Oneshots - Kayce Dutton Book 2

I am proud of you

Request - Could you do one where Kayce is pissed at the reader for embarrassing him when he's working or something and he gives her the silent treatment on the way home? They can make up or whatever you want them to do. But it's one where the reader realizes Kayce knows what he's doing as Livestock Commissioner and she then tells him how proud she is of him. 

You could feel the winter temperatures coming. The breeze had a bite to it as you shut the truck door with a sigh. This was the last state dinner for the year, besides the holiday party, and you were glad. 

It just wasn't your scene, nor was it your boyfriend's. Speaking of, he had been extra quiet this evening as the dinner wrapped up. You looked over as Kayce started the truck up, turning the heater on to warm y'all. You had on heavy coats, but the black dress underneath hardly did anything to help with the dropping temperatures. 

"Glad that's done," You mentioned, trying to gauge Kayce. 

"Mmm," Kayce nodded his head, turning the wheel and driving out of the parking space. 

You frowned. 

"Mr. Jenkins at least kept his distance," You tried again. 

"Yeah," Kayce muttered as he came to a red light. 

"Something wrong?" You asked him. 

Kayce didn't answer but kept staring straight ahead. So, something was wrong. Your mind went into overdrive, replaying the past three hours over and seeing if you could figure out what had rubbed your boyfriend the wrong way. Sure, it was a dinner and he didn't like them, but he was professional and carried his badge with honor. 

He had to talk to the one guy whose family didn't like Kayce. But Kayce had been polite and even shook his hand. You remembered that Kayce's steak was overcooked when they passed the meal around, but that was normal for a large dinner party like that. 

You had worn the dress Kayce liked. It was a one-shoulder black satin dress with an appropriate slit up the left side to your thigh. You had even worn heels, something you maybe did twice a year. Kayce had kept a hand on you all night because of it...until he stopped. 

It was during the dinner when you felt his hand leave your thigh. You leaned back in your seat and tried to remember what had been going on. The group around the two of you had been talking about tax exemptions through agriculture and how people from out of the state had been taking advantage of it. You knew it was a hot topic, one that Kayce had to dance around because while yes, it was true...those constituents were still his people too. 

Mr. Darren, an old friend of Kayce's father, had asked your opinion of it, and you... answered. 

That was it. It was you...that's what rubbed Kayce the wrong way. Your answer. 

You had sided with the men at your table. Saying that something should be done to those out-of-towners. While it was true, you did believe it and you knew Kayce believed it...the girlfriend of the Livestock Commissioner shouldn't be giving opinions on hot topics because it leads to trouble for Kayce. 

You sighed out loud, finally understanding his irritation. Kayce was extremely protective over you, and he knew what having this job did to you. You worried constantly, Kayce wasn't one to shy away from trouble. He was loyal to a fault and sometimes that meant he was the one who came home with cuts and bruises...sometimes worse. 

But you always supported him, in public and private. The two of you were a good team for that too. Until this evening. You looked back over at Kayce who was driving along the highway now. It was still about thirty minutes from the ranch.