MYLA ROSE
With all of my heart, soul, and body, I hate Southern stereotypes. Mostly, I guess because I am one. I'm a young, single, pregnant dropout. Just the kind of girl you don't bring home to mother. Maybe Taylor was right when he told me I wasn't a forever kind of girl.
I start stuffing my belongings back into my beach bag, desperately trying to keep my tears at bay. I'm not usually some weepy, shrinking violet, but these stupid hormones have sure turned me into one.
I cry at the drop of a damn pin, and I get mad even faster. And don't even get me started on the angry tears. Those might be the worst, because then I'm mad that I'm crying—because I'm mad. It's a mess . . . I’m a mess.
I can hear Cash and Taylor exchanging words, but I have no plans to stick around to see the disappointment on Cash's face. It's fight or flight, and I'm ready to hightail it outta here.
"Myla Rose." Cash grabs my wrist. "What're you doing? Where are you going?"
"Home." I slide my sandy feet into my flip flops before hefting my bag up and onto my shoulder.
"Why?" He looks so genuinely perplexed, like he truly doesn't get why I'm leaving.
"Cash, be real.”
"What, because your ex is a jackass?"
Oh, how I wish it were that simple. Because yes, while Taylor is a jackass, his words have a certain truth to them.
"Or are you running away because you think it matters to me that you didn't finish high school?"
"I'm not running away, I'm just going—"
Cash stops my words with a finger to my lips. "Shh, you're not going anywhere."
He slides the straps of my bag back down my arm, dropping it at our feet before pulling me to him.
“Why’d you drop out, Myla?” Even though his tone is soft, the question sets me on edge.
“My Grams. She got really sick when I was in high school and needed more care than what her insurance covered.” I suck in a deep breath through my teeth. “So, I dropped out just before I turned seventeen to help take care of her.”
Cash steps closer to me, so close that I can almost feel him. “Darlin’, I want you to listen to me. Not too many people would do what you did, and I don't care what that entitled little prick says. You're something special, and if he was too dumb to see it, that's his problem."
I shake my head, causing my nose to brush his chest. "You're wrong. I'm not worth it, Cash. I have nothing to offer you except another man's baby and a metric ton of baggage."
"That's not true." He tilts my face up to his. "You have your heart, darlin', and that's more than enough."
His voice is adamant, and his eyes are firm. He means what he says. This man . . . this man thinks my heart is enough. He thinks my heart is worth my baggage.
He leans down, pressing his lips to mine, and I can taste the salt on his skin from the water. He nips at my bottom lip, and I love it.
"Uncle Cash, why're you kissing Princess Myla if she's not your girlfriend?"
Pulling back from him, I smile. "Guess the twins are up?"
"Sounds like it." He smiles right back. I could get lost in those eyes and that smile. One look, and this man melts me without even trying.
"Uncle Caaaaash . . ." Preston and Lucas whine simultaneously. I almost wonder if they sit around and plan this stuff.
"Ah. Well, boys. Sometimes, when two grown—"
I smack my hand over his mouth, "Hush. P, Lou, your Uncle Cash kissed me because he likes me and because he wanted to. Grown-up perks. Simple as that."
"Perks? What you mean, perks?" Preston squinches up his little nose while his brother leans in a little closer, like he's about to learn the secrets to the universe.
"Perks. Like, it's the upside. The good parts."
Lucas makes a gagging sound. "If kissing girls is a perk, then I don't wanna grow up."
"Yeah, girls have cooties."
Cash and I are both doubled over, gasping out our laughter. These boys are too much. I wonder if my little man will be as funny as Preston and Lucas?
"What else do you have planned for this weekend?" I ask Cash as we all make the trek through the sand toward the parking lot.
"Not really sure. What I do know is you should join us for dinner."
His invitation to have dinner with them has my heart swooping low into my belly. I guess he isn't ready for our time together to end, and that makes two of us.
"That sounds amazing, as long as P and Lou don't mind." I turn to face the twins. "Is that okay with y'all?"
"Can we have pizza?" Preston asks with all the seriousness a six-year-old boy can muster.
"Well, of course. Pizza is my favorite." Preston and Lucas slap their hands together in a double high-five.
"You wanna follow me back to my place?" Cash asks as he hefts my beach bag into the backseat of the Land Cruiser.
"I really wanna take a shower, and I'm sure y'all want to rinse off as well."
Cash's rain cloud eyes are shining with mischief, and I already know what he's going to say. "Could shower togeth—"
I quiet him with a finger to his lips. "Text me your address, and I'll head over in a little bit."
He makes this adorable aww, shucks gesture but agrees all the same as he stalks toward me. He backs me right into Bertha and wraps the ends of my salt-dried locks around his fingers, pinning me with a heated look. He lowers his head to mine, his lips hovering.
"Gross! Are you gonna kiss her again?" Preston cries out in disgust.
Cash pulls away begrudgingly. "Guess not, little dude." He ghosts his fingers over my collarbone, sending a shiver through my entire body. "See you soon, darlin'."
I stop by the house for a quick shower and a change of clothes before heading to Cash's. He lives clear across town, but it's still a short drive. Not even ten minutes later, I'm pulling into his driveway. Perks of small-town living.
His house is a bungalow-style cottage, picket fence and all. Definitely not what I was expecting from someone so . . . masculine. The yard is immaculate, and the exterior of the house is pristine. Even his hydrangea bushes are trimmed perfectly even.
I can't help but smile as I imagine the chipping paint and overgrown grass at my place. We couldn't be any more opposite. But we all know what they say about opposites.
I ring the bell and wait. After a few minutes, I try again. I guess with all the times I've kept him waiting at my door, turnabout is fair play. I push the bell once more before trying the knob.
Unlocked.
"Hello? Cash?" I walk further into the house, and through the dining room picture window, I can see the twins playing in the backyard.
I'm just about to head out through the back door when I hear footsteps padding my way. I twirl around toward the sound, only to be met with the drool-worthy sight of Cash, freshly showered, still dripping wet, with only a towel around his waist.
He glances in my direction and widens his stance. "Hey there, darlin'."
The smile he aims my way, combined with the knowledge that he's naked under that towel, is panty-melting. My mind plummets straight to the gutter, picturing him naked with that towel on the floor. Yes, please.
"H–hey, the door, it was open. I mean, I rang the bell, but—"
"No worries. You come right on in, anytime. Consider it our very own open-door policy."
The way he says open-door policy sounds so illicit and dirty. Like he's talking about much more than his actual door. His words are thick and warm like maple syrup, and they send a shiver down my damn spine.
Well, little does he know, two can play that game. I take two steps forward, getting close enough that I can feel the warmth of his bare chest. "Anytime, Cash?"
"God. Yes." He pulls me into him, closing the gap between us. With my head against his chest, it's a perfect fit, like two pieces of a puzzle. I brazenly press my lips to his skin, just above his heart. "I mean it, darlin'. Anytime."
He steps back from me, angling his body away from mine, and I instantly miss his heat. I see him trying to adjust himself. "You good there, Cash?"
With his hands still on his junk, he turns to face me and slowly moves them away, giving me quite the eyeful of his terry cloth tent. "Not even a little bit. So, Imma go and throw some clothes on before things get out of hand."
My bravery has seemingly run dry, unlike other parts of me that are dripping, and damn it, I can feel the blush I'm rocking. "Yeah, probably for the best."
"Trust me, darlin'—if my nephews weren't out playing in the yard, this story would have a different ending. A happy one, you feel me?" He winks. "Now, go on out back. I'll be there soon."