Taylor Lynne: The Women of Merryton - Book Two (25 page)

“It’s breathtaking. I
can’t wait to see the inside.”

In a gentlemanly move, he
took my suitcase from me. “I’m glad you like it.”

I could tell his mood was
still somewhat somber. I knew he was worried about Emmy.

“Do you want me to make
dinner tonight since it’s getting late?” I asked Easton as we walked toward the
house. The girls had run down to the lake to check it out.

“No. I want you to relax.
I’ve got all the meals covered this weekend.”

“You don’t have to do
that.”

He gazed down at me with
those deep brown eyes that I had fallen in love with the first time I saw them
up close. “You didn’t have to come, but you did.”

“I was practically
blackmailed. I had to,” I said with a smile.

“Whatever the reason, I’m
glad you’re here.”

It was moments like those—when
we were by ourselves and he was being who he was, one of the sincerest people I
had ever met—that I had to remind myself that we weren’t married, or even a
couple.

“Easton—”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for asking me to
come and for taking care of all the details.”

He sighed, or maybe
almost groaned.

“There was some meaning
behind that sigh.”

He dropped the bags and
reached into his pocket for the house key. He spoke to the door. “It means I am
and was a fool.”

“I can get on board with
that.”

“You’ll have to get in
line,” he returned lightheartedly. He slid open the barn style doors and
revealed an impressive sight.

The home’s interior
looked like a posh barn. I loved everything from the large great room with a circular
stone fireplace in the middle, to the loft above with beamed ceilings and
rustic wood furniture. Someone had obviously put a lot of time, thought, and
money into the design.

Easton looked at me to gauge
my reaction. “What do you think now?”

“It’s perfect. I may want
to stay in all weekend.”

“I hope not,” he said,
more to himself than me.

The master bedroom—the
only room on the bottom floor—was to the left, and the kitchen was to the
right. I wasn’t totally sold on the stainless steel kitchen, but for this house,
it worked well. The master suite had me hook, line, and sinker—large cedar log
bed, a view of the lake, and a private deck complete with hot tub. It looked
like a honeymoon suite.

Easton took my bags to
the bedroom. “Do you mind if Emmy sleeps in here with you? The only other beds
are in the loft and, well …”

I rested my hand on his
forearm. “I’d love to have a sleepover with Emmy,” I said to put his mind at
ease.

He covered my hand with
his own. “Thank you.”

We both looked at each
other with regret and longing. If only we could turn back the clock.

“I better get the tent
set up before it gets too dark,” he said slow and steady.

With reluctance I took my
hand back. “That’s a good idea.”

He retreated and I
breathed out. I needed to work him out of my system. I thought I had, at least
mostly.

I didn’t bother
unpacking. I headed back outside to see what the girls were up to and if I
could help with anything. I knew Easton meant for me to have a carefree
weekend, but I was starving and ready for dinner.

Easton had enlisted the
girls to help him set up his seven-man tent. I could see in Ashley’s face how
excited she was to camp for the first time—or at least the first time she could
remember, since we’d taken her camping when she wasn’t quite a toddler.

While the girls rolled
out the tent and organized the poles and stakes for it, Easton started a fire
in the stone pit.

“As soon as this gets
going and there are plenty of coals, I’ll throw in the foil dinners I made for
tonight,” Easton informed me. “You can always eat the Oreos if you’re hungry
now.” There was a glimmer in his eye.

I rolled my eyes at him
and he laughed.

“There are some peaches
in the cooler if those are more to your liking,” he let me know.

Perfect. I loved peaches,
and my blood sugar needed a boost. “Thank you.”

“We won’t think less of
you if you go with the Oreos,” he yelled out as I walked to the cooler in the
back of his truck.

I ignored him, but
unfortunately that idea was more tempting than he thought. Just like he was
more tempting to me than he had been in a very long time. But giving into that
temptation would be like going back to Oreos: it would feel amazing at first,
but then the guilt would set in.

I had to hand it to
Easton, when it came to outdoor cooking he did a great job. I wondered why that
had never translated to the kitchen when we were married. He made salmon and
asparagus for the two of us; the girls got cheeseburgers and potatoes.

It was a little awkward
at first as we all sat around the blazing campfire. The girls were each between
us, which meant that anytime I looked forward I was looking directly at Easton,
who always seemed to be looking right back at me. It didn’t help that the firelight
only added to his sex appeal. The fire and my flannel shirt weren’t the only
things making me feel warm.

I was grateful Ashley had
the gift of gab—she had lots of things to say about her upcoming classes and
their first volleyball game of the season, which would be the following
weekend.

“You’re going to be
there, right Dad?” she asked Easton.

He looked a little hurt,
but I could see in his eyes he understood why she wasn’t sure he would. “Of
course, honey. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“I’m going,” Emmy joined
in.

“Good, you can sit near
me and make sure I don’t get too crazy,” I said to Emmy.

“Please make sure my
Momma doesn’t embarrass me,” Ashley begged her sister.

“When have I embarrassed
you?”

“Uh, how about when
yelled out to the line judge that you thought he should learn the difference
between in and out?”

Easton laughed. “Did you
really?”

“The ball she served
clearly landed within the line. And it wasn’t the first time he had made a bad
call,” I defended myself.

Ashley rolled her pretty
eyes at me while Easton continued to laugh.

“Don’t worry,” Easton
said to Ashley, “I’ll keep your mom under control.”

“You just wait until
someone makes a bad call against her,” I threw back at him. “I think it’s your
dad you’ll have to worry about. I’ve seen him get in the face of a ref or two.”

“Basketball is different
than volleyball,” he countered.

“Uh-huh,” I replied, not
believing a word he said.

Ashley groaned. “Emmy,
you are my only hope.”

We all laughed at our
adorable teenager.

Up next was Easton’s
promised chocolate cake in an orange. He had each girl scoop out the contents
of an orange. He gave the oranges to me—I guess that was my dessert for the
night. He then poured cake batter into each orange peel, wrapped them up in
aluminum foil, and set them in the low burning coals.

While they waited for
their cakes to bake, Easton taught the girls silly songs about yodelers on
mountaintops and buffaloes on the wind swept prairies. The girls giggled and
sang along. I watched and thought and wished. This was the life I had imagined
for us so many years ago, except we were whole, not fractured.

By the time we had
finished eating the cake, which by the way wasn’t half bad—Ashley had given me
a bite of hers—everyone was yawning. It had been a long day and Easton wanted
us all to take a sunrise hike, so we decided to turn in.

It got awkward as
everyone was hugging and kissing goodnight. I hugged Ashley while Easton hugged
Emmy. We traded off when Ashley hugged Emmy and Easton decided we should hug,
too. It didn’t help with getting him out of my system. I felt cozy against his
soft cotton tee that smelled liked smoke and his cologne, Dark Obsession. It
was my favorite cologne, and he very well knew it. I hadn’t smelled it on him
until today.

“Goodnight,” he whispered
in my ear.

I shivered and pushed
away from him. “Goodnight.” I reached for Emmy’s hand. “Let’s go darlin’.” I
called back to Ashley, “Sleep tight, love.” I couldn’t look back and face Easton.
I think if I did, I may have run back into his arms. The way he held me was
anything but a friend type hug.

I wrapped my arm around
Emmy and we walked back up to the cabin together. We each readied for bed and I
tucked her into the left side of the king size bed. I smoothed her brow and
stroked her pretty brown hair while humming a lullaby. I felt like she was my
own. She smiled as her eyes drifted shut. I sat on the edge of the bed by her
side until she was peacefully slumbering away with a teddy bear clasped against
her body.

I was tired, but I had
this pent up energy. I walked back and forth across the room a few times. I
stretched and breathed deeply. Nothing was helping. I went to the bedroom
window and peered out the curtains. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the moon
on the lake, anything to take my mind off Easton. It was not the thing to do.
Easton was still up by himself, sitting on his camp chair in front of the fire.
He was slightly bent over, rubbing his neck and running his hands through his
hair repeatedly. He always did that when he was stressed or had a lot on his
mind. I could tell that, like me, he was deep in thought.

I was tempted to throw on
a jacket and go join him, but I knew that was a terrible idea. I was determined
to break free of my feelings for him once and for all.

I watched him get up and
throw a couple of more logs on the fire. He must have been planning to stay out
for a while. It shouldn’t have surprised me; he loved nighttime in the
mountains. I remembered lying in his arms under the stars and moon during our
first camping trip. He whispered in my ear the names of each constellation he
could find and the story behind the name. We had stayed up most of that night
talking. We didn’t get that chance often with our crazy schedule at the time,
but I treasured those rare moments.

I closed the curtains
before he could catch me staring at him. I was tempted to crack open the bag of
Oreos I knew was sitting in the kitchen. It was probably a good thing Emmy
began to stir and whimper in her sleep. I crawled into bed and put my arm
around her. Without waking, she curled into me and quieted. I held her thin
body to me and stroked her hair. I wondered what demons haunted her and what I
could do to slay them.

I eventually fell asleep
with my ex-husband’s child in my arms. I had never expected this when I moved
here. Apathy and detachment had completely gone out the window. Holding Emmy
made me realize that she fulfilled a need in me as much I as filled one in her.
She needed a mother figure and I still had a whole lot of mothering left in me.

I woke up to a knock on
the bedroom door. Before I could respond or even sit up, Easton peeked his head
in. I barely registered it was him with the low light behind him.

“Hey sleepyheads, it’s—” He
stopped and stared at me holding his daughter. I couldn’t read his expression,
and I wondered if he thought it was inappropriate.

I gently extracted myself
from her, sat up, and ran my fingers through my hair. “She was restless and I
was trying to comfort her,” I began to explain.

All he did was shake his
head and close the door.

I jumped out of bed and,
in only my nightshirt, ran after him, trying to catch him before he went back
outside. I didn’t have to run. I ran right into him outside the bedroom door.

“Easton,” I said,
startled by his location.

He held onto my arms and
steadied me. He was already dressed for the day in tight jeans and an old UAB
shirt. I recognized it. He was also wearing a frown on his handsome, unshaven
face.

“I’m sorry—”

“Why are you
apologizing?” he asked curtly.

I was taken aback by his
tone. “Because you’re upset that I was holding Emmy.”

“Not at you.” That put me
at ease, but he was anything but.

“Then who?”

“At myself, at Kathryn,”
he whispered, so Emmy wouldn’t hear. He looked up to the ceiling as if he was
looking for answers. “Taylor, I’ve known for a long time what a mistake it was
not trying to save our marriage, but now more than ever I feel the weight of
it.” He looked down at me and drew me a little closer. “You … you …” He sighed
and let me go. “We better get going if we want to see the sunrise,” he said in
defeat.

“Okay,” I whispered.

He walked away like his
life depended on it.

I crept back into the
darkened room. I debated whether I should go on the hike or not. Maybe I should
have driven myself up. I looked at sweet Emmy, who looked peaceful as she
slept. I would go for the girls.

Emmy and I met Easton and
Ashley out by the tent. Ashley looked adorable in her oversize sweatshirt and
matching sweat pants. Her long brown hair had come out of her bun during the
night. Despite her unpolished appearance, she looked happy as she stood there
with her dad’s arm around her.

Emmy stumbled toward her
dad and he took her under his other arm. I could tell it pleased him to have
both of his girls, yet he still looked troubled.

We stared at one another
for a moment in that uncomfortable sort of way.

Ashley was old enough and
wise enough to notice. “Everything okay?” she asked through a yawn.

I turned my gaze toward
her. “Yes, love.”

Easton squeezed her
shoulders. “Never better,” he said.

I rubbed my arms with my
hands. It was nippy, even with my jacket on.

“Do you need a warmer
jacket?” Easton asked.

“No. I’ll warm up once we
start moving.”

Easton clapped his hands
together. “Let’s get going then. Is it okay with everyone if we eat when we get
back?”

We all nodded silently,
trying to wake up. I guess Easton was used to staying up all night and getting
up early; it was a byproduct of his occupation.

Easton led the way, and
the girls and I followed. The only sound that could be heard for several
minutes was the crunch of the leaves, twigs, and rocks under our shoes as we
traversed by flashlight up the rocky path. We were headed up to a cliff that
overlooked the lake, or so Easton said. I was terrible with direction, but
Easton had always been good with that sort of thing.

Twilight appeared at six
in the morning this time of year. The sun was tickling the horizon.

“We need to hustle,”
Easton said

“I’m tired,” Emmy whined.

“Come here, honey.” He
bent down and she climbed on his back. Even with the extra weight, he walked faster
than Ashley and me.

Ashley and I walked arm
in arm behind Easton and Emmy. Ashley leaned on me as we made our way up the
steep incline.

“Just a few more
minutes,” Easton encouraged us.

That was good news. I
thought I was in good shape, but my legs were on fire. It didn’t help that I
had hardly slept.

When we made it to our
destination, Ashley and I collapsed on the hard ground. Easton laughed at us as
he lowered Emmy off his back. Emmy made her way over and I pulled her to me and
held on to both my pretty girls.

Easton pulled out a small
camera from his pocket. “Let me take a picture of you guys.”

Ashley and I groaned. We
were not looking our finest.

“You all look beautiful.”
He snapped the picture without our permission.

“Please don’t show that
to anyone,” I implored him when he came and sat down near us.

“I’m thinking of framing
it for my office,” he teased.

“No way, Dad!” Ashley
warned.

He wrapped Ashley up in
his arms. “I suppose I could just show it to your dates.”

“Oh, ha ha,” Ashley
replied.

A hush fell over our cozy
group as the sun began to peak over the horizon. The sun’s beams burst onto the
scene, replacing the pink and orange hues of twilight with bright yellow rays.
It was a magnificent sight.

Easton took picture after
picture of it.

My favorite was when the
light reached the still lake water. As the air temperature rose, the lake
started to mist over. The sight was worth the price of admission.

We sat on the cliff for
several minutes until we could feel the warmth of the early morning sun.

I closed my eyes and
leaned my head back to bask in the warmth for a moment. It felt good on that
chilly morning. My reverie was interrupted by the click of a camera. I opened
my eyes to a grinning Easton. “Please delete that.”

“Not a chance,” he
replied.

I let it go. I was too
tired to make a big fuss about it.

We took our time making
our way back to the cabin. Easton was like a tour guide. He would stop and
point out different types of flowers to the girls and tell them a little
something about each; he also found some animal tracks he was trying to
identify. They looked small, so I wasn’t too concerned. I liked watching him
interact with the girls and I particularly loved how Ashley responded to him. I
hoped they would continue to build a good, healthy relationship.

The girls had a burst of
energy at the end of our excursion and ran ahead of us, leaving the exes behind
together.

“Did you take that
picture of me to remind yourself that you dodged the bullet, not having a hot
mess to wake up to every morning?” I asked him once we were alone.