Kiss My Boots (Coming Home #2)

I hate to admit it, but when my parents called to tell me my paw had passed away, I felt relief. Not because he was gone, but because even in his death he was still saving me. Of course, that relief was short-lived where my parents are concerned. We aren’t close, not that we ever were, but they killed any chance of that shit ever happenin’ a long time ago. Hell, they didn’t even have the decency to tell me about Paw until after the fuckin’ funeral. I still don’t understand it, but I have the feeling a lot of the reason they did that was because they knew I would jump off the path I was on—the one they wanted me to be on—which I did. I had just come home from one of the hardest deliveries I had ever had, having almost lost the mother, and I get that shit from them.

I continue cruising down Main, looking at all the new—and old—businesses. It’s shocking how little one place can change so much and yet remain exactly the same. The bakery is new, something my sweet tooth will be happy to visit. The urge to pull into Davis Auto Works when I pass by is so damn strong I almost am not able to keep my truck on the street, my hand twitching to turn into the parking lot. I see the light glowing into the darkness around the building, the only seemingly open business on the street, inviting and taunting me closer, but somehow I manage to keep my trucks’ wheels spinnin’.

Just manage, that is.

Fuck. When was the last time I felt this way? The rush of nerves and excitement speeding through my body, feeding some metaphorical, adrenaline-pumpin’ erection for life. I don’t have one single clue what I’m coming back to Pine Oak to find—aside from the career path I always wanted more than the harried, fast-paced life of a doctor at an overcrowded hospital. I know what I hope to find in addition to that—but will it still be mine for the taking?

Only time will tell.

I reach over and turn up the radio, trying to drown out my thoughts while I take the back roads to my grandparents’ old farmhouse. You would never guess I haven’t driven these roads since I left to start school in Georgia. Back then I had a raven-haired vixen at my side hootin’ and hollerin’ for me to go faster so she could hear my tires screech.

God, I miss her.

Missed her since the day I left and haven’t stopped since.

The ringing of my phone cuts my thoughts off and I look at the display on my dash to see Ella’s name on the caller ID. Swear to God, that woman is on my last nerve. During my final month at work she was fine, abiding by what we’d discussed at the restaurant that night, but the closer it got to my last day, the more she reverted to her overbearing self.

And I’ve damn just about had enough of it.

“Ella,” I answer, my voice sounding monotone and pissed the fuck off. I would ignore her call, like I’ve been doing all day, but clearly that wasn’t enough for her to take a hint and stop.

“Tatum, hello, dear. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine, Ella. Look, we talked about this last night. I’ve got somethin’ I’m hopin’ to build when I get back to Texas, and the last thing I want is her gettin’ the wrong idea because you won’t leave well enough alone.”

“But Tatum,” she whines, sniffling. “We had a good thing going. I know you didn’t mean it when you said it was over. I just don’t want you to make a mistake.”

“I’m gonna be real honest with you right now, Ella, and I want this to take root. The only fuckin’ mistake I made was ever hookin’ up with you. Harsh as fuck, I know, but you can’t seem to understand what I’m tellin’ you. Stop callin’.”

I press the button on my steering wheel to disconnect the call, feeling pissed as fuck.

My mood shifts when I pull into my grandparents’—no, my—driveway, a smile creepin’ onto my lips when I see Mark Blake waving his arms above his head like an idiot. The glow from the porch light hits him and makes his blond hair look white, shining bright around his shadowed face like a makeshift halo. Mark is one of the only friends I’ve kept from my summers spent in Pine Oak. He knows all about my past with Quinn, but he also knows why I stayed gone. If anyone has the power to erase the aftereffects of that frustrating-as-fuck call, it’s Mark.

“Took you long enough, jackass,” he bellows the second I open the door and have my boots in the dirt.

“Took me long enough? How long did you think it would take me to drive from fuckin’ Georgia?”

He shrugs, one big shoulder going up, before I see his face split into a wide grin. His hand reaches out to grab mine before he pulls me into a backslappin’ hug. “Not sure I ever thought this day would come, Tate. Damn, it’s good to see you back in Pine Oak.”

I pull away and give my old friend a genuine smile. “You aren’t the only one who thought it wouldn’t happen,” I agree, blowing out a relieved gust of air now that I finally have my boots back on Texas ground. “What’s Janie been feedin’ you? Last time you came out to see me you weren’t this damn big.”

He laughs hard, puffing his chest out slightly. “Has nothin’ to do with what she’s feedin’ me, Tate. Reckon you’ll figure out once you get set up at the office and all, but we’re tryin’ to get pregnant. She’s got us goin’ at it mornin’, noon, night, and what feels like every second between. Never thought I’d say this, but fuck, I’m tired of fuckin’.”

“Congratulations, Mark, ’bout the baby-makin’, not the whole tired-of-fuckin’ thing. What’s that got to do with you puttin’ on a small human’s worth of solid muscle though?”

His mouth tips. “Gotta keep up with my woman, so I’ve been workin’ out every second I get. If I ain’t at the station or inside my wife, I’m buildin’ up my stamina.”

I shake my head, not even botherin’ to entertain this conversation any longer.

“Anyway, told Janie it wouldn’t be right to let you get back to Pine Oak after all this time and not drag you out to celebrate your return. I know you just got in and all, but you got ten minutes to take a piss and grab a sandwich before I take you out. You’re damn lucky my wife likes you and made sure to stock your fridge. Janie also said she’d be on call to pick us up later if we got too rowdy, so plan on it bein’ a long night.”

“Been on the road for close to eleven hours, Mark. Wouldn’t be my first choice to go out drinkin’ myself under the table.”

He straightens and puffs out his chest. I’m a tall man, but Mark is a motherfuckin’ tall man. He’s got a few inches on my six foot three, but he’s got close to a hundred pounds to my one-eighty.

I meet his gaze for a minute and try to stare him down; then I give up. “Not gonna let me out of this, are you?”

He shakes his head. “Ever since you headed out yonder, settin’ down in Atlanta of all places, I’ve come to you. I did what you asked, keepin’ my eye on Quinn to make sure she was okay, and I respected your wishes when you told me it wasn’t my business to butt into that shit between y’all you left hangin’, but that was then. Now I’m gonna take my old buddy out, and he’s gonna listen to me buttin’ in.”