Page 44 of Love You Already
Lachlan nods as he takes a long drink of water. He hands me the cold bottle next, then waits to answer after I've taken a healthy drink.
“I have been. When I first got here, before getting too settled, I ordered gym equipment. When I moved out here, I brought it with me. It's just down at our place instead of up here. I figured it might get in the way,” he says while twirling a piece of my hair between his fingers. It's one of my favorite habits he's built over the last two weeks. It's like he can't stop moving with all the energy he's got, but since he doesn't want to drag me around like a caveman, he sticks to playing with my hair.
I see it before Lachlan does. The challenge that lights across the men's faces. There's a spark in the air that centers around their competitive natures coming to life.
“Let's make sure you're up to snuff. Load up and show us the way to this equipment.” Chanting begins before I can decipher who issued the challenge.
My husband is obviously not one to be outdone. He grins down at me, then gives me a quick kiss. “For good luck,” he says.
We move as a group, Lachlan and I riding along in the cars to lead them down to our place. It's a phrase that still feels odd to think about. When I first came home all those months ago, I didn't feel all that connected with the land like I'd wanted to be. I didn't regret my decision to leave bull riding, but I still felt like there was a restlessness in me that I couldn't shake.
Lachlan showing up quieted those questions within me. He gave me the feeling of home I'd been missing. And now he wasn't just being that person who made me feel complete, but he was also building a life with me. He's been securing a place in my life without words or half promises. Every little action is proof of how much he wants to be here. Of how much he cares.
Even now, he's got me in his lap as we drive down the road. His arms are banded around me like he's my own personal safety belt. Like he can't imagine letting go of me for even a second.
At our house, we all pile out of the cars and move around to the workout zone. That's what I've dubbed the space where Lachlan left his weights and cardio bike. There's an awning that was meant to cover a small porch, though it was never built. I have a feeling that's because Daddy realized along the way that I would never really sit on the back porch to look out since the front had the better views. Their incomplete project has become Lachlan's gain.
“Not the same as the stadium, but I guess this will do. Max rep challenge. Lachlan and Jones come up,” a voice calls out. I recognize him as the one Lachlan refers to as captain.
The men move like soldiers being given orders. Despite their jeans and cowboy look-alike appearance, they move to the weights like it's nothing. More plates are added to the ends and then it's the start of an epic battle of reps. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, and more get done over and over. Each time, Lachlan comes out the winner. He shows his strength and the way the ranch has been putting him through the paces.
I lean against one of the posts holding the roof up as I watch. I've been thrust into men's sports my entire life. So much so that I picked it up and wanted to do it myself. There's a camaraderie that comes with each one. They're vastly similar, with a few key differences. Every group has their own thing that makes them unique.
It's obvious after a few minutes of watching the Houston Coyotes what their bonding is based on: shit talk. These guys love to one up one another, yet they're never mad when they get beaten. And get beaten they do.
My husband demolishes them all.
My husband.
Those two words hit me even harder than the 'our place' I kept referencing this house as earlier. But that's what this all is, isn't it? Lachlan is my husband. This is our house. We didn't go about things the correct order based on society's standards. If anything, we tried to play a reverse uno card on life, minus the baby part. I'm still not ready for the idea of kids no matter how far I've fallen for my accidental husband.
Kids mean roots. It means having to be responsible for someone else my entire life. I'm barely an adult myself. I'd screw up a kid too bad right now. Maybe in a few years though.
As I'm mindlessly watching the guys compete, Lachlan wipes a trail of sweat from his forehead. I bite my lip to control the whimper that wants to slip out. I can't be the horny woman I usually am when he gets this way. There are too many people around for us to sneak off without getting teased.
Might be worth it.
To make matters worse, he reaches behind him to his shoulders, grabs the fabric and tugs. Lord baby Jesus of Nazareth! The man removes his shirt rapidly. It feels like I blinked him naked.
“You're drooling.” I jump at Beckett's voice. Facing him, I punch him in the shoulder.
“Don't be an asshole. I can ogle my husband all I want.”
I don't realize I've shouted until the group goes quiet. A whispered 'oh shit' is all the warning I get before I'm thrown over Lachlan's sweaty shoulder. I squeal at the change, then watch as the group of men laughs at my plight.
“Beckett, can you entertain our guests for a bit? Teach them a bit of what you taught me. Free labor!” Lachlan yells the words back over his other shoulder without waiting for a reply. The last thing I see is my brother shaking his head as he waves the group of men away from the house.
Inside, I put up less of a fight. I know what's coming, even if I don't understand what triggered it.
“Lachlan?” I question when he pauses in the bedroom but doesn't move me.
He grunts as he slides me down the front of his body. “That's not what you're going to call me today. Say what you did before.”
It hits me then that I've unknowingly flipped a switch in him. The switch straight to his cock from what I can tell. All because I called him my...
“Husband.”
His eyes close tight as his jaw tightens. “You have no fucking idea what you do to me. Not a clue what hearing you call me your husband does.”