Page 27 of A Cowboy Home for Christmas
His mouth nestles in the back of my hair. “You’re so fucking gorgeous.” He kisses the back of my neck, and then he’s off toward the table juggling two plates and a bottle of syrup.
I’m left a little breathless. A lot turned on. I walk to the table feeling renewed and energized.
“These look a lot like my secret snowman flapjacks.” Marilyn suspiciously spins her plate as if thoroughly examining the pancakes.
“We can’t disclose our secret recipe.” Barker says as we sit down.
“What do snowmen eat for breakfast?” Joe holds the joke book.
“What?!” The girls bounce in their seats.
“Snowflakes.”
We dig into the flapjacks. When Savi and Alison join us, the girls fetch them plates. Savi wears another winter beanie to cover her bed-head, and I’m surprised when she doesn’t make a jab at me all during breakfast. I’m more surprised to find I’m not angry like I felt last night. I hadn’t even remembered to be angry when Alison first sat down with us. I’m simply overjoyed to see Lark not picking at her food, and Clara not refusing everything I offer her. It’s been months of fighting with my girls. But this morning, they’re in delightful moods, and I’m absorbing every wonderful second of it.
There’s something different about me, too. I feel it to my core. Like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Marilyn told me to stop pretending, and I listened. And for the first time in years, I feel relieved ... happy, even. A different kind of happy. One for me. Only me. One I don’t have to twist and turn to be acceptable by others.
After breakfast, Barker offers to help me with the dishes while the girls play on their iPads in the living room. Savi is perched in a chair by the window scrolling her phone. Alison is - well, I’m not sure where she’s disappeared too, and I don’t care.
“I reckon we’re heading out. Lark, Clara, git your boots on.” Joe bangs his cane on the floor.
I pull the drain out of the sink. “I have to shower and get dressed.”
“We can see that.” Marilyn shrugs on a lambs wool cardigan, the same beige tones as her thick belt. She’s brushed her long silver hair into a long braid that touches her buttock. “Why is it the youngest and the oldest are ready and the rest of y’all are still in your jammies?”
Savi looks up from her screen. “What’s going on? What’s the rush? Ain’t this a holiday?”
I bite back a smile. Relaxation on holidays isn’t something my girls understand.
“We’re going to get the girls their fox passes while y’all get ready.” Marilyn collects the iPads, turns them off, and sets them on the table.
“Awe.”
“Drats.”
“Chop, chop.” Marilyn claps her hands.
“What’s a fox pass?” Clara picks up a pink cowboy boot, and a beige cowboy boot with a floral pattern. She compares them in the mirror with her denim and peach floral dress.
“It’s a pass that gives us access to all kinds of fun things the lodge has to offer. The Santa Key Adventure, golf, the arcade, the snow maze, and we’ll have to see what else is included.”
“I want to go to the arcade.” Lark doesn’t care which boots she chooses. They’re on her feet, and she’s jumping by the doorway.
“We’ll meet y’all in the lobby.” Marilyn waves at us.
“Hurry up!” Lark shouts.
Clara pulls on her second beige boot, gives me a quick hug, and chases her Meemaw out the door.
“Hurry up,” Savi mutters, stomping to her room.
She slams her bedroom door.
The front door slams shut.
I’m left alone with Barker. We stand under the kitchen archway, and I’m fully aware of the shared shower upstairs waiting for us.
He slides his arm around my waist. Heat sears through my clothes. Our sides rub. We might only be standing side-by-side, but the action sends desire surging through my body.
