Hissy Fit (The Southern Gentleman #1)(38)

I dabbed at a bit of chocolate on her cheek and showed it to her on one outstretched finger.

“And this?” I teased.

She smiled, her eyes flicking up to mine. “Dessert.”

I felt things in my belly clench.

“What if what I want for dessert is you?” I teased.

I felt all of her attention focus on me.

“I’d say yes, absolutely a hundred percent yes, but you were the one who told me you had something to do today,” she pointed out.

I did, indeed, have something to do later today. I had to go eat with my parents, and I fully planned on bringing her along.

She just didn’t know it yet.

I hadn’t wanted to tell her because I knew she’d likely freak out and try to overanalyze everything, so I figured springing it on her was in my best interest.

“Bathroom…then I’ll climb that tree and take care of the last little bit.” I bopped her on the nose with one finger. “And I want to take you with me later if that’s okay. It’s nothing fancy or anything. In fact, what you’re wearing right now is perfect. Well, minus the chocolate streaks and flour dusting.”

She looked down at her boots and blushed. “I liked them,” she tried to explain them away.

I grinned. “I like them, too, darlin’.”

With that, I walked down her hallway to the bathroom and shut the door.

I heard the screen door bang closed, signaling she’d gone outside and felt more than comfortable to take my time.

Only, I likely shouldn’t have.

Why?

Because the woman that I freakin’ loved was a goddamn lunatic, that’s why.

Why was she a lunatic?

Well, when I came outside, it was to find her boots off in the middle of the yard, and a pair of mismatched socks not far away.

The second thing that I saw was Raleigh, about halfway up the tree, trying to reach some toilet paper with one of those grabber thing-a-ma-jigs that lets handicapped—and lazy—people pick stuff up off the floor without bending over.

She was stretched out on a limb precariously, and not only was her arm extended as far as she could get it to go, but she was also holding the grabber out in front of her, too. She was inches away from grabbing the long piece of toilet paper when my brain finally caught up with what she was doing, and I felt my heart jump out of my chest.

“Are you out of your freakin’ mind?” I bellowed.

Raleigh shrieked…and that’s how she fell out of the tree and broke her arm.

***

Raleigh glared at me. “Don’t you even think about it.”

I opened her door and stepped back.

“I can’t believe you’re making me come here,” she grumbled.

I grinned. “We didn’t get to eat your lunch, and I’m starving, Raleigh. Plus, my parents asked me to stop by to pick something up,” I lied.

She gave me a calculating look, then waved her casted hand in my direction.

“I’m also mad at you,” she grumbled. “This is all your fault.”

My brows rose as I slammed the truck door closed just a little bit harder than I should have.

“What are you talking about?” I accused.

I put one hand on her back and guided her up the front walk of my parents’ house, hearing the commotion of little feet running inside.

Moira’s high-pitched ‘Daddy, higher’ had me grinning despite the accusations coming from Raleigh’s mouth.

“Then, let me get this straight,” I said after she finished. “You’re blaming me for you falling out of the tree because I yelled?”

She nodded.

“And why the hell were you up there in the first place?” I questioned, seemingly for the eighth time. “I told you I was going to go up there.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

That’d been her answer seven out of eight. The first time I’d asked, when she was getting her arm straightened out, was to say ‘go fuck yourself.’

I wasn’t holding that answer against her.

My brows rose. “And you think that I wanted you to get hurt?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “It is my house that this happened to. If one of us was going to get hurt, it should be me.”

“I’ve been climbing trees since I was old enough to wear shoes,” I told her as I opened the screen door and gestured her inside. “Trust me when I say, there was no danger from me falling out. Can you say the same about yourself?”

“Aunt Raleigh!” Moira screeched. “You have a cast! Can I sign it?”

Raleigh’s smile was not forced when she greeted my niece. “Of course. Do you have a Sharpie marker?”

Moira didn’t ask why or how the cast came to be, only if she could sign it.

That girl.

“What happened?” my sister asked, sounding concerned.

“‘Aunt Raleigh’ fell out of a tree,” Colton said, sounding bored. “I saw it happen. I was across the street at Cristopher’s house. Uncle Ezra yelled at her and startled her. Then she fell out.”

Raleigh shot me a triumphant smile as if to say, ‘See?’

“I didn’t think she’d fall out of the tree when I yelled at her, or I never would’ve done it!” I shot a quelling look over at my nephew.