Almost a Family (21 page)

Bailey stood alone at the bottom. The sight of him sent jolts of sexual awareness through her limbs. He'd traded his polo shirt for a snug white T-shirt. His face and arms glistened with sweat, and bits of hay stuck to his skin. His jeans were tucked into a pair of old workboots. He dabbed at his forehead with a bandanna. She stopped on the next to last step, a couple of feet above him, her body tingling.

"Hey," he said, smiling up at her.

"Hey, yourself. Thanks for the card."

He wet his lips. "You're welcome."

"And the flowers."

He nodded.

She gazed into his eyes, and descended one more step. "You look... hot."

He studied her carefully. "I am... hot."

"Where's Chad?"

"He found Jean Ann's tire swing. I thought I'd take a shower before we go on the picnic."

Her fantasies whirled free. "A shower?"

"Uh-huh," he said just as slowly. "A hot shower."

She stepped down again, coming to stand within inches of him. "A hot, soapy shower?"

He reached for her and crushed her into a deep kiss. She tasted the salt from his skin and felt the heat from his mouth. She inhaled the musky scent of him, and her legs weakened. Her tongue swirled over the smooth surface of his teeth, then probed deeper. Their kiss became more urgent as their hunger for each other escalated. She clenched at the muscles on his back, feeling the soaked, flimsy shirt beneath her fingers. She tore it from his waistband and raked her nails against the moist, warm skin of his back.

Behind them, the screen door slammed. "Oh, brother," Chad said loudly.

They parted quickly, both breathing hard, and stared at their son.

Bailey shoved his hand through his hair. "I thought you were on the tire swing," he said raggedly, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"I thought you were going to take a shower," Chad said, just as annoyed.

"I was," Bailey sighed in exasperation. "I am." He climbed the stairs in long strides.

Her chest rose and fell as she fought to regain control of her breathing. Chad stared at her with narrowed eyes until she started to squirm. "You got hay all over you," he said, then turned and walked back outside.

She looked down and saw bits of straw on her arms and clothing, then stepped out on the front porch to brush herself off. Chad sat in an old metal glider a few feet away. She walked over and leaned on the rail near him.

"It's a great day for a picnic."

"Yeah, if we ever get there."

After a few seconds of silence Virginia tilted her head and asked, "Chad, does it bother you when Bailey kisses me?"

He looked at her and rolled his eyes. "No."

"Then why did you act so mad just now?"

He looked away and said nothing.

"Chad?"

He jerked his head toward her. "Because," he yelled, "you're always in the way, that's why! I want to spend time with my dad, and every time I turn around he's kissing you instead!"

She flinched. "Chad, I—"

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" He jumped up and leapt off the porch, then disappeared around the house.

Virginia sat down on the porch steps and contemplated her next move. Sighing, she rolled her head back and closed her eyes. Even a fool could see where this flirtation with Bailey was leading. The question she had to answer was whether she believed he'd become a man with staying power; otherwise, she couldn't afford to invest any more of her life and love in Bailey Kallihan.

The one thing she was sure of was that Chad needed to be with Bailey. Maybe it was his age or maybe it was his genetic tendency, but he flourished around his father and Bailey benefited from Chad's company as well.

She opened her eyes. So where did that leave her?

The door opened and she sat up. His hair still wet from the shower, Bailey walked out wearing navy swim trunks, a pale gray T-shirt, and low-top athletic shoes. He smelled like soap and carried the picnic basket in one arm, an old quilt and three faded life jackets in the other. "What are you thinking about?"

"You," she said.

He sat down beside her. "What about me?"

She looked him in the eye. "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

His eyebrows knitted and he toyed with the frayed thread of a life jacket. "I plan to be right here at Shenoway, but I don't think that's what you're asking."

"No, it isn't."

He lifted his gaze to hers. "Ginny, I can't imagine any other woman in my life except you."

Tears gathered in her eyes.

"Uh-oh, the tears I can't handle." He leaned over to kiss her nose and she smiled. "That's better—are you ready?" He stood up and offered her a semi-free hand.

"Yeah." She pulled herself to her feet and took the life jackets. "I don't know where Chad's run off to, though."

Bailey put two fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. Chad burst out of a grove of trees, carrying his slingshot.

"Can we go now?" he yelled, running toward them, making it perfectly clear the adults had been the holdup all along.

"If you carry your weight." Bailey tossed him the quilt.

The walk to Milton Creek, the Kallihans' west property line, took about thirty minutes, but it was well worth it. They were lucky enough to have a family of persistent beavers on their land who'd dammed up a portion of the creek, just enough to form a deep swimming hole.

Virginia's cheeks warmed when she saw the shady blue-green pool. She and Bailey had skinny-dipped there on more than one occasion when they'd dated. She caught his eye, and from his smile knew he, too, was remembering. In fact, she suspected that Chad might have been conceived on this very bank.

Chad's expression was dubious. "It looks deep."

"It is in some places," Bailey said. "Can you swim?"

Chin jutting, Chad said, "Sure... a little."

Immediately, Virginia said, "Then you should wear your life jacket."

"No," Chad whined. "That's for sissies!"

"Hey," Bailey said, raising an eyebrow. "You heard Ginny."

"All right," he grumbled, frowning.

They spread the large quilt on a mossy stretch of bank, the weeping willow above them providing dappled sun and shade as its spindly branches swung to and fro. Within minutes Bailey had stripped off his shirt and shoes and waded into the water. Virginia watched the muscles in his back ripple as he made a series of shallow dives to stake out the depth of the water.

He surfaced to their far right and threw his head back. "It's deepest here—more than fifteen feet—everywhere else it seems to be running from five to eight feet." He swam back to the bank using powerful strokes, then stood up and waded out.

Virginia was unable to tear her eyes from his dripping body. The water found every rippling valley as it rushed down. The hem of his nylon trunks dragged, pulling the waistband a half inch beneath his tan line, and outlining his manhood in jarring clarity. He walked over to them and shook like a shaggy dog, laughing when she squealed and Chad jumped up to run out of range.

Bailey lowered himself to the quilt with a sigh, stretching out his long legs in front of him. "Feels good, doesn't it?" he asked her. "Coming back here, I mean."

"Yes," she agreed, glad it felt special to him too. She pulled her T-shirt over her head a bit self-consciously. His gaze roved over her body as eagerly as hers had taken in his. To her embarrassment, her nipples hardened, plain to see in the pale pink swimsuit.

"What's for lunch?" he asked with one eyebrow cocked.

She reached over and gave his shoulder a playful shove, then he grabbed her hand and kissed the fleshy area between her index finger and thumb. The contact from his tongue triggered head-to-toe responses. Remembering Chad's accusation, she glanced around nervously, then said, "I'll get out the food."

"I'll take him in before he eats." Bailey grabbed two life jackets as he stood up.

While she unpacked sandwiches and opened bowls of coleslaw and baked beans, Virginia kept an eye on her men. Chad looked pale and thin in his baggy trunks, but his shoulders were wide and his legs were long, both guarantees that his father's good build would be his destiny. They spent several minutes collecting smooth stones for Chad's slingshot ammunition, tying them up in Bailey's bandanna, then they both waded out into the deeper water. Chad seemed tentative at first, his eyes widening in fright when his feet couldn't touch bottom. But he soon learned to trust the life jacket, and Bailey showed him some basic strokes and kicks he could do while wearing the flotation device.

"Hey, Ginny!" Bailey called after a few minutes. "Aren't you coming in?"

"I don't know..."

He began to make chicken noises and flap his arms, Chad readily joining in.

Laughing, she stood up. "Okay, okay." She slid her shorts down her legs, a move that earned her a catcall from Bailey. She waded in, strapping on her jacket.

The water felt wonderfully cool and invigorating to her warm skin, the rocks smooth to her bare feet. She swam out to them in a few strokes, then rolled over on her back to wet her hair. Bailey's fingers grazed her toes, which triggered a tickling match, which triggered an all-out water fight, reminiscent of many.

Finally they were all exhausted and traipsed back to the bank to refuel.

Chad and Bailey both ate so much, she began to wonder if she'd packed enough food—she'd forgotten how much food a hungry male could put away. But at last the two were sated, stretched out in the sun, and patting their stomachs as if they'd spent every Saturday of their lives together, dozing away the afternoon.

* * *

Bailey opened his right eye and glanced at Ginny. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep. He opened the left eye and glanced at Chad. Definitely snoresville. Quietly rolling up on his right side, he stared down into her face for several seconds. If ever he'd seen a classic beauty, it was Ginny. But more than beautiful, she was striking—a head-turner—with those huge eyes and full lips... a look all her own... memorable.

To that he could surely attest. Had a single day passed since their divorce when he hadn't thought of her at least once?

"Hey, beautiful."

She started and her eyes snapped open. "Oh." She put a hand to her chest. "Bailey, you scared me to death."

"Ginny," he said gravely,
"you
scared
me
to death."

When she realized he was serious, she frowned. "What?"

"When we were married," he said slowly, "you turned so serious and so responsible overnight, I was scared."

"Bailey, we were having a baby—"

He put a finger to her lips to stop her. "I know. You
should
have been serious and responsible, but I should have been too, and I wasn't. I was scared because I didn't want to change."

Her eyes misted and she breathed heavily for a few seconds, holding his gaze. "And now?"

"And now," he said hoarsely, leaning over her, "I'm strong enough to change." He lowered his mouth to hers, a feathery, airy kiss. He sampled the tastes and textures of her mouth slowly, with no driving need, no immediacy, no straining. Just an unhurried, thorough exploration of her plump, memorable mouth. She moaned and offered up the velvety tip of her tongue for his to dance with.

A loud splash broke the silence, startling both of them. He jerked his head around. Chad was gone!

"Help!" he heard him call from the water, followed by the sounds of thrashing arms and legs.

Ginny was instantly on her feet. "He went under!"

Bailey stood and ran to the water's edge and made a shallow dive. He got a handful of the boy's trunks and yanked him to the surface. Chad lunged for his neck, wrapping his strong little arms and legs around Bailey's body, nearly dragging him beneath the water as well. Bailey swallowed a mouthful of water, coughed, then shifted Chad's back to his own chest and slowly swam back to the bank.

Ginny half dragged Chad from the water. He appeared shaken, coughing violently. "Are you okay?" she gasped, bent over him, clutching his hand to her heart.

"Yeah," he murmured, struggling to sit up. "I'm okay."

Still gasping for his own breath, Bailey watched as Ginny's expression changed in a split second. "How dare you sneak off—I told you to wear your life jacket! I'm not strong enough to pull you from the water. If Bailey hadn't been here—" She burst into tears.

Bailey pulled her away from Chad, up and into his arms. "Shh," he said, rubbing her back. "It's okay."

But Chad had recovered enough to stand, and his defenses were up. "I didn't sneak off! If you two hadn't been rolling around—"

"That's enough." Bailey held up a finger in warning. He turned his attention back to Ginny, who cried silently in his arms. "Let's go home," he whispered, stroking her hair.

After a few seconds she nodded, sniffing mightily and swiping at her cheeks.

He looked at Chad. "Start packing things up."

The late afternoon sun was unforgivingly hot, bearing down on Bailey's sudden headache. They walked back to Shenoway in near silence. Conscious of the warring emotions between Chad and Ginny, Bailey knew it was up to him to make reparations. "How about going to see a movie?"

Chad looked suspicious. "Which one?"

Bailey shrugged. "I'm sure we can find one we all agree on."

Chad looked sideways at Ginny, then back to him. "I doubt it."

"Oh, come on," Bailey urged. "Popcorn, nachos—"

"Hot dogs, chocolate-covered peanuts," Chad finished, his eyes lighting up.

Ginny laughed softly, and they both looked at her. "I've never seen two people so preoccupied with food."

Bailey grinned, glad to see her sense of humor returning. "How about it?"

"Sounds good to me," she said.

"Me too," Chad chorused.

Two hours later they were walking into the theater to see the summer's biggest action thriller. They juggled seats for a couple of minutes until Chad finally settled happily between them. Bailey strongly suspected the seating arrangement was his son's attempt to keep them apart. It was becoming clearer to him that Chad was trying to squeeze Ginny out of the picture. No wonder she was having such a hard time with him at home.