The Country Duet(82)

He shakes his head, not approving of my decision, but doesn’t argue with me.

“What else you been up to? How’s married life and being strapped down to one pussy permanently?”

“Jesus, Dave.” I shake my head. Teale and I had a small wedding over spring break on Sweetwater with her father and my family. Nothing big or flashy. We were both desperate to be married and united forever. I ended up proposing on the couch one night while Baker was snuggled into my side and Teale was working on her blog. It was our little piece of perfection.

“Married life is good. Just been hitting the gym trying to get my summer body ready.” I smirk.

He sits up a little higher in his bed. “Hunter, you don’t need muscles. They only care about one of them.”

“Oh, yeah.” I’m pretty sure I know where this is heading, but bait him on. “What’s that?”

“Your dick, and if you can flex that then you’re golden. Won’t have to worry about the rest of your body.”

I laugh so hard I have tears rolling down my face. Dave joins in laughing right along with me. The only time he laughs anymore is when he makes me. They are always bittersweet moments because I don’t know how much more we will share.

“When you go home this summer, gonna need you to stock up on some black licorice for me.”

“Okay.” I nod. “You know I’ll be making a trip up here every two weeks to see you, right?”

“Yeah, but won’t be the same.”

He’s right it won’t be, and I’ll miss him more than he’ll ever know. Teale and Baker are going home for the summer with me. Mom has one of the ranch houses all set up and ready to go. I finally convinced Teale to quit her nursing job and focus on her fashion blog. Hell, she’s making more money off ads and promotions on it than she was nursing. I know it was a hard call for her because in her mind nursing is a career that the court deemed so necessary for her to have before getting custody of Baker. She’s always worried about being the perfect role model for our girl. I tell her every single night, there’s no need to worry and she’s finally listening to me.

“More candy?” A nurse walks in, popping her hand on her hip.

They still ride Dave’s ass about his diabetes. He doesn’t give a shit. This nursing home is strict as hell, and Dave’s always fighting them on something. Typically, they’re in the right, but I’ve never told him that. I pulled a doctor aside one day and asked him if I was helping kill Dave with bringing him candy. It’s a thought that’s rested heavily on my mind.

He told me at this point it doesn’t matter and if it makes Dave happy, then by all means. He did suggest sticking to black licorice and avoiding candy bars.

“Fuck off,” Dave growls at her.

“You know you’re not supposed to have that in here.”

“And you know I’m real tired of you bitchy nurses poking and prodding me.”

“Whoa.” I stand up from the chair. “Dave, calm down.”

I swear it’s magic the way he reacts to me. Hell, he would’ve gone ten more sparring rounds with the nurse. She goes about checking his stats and then leaves without even a goodbye.

“Are you trying to get one of them to snuff you out with a pillow in the middle of the night?” I ask him.

“Only if she shoves her tits in my face while she does it.” The black drool races down his chin as he polishes off his last bag of candy.





Chapter 21


Hunter


“Funny how a melody sounds like a memory.” –Eric Church


“You have field twips in college?” Baker asks.

I’m doing her hair for preschool. I learned that braiding a girl’s hair is much different than a horse's tail. That shit just doesn’t want to cooperate, and Baker has her mother’s thick, unruly curls making it a bitch. Quinn saved my ass one day on FaceTime, teaching me how to master the art of a messy bun. You slap a bow on that shit, and if I do say so myself, it’s salon looking quality.

“Yes, there are field trips. I’m going to the Wine Cup Gamble on the biggest ranch in the west. They have over a thousand acres.”

“Hunter, I think you have the biggest ranch. I love it there.”

The proud papa inside me wants to tell her good job for hitting each sound in her sentence, but I refrain from it.

“We’ll live there forever one day, Baker.”

“I can’t wait, and I can ride that pony all day long right, Daddy?”

My hands freeze in her hair, and pure emotion strikes me hard in the gut. I fight to find the words, but every single one of them gets lodged deep in my throat.

“Right, Daddy?”

Teale clears her throat, and I turn to see her leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed.

“Right, baby girl.” I manage to croak out, feeling like the champion of the world at this moment.

“I love that pony.” Baker goes on about the little horse that will be hers on the ranch.

“You know your momma used to tease me about that pony. She thought it was pretend.”

“Momma, you’re so silly.”

Teale sits down next to us, then hands me a coffee mug. I have to take it easy on the black coffee to not upset my stomach, but the straight shot of caffeine is too hard to stay away from.