I’ve been downplaying the size of Minnie’s boobs since she started asking me a few weeks ago. When she first asked me if they were bigger I was half listening and said no. If I remember anything from when my parents were together, it’s when your woman asks you if anything on her looks bigger or fatter the answer is: “You look beautiful.” Always.
At first, that response worked. Then after a few more days she insisted I feel them. Compare them to what they were the week before. Who am I to deny my girl what she wishes? I felt them, all right. And then I stripped her naked and blew her mind on the counter of my new house.
Our new house.
Sure, it’s only in my name for now, but it’s our home. Well, it’s a house with a bed in it. We really do have to go to that Ikea place she keeps talking about. I looked it up online. Seems like a lot of work for me when we make the purchases. If there’s a diagram, it means work.
Today, she’s standing in the bathroom in only a bra, turning from side to side. I’m watching her poke at her stomach. Her flat and perfect stomach. I snort as she stands board straight and thrusts her chest out. It’s bigger, sure. But not in any way I’ll ever complain about. What can I say, I’m a tit man?
“Do not mock me, Owen Butler. This isn’t funny. I’ve gotten fat. I’ve put on the freshman fifteen or something.”
I walk behind Minnie, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my chin on her shoulder. We’re facing the mirror and I place a chaste kiss to her shoulder drawing a sigh from her lips. My hands glide across her ribs and up to her voluptuous chest, cupping her amazing tits in my hands.
“You are perfect in every way, Minnesota.” She rests her head back on my shoulder and sighs again. A small smile greets me in the mirror, and I kiss her again but this time I give her a little love bite.
“Owen, you have to say that. You want in my pants.”
I laugh and let her out of my embrace before smacking her ass. “I get in your pants, or up your skirt, whenever I want. You can’t deny this, baby,” I tease shaking my ass as I walk away. I hate that she doubts how beautiful she is.
“Did you get a talking to from Jameson like I did?” I ask as I buckle my belt. Minnie walks out of the bathroom and, much to my chagrin, pulls a top over her head, covering herself.
“Yes. Seriously, you’d think he forgot how much time he spent this past summer out of the office. I think he’s nervous Ashton isn’t going to appreciate his surprise.”
“Oh, she’ll appreciate it. Eventually. I doubt right away, though. Knowing Ash, she’ll freak out and get mad at him. Then he’ll say something chick-like, and she’ll melt like she always does. They’re nothing if not predictable.”
Minnie playfully slaps me on the arm as she walks by and I act injured. She doesn’t stop and keeps walking out of the room. Normally, we ride to work together, me dropping her at the office before heading to a job site, but today we won’t be driving in together. Tonight, she’s going to hang out with her sister and nieces. Since I’ll be alone, I decided to head out to Landon’s place to hang out. As much as I love living with Minnie and wouldn’t change a thing, Landon and I have been roommates for years. It’s kind of weird not hanging out.
I follow Minnie to the kitchen and watch as she pulls both of our travel mugs from the bare cupboards. Thankfully most of this week is packed with pre-wedding activities before Ben and Piper’s wedding this coming Saturday, and we don’t need more than the coffee cups in our cupboards.
Minnie hands me my cup with coffee made exactly how I like it. I’m a lucky bastard, that’s for sure. I almost screwed up by letting her go, so lost in my own head and living my life based on assumptions and misunderstandings. The night she agreed to give me a second chance was the best night of my life. That wasn’t too long ago either. And, while I know most of our family and friends are looking at us like we’re moving too fast, I have no doubt Minnie is it for me. I told her the other day, it’s as simple as the saying “when you know, you know”. That’s never been truer. Honestly, I knew the minute this beautiful blonde beauty ran into me in the parking lot at work that she was a game changer.
Okay, I didn’t know she’d be the woman to make me suddenly believe in love and commitment, but I did know she would be worth getting to know. That is, after I assumed she was there for Jameson. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case.
“Do you really think Ashton will be angry, Owen?” Minnie asks as we lock up the house and head for our cars. “I mean, he went to a lot of trouble for this trip and what he has planned.”
I open Minnie’s door and wait for her to settle in and buckle her seat belt before I kneel before her. “Min, I know Ashton. She’s a fight first, ask questions later kind of girl. But the minute she lets it settle in, she’ll realize the secrecy and surprise is coming from a good place.”
Minnie smiles that beautiful smile of hers, blue eyes dancing, with a glimmer of a tears. My girl is a romantic through and through. “But, babe,” I say, standing as she looks up at me and nods, “don’t tell her you knew for weeks. She’ll be angrier with you than J; it’s how she rolls.”
“Got it,” Minnie says with determination. “See you this afternoon?”
“Yep, I don’t think I need to go in the office, I’ll just get the stuff from the shop and head to the job site,” I reply before leaning down and giving her a quick goodbye kiss.
After sending Minnie off, I walk to my Jeep and hop in. The weather is starting to change, the days are shorter and the temps cooling so my top is on. While I let my car warm up, I shoot a text off to my crew reminding them of what needs to be done and that I’ll be at the site late. Jameson trusting me to run his crew and his business in his absence has been an honor, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let these guys screw off. That’s why I told them I’d only be fifteen minutes late instead of the hour it’ll probably take me.
My relaxed and carefree morning took two shits before lunchtime. First, the inspector chose today of all days to show up at the site. We’re on schedule, and my crew does a good job, but it’s still a pain in the ass to stop what I’m doing and deal with that. Thankfully it went well but not before we lost two hours of work. Then, one of the guys on the crew missed the fucking safety lecture I gave him and wasn’t wearing his safety glasses. Not to worry, he has both eyes, but he did have to run to the clinic to make sure he didn’t scratch it or anything more damaging.
I text Minnie and let her know I’m not going to make it for lunch. She’s the best girlfriend on the planet and had a sandwich delivered to the site for me. I send her a text thanking her, and she tells me she’s worried I’ll skip lunch altogether. See? Lucky bastard. Also, I’m known for being a little angry when I’m hungry or “hangry.” I think part of her forethought is my crew.
I’m thinking how lucky I am when I knock twice on Landon’s shop door. He looks up at me from where he’s sanding and rolls his eyes. “Dude, seriously. Did you just get a hummer in the car or something?”
“Fuck off man. Don’t talk about Minnie like that,” I warn.
“Minnie wouldn’t care, she loves me. Tell me what’s got you with that pussy grin on your face.”
“Dude, what’s your problem? Hummer and pussy grin? That doesn’t sound like you. You’re the nice one of our group.”
“Nah, man. That’s Ben. I’m the quiet one. The thinker. Ya know what I’m thinking? I’m fucking sick of being the last one single. I’m watching all you guys find women, and I’m over here at Sunday dinner with my parents having my mom attempting to set me up with every single girl at church. It’s pathetic.”
Landon’s always been the logical one in our group, the assessor. He’s a thinker and observer, never one to do anything in life without carefully weighing the options. I’ve always depended on him to point out when any of us are about to do something stupid.
Landon is precise, meticulous. Even though he looks at most things in life with a logical approach, his true talents lie in turning abandoned wood into beautiful art. He’s currently finishing up his wedding gift for Ben and Piper. Keeping the details to himself, he’s only told them the size dimensions and weight for hanging purposes. Curiosity has been killing Piper the last few months as she stares at the designated blank wall in her house, waiting for the gift to arrive.
So as much as I’m used to my confident, meticulously assessing best friend, this version on Landon? Defeated and down on himself? That’s not my best friend. Landon Montgomery is happy. He’s almost fucking jovial.
“Man, you need to get laid. This sad panda shit is weird.”
“Sad panda? What the fuck, Owen? Who talks like that?”
“Minnie. Don’t ask. Anyway, stop looking. That’s what I’d say. None of us were looking for love, and it smacked us in the face. Some of us literally. It’ll happen. Hell, don’t they say weddings are a great place to meet women? This may be your lucky weekend.”
“Kill me now. I know everyone at this wedding. You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ll probably be seated at the kiddie table as it is. Ignore me. My mom told me there’s another “lovely young lady” coming to dinner Sunday. I thought when I bought this place and moved out she’d back off. I was wrong. So very wrong.”
I laugh with Landon and start helping him. I’m the only one who has seen this project. At first, it was a simple piece of abandoned barn wood. It’s not what the piece is that makes it beautiful, it’s an abstract, so to me the beauty is more in the way he’s crafting, sanding, and finishing the wood. It’s what they feature in fancy magazines you only see in doctor’s offices or on television. We’ve tried to get him to sell his work, but he refuses. So now we wait for a special occasion and hope he gifts us something.
Hours after I arrived and one large pizza later, we call it a night and I head home. The sky is scattered with stars and a bright moon. Each time I see the moon, I think of Minnie and how much she enjoys sitting in the dark by moonlight. She believes only good things happen under the moonlight, and it’s one of the reasons I bought a house with huge windows and a large back deck. My first stop after this wedding business is to buy a double chaise for the deck. I want to hold Minnie in my arms as she lies under the moonlight, happy.
I pull up to the house and smile. Her car is in the drive, the porch light is on, and the rest of the house is dark. It’s late, and I know she’s in bed so I’m quiet as I open and close the front door. Setting my keys and wallet on the counter in the kitchen, I see a note from Minnie telling me she couldn’t wait up but there’s water in the fridge. I open the fridge and see not only water but a six-pack of beer, two bottles of wine, fruit, cheese, and bread. I laugh. The necessities.
I’m still smiling after my shower as I climb into bed behind Minnie. Wrapping my arms around her, I snuggle my chin into the spot just above her shoulder. Minnie stirs a little before I hear her sigh, and I close my eyes.