"I'm sure what you guys come up with is pretty much out there." She laughed and turned back to gazing at the water. From the corner of her eye, she noticed him staring at her.
"You're a good mom. Andrew's a great kid."
She cocked her head and met his gaze. "That means a lot coming from you." I miss you so much. I want to feel your lips on mine, your arms around my body. I want us to be back the way we were at Isa's. How can I melt your heart again? "Addie told me the club's having a family barbecue in the yard this Sunday. She said her son, Jack, will be there, along with some other kids Andrew's age. He'll like that. Her daughter is so precious. She seems very happy." She sighed.
"I was going to mention it to you. It's a good time, and with the days growing shorter we don't have too much time left before it'll be too cold to do shit outside. Chas and Addie are solid. She's a good woman." He placed a joint in his mouth and cupped his hand around it as he lit it.
"All the old ladies I met seem real nice. Baylee said that if we wanted to stay in Pinewood Springs, she'd try and find us a place." She held her breath.
"You planning on staying? When did that come about?"
"I'm not sure. It's just that Andrew loves it here, and he's over the moon about spending time with you. I think Pinewood Springs would be a good place to raise a kid. I also want you to have the time with him. If we go back to Connecticut it'd be so far away. He needs you."
His smoke blew away from them, dissipating by the pine trees. "I'd love to be a full-time dad. We have a lot of catching up to do. What would you do?"
"Get a job. Cara said she could hook me up with something. She knows everyone." She smiled. "You could watch Andrew until I got home from work. I don't know … I'm just thinking about it."
"Sounds like you wanna do it. I'd love for Andrew to be here."
But not me. You deserve to have a chance with your son, but it rips me up inside that you've shut me out of your life. She glanced at her watch. "I better get going. There's some things I want to pick up at the grocery store before it gets too late. I was thinking I'd make a pot of gumbo. Do you think the guys will like that?"
"Fuck yeah. They're not too picky except when it comes to barbecue-then everyone is a critic. You need a lift into town? I could borrow Wheelie's SUV."
Her pulse quickened. "Let me see if Andrew's up. If he is, then we can all go together." She sprang up and dashed into the clubhouse.
Grocery shopping with Rock and Andrew was so enjoyable. It seemed like they were a happy family, and if she pretended hard enough, she believed it too. So many women blatantly flirted with Rock, acting like she was invisible. Even though she knew he enjoyed it, he didn't flirt back, but she did catch him take a few phone numbers when he thought she wasn't looking and it made her stomach plummet. I'm being foolish. Why shouldn't he go out? We aren't together anymore. I should probably think about meeting someone. Maybe if I date a little I won't think of him as much.
"Is that going to do it?" Rock asked as he and Andrew munched on some beef jerky.
"Done. How can you guys eat that?"
"It's super good, Mom. I never had it before until Dad gave me some a few days ago. Now I'm hooked." She and Rock laughed, and he ruffled his hand through Andrew's hair.
"Did your Dad tell you that the club's having a family barbecue this Sunday, and that there's a boy around your age who'll be there?"
Andrew bobbed his head up and down. "He said his name's Jack." He ripped off another hunk of jerky.
On the way back to the clubhouse, Andrew and Rock talked about everything and nothing, and their chatter was comforting to her. I wish it could always be like this. It just feels so right. When they arrived at the club, Rock and Andrew carried all the groceries in and placed them on the kitchen counter. Clotille busied herself in putting things away.
Bones walked in and high-fived Andrew. "You wanna find rocks for skipping? Your dad's taking you to Crystal Lake tomorrow, so you're gonna want the best rocks."
Andrew practically knocked Bones down in his haste to get to the door. "Can I, Mom?" he asked breathlessly as he leaned against the door frame. She nodded. "Yay! Let's go." Bones chuckled and followed the boy.
"He sure has taken to Bones," she said as she put the cans in the pantry.
Rock leaned against the counter, watching her. "And Bones to him. I know he always wanted kids with his ex from hell, but she wasn't into them. It's too bad he can't have one and skip the woman being around." He chuckled.
"Like you?" she said softly.
He stared hard at her, then pressed his lips together. "Yeah, like me." At that moment, Wendy came into the kitchen and grabbed an orange before she went up to Rock and ran her hand up and down his arm, her fingers lingering on his bulging bicep. "Hey, Wendy. What's shaking?"
"Bored out of my fuckin' mind." She licked her lips. "Wanna do something with me?"
Clotille buried her head in the refrigerator, pretending to clear off a shelf. I want to grab the witch and shove her in here. I hate that he's letting her touch him when all he does is pull away from me like I'm a leper. I can't stay here anymore. I need to move us back to the hotel. I can't stand seeing him giving to other women what he should be giving to me.
"You need me for anything else?" Rock said.
Clotille pulled herself out of the fridge. "No. You can go."
And much to her disappointment, he did-with Wendy hanging on his arm.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rock's gaze traveled up and down Clotille's body, lingering on the roundness of her ass as she bent over and pulled a big pot out of a cupboard. I hate that I fuckin' want her so much. My goddamned cock has been constantly hard since she got here. He'd done a pretty good job in avoiding being alone with her. Most of the time, it was the three of them, or if Andrew was doing something with one of the brothers, there'd be people around. It'd been safe, but the day before when he'd sat with her by the river, he'd wanted to pull her to him and kiss her. The truth was he'd sought her out and found her by the river. He acted nonchalant but a firestorm was raging inside him. When she'd placed her hand over his, he almost lost it and threw her on the ground, fucking her good and hard.
"I know it won't taste exactly like back home because I couldn't find some of the stuff I needed, but I'll make it work."
"They'll love it. You make a fuckin' awesome gumbo and jambalaya."
She smiled as she laid out her cooking utensils on the counter. "Remember how much you ate when I made jambalaya at Isa's house? Charlie wasn't too far behind you."
"It fuckin' kicked ass. It was better than my mother's, and that's sayin' a fuckin' lot." The time they spent in Lafayette was damn good, and the way she'd sway her hips to the music when she cooked turned him way the fuck on. She still has a hold of your cock … and your heart. He had to admit that the white-hot anger he felt toward her after she'd told him about Andrew had subsided a lot, especially since she'd brought his son to see him. She's trying, and I can tell by the way she looks at me that she's still in love with me. Bringing Andrew without me asking was huge. Can I let her back into my life? As much as he hated to admit it, he missed the hell out of her. He wanted to bury his dick inside her while she wrapped her long legs around his waist, moaning and writhing underneath him.
"Do you want something to drink? I can get you a beer." She poured a glass of white wine for herself.
"Nah. I gotta go." I gotta go before I bend you over the counter and pound the fuck outta you. "See you later." He strode out of the kitchen, went up to the bar, and hopped on a stool. A bottle of Coors and a shot of Jack were placed in front of him. He threw the shot back, the liquor going down smooth. "Fuck, that tastes good," he said to Rags and Bones, who were seated at the bar chomping on pretzels and drinking beer.
"Nothing like a good shot of Jack," Rags said.
"So, are you and Clotille together?" Bones asked.
Rock took a long pull on his beer. "Nah. We're just hanging out because of Andrew. Why?"
"Clark was asking."
A hot poker seared up his spine. "Who the fuck is Clark? And why the fuck is he asking?"
"You know him. He owns the gas station and convenience store right outside of town. We all go there. He's a damn nice guy. He noticed Clotille when she came in with you a few times. He thinks she's real pretty and asked if she was with you. I said I'd ask. I did, and so I'll let him know she's available." Bones grabbed a handful of nuts and popped a few in his mouth.