Big Sky Dreams

Burke - Chapter 38

Burke sauntered down the stairs as he grinned and chuckled at catching Vivian checking him out. The last hour had been intense for both of them as she revealed more of her broken, vulnerable parts to him. It had taken all of his willpower to stay in the moment with her and give her the support she had clearly desperately needed. He knew that it would take a long time for him to forget how her body felt against his as she clung to him, shaking with almost silent sobs. His mood darkened as he imagined why her sobs had been so quiet. Burke hadn't really noticed up until this point just how much she held herself back, how much restraint she had, even during what should have been lighthearted events. Shaking his head at how much he had missed as he mentally went through all their interactions, he vowed to break through the armor she wore so tightly.

Warming the tea only took a few minutes, but Burke lingered in the kitchen to give Vivian enough time to pull herself together. He was in the middle of admiring her warm eclectic style that seemed to mash up cozy antiques with interesting garage sale finds when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he grinned.

Hunter: These kids are insane, did you know that? What should have been an easy hour ride is taking twice as long. We should be almost at my barn, but nooo. They have to stop and see almost everything, and they don't stop asking questions. How does Vivian do this all day??  At this rate, getting the horses untacked and settled in is going to take practically forever.  Not to mention the tour of my barns.  I will let you know when we head into town for the pizza, but don't expect it to be any time soon.

Burke threw his head back and laughed, the sound foreign and rusty to his ears. He knew perfectly well that Hunter enjoyed hanging out with the kids and was the most likely culprit for how long the ride was taking. Hunter's good-natured complaining was his way of letting Burke know how much time he had available to spend on Vivian.  Still chuckling and shaking his head at Hunter's shenanigans, Burke made his way back upstairs with the tea.

He settled on the bed next to the tray of food in time to hear Vivian muttering to herself before coming back into her bedroom.  His eyebrows shot up at the intense look in her eyes as she walked up to him and stood between his legs.  Framing his face gently in her hands, she stared down at him and took a deep breath.  "I am not normal, I never have been.  I am whimsical and passionate, impulsive and stubborn, incredibly independent and mischievous.  I have big emotions that sometimes I don't know what to do with and they burst out of me like a solar flare and then are gone. I have self-confidence issues from even before I got married, although I am going to work on that.  I am a collector of unusual and fun things, I like bright colors, and I hate being told what to do with a fiery passion that has only gotten stronger since being married.  I can be incredibly loud when I am in a comfortable space with people whom I feel safe with.  I can be incredibly quiet when I am overwhelmed and worn out by too many people.  Shiney things make me happy, as do books and animals.  I love to dress up if I have a place to go, so if renaissance costumes and fairy wings aren't your thing, you had better let me know now.  There will be glitter.  I am a glitter person.  My daughter is a glitter person.  It just is, so again, you had better let me know now if you can't handle that.  I like to go on spontaneous adventures, but only if I know that things are taken care of at home.  I love to dance.  It has been so long since I have been able to dance with a partner and I miss it almost as much as I missed being around horses.  Dance was a huge part of my life, but my husband and I just couldn't ever seem to find our rhythm.  He hated the dances that I loved and I couldn't figure out his lead style, so we never danced together." Burke watched as sadness dimmed the look of determination on Vivian's face before she shook herself out of it and continued.  "I love to read.  I can easily lose an entire day to a book if I don't have any interruptions.  I need to be able to read and I need to have someone in my life who is going to be worthy of me putting my book down."  She paused and searched Burke's face.  So far, she hadn't said anything that he had any issues with, except for maybe the glitter, but he figured that was something he could get used to.  He couldn't help the smile that was teasing at the corners of his lips as her brow furrowed slightly.  "I am protective and I will shower the people I love with as much as I can possibly give but I can just as easily fall off the face of the earth.  I feed the people who come into my home and my doors are always open as a safe space to those in search of some place to just be.  I want to fix everyone's problems, but I have learned the hard way that it's not always my job.  I need someone who can roll with the chaos that is me and my life."

Burke heard her unsaid message loud and clear.  She needed someone to let her be herself but at the same time, rein her in when she was going overboard or giving too much of herself.  Vivian needed a partner to look after her as much as she looked out for others.  She needed someone who would step up when she tired herself out, someone who would help make sense of some of the chaos without squashing vital parts of who she was. Placing his hands on hers where they still cupped his cheeks, Burke grinned up at her.  "Darlin', it is going to take a hell of a lot more than that to scare me away.  I see who you are and I look forward to seeing more of you." He winked then kissed her palm before grabbing the mug of tepid tea.  "I don't imagine this would heat up well for a third time, but I can make you a new mug if you like."

Vivian's head was cocked to the side as she studied him for any trace of discomfort or annoyance.  The easy way he accepted her speech was so foreign to her she didn't quite know what to do except take the mug and drain it, which only highlighted just how thirsty she was after all the crying she had done.  Carefully stepping back from him, Vivian sat on the bed facing him with the tray between them, one leg folded under her and the other hanging off the side.  Glancing at the tray, she was pleasantly surprised to see a small feast laid out.  Her face broke out into a huge smile and he felt quite pleased with himself as she gleefully began to munch on the various items while at the same time, he had to catch his breath at how beautiful she looked with her face open and happy.  She took in his slightly stunned look and smiled sheepishly as she shrugged at herself.  "I also really appreciate being fed without having to ask."  Translation, notice when she hadn't had something to eat in a while and do something about it if possible.  Burke tucked that bit of trivia away as he reached for the mug and headed into the bathroom to fill it with water.  With how quickly she had downed the tea, he figured a refill wouldn't hurt.  Looking around the bathroom while the mug filled, he grinned as an idea began to form.