Muttering under my breath to myself, I climb in the truck. The whole town’s gonna be talking about my fucking delivery route today. Brutal can do this shit next week. I’m out.
The parking lot at Hank’s is so full that I have to park around back. But with a knock on the back door, Daniel lets me in.
“Hey, man! Good to see you,” he says, holding out a fist. I bump it and offer a smile before heading into the bar to find my girl.
She’s holding court behind the bar, of course. I watch for a second, enjoying the sight of her simply working. She smiles and fills glasses for customers, making small talk along the way.
She gets down toward Hank, who’s sitting by the beer taps. That’s become his new perch. Willow’s handiwork, it seems. He’ll do anything for her, the same way I will. Hell, I suspect most people would. She’s just someone you want to treat right and do nice things for because she does them for everyone else.
She laughs at something Richard says, her smile wide, and swats at the bar as though she’s admonishing him. But it’s all in jest. She’s comfortable and right at home.
And now that I see her, I am too.
I make my way through the crowd easily, people moving out of my way. A few say hello, but I ignore them, my eyes locked on my target.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I drawl, and that pretty smile of hers goes brighter than the sun.
“Bobby! Look at this crowd. All here for you!” Her excitement would be infectious if I gave a shit about any of these people.
Actually, that’s not true. Across the bar, a loud voice I recognize calls my name, and I glance over to see my family at the one table that will hold them all.
Willow follows my eyes and explains, “Shay called earlier and asked me to reserve it for them since they were coming to see you perform tonight.”
The crowd, I don’t care about, but my family coming means something to me.
But first things first. “Come here.” The growled order is too quiet for her to hear, but she knows what I want anyway and leans forward to meet me across the bar.
I hold her cheeks in my palms gently and take her mouth the same way. Her tongue slips into my mouth too, and she tastes like sweet tea. She probably has a glass stashed somewhere behind the bar to sip on while she works.
Around us, there’s a chorus of ‘aww’, and Willow blushes prettily when I let her go.
“You two are the cutest and all, but I really need some margaritas,” Olivia sing-songs, not looking remorseful in the slightest at interrupting our greeting.
Willow smiles sweetly and says, “Say hi to your family for me. I’ll stop over there if I can. I have a good feeling about tonight, like there’s something in the air.” I lift my eyebrow questioningly, and her shrug is almost shy, though she’s nearly vibrating with energy and anticipation. “I just know you’re gonna be amazing is all. I haven’t seen you perform since that first night, and now it’s . . . different.”
I peck her lips once more, loving that she admits how serious things have become so freely now. “Yeah, it is. I’ll make sure to tell everyone to tip my girl.”
Her laugh is all mine, and time freezes for a moment as I breathe it in, breathe her in with all her light and positivity, her heart shining through in everything she does. Even a laugh at a stupid joke from me, one I meant sincerely.
I am the luckiest son of a bitch alive because this woman has let me into layers of herself that she protects from most. My hidey-hole grew into a recliner, and now I’m hanging up neon letters on her heart so that I can shine throughout her, exploring and claiming every bit of her soul.
“Margaritas—that’s just lime juice and tequila, right?” Olivia deadpans like she’s going to slip behind the bar and make them herself.
Willow rolls her eyes, reluctantly leaving me so she can get back to work. I watch for one more second, drinking her in with my eyes. Eventually, I make my way across to my family and sit down in the booth as they make room for me.
Scanning, I see someone’s missing. Two someones. “Where’re James and Sophie?”
“Babysitting duty with Cooper and Cindy Lou,” Brutal answers. “I think Sophie was tired because she had to assist with a foal delivery early this morning. Pretty sure she volun-told James he was doing Kid Patrol while she took a bath and turned in early.”
“Good for her.” Shay’s statement is punctuated with a high-five to Allyson. “Sometimes, we have to declare it a self-care day and follow through.”