Page 12 of Honeymoon Phase
“Luke,” she groans my name, and it sounds unintentionally sexual. She sets her bowl inside the sink and turns on her heel to look me in the eyes. “Can we have a beer before you start giving me the third degree again? I’ve missed you.”
She has no idea how much those three little words mean to me. I’ve missed her too. A lot. My eyes do a quick sweep of her body, refamiliarizing myself with all her curves. Roe is a stocky little thing with muscles that put many grown men to shame. Round shoulders, noticeable triceps, and quads that I have caught myself ogling more times than I should. And her ass. My God. Working in the lumberyard most of her life has developed her body in ways that should be a crime against humanity. Though I think some of these muscles are thanks to the recreational women’s rugby she played for several years in her early twenties. Either way, she’s a beast. The limited times I’ve had my hands on her have taught me that she could kick my ass in a wrestling match. And it’d be the best ass-kicking of my entire life.
But it wasn’t her looks that I fell for first. It was who she is at her core. She chooses essence over appearance. Tonight, she’s dressed in pale green spandex shorts and a matching high-neck tank top. The little sliver of her olive skin at the waistband peeks out showing that she’s fit, but she still eats. The perfect blend of soft and hard. Like a wild river carving its own path through a manicured garden. She’s got a faint sign of makeup that’s probably from the day before, knowing her, and a smile that could cheer me up after the worst of days.
Her long black hair is folded up into a clip and her hazel eyes make me forget what I was even mad at her for.
“I missed you too,” I say, sounding a bit breathless and fighting the urge to walk over and wrap her in a giant bear hug.
“I hope you also missed some spice because I may have overdone it on this batch of jambalaya.”
Shaking myself out of my stupor, I look down to crack open a bottle of beer and hold it up to her. With a smirk, she pads over in her bare feet and hoists herself up onto the counter beside me. She waits for me to crack mine before clinking our bottles together and taking a sip.
“What’s new on Fletcher Mountain? What’s happening? Tell me all the things.”
My brows lift, trying to decide where to start. “Well, Dakota moved into Calder’s cabin.”
“That didn’t take long,” Roe laughs and shakes her head while taking another long sip. “I could see it in Mexico.”
I offer a tight smile wishing my Mexico trip turned out a bit more like Calder’s. “It’s a whole different mood on the peak now. Very... domestic.”
“Yuck.”
“Yeah, yuck,” I huff and drink nearly half the contents of my beer before wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans. “Dakota’s cool though. And Stevie is getting so big. Going to be one soon, which is wild to me.”
“Has Everly gone back to Dublin yet?”
“Not yet. Two more weeks.”
She nods thoughtfully. “You’re going to miss her.”
“I know,” I reply heavily. “I’m trying not to think about it too much.”
“At least you have Stevie nearby. And Evil Ethan still visits the mountain, I’m sure.”
“Oh yeah he does.” This makes me smile as I fumble withthe label on my beer bottle. She has a nickname for my nephew just based on the number of conversations we’ve had about my family. I like that she knew them before we went to Mexico. And when we were there together, just as I expected, she fit in with everyone so easily. How does she not see how good we could be? I shake my head and focus back on our conversation. “Stevie giggles for everyone except Ethan. She isnota fan of that little terror.”
“Oh my God, that’s funny.”
“I know. I think he’s just too wild and unpredictable for her. Of course, he’s mortally offended and tries way too hard. It’s only making it worse for the poor lil guy.”
“Does she laugh for you?”
“Easily,” I reply with a smile. “I was babysitting for Wyatt and Trista last week and I had her full-on belly laughing with Rufus. I know how to get him riled up and she loves the sounds he makes. I have a video if you want to see.”
“Um, yes!”
I pull out my phone and Roe leans in close as I play the video of Stevie and my rooster. The scent of her wafts over me so I close my eyes and inhale more deeply. Eucalyptus and green tea. I know that’s what it is because her lotion is always out on the counter in her bathroom. She made me use it on my hands once when she saw how dry and chapped they were from working outside in the cold. I hated eventually washing my hands after that application because I liked having her scent on me.
God, I’m so fucked.
“What’s new with your domestic situation?” I ask, unable to stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth. Roe gives me a dubious look and I hold my hands up defensively. “I’m just wondering if I need to be shopping for a wedding gift for you.”
“I wish.” She buzzes her lips as she hops back down off the counter to go check her pot on the stove. “The husband hunt continues. But I had a great idea last night when I couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
“Man of the Mountain,” she exclaims, wagging her brows at me.
