Southern Pleasure (Southern Heart 1)

I end the call and pack my camera back into the bag. Shutting down the lights, I head back to the house. Looks like I will get to start painting sooner than I thought.

In the house, I find Mom on the phone. She raises her eyebrows in question. “Session cancelled,” I whisper. She nods and holds up a finger, asking me to wait.

I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and take a seat across from her at the table.

“Great, Kinley just walked in. I’ll run this past her and let you know,” Mom says before hanging up. “What happened?”

“Beth called and Thomas is sick. She’s going to reschedule. I was just coming in to change into some old clothes before heading over to Evan’s to start painting.”

“I was just talking to Mabel from church. She agrees that having a shower for Ethel is a great idea. She’s starting the phone tree as we speak. We are going to plan it for a month from now after church one Sunday.”

“That’s a great idea! It will be good for Ethel to get out of the house and Evan can use the support for sure.”

“It’s all in the works. Do you need any help painting?” she asks.

“I think I’m good. Evan has the room cleared out. So I just need to lay down the tarp and tape off the trim. That will ta

ke some time. He already texted me and said I had to wait for him to edge it in.”

“He’s protective.”

“He’s been around Aaron too long when it comes to me,” I reply.

“If you say so. Since you don’t need any help, I think I’ll head into town and look for some decorations for the shower.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later.” I rush off to my room to change. I can’t wait to get started on this room.

Twelve hours. It took us twelve hours to work through the new herd. Aaron and his dad were lifesavers. They helped instruct the crew as to what to do. No way could this have gotten done in one day without them. I’m glad to have it done, but disappointed I missed Kinley. She started on the nursery today and I was looking forward to spending time with her, but I refuse to think about what that means.

Unlocking the door, I see the glow of a light upstairs. Kinley must have forgotten to turn it off. Even though I’m dead on my feet, I rush up the stairs to see how much she got done. Sure enough, the light to the nursery is on and I’m shocked to see it’s done. The walls are painted in a color that Kinley informed me is a medium lavender. To me, it just looks like a light purple.

The room looks as if a professional came in and did it. The tarp that I laid down for her is gone as are all of the painting supplies. Hard-headed as ever, it’s obvious she ignored my ‘wait for me for the ladder’ warning I gave her. I swallow back the lump in my throat.

This is real.

In just four short months, my baby girl is going to be here. I will never be able to thank Kinley enough for everything she’s done. Pulling out my phone, I swipe the screen and see it’s just after nine. I helped the crew feed and water all the horses before heading home. Surely, she’s still up. I decide to send her a text first.

Evan: You up?

I hear a beep of a cell phone. Did she leave her phone here? I follow the sound across the hall to my room. Opening the door, I allow the light from the nursery to light the room. That’s when I see her. Kinley is curled up on my bed, phone clutched in her hands. Surveying the room, I see a floral-looking bag sitting on the floor. My eyes roam over her and I see her hair is damp. She must have brought clothes to change into. McKinley was wet and naked in my shower, in my room.

Fuck me.

Even as tired as I am, my body responds to just the thought of her wet and naked. Moving further into the room, I slowly take a seat on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake her. There’s no one here to witness me lusting after my best friend’s little sister, my friend. She’s been a pillar of strength for me these past couple of months. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.

Her phone beeps again, reminding me of the text I sent her. I freeze, waiting to see if the sound wakes her.

It doesn’t.

A loose strand of hair is hanging down in her eyes. Ever so gently, I tuck it back behind her ear. It doesn’t wake her up and I’m relieved I get her like this for just a little while longer. I know I should wake her up and sitting here memorizing what she looks like in the moment, curled up in my bed, is wrong. I just can’t seem to find the will to care.

Her phone dings again, and this time she stirs, causing that errant strand of hair I’d just moved to once again obstruct my view. Just as my hand goes to move it, her eyes slowly open. She recognizes me right away, and a soft smile graces her lips. “Hey,” she says, her voice laced with sleep.

My hand has a mind of its own as I find myself cupping her cheek. “Hey, you wore yourself out today.” It’s not a question. She did a hell of a lot of work today for my daughter and me.

Her eyes light at my words. “Did you see it?” she asks.

“I did. It’s perfect.” You’re perfect.