safe.
Ty ran his thumb over his bottom lip. “Not too well. She was pretty upset about it. It didn’t make sense that my grandpa would have given it to me with all my other siblings.”
“Were you close with him?”
Ty leaned back on his hands. “I guess? I was the one that loved this area as much as he did. I followed in his footsteps, more so than any of my brothers or sisters. The rest of the family sees it as a camping spot. I see it as a place that is the most alive and beautiful place in the world. I’ve worked here every summer and I can’t get enough. My only reasoning behind me getting this land is that, my love for the area and the work I’ve put into it.”
“What will you do with it?”
“I want to eventually build a cabin on it. Nothing too outrageous but a place where I can live, summer or winter. Wherever the wind takes me.”
A part of me identified with the notion that life was not meant to be stable or static, but rather flowing. Fighting the current would only drown you. Life was meant for adventure, following the stream and knowing you would find your way. There was no timetable.
I had tried stable and that never had worked for me.
“Where do you live in the winter?”
“I graduated with my forestry degree this May from University of Montana. So, I’ve been in Missoula but now after this fall . . . I don’t know. I would like to stay with the Forest Service full time but they don’t have many positions here during the winter. There’s an office close to where my family is. Spend my summers up here.”
“And your daughter?” It was now always in the back of my mind. Another person to be accounted for.
“She spends a couple weeks up here with me for the summer. Since she’s going to be in kindergarten this year, we haven’t really figured out exactly what the plan is. Probably during her breaks for school and a few weekends each month. With school, we don’t want to disrupt her schedule too much so she will mostly be with her moms.”
The last word threw me. “Moms?”
“Ah yes. Brooke and I . . . are relationship is complicated and the story is a long one, meant for another day. The short of it is she’s gay. She knew it when we were dating and it ended our marriage. I don’t have any hard feelings towards her at all. I will always care for her but not in a romantic way. She has a live-in girlfriend, Avery, and they’ve been together since Annabelle was two. Annabelle doesn’t know anything different, just that she has two moms and one dad. They’re wonderful for her.”
Ty’s story kept becoming more interwoven as different strings made their way into the knot that was his life. I was in awe of how great he took it all. A guy who was open-minded and looked like that? A nice package if I do say so myself.
“Anyways. There’s a info dump for you.” Ty slid back further on the bed. His back curved into the metal end of the trailer. He was right. The situation we had wasn’t simple and wasn’t going to solve itself tonight. It would take time to get used to it, to understand it. We had more to say, more to explore, but for tonight it was enough. I couldn’t take anymore.
I didn’t move from the couch. Afraid of what Sexy Jo would do once she got on that bed with Ty—that small bed which filled the entire back end of the trailed forcing us to be close together.
“I think I should go,” I told him.
His eyes were telling me a different story.
Fuck. Must stay strong. Remember, this was taking it slow.
“It’s dark Jolene. That road isn’t fun to drive at night. Stay here.” That sounded like a statement, not a question. I liked bossy, Ty. He was hot.
“Where?” I asked him. Me plus him plus small bed equals sex. At least in my book.
Ty gave me a look. One of those looks that made me understand how silly my question was. But he was still a gentleman when he said, “I can easily throw my tent up and sleep outside. You can have the bed.”
Slow and
Ty ran his thumb over his bottom lip. “Not too well. She was pretty upset about it. It didn’t make sense that my grandpa would have given it to me with all my other siblings.”
“Were you close with him?”
Ty leaned back on his hands. “I guess? I was the one that loved this area as much as he did. I followed in his footsteps, more so than any of my brothers or sisters. The rest of the family sees it as a camping spot. I see it as a place that is the most alive and beautiful place in the world. I’ve worked here every summer and I can’t get enough. My only reasoning behind me getting this land is that, my love for the area and the work I’ve put into it.”
“What will you do with it?”
“I want to eventually build a cabin on it. Nothing too outrageous but a place where I can live, summer or winter. Wherever the wind takes me.”
A part of me identified with the notion that life was not meant to be stable or static, but rather flowing. Fighting the current would only drown you. Life was meant for adventure, following the stream and knowing you would find your way. There was no timetable.
I had tried stable and that never had worked for me.
“Where do you live in the winter?”
“I graduated with my forestry degree this May from University of Montana. So, I’ve been in Missoula but now after this fall . . . I don’t know. I would like to stay with the Forest Service full time but they don’t have many positions here during the winter. There’s an office close to where my family is. Spend my summers up here.”
“And your daughter?” It was now always in the back of my mind. Another person to be accounted for.
“She spends a couple weeks up here with me for the summer. Since she’s going to be in kindergarten this year, we haven’t really figured out exactly what the plan is. Probably during her breaks for school and a few weekends each month. With school, we don’t want to disrupt her schedule too much so she will mostly be with her moms.”
The last word threw me. “Moms?”
“Ah yes. Brooke and I . . . are relationship is complicated and the story is a long one, meant for another day. The short of it is she’s gay. She knew it when we were dating and it ended our marriage. I don’t have any hard feelings towards her at all. I will always care for her but not in a romantic way. She has a live-in girlfriend, Avery, and they’ve been together since Annabelle was two. Annabelle doesn’t know anything different, just that she has two moms and one dad. They’re wonderful for her.”
Ty’s story kept becoming more interwoven as different strings made their way into the knot that was his life. I was in awe of how great he took it all. A guy who was open-minded and looked like that? A nice package if I do say so myself.
“Anyways. There’s a info dump for you.” Ty slid back further on the bed. His back curved into the metal end of the trailer. He was right. The situation we had wasn’t simple and wasn’t going to solve itself tonight. It would take time to get used to it, to understand it. We had more to say, more to explore, but for tonight it was enough. I couldn’t take anymore.
I didn’t move from the couch. Afraid of what Sexy Jo would do once she got on that bed with Ty—that small bed which filled the entire back end of the trailed forcing us to be close together.
“I think I should go,” I told him.
His eyes were telling me a different story.
Fuck. Must stay strong. Remember, this was taking it slow.
“It’s dark Jolene. That road isn’t fun to drive at night. Stay here.” That sounded like a statement, not a question. I liked bossy, Ty. He was hot.
“Where?” I asked him. Me plus him plus small bed equals sex. At least in my book.
Ty gave me a look. One of those looks that made me understand how silly my question was. But he was still a gentleman when he said, “I can easily throw my tent up and sleep outside. You can have the bed.”
Slow and
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