Ask Me to Stay (Honky Tonk Angels #4) (3 page)

“I wasn’t planning a wedding. Just suggesting that you might want to ask her out. For more than just sex.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

What he didn’t say was that the idea did have appeal. Not that Callie was the one, but that maybe it was time to think about finding a woman and trying to build a life. His brother was doing it, and even Kyle Stadler, one of Cotton Creek’s most confirmed bachelors, was now in a relationship and couldn’t be happier.

It would be nice to have someone to come home to – someone to spend the weekends with and someone to be a family with. As much as he purely loved women, loved charming them, being in their company and enjoying their bodies, the thrill was starting to wear off.

Yep, maybe he would think about asking out Callie Williams. On a real date.

Callie saw him when she pulled into daycare parking lot. Jayce was sitting in his truck. She got out of the car and walked over to him. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

“Got finished early today and thought it might be nice to have a picnic.”

“A picnic?”

He gestured toward a big picnic basket on the seat beside him. “Had the folks at the diner fix up some food and wanted to see if you and Lily would like to join me for a picnic in the park?”

“Really?” She couldn’t believe he’d done that. She and Jayce had been smiling and sharing looks ever since they’d met, but he’d not made any move to ask her out. She’d started to think she was misreading signals and he wasn’t interested. For him to suggest a dinner date and include her daughter touched her in more than just a lusty manner.

“Yeah, if you’d like.”

“I would. Very much. Let me run get Lily.”

“Okay. I’ll be right here.”

“I won’t take long.” Callie hurried into the daycare.

As was typical, when Lily saw her, she beamed and announced to everyone. “My mommy back. My mommy back. My go home now. Bye bye.” With that, she ran into Callie’s arms.

“How’s my sweetie pie?” Callie kissed her. “Were you a good girl today?”

“My good.” Lily nodded.

The smile from Mrs. Branch confirmed that.

“Thank you, Mrs. Branch,” Callie said as she took Lily to gather up her things. “I so appreciate you taking such good care of my baby.”

“It’s no trouble at all, honey. She’s a pure doll.”

“She is that,” Callie agreed, and looped the strap of Lily’s bag over her shoulder. “Okay, punkin, you ready to go?”

“My ready, Mommy.”

“Well, then say bye bye to Mrs. Branch.”

“Bye bye!” Lily called out and blew a kiss. “My wubs you.”

“I love you, peach,” Mrs. Branch called back.

Callie carried her outside and stopped at Jayce’s truck. Jayce reached out to tickle Lily under her chin. “Hey pretty girl. Want to go to the park and have dinner?”

“Sving and eat eat,” Callie offered when Lily just smiled.

“Oh, sorry. A little out of practice.” Jayce looked at Lily. “Want to go swing and eat eat, Lily?”

“My sving, my sving, Mommy.”

“Yes, you can swing.” Callie smiled at Jayce. “We’ll follow you.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Callie situated Lily in her car seat, then got in the car and followed Jayce to the park. He climbed out of the truck with the picnic basket in hand and a blanket folded on top of it. Callie got Lily out of the car seat and walked to the front of the car where he waited.

“Swing first or eat eat, Lily?” Jayce asked.

“Sving, my sving!” Lily scrambled to get out of Callie’s arms and took off as fast as her little legs would carry her toward the swings.

“Thanks for doing this,” Callie said as she and Jayce followed.

“Thank you for accepting. I’ve been wanting to ask you out but there never seems to be a good time between your schedule and mine.”

“I’ve heard that you’re as busy as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest these days.”

“That pretty much sums it up. And your schedule seems pretty full.”

“It’s not bad. I have the three week days doing the books, and then Wednesday, Friday and some Saturdays working the bar.”

“Not every Saturday?”

“No. KC keeps Lily for me while I’m working the bar, and you know she’s seventeen, so wants to have at least one night to hang out with her friends or see a boy. Cody and Hannah are real nice about letting me be flexible with that.”

“And you’re still staying with Cody?”

“Yes. I’m trying to save enough to get a place for myself and Lily, but honest to god, it seems like things are off the market no sooner than they’re on.”

“I imagine so. There are a lot of new people coming in, thanks to the oil thing.”

“Your family’s involved in that, right?”

“Yeah, my brothers Bronson and Jasper.”

“So you’re not involved in the oil business?”

“Not really. Building is my thing. Well, mine and Bryson’s.”

“And JD runs the ranch with your father, right?”

“Yep.”

“So, I take it you don’t care much for ranching either?”

“Oh no, I like it. But JD has a good grip on that and he knows how to yell if he needs help. Bryson and I always were into building so we figured we’d see what we could do with it. We both got contractor’s licenses, but before we got those, I’d gotten an electrical and structural license and he earned a plumbing and HVAC. That way we can sub out what our own crews can’t do, but do it all under our license.”

“Sounds complicated – but smart.”

By then, they’d reached the swings. Jayce set the basket down and walked over to Lily, who was trying to climb into the swing. “Need some help there, sugar?”

“Sving! My sving.”

“Well, then let’s get you going.” Jayce helped her into the kiddie swing – the kind with the seat harness – and she started pumping her little legs and moving her body back and forth.

“Sving broke.”

“I think I can fix it.” Jayce moved behind her, took hold of the chains and pulled her back. When he let go, she squealed in delight.

“Mommy, my sving. My sving big.”

Callie laughed and looked behind Lily to Jayce. His gaze met hers and it nearly took her breath away. God, this was like a scene from a dream. A man so sexy it nearly robbed her mind of reason, and sweet enough to include her child in a dinner date. She told herself it was too good to be true and not to get her hopes up.

As kind and nice as Jayce was, that didn’t mean he was looking for anything other than someone to date, maybe have sex with and enjoy some laughs. She’d heard about him. Next to Kyle Stadler, Jayce was legendary in Cotton Creek for being a Don Juan. Love ’em and leave ’em. Satisfied and wanting more, but they were left because Jayce didn’t stick around.

And maybe that was for the best. Callie didn’t know if she had anything to offer but what was happening right now. There would come a day when she would probably have to leave Cotton Creek and head out again, looking for a place to hide.

One day, Deke would get out of prison and she knew, without question, that when he did, he’d come looking for her.

After all, she was the reason he was there.

*****

“There’s no way in hell I’d have my butthole bleached.”

A moment of complete silence followed Cody Sweet’s statement. Then came the shouts of “Oh my god” and an outbreak of laughter. Jolene Windwalker collapsed onto Annie Morgan’s shoulder, howling with laughter. Liz Redgate choked on her beer and Hannah Sweet pounded on her back, tears streaming down her face. Pressley Pursell collapsed on the floor beside Cody, covering her face with her hands, her body shaking with laughter.

Callie covered her face with her hands, trying not to laugh too loudly. Cody had no filters when she was around friends. Whatever popped into her head more often than not spilled from her lips.

“I mean it,” Cody insisted. “Damn you lunatics. It’s not that funny.”

“Sorry,” Annie managed to get the words out. “It’s just…” She dissolved into another fit of laughter and even Cody became caught up in it.

Once they’d all recovered, Hannah spoke up. “Well, honestly I can’t say I’d do that either, but I swear that’s what Maggie Johnson told me they were offering at that new salon that just opened.”

“Oh, yeah, I can just see it,” Liz remarked. “‘Hey, Kyle, look what I did.’”

Cody tossed a pillow at Liz and laughed. “Yeah, no shit. I mean, what the fuck, people?”

Jo shrugged and chugged down half her beer. “Lots of women have done it. I guess those ladies who opened the salon thought it was just part of the full service experience.”

Hannah shook her head. “Sorry, but I just can’t imagine. I mean, waxing is bad enough, but that?”

“Amen, sister.” Cody offered Hannah a fist bump. “So, have any of you actually been in the place?”

“I have,” Annie admitted.

“And did you—” Pressley started to ask.

Another eruption of laughter cut off Pressley’s question.

“Ewuueee. Not in a million years,” Annie replied. “But I did get a nice facial and a pedicure. See?” She raised one leg and wiggled her toes. “All pretty and pink.”

“I was thinking of stopping in for a pedicure,” Hannah said and when Cody shot her a look, added, “Look, some of us actually want our feet to look good.”

“They’re feet, for crying out loud.”

“Pretty toes are important,” Annie argued.

“Oh? So Riley has a foot fetish?”

“God, no.”

“I rest my case.” Cody drained her beer bottle and looked around. “Who’s ready for another?”

A chorus of “me” had her grinning and starting to rise, but Callie jumped up. “I’ll do it.”

“Thanks.” Cody settled back down and Callie hurried to the kitchen.

She still felt a bit like the odd man out. Cody and her friends got together every couple of weeks for a girl’s night out and tonight was Cody’s turn to host the gathering. They’d pigged out on pizza, homemade by Hannah, and afterwards, Callie had gotten Lily ready for bed.

Lily had drifted off in five minutes. Callie left the door to the bedroom cracked before she’d rejoined the women. They’d gabbed for the last two hours, giving her a lot of information about the people in the town.

Callie liked all the women and felt very lucky that in the month she’d been in Cotton Creek, she’d been able to get to know them a little. She’d like to call them friends, but she wasn’t quite ready to let anyone that close. That would mean talking about herself and as yet, she hadn’t revealed anything other than the basics. She’d grown up in Nashville, made a mistake and had a child. And when her mother died, she’d decided it was time for a change.

It was all the information she felt she could trust people with. Her involvement with Deke wasn’t anything to brag about and what had resulted from it definitely wasn’t something she wanted to talk about. People in small towns often issued judgment based on circumstance before they knew the people involved. She knew that from her own childhood.

Once people got to know you, it was easier for them to accept and forgive mistakes you might have made. Callie liked it here and wished she could stay. This would be a nice place for Lily to grow up.

As she understood it, Pressley and Liz were the newest additions to the group of friends. They sure seemed to fit right in and, from appearances, were completely comfortable. Some of the talk was enough to make a person blush. Callie was willing to bet good money that the married girls’ husbands would shit a gold brick if they knew some of the things that were said.

It was a given that she would not look at JD Weathers, Riley Morgan and Kyle Stadler in the same light. That thought gave her a smile.

As Callie made her way to the kitchen, Liz called out, “So, Callie, I hear Jayce is becoming a regular fixture at the Honky Tonk since you went to work there.”

Callie was glad her back was turned. She wasn’t keen on being the topic of discussion. Particularly in regards to Jayce Weathers. Just thinking about him set her to daydreaming.

“Callie?” Cody yelled.

“I heard her. I didn’t know he was coming in more than normal.” She pulled out a six-pack of beer from the refrigerator.

“And?” Liz asked as Callie returned to the den.

“Not anything to tell. He’s really nice and very kind to Lily.”

“That man is one great dad,” Jo said. “You know his wife bolted on him when Carson was two and Jayce has raised him all on his own.”

“Carson is a real sweet boy.” He was. The couple of times she’d run into him, he’d been so kind to Lily. That meant a lot.

“He’s a good kid. Honor student and the kid excels at every sport there is.”

“Jayce must be so proud.”

“Speaking of – Carson told me that Jayce was going to ask you out.”

Callie nearly dropped the beer. Her gaze sought Cody and Cody must have realized her discomfort because she spoke up quickly.

“Hey, Lily Matthews is thinking of buying that house two doors down from Nellie Mae Baker. You know, the Wilson’s place? They’re thinking of moving to Arkansas where their daughter lives now. She has three kids and they don’t get to see the grandkids much.”

“That means she’s definitely planning on staying,” Annie commented. “She’s nice. I’ve run into her a couple of times and I like her.”

“Yeah, same here,” Liz said. “And you know who has a thing for her, don’t you?”

“Who?” Annie asked, reaching out to take the beer Callie offered.

“Wes.”

“Wes Pursell?”

“Yep,” Cody said and looked at Pressley. “That is right, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I think the man sits around half the day trying to dream up excuses to talk to her.”

“Well, she is the attorney for the new company,” Liz said.