“Not that tough, woman.”
He was wrong. I knew nothing of carpentry, but I knew he was wrong.
I changed the subject.
“You can sketch?”
“Anyone can sketch.”
“I can’t sketch.”
“It’s not Michelangelo.”
“It’s still awesome.”
His expression changed and I felt it. I felt the glory of it right to the heart of me.
But he said nothing.
“We get to that time, I want you to build the one you wanna build,” I said.
“Your cabins, Cassidy.”
I leaned in to him, holding his eyes, repeating soft but firm, “When we get to that time, baby, I want you to build the one you wanna build.”
He got me. I knew it. I knew it when the pad was tossed to the deck, my drink taken out of my hand and set on the deck, and my hand was seized so Deacon could tug me up, around, and over him until I was in the seat, straddling him, ass to his lap.
His hand was in my hair pulling me down, other hand at my ass.
That time, he communicated through his kiss, its depth, its gorgeousness, and its length.
In fact, we made out for ages, me in Deacon’s lap in his Adirondack chair on my porch by a river in the Colorado Mountains.
And again, I was reminded that I was finally a woman who had everything she’d ever dreamed.
And I was gleefully happy.
* * * * *
Two days later, I stood next to the fancy new grill (that I bought Deacon, payback, ha!) at the end of my porch, eyes trained to the river.
Deacon was there, Araceli, Esteban, and Gerardo all standing close, eyes rapt with attention, watching Deacon teach them to bait a hook on a fishing pole. Araceli had Bossy’s long lead in her hand and Bossy was nose to the grass, discovering.
Silvia and Margarita were with their dad ten feet away, all of them had poles in the water, but Silvia’s eyes weren’t to her line. They were on Deacon.
“Euw!” Gerardo shrieked and I grinned.
Milagros came up beside me. “My son is not a fan of worms, so I did believe he’d appreciate seeing one tortured. I guess I was wrong.”
I looked to her and grinned.
She looked to me and did not grin. “There was something else I was wrong about.” Her gaze slid sideways and I knew she was looking to Deacon.
I also knew what she was saying.
I looked back to Deacon and watched as he gently moved the group away so he could show them how to cast a line.
My man, he had many talents, all of the new ones awaiting me I couldn’t wait to discover.