love it. Send me your address.”

“You don’t need it. I’m gonna stay on the phone with you while you drive. The easiest way with the least amount of turns is to go to Pine Island Road, but I can direct you from China if you want.”

“Whichever way is quicker. I want to get to you ASAP.”

“Oh yeah? You tryna be on the Rhodes to sexual devastation?”

I giggled. “I just want to be on the Rhodes to limitless cuddles right now.”

“I got you on that front too, wit’ yo’ pretty ass.”

I was waiting for him to say it. I giggled. Whenever he said it, my face heated up like it was the first time I’d heard it, and he’d been saying that since we first met almost eleven years ago. My heart felt light, and this was the feeling I was chasing when we were in Nashville. Maybe I was supposed to stay home, and that was why the Lord allowed that to happen so I would come back. Whatever the reason, I was grateful.

When I ended the call and turned into his driveway, I was amazed. He’d never told me just how beautiful his place was. He had a lot of land on each side of his house, along with a barn, horses, and cattle. I would have never guessed Rhodes had gotten into country living this deep. His long driveway reminded me of my grandparents’ place. I sometimes went there just to feel close to my grandmother. Grandpa had moved out and was living with Aunt Jen and Uncle Carter. He hated being there alone. Plus, his health was failing as well.

When I got close to the house, Rhodes was standing there in some tan Carhartt overalls without a shirt, looking sexy as hell.Jesus Christ.I parked and killed my engine, about to halfway break my neck trying to get to him. He walked to the car with a huge smile on his face. After opening my door and assisting me out of my seat, I practically fell into him. It was like I hadn’t seen him in weeks, and I’d just seen him this morning when he left my house.

“Hey, KD. You look beautiful, baby.”

“Hey, Rosewood. You look so damn sexy, baby.”

He bit his bottom lip and winked at me. I swore, I creamed in my panties. I was so turned on from looking at him. The movement in my belly halted me though. I grabbed his hand and put it to my belly. This was the first time her movements were strong enough where I thought he could feel them. His eyes widened, and he brought his other hand to my belly while going to his knees.

“Hey, daddy’s little princess. You making your presence known, baby girl?”

He glanced up at me and winked. My eyes watered as he continued talking to our baby. Somehow him rubbing my stomach turned into him rubbing my butt. I licked my lips as I stared at him. “She’s not back there.”

He chuckled then stood from the concrete. He pulled me in his arms and kissed my head then leaned over to kiss my lips. Grabbing my hand, he said, “Come out back. I got some shit for you to see.”

I was excited, wondering what he’d done. I looked around at the cattle and the horses, seeing how perfect his piece of heaven really was. When we got to the barn and I saw the dinner table situated right in the middle of it, with bales of hay for us to sit on, my eyes watered. String lights were hung inside, and flowers and candles were spread throughout. I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying not to cry.

“Rhodes… this is beautiful.”

“This is only the beginning, baby.”

He helped me sit on the hay, then he went to the other side and sat as a chef came out with food. When I saw the lamb and mashed potatoes, my eyes darted up to his. He chuckled as another chef came out with grilled shrimp, broccoli, and dinner rolls. This was so amazing. Once the chef lit the candles, he brought back a bottle of wine. I assumed he saw my facial expression, because he said, “It’s non-alcoholic, ma’am.”

I smiled at him as he showed me where it said so on the bottle. Once he poured our wine, he left us alone to enjoy our meal. Rhodes grabbed my hand and said grace, thanking God for this moment in our lives and to bless the food. We indulged in dinner, not talking as much. The silence wasn’t awkward in the least. It felt like the passion was only building in our silence.

As we were finishing up, the chef reappeared with slices of cheesecake. That was one of my favorite desserts, and I couldn’t believe he remembered that. He gave me a smirk as the chef bid us a good night. I practically inhaled my dessert because I was anxious to see what else he had prepared. When I heard the horse whinny, my heart sank a bit. I was hoping he didn’t want to take me horseback riding. That could be really risky. Although I was a professional, I didn’t know his horse’s mannerisms. If he bucked me off, it could really hurt our baby.

Instead of saying anything about that, I allowed him to lead me out of the barn, only to see a horse and carriage. I was so damn excited. I jumped right onto him, and he caught me in his arms. “Calm yo’ pretty ass down, KD,” he said through his laughter.

After helping me onto the carriage, he joined me and circled his arm around me. “Rhodes, this is so beautiful, baby. Wow.”

“I wanna cater to you like this all the time. If that shit mean I don’t work another day in my life, then so be it. I want you to have as much of my time as you need. I’m thankful for my parents, because it gave me hella options. Tell me, though, can you see yourself being with me forever?”

I turned to him and said, “Absolutely. We just have to get my family on board. KJ said he’s going to do his best. It will definitely be harder to get the men on board than the women. Their opinions mean a lot to me. It won’t stop me from being with you, but it will make me happier if y’all were able to get along.”

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