Call Me Michigan (19 page)

“You know, I’d totally kiss you hello, but not after that.” Her eyes drifted to the door Mason had just vanished through, then returned to her. “So things seem to be working out pretty well.”

Taylor blushed, nodding slowly. Things were perfect as far as she was concerned. “Yes.” What more was there left to say?

“So what did he thank you for?”

Before Taylor could answer, Becca burst into the kitchen. “Tammy! Hello!” She wrapped her arms around Tamara’s legs, hugging her tight.

“Look at you, little fairy!” Tamara hopped off the counter to spin the little girl around until she broke into giggle fits because she couldn’t stand right anymore.

“That’s what he thanked me for,” Tay mouthed, and Tamara arched a brow.

“I’m the most pretty fairy,” Becca pointed out, and Tamara nodded in agreement.

“So how about you go and find the jeans and shirt I put on your bed? Can you go and change like a big girl?” Taylor asked.

“But I like the fairy costume,” Becca pouted, making a half-circle with her toe across the tiles.

“You cannot cut up pumpkins in that dress.” Taylor gave her a stern look.

“Okay.” Becca sighed, drawing out the last letter until she sounded like a broken tire. She stalked off, clearly not at all enthusiastic.

“Wow,” Tamara stated, and Taylor turned back to her sister, a question on her face.

“You got that mom thing down, don’t you? It’s incredible to watch,” Tammy mentioned, and Taylor blushed.

“I … well …” She wasn’t sure how to react to that. Being a mom to Becca was as easy as easy came. She couldn’t say why, but it was fun, and everything she’d ever wished for. Frankly, she sometimes needed to remind herself she was Timmy’s guardian and sister and not his mother, too.

“You?” Tammy asked, moving behind the kitchen counter to taste what Tay was cooking.

“Becca started calling me …”

“Mommy, Mommy, it doesn’t work!” The girl in question came down the stairs, almost falling, but Mason came in on time, catching her before she stumbled. She had gotten her head stuck in a sleeve of her sweater, and he laughed, putting her down before untangling her.

“Thank you, Daddy. Can we cave now?” she wanted to know, and Mason grinned at Taylor over Becca’s head.

“Carve, babe. It’s called carve,” Taylor mumbled, feeling self-conscious because she knew everyone was watching her as she took Becca’s jacket off the hook, making the girl dress properly before going out into the cold.

“Be careful and let … Daddy help you, okay? Don’t take a knife in your hand unless he’s with you,” she urged.

“Promise,” the little girl stated and hugged her tight before slipping into her rubber boots and then pulled the door open.

“You –”

“I’m gonna make sure she and Tim are fine. Stop worryin’ and make some hot chocolate, okay?” Taylor cocked her head, and Mason leaned in to kiss her. “You’re pretty perfect. Enjoy some time with Tamara. Will you stay here tonight or go home?”

She sighed and already knew he wouldn’t like the answer. “I’ll take Tim home. Tammy is alone with the kids tomorrow, and we have a whole night then, so you’ll have to live without me tonight,” she mumbled, pressing her hands flat against his chest. She loved the feel of his beating heart under her hands and was sure he knew it. It was as if then she was reassured he was real and there.

“Okay, you had better know that I don’t like that answer at all,” he growled. She didn’t like it, either, but her sister deserved more than just a ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ when she was home.

“Mason …” she warned, and he kissed her again before Tim came, wearing a jacket just like she’d have instructed if gotten the chance.

“Can we go, Mason? Please?” He tugged on Mason’s hand, and Mason groaned, acting more annoyed than he really was.

Taylor lazily strolled back into the kitchen, getting the cream from the fridge before pushing her sister out of the way. It looked like Tamara wasn’t ready to wait until dinner was done.

“It works. It works very well. And Taylor, you look so much better,” her sister pointed out, and Taylor couldn’t help but beam at her.

“Now that you’re here, I have everything I need,” she whispered, kissing her cheek before focusing on the cooking again. It was true—with her sister here, her family was finally complete again.

***

Mason stared at his ceiling, constantly touching the right side of the bed that unofficially belonged to Taylor now and which reminded him with coldness that she wasn’t there. Whenever he was on shift, he missed her something fierce, but he usually didn’t have to sleep without her. He shook his head, sitting up. They had left around nine, and it was half-past eleven now. He already longed for her as if he hadn’t seen her in forever.

Leaving the bed, he pulled on a sweater and padded outside into the hall, finding a light glow coming from beneath his daughter’s door. He already knew what he’d find, mainly because Becca had gotten even more used to having her around than he had.

Opening the door carefully, not wanting to wake her in case she had simply fallen asleep with the light on, he snuck a glance inside. Becca stood on her bed, her elbows resting on the windowsill while she stared outside.

“Hey, Dad,” she mumbled, and he arched a brow before realizing that his image reflected in the glass of the window.

“Hey, sweetie. What are you looking at?” he wanted to know, sitting down on his daughter’s bed.

“The stars. Mom showed me Owen’s belt.”

“Orion’s belt,” Mason corrected quietly. He had been curious what went on during those nights he was on shift, but it shouldn’t have surprised him that Taylor took the time to show his daughter things.

“Yes, that one,” she replied, her voice subdued.

“What’s up, babe?” He placed his hand on her back, realizing how small she was still. Rubbing gentle circles, he watched how she crossed her arms on the sill, resting her cheek on them without ever stopping to watch the twinkling lights in the sky.

“She said that if I miss her and look at the stars, I’m really close to her. And Tim said he’s always looking at the stars, so when I look, he looks, too. He says it’s a family thing, but Dad?”

He cleared his throat. “Yes?”

“They aren’t family until you have a wedding with her, right?”

“Of course, they are, Rebecca. Taylor loves you, and for Timmy, you’re the little sister he never had.”

“Why do they have a second home then? I don’t like it when they’re not here. I don’t like sleeping when I’m alone in a room.”

Mason glanced at the makeshift bed in the corner Timmy slept on when they stayed here.

“You want to share your bedroom with Tim?” he asked, and she finally looked back at him, her stormy eyes wide with unshed tears.

“I want them home.”

God, Mason wanted that, too. Without thinking any longer, he grabbed Becca’s jacket out of the closet, putting it in her, and then he wrapped her in her blanket. The end of October had come with a wave of cold, hinting at the winter to come.

“Where are we going?” Becca asked as Mason carried her down the stairs, slipping into his trainers before grabbing his truck keys and walking outside.

“We’re going to go and sneak into Tay’s home.” He grinned, kissing the top of Becca’s head, and then he strapped her into the seat.

The drive didn’t seem to pass, especially because he couldn’t wait to cuddle up next to Taylor. When they arrived, the light was still shining through the glass door. Mason didn’t have to wait or knock because he had a key, just like Taylor had one to his house.

To his surprise, Tamara greeted them right behind the door. “Hey, you two.” She laughed, clearly not at all surprised. On the stairs, bare feet came down, and a halfway asleep Tim came, his face lighting up as he spotted Becca.

“Oh, hey,” he beamed. “Come on, it’s late, and your bed is still prepared,” he announced, waiting until Mason put Becca down. His daughter dropped her blanket, and Tim helped her out of her jacket before going upstairs with her. She didn’t once look back.

“Whoa, this is weird,” Mason mumbled while Tamara watched him.

“Storms again?” She winked, and Mason shook his head, scratching it in embarrassment.

“We just missed her. It took me forever to get her, so having her away from me isn’t really an option,” he admitted, and Tamara nodded. “So what are you doing still up?” He nodded toward the books he spotted on the dining room table, and Tamara pulled up her shoulders.

“I feared Taylor let the books slide, or didn’t really have any idea what she’s doin’, but wow, she might not be out on the farm that much, but the books are clean and well kept, and she found a lot of potential to save some shiny coins. Seems like she doesn’t need me anymore,” Tammy whispered, and Mason blinked.

“You think that’s the only reason your sister needs you? For the books? To keep the farm running? Did she ask you to check on the books?”

As he expected, Tamara shook her head.

“She wants you to be the young adult she knows you deserve to be. Carefree, happy, wild. That’s what she needs you to be. I can’t believe both of you run around here feeling guilty. Her for not havin’ been here earlier, and you for not being here at all. Tammy, you’re barely twenty. Live your life, enjoy college, and then come back here and take over the farm if you want to. And if not –”

“I want to. Contrary to Taylor, I love this whole thing. I love the cows, the fieldwork, I love the horses and the smell, I love talkin’ about the feed for the animals, and I even don’t mind the bookkeeping. I just wish Taylor would let me do it without the whole college thing,” she fussed, and Mason couldn’t help but lean in to kiss her forehead.

“She’s smart to make you go. What if you ever decide you don’t want to do the farm anymore? Havin’ a college degree will help you big time.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised that you side with her,” Tamara scowled, and he laughed. “She went up a while ago to get her Kindle. I think she might have fallen asleep,” she then added with a soft smile.

“I’ll see you in the morning.” He gently touched her chin, knowing she most likely felt like a little girl now, but for him, she was almost like a little sister.

He climbed the stairs and decided against knocking, opening the door slightly and freezing in the frame.

Taylor was lying on her stomach on her bed, wearing nothing but a black satin bra and underwear while clearly having gotten lost in her reading. Her feet were crossed at her ankles up in the air, swinging softly. God, she was beautiful.

He closed the door quietly, but she was so submerged in her fictional world that she didn’t react until after he had dropped his sweatpants, sweater, and shirt and lay down on top of her. She was cold against his heated skin, but the Kindle instantly hit the mattress.

“Mason!” She wiggled under him, clearly trying to turn, but he didn’t let her. Instead, he kissed her shoulder, and she finally relented, resting her head on her pillow while giving him access to her neck.

“Hey. Babe. I. Missed. You,” he whispered between peppering tiny kisses across her skin. Slowly, taking his time to enjoy the closeness of her, he licked down her spine, seeing goose bumps spread across her body.

She made an appreciative sound in the back of her throat, and he opened her bra, pushing the straps down her arms until her back lie freely before him. Sitting up, he started to gently massage each muscle, beginning with her shoulders until eventually reaching the muscles in her lower back. She purred, making him laugh. With a quick wink over her shoulder, she grinned, and then she rested her head back down, enjoying his treatment. He wished he could give it to her each and every night. She’d probably be the most relaxed woman out there.

Brushing his hands under the waistband of her panties, he felt her tense in a whole new way. His body followed suit, making his boxers tighten. Leaning up enough so he could free her from the material, he moved down with the panties, dropping them to the floor before he kissed his way up, hoping and praying that his daughter was definitely fast asleep down the hall.

“Mase,” Taylor breathed, her voice hitching as his hands got ahead of his mouth, gently parting her legs to better accommodate his body. She moved against his hands as he brushed one finger down her center, making her gasp quietly.

This wasn’t the first time they’d slept together. No, they had done that about a week after finally admitting their feelings to each other. Yet each time with her felt like the first time all over again.

Caressing her wet core with one hand, he tried to get rid of his boxers with the other. He leaned over her until he lined up with her, his hands resting left and right of her hips.

“Taylor,” he whispered, slowly lifting her ass before pushing into her in one fluid movement. She was willing and ready against him, wiggling her hips and making him hiss. He stilled her movements, kissing her back before pulling out and pushing back in, trying to find a rhythm that would make them both last longer yet not frustrate them.

Taylor bowed her back, pushing up onto her hands and taking him in deeper, throwing her head back while biting her lip. She wasn’t a screamer, but all the sexy moans she made could definitely penetrate through doors and walls and be amplified in a silent home.

“Jesus,” she gasped as he covered her body with his, biting her shoulder to keep himself from groaning out too loud. Her movements got quicker, and she reached between them, cupping his balls in the palm of her hand.

“Fuck, Tay,” he rasped out, and she chuckled, a throaty sound that made him lean back, his hand on her hips as he met her hip thrusts.

She definitely didn’t want him to go slow on her, and as much as he wished he could savor being with her, he knew why she was hurrying him along.

No matter how late it was, Becca had a tendency to come in at least once to earn a hug and a kiss. Having her walk in was the last thing he wanted. Not that he could hold back much longer with the way Taylor massaged his balls, sending shots of arousal and the need for release through him.

“Girl, stop or you won’t … Tay,” he growled, and she laughed quietly, not relenting the grip she had on him.