“Well, then, I guess we better get a shower. I’d offer to feed you, but that won’t be happening. Today is grocery shopping day, so there’s literally nothing in my fridge right now.” That’s the one chore I hate the most, yet I’m the pickiest and don’t like my groceries being delivered either. Someone picking out my produce, it just doesn’t appeal to me. Plus, what if I want something that I happen to see while I’m actually shopping? You never know when the mood will hit you to try some new type of chip and dip.
“I’m not worried about that. Come on, wildflower.” Jasper picks me up, something I’m noticing he likes to do, wrapping my legs around him. I’ll relish this as long as I can. Sometimes being strong really freaking sucks.SixJasperIt hurt like hell leaving Aspen. I hated every last kiss, every hug, and when I kissed the inside of her wrist, it didn’t let up then either. I saw the weariness in my mom’s eyes, a weariness she always carries every time I leave for work, this time more than ever. Anytime there’s a break in equipment and we lose almost a full day, she knows we’ll work non-stop to get back on the ground running, which can cause mistakes. Partly because we’re all working even more than normal, which is when errors happen, something she knows all too well.
I can’t tell you how many times my mom would squeeze me tight, say a prayer, then reluctantly sent me on my way, just like she did today. Now, though, if something happens to me, I have two women who will mourn the loss, and who knows if Aspen and I created a life. Something I’m secretly hoping happens. Seeing her in a long dress, her legs peeking out with every step she takes, her belly swollen with our child, and her tits… Hell, they’re more than a handful now. I can only imagine how much bigger they’ll get and how she’ll fill out the dress she was wearing that night at the bar. That night when I hated like hell that she had to get on a plane and leave me. It seems like life is going to keep throwing us curveballs.
My tires eat up the pavement as the hour-long ride comes to an end and I’m back at my travel trailer to change clothes, grab what I’ll need for whoever knows how many hours, and get back to the rig. It’s still the smartest thing I’ve done. Who knows, maybe I can convince Aspen to spend the night when she’s off work and would like to do nothing but sit around and twiddle her thumbs.
“Dumbass,” I say to myself when I get back into the truck after busting hump to get in and out. It takes me no more than a few minutes until I’m pulling up to the site. I take a deep breath, let it out, and repeat it until I’m ready to start this shit show.
“Hey, Jas,” I hear my foreman say my name as I climb out of my truck.
“What’s up, Hank?” I’ve worked my way up to being an oil driller. Since I got out of high school, I worked my way from the ground up. It wasn’t easy, but I knew I wanted to make something of myself and help my mom out. Fat of a lot of good that’s done. Stubborn woman doesn’t want or ask for anything.
“You get enough sleep? You were out of here and off to see Aspen as soon as we were shut down.” I know he’s concerned with the driving, but we did manage to sleep in between every time I took that greedy pussy of hers, not that I’m complaining. Being inside of Aspen was like finding a piece of my missing soul.
“Oh yeah, what about you? Did you get to see Marge and the kids?” Hank has been working right alongside me for going on seven years now. He’s graying at the temples in his forty-something-odd years. Both of his girls are in high school; they relocated down here from Oklahoma a few years ago. The back and forth, missing the girls’ track and cheer meets, they were done with it, not that I can blame him. Aspen is only an hour away, and I hate like hell she’s not ten minutes away. Not being able to sleep with her when I do get to lay my head down tonight is going to suck. One night, that’s all it took, and I was addicted to her brand of sweetness.
“Oh yeah, I got a home-cooked meal and helped the girls with their math homework. Marge is useless when it comes to their Algebra classes these days. Best thing we did was move closer, even though the scenery sucks and I get to be the bearer of bad news to everyone.” We shoot the shit for a little bit, and once our crew starts straggling in, it’s time to get to work. I’m already counting down the hours until this part of work is done and I can hear or see my wildflower.