Loving Cassie

She's Got This Thing About Her

She's Got This Thing About Her

Ward

You discover certain things once you realize you're fallin' in love with someone. The first thing? It was how incomplete you feel when they're not around. The second? Well, the second was that everyone around you noticed it before you did. And the last? It's that the person you're in love with is usually oblivious to it. I became painfully aware of these three factors as our day progressed, but tried not to let any of it show. I didn't want to change anything with Cassie. Just yet, anyway. 

It wasn't until the kids had been put to bed that the adults really got to spend quality time together. The difference was a bit surprising. While beers had been pulled out before, people were passing around pitchers of fresh margaritas, jello shots and a jar of what I suspected was moonshine, the music had been turned up slightly and people were actually dancing. But some of it was cringe worthy. A few people went to go for a swim, but I had noticed a lack of swimwear as they made their way down. It was at this point that I realized others saw my feelings for her. Or, it was the moment when Irv, Dave and two of Cassie's closest male cousins pulled me out to the old fishin' shed to 'talk'. I'd just come back from grabbing a drink for Cassie when Dave hollered for me to follow them out.

The shed was actually a smaller boat house filled with a pool table, two fridges stocked with varying beers and liquors, a card table with peeling felt and a large collection of animal heads that lined one wall. On the opposite wall there was a TV that probably would've taken up a whole wall in my apartment and the sound system that accompanied it nearly rivaled the one in theaters. It was a man cave if I'd ever seen one. All four men walked to grab beers from a fridge hidden behind a make shift bar, no one moved to offer me one though. This was likely a test and the only way I'd know if I passed or not was dependent on if they gave me a cold one at the end. This had my gut twisting in knots. If I didn't win over these men, my shot at pursuing any kind of relationship with Cassie was down the drain.

"So," Irv said, pointing to the chair opposite the others, "what're your intentions for Cassidy, Ward?" my mouth dried up as visions of some of my intentions for Cassie popped into my head, but I didn't have a death wish or a stupid bone in my body. Four pairs of eyes stared straight at me as they waited for my response but I didn't know how to answer. 

"Well," I drawled, uncertain how to follow the word. I wanted to tell them that I had a plan, but really, I didn't. Cassie was still a partial mystery to me and while I was intent on figuring it out, there was so much I needed to know before I could actually answer his question. I took a minute to study Irv as I trying to formulate a response. It was surprising to me that Dave and Irvin weren't actually related, they had the same build, same facial features and even the same jaw set, but the only major difference was that where Dave had a full set of teeth and a bushy beard, Irv lacked quite a few of his chompers and didn't seem to grow any facial hair. 

"How long you been in love with her?" Dave popped off suddenly, making my eyes go wide in surprise. Guess I'd been right about others knowing before I had.

"I, uh."  I muttered while I scratched my stubble covered face. "I just realized today, but honestly, probably from the first time she smiled at me." I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks a little. "It was the same night we met and she welcomed me into the house then ended up feeding me. She mentioned dessert and I'm sure I lit at the mention of sweets. But she flashed me this radiant smile before she lifted the lid on the cake, if I had been standing it would've knocked me to my knees. It stole my breath all the same." My words at the end were soft but I knew they'd heard me. No one said anything for a while, just sipped on their beers. Finally, her cousin Jonathan spoke.

"Y'all get together, you gonna treat that little boy right?" His tone was even but serious and while I wanted to be irritated that he'd even have to ask me, I understood why. Once Cass and I had rejoined the party, I had watched Walker's father attempt to interact with the little boy and was left with a stomach full of anger and a heart full of understanding. This was why Cassie kept me at arms length. I'd made a few efforts to surpass the rut of 'just friends' and she's smoothly deflected them. I knew that it wasn't because she didn't want me, Cassie wasn't the type to easily shield her feelings. But, I saw the way Dalton struggled with Walker and it clicked. The affair with her sister hadn't just burned Cassie, it had severed a crucial bond for her child and she wasn't looking to allow it to happen again.

"He'll be treated good whether or not we get together. He's not a pawn in this, not the key to getting her to agree to go out with me. He's a child, a little boy-- bright and engaging and growing every single day. No matter what happens, I'll always respect Cassie and treat Walker like I'd treat my own." 

There was no follow-up question this time, but Dave motioned for the other cousin, Sean, to grab me a beer. The rest of the time we spent discussing football and the next hunting trip the Malcolm men were planning and this time, the were planning to have me tag along.

* * * * *

Cassie 

The bedroom we'd been placed in for the night was large and fitted with two twin beds. The theme was nautical and the bedspreads matched the curtains, which I found slightly nauseating. Ward had already dragged out bags up to the room before and had been kind enough to set up a porta-pen up so Walker had a safe place to sleep. I hated the idea of leaving him in here all alone but any closer to the ruckus of our mini-family get together would likely wake him. I reluctantly settled for carrying around a baby monitor and checking in on my sleeping angel every thirty minutes. I'd just come back from checking up on him when I caught sight of Uncle Harry and Aunt Phyllis dancing raunchily to a new wave rap song. It was slightly scarring mentally and I wondered if I would ever be able to to cleanse the image from my eyes. Cheese, or Chasity, a distant cousin and her husband Tank, a semi-pro football player, both shot me concerned looks as I walked back out into the yard. Their looks made me feel slightly paranoid considering they hadn't checked on their five month old son since they'd initially put him to bed.

I assured them everything was fine, but if I were totally honest I'd admit that I was highly uncomfortable having Dalton here, so close to Walker, especially after his mouthy moment in the kitchen. I'd never actually heard him outright sneer at someone before, or even try to come off as hostile and rude, but that seemed to be the case when it came to Ward. I was embarrassed by his actions, especially since I knew Ward must've been wondering how the hell I'd ended up someone like Dalton. And the mortification had only gotten worse when everyone in the yard had watched Dalton try and fail to interact with Walker. The tip of the ice burg had been hearing Walker start crying out for Ma and "Ard" It was safe to say Dalton was not please and the look of promise in his icy eyes as he'd walked away chilled me to the bone.

On the upside of my day, my family seemed to really like Ward and I'd spent less time with him than anyone so far. My Great-Grandmother, who was going on eighty-nine, was particularly fond of the handsome man I'd brought with me and kept trying to sneak small kisses when he'd dance with her. And boy, could that man dance. It was pretty entertaining, especially since Ward was too much of a gentleman to shake her efforts, instead he blushed heavily and continued to move with her. More than once I watched him twirl Gram around the floor a few times, keeping pace with her well versed feet with ease. Gram had taught line dancing and country western dance classes until her mid seventies and hardly anyone had managed to keep up with her, even at her age. In all, this was turning out to look like a great weekend and since it was only Friday, I figured it could only get better.

But, you know what they say about assumptions. 

I don't know about anyone else, but I definitely made an ass out of myself.