“You may’ve had barbecue, but you’ve never had my ma’s. There ain’t another person out there that makes it like her.”

  I could tell Palmer wanted to shoot back with another smartass comment, but she wouldn’t out of respect for their mother. And probably Clayton too, but definitely not for Corbin himself.

  “So, Clay, tell me about growing up in Morehead.” Palmer looked right past Corbin’s eager look. I kind of felt bad for the guy, until he opened his mouth.

  “You’re feisty. That usually means that a woman is a Dynamo in bed too.” He wagged his brows, but before Palmer had the chance to reach out and slug him, Clayton smacked the back of his head.

  “Knock it off.”

  “What the heck?” Corbin rubbed the spot his brother just whacked. “You said the same thing about Emelie before the two of you got together.”

  “Oh really?” It was my turn to shoot daggers.

  “I don’t remember that.” Clayton glared at his brother, making him chuckle as he turned back around to face the front. Instead of Clay answering the question Palmer asked, Corbin responded.

  “Growing up in Morehead was a blast. Dirt bikes, racing on the back roads, or hanging out down by ol’ man Richard’s drinking moonshine ’til we couldn’t see straight. In fact, it was behind Rich’s barn that Clayton and I both got our first blo—”

  “No,” Clayton said, looking up in the rearview mirror, making eye contact with me. “Some stories don’t need retold.”

  Corbin chuckled. “Ol’ Molly Hoover, damn that girl could—”

  “I said enough.” Clayton looked over at his brother and they shared some hidden twin language.

  “Such a pig,” Palmer told me, and I had to disagree. I saw a lot of Clay in Corbin and I thought it would only take the right girl to bring out his less than arrogant side. He was funny, and I’d noticed long ago the way he’d look at Palmer when she wasn’t looking. It made me wonder what was actually rolling around in his mind.

  “He’s harmless.” I leaned in toward her so only she could hear me. “I think he might like you.”

  “No thanks.” Palmer curled her lip in disgust. “I don’t feed stray cats because of the smell, and their manners are nonexistent. In the end all you get is scratched, or worse, you get fleas.”

  I laughed, and when I looked up, Clayton was once again watching me in the rearview mirror. I think he thought maybe I was upset about the blowjob behind the barn story; but frankly, what did I have to be mad about? That was a long time ago. Granted, I didn’t want a recap, but in no way did I ever think he was innocent. He was too cocky, and way too adorable, to be innocent.

  ***

  “This is Morehead,” Corbin said as we passed a sign that said “Welcome.” Both Palmer and I looked out our windows as the town began to come into view. It was nothing like I imagined, but better. It seemed so peaceful.

  Small storefront properties, little boutiques, it all seemed so homey.

  “I thought we’d head to the house first,” Clayton said as he made a right turn. “My parents will be at The Pit,” he added, making another turn up a long, narrow drive. “We can head over there after we unload.”

  “The Pit?”

  Corbin turned around in his seat and winked at Palmer. “The best barbecue in Kentucky.”

  Instead of giving him the normal annoyed look, she nodded her head and looked out her window once more.

  Just up ahead I could see the peak of a roof come into view through the mass array of trees. Everything was so green and rugged. I loved it. As we rounded a corner, I felt like my eyes bugged out of my head when I saw the house.

  “Home,” Corbin said, almost in awe. “Didn’t realize how much I missed this place until now.”

  “Yeah,” Clayton added as he slowed to a stop.

  A large A-framed peak sat high, almost as tall as the trees that surrounded the home. Lined with tall windows, it reminded me of a cabin, only it was the most beautiful and largest cabin I had ever seen in my life, or in pictures. A large deck surrounded the entire thing, a porch swing perched high and overlooked the large hill that dropped down the left side of the property.

  “Wow,” I mumbled, still completely lost in the view. “It’s beautiful.”

  “So majestic,” Palmer added, and I couldn’t have agreed more.

  “Come on.” Corbin hopped out. “We’ll show you around.”

  Palmer didn’t hesitate for a second as she climbed out and followed the guy she could hardly stand for the last eleven hours or more. I found it funny how she’d dropped her disgust so quickly and raced after him.

  Clayton climbed out and opened the back door, looking past me toward Ethan, who was still sleeping soundly at my side. “He handled that ride better than I thought he would.”

  “Yeah.” I looked toward my son. “I’m surprised too.”

  “So, you wanna go see where I grew up?” I turned back to face Clayton and found him smiling. He looked so anxious, so kid-like, and I couldn’t hold back my own smile. He was so damn cute.

  “Yeah,” I told him as I crawled out. “We just need to get the monster.”

  “Let me.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and I stepped aside, allowing him to move toward Ethan. He unbuckled him carefully, then scooped him from his carseat like he weighed absolutely nothing. Ethan didn’t wake, only curled into Clayton and continued to snore lightly.

  I knew I’d never get tired of seeing the two of them together; they fit so perfectly. Clayton may not be Ethan’s dad, but he was his best friend and I would always be thankful for the love he gave my son. Clayton was a man in every sense of the word. He’d been raised right. Though college may have brought out his crazy side, he never turned from his upbringing. He was so gentle and caring that it overwhelmed me at times.

  “I love you, do you know that?”

  Clayton paused just before we started to climb the stairs to his childhood home and looked at me with awe on his face.

  “I don’t think I’ve told you that enough. But I needed to say it now.” I moved around in front of him and placed one hand on each side, my son securely between us. “You make everything better.”

  “I love you too, pretty girl.” He leaned in and kissed the corner of my mouth. “But it’s the two of you that make everything better.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Clayton

  I stepped inside The Pit, seeing that old familiar hustle and bustle around the place. There were so many days growing up that Corbin and I moved around this place bussing tables and cleaning floors. Never, and I do mean never, did this place get old, though. The atmosphere was always kicking, people talking, and music playing.

  I looked toward the kitchen, still holding Emelie’s hand securely in my own as I held a now fully awake two-year-old in my other arm. I was nervous, not because my parents didn’t know that my girl had a son, but because they did. I’d talked about Emelie and Ethan so much they’d told me they felt as if they already knew her. I was just worried that my parents would be too much for Em. She wasn’t used to the “in-your-face,” so “involved in your life” kind of parents, and that’s exactly what mine were.

  My ma could be a little over the top, but she was a damn superhero. She had always been the woman who held my heart, yet now she had to share it with Emelie.

  “Well, if it isn’t the terror twins.” I laughed and hung my head when I heard Bevin’s voice squeal through the dining area, causing a few of the customers to look our way. “Any firecrackers or stink bombs in your pockets?” She stepped up to Corbin first and hugged him close. I looked over to see Palmer’s reaction, and found it interesting how she narrowed her eyes, appearing displeased. “I swear you two get more handsome every time I see you.” She moved to me next and didn’t even care that I was holding a little guy, and hugged me on the side closest to Emelie. “And more muscular too.”

  “It’s good to see ya, Bev,” I said, squeezing Emelie’s hand. “Girls, this is our cousin, Bevin.”

  I chanced another look at Palmer, then Em, finding that both of them seemed a little less tense.

  “Your ma told me all about this little guy.” Bev reached out and tickled Ethan’s tummy, making him giggle loudly. “He is adorable.” She then looked at Emelie and for a minute, my heart sank as I waited, fearful of her next move. Then she took Emelie in a big hug and I laughed at the shocked look on my girl’s face. “Emelie, you are all my aunt has been talking about for weeks. I was starting to think she’d exaggerated, but you are just as pretty as she let on. What I wanna know is how a cute little thing like you could get wrapped up with a slacker like Clayton. Corbin, you’re a menace.” She looked toward my brother and pushed his shoulder. “Sweetheart, you need to steer clear of this boy. He once taped raw chicken beneath our principal’s chair and waited for it to rot. That was the most horrific smell that filtered throughout the main office of our high school. You just can’t trust this one.”

  “He and I are not together,” Palmer stated very clearly. “But, I’m starting to think country boys have something to offer that I may like.” When she said that, she looked over the dining area and Corbin’s mouth went flat as his nostrils flared.

  “My boys are here!” There was always something about my mother’s voice that took me back to my younger years. The days when she would sit on the porch swing with Corbin on one side and me on the other while she read us a book. Or on Sundays when we’d go to church and she would hold us close as she sang along with the choir. It gave me back all those comforts I felt as a young boy.

  I looked up as my ma walked through the swinging doors into the dining room, towel drying her hands while staring ahead with excitement. I was proud to say I was a momma’s boy. Hell, we both were. She was the most amazing woman in the world, hands down. Luanna Powell had a heart bigger than no other, didn’t have a mean bone in her body, and gave a hell of a lot more than she ever expected to receive.

  Like I said before, a superhero.

  “Let me look at you.” She reached up and placed one hand on each cheek, smiling wide. Tears pooled in her eyes. “I don’t like not seeing your handsome faces every day. This internet Facetime stuff is not enough. I need my boys here so I can hug them,” she said as she released her hold on me and reached out for Corbin. “A mother isn’t happy when her children aren’t near.”

  “We miss you too, Ma.” Corbin moved forward and for a moment, we all three shared a hug. Mine was a little awkward considering I still held Ethan, but I think Em sensed the difficulty as she took Ethan from me.

  I laughed when I heard my ma actually breathe in deeply, as if inhaling the scent of both of us. “I smell better than he does,” I told her, and she laughed, looking up at me, then Corbin. “Everything is always better with the two of you around.”

  Her words reminded me of Emelie and I and the conversation we had just a short time before. When I turned to look back at her, I found both her and Palmer looking at us in awe.

  “Now you two move outta my way,” our mom finally said with a laugh. “I need to meet the sweet girl and handsome little boy that stole my son’s heart.” I stepped back, wanting nothing more than to observe my ma fawn over Ethan and Em. Neither of them had enough of that in their lifetimes, in my opinion.

  She reached out, hugged them both in her arms, and whispered something that made Emelie smile. “Yes, ma’am, he sure has.” They both smiled in my direction, then I realized she’d most likely asked Emelie if I was treating them right. Luanna might be sweet and kind, but when her boys stepped out of line, especially in regards to a lady, she’d beat our asses for sure. Something told me that me being twice her size wouldn’t phase her in the slightest.

  “Ethan, you are the sweetest,” Ma leaned in and placed a kiss to his little cheek, “and I’m gonna have the greatest time spoiling you.”

  I wasn’t quite sure what was going on with Emelie, but she looked slightly lost as she watched my mother with Ethan. Her eyes were clouded over and glossy.

  “Do you all like barbecue?”

  “Yes, we do,” Palmer said, “and we’ve heard that you make the best we’ll ever have.”

  “My boys are biased.” She offered Palmer a wink. “Why don’t you all grab a table and you two beautiful girls can judge for yourselves?”

  “Where’s Dad?” I asked as she hurried off.

  “With Uncle Truman,” she hollered out over her shoulder just before pushing through the double doors into the kitchen.

  Once we were seated and Ethan was in a booster between us, I leaned in and kissed Emelie’s cheek. “You okay?”

  She only nodded, looking down at the menu. I could see the way her nostrils flared and her chest rose and fell, like she was taking in one deep breath after another.

  “Em?”

  “Don’t,” she said, finally looking over at me. “I can’t talk about it right now because if I do I’ll cry.” She smiled, but I could tell it was forced and I started to go through everything that took place since we walked in the doors. “You didn’t do anything wrong, no one did. It’s just that your mom showed more love to my son in five minutes than his own blood has in his lifetime. It hit me a little harder than I expected is all.”

  Again she looked away, and I reached out to place my hand against her lower back, offering her a soothing rub. She’d better hold on tight then, because what she’d just witnessed from my ma was only the tip of the iceberg. She would have Ethan and Emelie, hell even Palmer, drowning in love and devotion by the time we left; that was a fact.

  ***

  “I’m stuffed.” Emelie placed her hand over her stomach and leaned back in her chair. “I think I need to unbutton my jeans so I can breathe kinda stuffed.”

  I watched as Ethan mimicked his mother’s movements and slouched back, rubbing his tummy. “You full too, bud?” He looked up at me and I laughed seeing the ring of barbeque around his mouth. He even had a piece of corn sticking to his cheek. “Was it good?”

  “Yesh,” he said, nodding his head before reaching out to pick up another piece of cornbread and holding it to his mouth to take a bite.

  My dad had arrived, and after a round of introductions, he and Uncle Truman took off for the auction in search of a few more tables for outside on the patio. The best thing about The Pit was it was never about fancy, it was about comfort. The tables didn’t match, but even then they all seemed to fit.

  “So what did y’all think?”

  The girls looked up at my ma, who stood at the end of our table with a handful of wet wipes. “Your boys didn’t exaggerate.” Palmer let out a deep breath and smiled up at my mother. “That was amazing, and even though I feel like I’m gonna explode, I can’t seem to stop eating.”

  My ma chuckled and looked at Corbin. “I like this one,” she told him, pointing toward Palmer who, in turn, looked between Corbin and my mother.

  “We’re just friends,” Palmer assured my mother around an ear of corn. “I’m not even sure if you’d call us friends. More like we were stuck in the same car for eleven hours and I had to count to ten a whole bunch of times and remember that I’m not the prison type. Yeah, I’d say that explains it much better.”

  Again my ma laughed. “That, my dear, is exactly how me and my Burton started out.” Palmer’s eyes widened. “That man drove me mad, and I think I even threatened to run over him with my daddy’s truck a few times before he wore me down.”

  “There will be no wearing down.” Palmer glared at Corbin and everyone around the table laughed.

  “We’ll see,” Corbin added with a wink before smiling up at my mother.

  I could foresee some definite trouble in the near future.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Emelie

  “Clayton, you do realize I am a city girl?” I held on tighter, my arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind. “This hiking thing is not me.”

  “Which is exactly why I’m now carrying your ass,” he replied with humor. “Who wears sandals on a walk through the woods?”

  “In my defense, you didn’t tell me we’d be reliving the life of Huck and Finn.” I held on tighter as Clay started to climb a small hill. “Will we be meeting the Grangerfords next?”

  “No aristocratic families hiding in these woods, babe,” he chuckles. “You got that book memorized or what?

  “I’m surprised you knew what I was talking about.”

  “My mom wasn’t easy on us boys. She made us read every day for a least an hour.” Clayton looked back over his shoulder at me with a very serious expression. “Then she would quiz us.”

  I could say with absolute certainty that I adored Luann Powell. The woman was amazing.

  I looked up when we reached the top of the hill and was hit with a moment of awe. I had never seen anything more beautiful. We were standing on top of a large cliff, overlooking the land below. Trees so far, I couldn’t see the end of them. “This is gorgeous.”

  Clayton lowered me to the ground, holding my hand close to his side. “Corbin and I would climb this hill and pitch a tent right there.” He pointed to a patch of flat land just beneath the edge of the rock behind us. “We’d camp out here, facing the front of the tent in this direction. It was the perfect view of the sunset at night.”

  “Sounds magical,” I said, looking back out over the openness. “My childhood was never anything like that. I didn’t get to have nights like those. I want Ethan to have memories like that.”

  “He will,” Clayton assured me, pulling my body around in front of his. “Whenever I come back here, you two come too.”

  “What?”

  “Em, I meant it when I said that you and Ethan are my everything. I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for you two. I wanna share every moment of my life with the two of you. This isn’t just something to pass the time, this is real. What you and I have is as real as it gets.” I felt like a lump had formed in my throat, making it difficult to speak. “I wanna teach Ethan to fish and ride dirt bikes. I wanna be the guy he comes to when he has a crush on a girl, all that shit. I’m looking forward to being that person for him.”