Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4)(6)

“Austin! I got one! I got a big one, too!” she celebrated, glowing from head to toe.

I laughed as she used all of her strength to reel it in. I could have offered to help her, but that would have only provoked her, and she would have pushed me away. She wanted to do this on her own. I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to be the cause of her happiness.

The fish put up one hell of a fight; I'm surprised it didn't yank her into the water. It took her a while to reel it in, but once she did, the joy that radiated all around her was enough to make me put my pencil down and notebook aside.

I stood.

“Look! Look how big! I don’t think you boys have ever caught one this big before!” she shouted, jumping up and down in front of me ecstatically.

“Well, I think you might be right about that one. Don't get used to that, Half-Pint," I teased.

She smiled, squatting down to take out the hook, exactly the way I taught her. I opened the cooler for her to stick it in next to my fish, but she hesitated and bit her lip, frowning.

“I don’t think I want to keep it. I mean… it’s so big. Maybe it could help one of the smaller fish fight off a big fish one day.”

I chuckled, nodding.

She shrugged, trying not to look embarrassed as she threw it back in the ocean. She turned back around to look at me, but something else caught her attention. Her eyes widened and she gasped, looking down at the picture I just drew of her. I immediately reached down, closing and grabbing my notebook before she had a chance to snatch it.

She reached out, stepping toward me.

“Austin, please let me see,” she begged with her big dark brown eyes gazing at me.

I couldn’t say no to her.

None of us ever could.

I sighed and handed her my notebook. No one knew this about me, not even my parents. She carefully flipped open the cover, her eyes widening once again as she took in page after page of the pictures that I had drawn over the years.

“Wow,” she breathed out. “Did you draw all these?” she questioned, peering up at me.

I nodded again.

She smiled, shaking her head as she looked back down, turning each and every page until she got to the drawing of her. Shock quickly replaced the smile on her face.

“Oh, wow.” She softly touched the outline of her face and then her hair on the paper, paying close attention to every detail I carefully drew. “I didn’t know you could even draw. How do I not know this? I know everything about you. Do the boys know?”

“No,” I simply stated, nervously rubbing the back of my neck.

She didn’t know how to feel about my response, I could see it all over her expression.

“Why are you hiding this amazing talent? I mean…” she gestured towards the notebook in her hands, “this is such a beautiful gift, Austin. You should share it with the world.”

I shrugged, not used to getting compliments or praise, especially for something I didn’t want anyone to know about me. She understood my silent response, nodding and closing the notebook. She handed it back to me.

“Do you not want anyone to know?” she asked what I was already thinking.

“Half-Pint—”

“It’ll be our secret.” She threw her arms around my waist. “I promise I won’t tell anyone until you say I can.”

I put my arms around her, kissing the top of her head. She hugged me tighter.

“Can you promise to show me more of your drawings? Can you share your talent with me, at least? Please?” she whispered, gazing up at me.

“I promise.”

She nodded, hugging me one last time before she pulled away. It was then that we heard footsteps on the wooden dock, one big thud after another. We both peered in the direction of the noise.

“Bo!” Alex called out, her special nickname for him. “I’ve been lookin’ all morning for you. I found Austin instead.” She pointed in my direction.

He pulled her to his side, and she willingly went with love and adoration spilling right out of her. I looked back up toward Lucas and if looks could kill…

I would be dead.





<>Briggs<>


“Daddy, can I have this?” I asked, holding a dolly with sparkling purple hair, trying to look as cute and adorable as I could. My puppy-dog eyes always worked with Daddy.

“Your mom said no, princess,” he responded.

“But, Daddy, I really need this, please, pleeeease, pretty please?” I begged, giving him the biggest pouty lip.

“Daisy, you already have hundreds of dolls that look exactly like that one,” Mom chimed in.

“No, Mommy, I don’t. She has sparkly purple hair,” I said, raising her above my head so she could see and understand what I was talking about.

She grabbed her out of my grasp and I smiled big, thinking I won. It soon faded when she placed her back on the highest shelf that I couldn’t reach.

“Mommy!” I stomped my foot on the ground.

“Daisy, don’t you dare throw a temper tantrum right now. You have hundreds of dolls, you don’t need another one,” she reasoned.

“Daddy!”

“You heard your mother, baby,” he soothed.

I rolled my eyes.

This was not the time for him to be calling me that. I grunted, “I’m not a baby!”