Not once had he pushed for sex. Instead, he patiently waited for me to be ready.
I hadn’t pushed him for sex, either, because I was waiting for the time to be right. However, I was done waiting.
More importantly, I didn’t want to move forward with anybody but Rett.
One reason I waited was I was well aware sex with him could get sticky. Even without him admitting it out loud, he obviously wanted more than a friendship with benefits. He didn’t have to say it because I could see it in his actions, his reactions and in his choice of words. Also, in the way he looked at me.
Not once had he said no when I invited him to spend the night. Though, I expected him to eventually refuse out of frustration since I wasn’t giving him what I was sure he wanted and waited for.
So yes, he hinted but didn’t push. What he did was leave the door cracked and when I was ready to open it, he’d be waiting on the other side.
Even though I still couldn’t fathom why he’d want a relationship with me, I appreciated the fact the man had an endless supply of patience and understanding when it came to dealing with me, my past and my issues.
I honestly didn’t believe I was worth the effort. He begged to differ.
I smirked. Maybe he was a little touched in the head. That possibility made me think we might be good together.
Together.
Was I really considering another relationship when I swore to myself I was done with them? Especially when it came to a man I’d only known a few months and during most of that time I kept pushing him away?
The second I heard his truck making its way up Coleman Lane, I finished the last sentence in the current chapter I was writing and closed my laptop. I was now very familiar with the grunts and groans of his Chevy when it climbed my mountain.
Despite attempting to patch some of the deep crevices and holes, as soon as we got a good storm, the rain would wash away the soil and stone I used. I decided it wasn’t worth my effort. Unless I paid to have the whole dirt road paved—which would cost a fortune—I’d have to live with it the way it was. Or more like, we would since Rett coming to the cabin had turned into a nightly thing.
Not once in the past two weeks had he slept in his own bed. If he did, it was due to him sneaking in a nap during the day.
Once I tossed my ring into the lake and after the next morning expelling everything bottled up inside me, the words seemed to flow much easier from me. I was relieved to finally get back into my writing groove and I had Rett to thank for it.
As I glanced at my still empty ring finger, I waited for Timber to come tearing around the cabin and onto the porch for his expected ear and butt scratches. Another routine that had become habit. Surprisingly, one I actually looked forward to.
I never thought I’d be so damn invested in a dog. As well as his owner.
But this evening it wasn’t only Timber rushing around the corner. What I first thought was a black bear cub followed on his heels, attempting to bite his tail as the Shepherd trotted toward me.
I squinted. What the hell was that?
“What the hell is that?” I shouted my question as Rett trailed the two animals at a much slower pace. “You got another dog?”
“No.”
No? “What is it, then?”
“I mean, yes, I got another dog. But not for me.”
The black puppy had a blocky head, a shaggy coat and massive paws. I was right with my first guess. A puppy parading around as a black bear cub.
“Her name is Onyx.”
“You didn’t tell me you were getting another dog. Is she house trained?” Last thing I needed was a puppy doing its business all over the interior of my cabin.
“Since she’s ten-weeks old, I’ll give you one guess.”
Great. “And you expect her to sleep in my bed tonight?” That wasn’t going to happen, even if he said yes. I was not waking up in a wet spot. At least not the kind of wet spot most straight men preferred.
“Not yet. I brought a crate and a dog bed along with me.”
He did what?
The puppy managed to finally get her jaws around Timber’s tail and she started playing tug of war with it. Timber seemed as patient with the rowdy puppy as Rett had been with me.
“Onyx!” Rett scolded as he climbed the stairs and approached me at the small table where I worked outside.
I had already received a couple of bids on adding a large all-season room that would almost double the square footage of my cabin. Until then, while the weather was nice, I continued to work out on the porch.