“You lit the backyard on fire with gasoline.”
“Yeah, that was Sem. Not me.”
“You were a part of it,” I say, and then reach out and clutch at his shirt. What will happen when I’m no longer around and he continues to do these things? Who will protect him? Punish him for being bad?
“No more of that stupid, reckless stuff when you’re with me. Okay?”
He leans forward and rubs his face against my cheek. “Yeah, babe. I’ll tone it down.”
“All the way down, Caleb. I heard Luke and Sem saying something about a homemade potato gun. I don’t want you to be part of whatever they’re planning.”
He grins at me. “And if I’m a good boy and stay out of trouble…”
I shove him away gently. “I need to do the dishes.”
“Nah, let’s go out on the ATVs instead,” he says. “Dishes are boring.”
“We need to clean up,” I protest, but he’s pulling me outside.
“Do the damn dishes later. Let’s go have fun. We only have one more day here.”
I throw him a look. “What did I just say about not being reckless? You shouldn’t go out on the ATV. You just got your cast off. Do you want to break your hand again?”
He wiggles his fingers at me. “I’m fine. Feels like brand new.”
“No, you’renotto set foot on that thing. Especially since you always let your cousins convince you to do idiotic things. As history suggests, you don’t make the smartest decisions when coupled with them.”
He pulls me in for a filthy kiss. “All that fancy language makes me hot and bothered. You worried about me, babe?”
My eyes narrow. “I just know how irresponsible you are out there with them.”
“Why don’t you join me then? Keep me in check.”
I watch him a moment, considering it. I don’t want to go, but it might be the only way to make sure he doesn’t do something stupid. And I’d rather not end this wonderful day at the hospital again.
“There’s no stopping you, is there?”
“Nah.”
I sigh loudly. “Fine, butI’m driving. Let me at least check in with Anne and make sure she’s okay cleaning up by herself.”
Anne, of course, waves me off, saying she’ll finish the dishes, and then I follow him outside. He hands me the keys and watches as I warily mount the ATV.
“You’re turning me on big time, sitting there,” he groans, flipping his hat backward and climbing on behind me.
“Keep it together, Caleb,” I chastise as he helps me start the machine and instructs me on how to drive it. I listen intently, then rev the engine, and we move forward.
Slowly.
“Snails are moving faster than us,” he teases as I carefully maneuver us over a small hill. Luke, Sem, and Liam are so far in the distance that I can’t see them anymore. Can hear them hollering, though.
“I’m keeping you safe since you won’t do it yourself.”
“Aw,” he says with a small laugh, pressing a kiss to my neck as his hands roam my torso. “You care about me. Admit it.”
“Of course I care,” I say, purposefully avoiding a bump and steering us onto a bit of flat land.
His hands slide under my shirt, and he sighs into me.