Oneshots - Kayce Dutton

I'll kill you if you don't come back to me, Part 2

You knew it was late in the morning before you opened your eyes. Slowly cracking open your left one, your eye took in Kayce's side of the bed, empty. He must have slipped away from you easily because your arms were still stretched out over where he was laying next to you. Turning over you saw it was almost ten in the morning, the sun shining through the windows lighting up your hazel eyes.

Stretching, you leaned into a sitting position with your pillows behind your back. Kayce's bloody clothes were gone next to the hamper. He must have grabbed them, not wanting you to take care of anything else dealing with whatever happened to him last night. You quietly got up and went into the bathroom, freshening up slightly before changing into a pair of jeans, tank top, and light blue flannel. Your dark auburn locks had dried and were brushed back into something presentable before you went searching for your boyfriend.

You knew the Dutton ranch since you were fifteen years old, having befriended Kayce at school after he got into an altercation with your older brother in the parking lot one day. You defended Kayce because your brother was a hothead and beating up guys younger than him just because, was no reason to take it out on the youngest kid of one of the most powerful families in Montana. Rumor has it Kayce fell in love with you that day as you stood over him, yelling at your brother in front of the whole school. You were pretty sure you fell in love with Kayce when he took you riding up the mountain in his backyard, to a riverbank where he kissed you the first time and told you about his fears in life. Kayce was a good person. He just was part of something that had to always fight dirty.

But he made a mistake the summer before you went away to college. He got a girl from the reservation, Monica, pregnant and because of some argument with his father, he chose to stay with her for his son. You didn't speak to him for three years. It's not a time you like to think about, because you couldn't count how many times you cried on your bathroom floor or had to physically hold your chest when you would catch glimpses of the trio when you would be home for the school break.

They lasted as a family for a little over four years before, once again, the ranch became the problem. Monica was strong-willed and fought Kayce every moment about being here. Maybe she was right? You always were slightly irritated with how you defended her at times. You were never friends with her, but you understood where she came from in her beliefs. There was a respect between the two of you now, not that there had always been, but for now the two of you existed in a very strange, yet cordial, relationship.

Kayce's son, Tate, was probably the reason everyone got along. You hadn't yet admitted it to Kayce, but you were in love with Tate. You viewed him as your own even though you knew the situation. Tate and you had a great relationship. He wasn't fully aware of you and Kayce's past, but he knew you loved his dad. For now, that seemed to be all that mattered to Tate. You remembered when he chose to ride with you up to summer camp three summers ago. Tate didn't leave your side for a month practically, fishing, riding, horsing around, all of it was perfect to you. And it made Kayce fall in love with you all over again as he watched. From that summer on, Tate accepted you as part of his life. You weren't technically his stepmom because you and Kayce weren't married. But you were closer than an aunt, closer than a mentor, closer than just a friend of his dad.

You hadn't realized you had been staring off into the kitchen window until you heard a throat clear behind you. Turning, you saw Kayce standing on the other side of the kitchen island.

"Mornin'," His voice was gruff like it was the first time he spoke since waking up.

"Hey," You called softly.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" He asked leaning his elbows on the counter. The bruise under his eye was a lovely shade of yellow and brown now but you chose to leave a comment about it for another time. Kayce was almost like a deer when it comes to discussing certain things. You must be calm and approach with caution or he'll jump.

"Tate."

Your answered surprised him because his eyes opened more, and he leaned back up.

"What about him?" Kayce asked, eyeing you closely. He wasn't concerned necessarily, but your answer was not one he was prepared for. Sometimes you enjoyed surprising him, keeping him on his toes.

You offered him a warm smile. You always did when Tate was the topic of conversation.

"How much I love him," You shrugged before walking over to pour yourself a coffee. It was probably lukewarm now, but you needed something to do with your hands.

Kayce didn't say anything to you, but you heard him move from around the island to stand next to you, leaning against the counter where you placed the coffee pot back down. Taking a sip, you glanced up to see Kayce's face relaxed and a hint of a smile on his lips.

"I didn't wake you because I wanted you to rest as much as you could," He offered you.

"Did you get some rest?" You asked, reaching out the smooth over his brown button down. Your fingers danced across the Yellowstone brand a few times before you removed your hand all together.

"I always do with you," Kayce whispered lowly. It wasn't the coffee that made your insides warm instantly.

You looked up into Kayce's eyes. If you removed the bruise, he'd look completely normal except the tiny hint of exhaustion. Your eyes danced around his face for a moment before dropping to his shoulders. Kayce was taller than you, but his shoulders were sunken slight still, meaning there was still some weight there. His arms hung loosely at his sides, his fingers curled inward slightly, meaning there were still worries inside his chest. You took another sip of coffee, meeting his eyes again with your own, trying to gauge how to respond.

"What can I do?" You asked, keeping your lips close to the rim of your mug. You heard the front door open and shut and knew your time became very limited. Kayce's eyes darted behind your head, waiting to see if whoever opened the door was headed towards the kitchen. You knew you lost him and any chance of coming clean now. So, you settled on an answer of your own.

You stepped into Kayce's space, causing him to look back down at you. With one hand pressed against his heart you leaned up and kissed him. You felt one of his hands grip your waist as footsteps started coming closer to the room.

"Kayce?" You heard John's voice call out.

You broke the kiss, leaning around to quickly place your lips against Kayce's jaw twice before stepping back. Turning just in time to see John walk into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetheart," John said with a small smile.

"Good morning, John," You nodded, deciding to take a drink instead of forcing a smile. You liked John just fine, but on mornings like this he wasn't your favorite by any means.

"Kayce," John motioned towards the backdoor, walking around to it. He nodded again to you with a smile. Your eyes went up to Kayce's again who looked slightly in pain maybe? It was hard to tell.

"Can we do dinner tonight?" You asked as Kayce took a step towards the door. He looked back at you, eyes once again surprised.

"What?" He asked.

"You and me?" You said walking over towards the door back into the rest of the house. "Can we do dinner tonight, just us?"

"He won't like it," Kayce motion towards where John once stood but he had a small smirk on his face telling you all you needed to know.

"I can take John Dutton," You shrugged, challenging Kayce with a smile of your own.

"Yes you can, baby," Kayce shook his head before walking out the backdoor. You smiled to yourself for getting one victory in all of this.