Page 54 of Bliss: Part 1
He left out the part where Mom died, but it didn’t matter. Not to me, at least. I didn’t have any reminder of who she was, and while I was sad not having been raised by two parents, I had six men in my life who made Mom’s absence okay.
I nodded at his response and decided that was enough sentimental stuff in a day.
***
I spent most of the next day sitting outside the barn in an old lawn chair that leaned a little too far back. It squeaked every time I shifted, but I didn’t care. The sun was shining, I had a cold drink in my hand, and the guys were finally doing what they’d talked about all evening yesterday: cleaning out the barn.
They weren’t fast. Or particularly efficient. But they were doing it, which was something.
From where I sat, I had a perfect view of them dragging out old shelves, bags of random junk, rusted tools, and a broken recliner that Ashby insisted might be “fixable,” though no one believed him.
Rhys came stumbling out of the barn holding a cracked plastic tub and shaking his head. “I think this used to hold nails, but now it’s just dust and spider eggs. Anyone want a souvenir?”
Dash made a face. “If you throw that at me, I’m setting you on fire.”
Ashby walked behind them carrying a mop that looked like it belonged in a horror movie. “You guys realize we could’ve just lit the whole barn on fire and started from scratch.”
“That’s still plan B,” Tripp said, walking past them with a coil of wire slung over his shoulder. “Let’s try not to burn down our own property unless we absolutely have to.”
From the door, Dash glanced over at me and gave me a small smile. His eyes lingered, and I could tell he was just using the barn cleanup as an excuse to hang out near me. A few seconds later, he broke away from the others, dusted his hands off on his jeans, and walked over.
“You look real cozy over here,” he said, stopping in front of me.
“I’m supervising,” I replied, grinning up at him.
He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek, resting both his hands on either side of the armrests.
“Hey,” I whispered, glancing toward the house just in case Dad or Uncle Odin were looking. Normally, a simple kiss on the cheek wasn’t something to worry about. Dad knew we were close, but since we had gotten that close, I felt like everything we did could be taken out of context.
Dash smiled softly and brushed the tip of his nose against mine. “Just a kiss in the cheek, Lissy. Nothing new.”
“I know. But…” I sighed and pressed my lips together. “I don’t want to risk it.”
Before he could say anything, Tripp’s voice rang out from the barn door.
“Not here,” he called, his tone calm but clear.
Dash stood upright, lifting both hands innocently. “What? I’m just saying hi.”
Tripp gave him a look, then flicked his eyes to me, then back to Dash. “Save it for when you’re alone.”
“Alright, alright.” Dash backed off, but not without sending me one last smile before heading back to help the others.
As they kept dragging things out of the barn and tossing them into the pickup bed or pile by the side, I realized I wasn’t just watching them work. I was watching something new take shape. Something that would be ours. Something that would just be ours.
The basement had been our place for years. But the barn? That was something different. Bigger. A little more grown-up. A little more secret.
***
“Wings, sausages, or steaks?” Odin asked as I walked up to stand beside him at the grill.
He had a pair of metal tongs in his hand and was flipping the meat, making sure nothing got too charred. There was smoke rising from the grill and the smell alone made my stomach growl.
I held out my plate and glanced over the sizzling rows of meat. “One of each, please,” I said, and as he started adding them to my plate, I quickly added, “Actually, maybe two more wings. Just to be safe.”
“Here you go.” He loaded them on without complaint.
“Thanks! You’re coming inside to eat too, right?” I asked, tilting my head to look up at him.
