You Are My Sunshine

Chapter 56 - Unpopular Decisions

"I'm guilty of giving people more chances than they deserve but when I'm done, I'm done." - Turcois Ominek

When they arrived at the cabin, throwing the few groceries they brought for the weekend, Amelia skipped right back out and down the trail. "Where you going?" Juice hollered after her.

"The creek," she yelled back. "Hurry up!"

Juice wobbled as he hurried, trying not to twist an ankle or worse, and finally caught up to her a few yards from the water. "I didn't know about this," he chuckled. "Usually when I'm up here someone's hiding out or seriously injured, swimming and fishing aren't on my mind."

"We lived up here as kids," Amelia said wearing a nostalgic smile. "You know how many ticks I've had burned out of me?"

Juice drew his head back. "Do I want to know?"

"I lost count, but it's a lot." Throwing her hair up on top of her head, Amelia laughed, smiling, and stepped into the water. "We didn't find out until later that there's less painful ways of doing it. Check out my brother's calves next time you can, it's hilarious."

"I don't think I've ever seen your brother's fucking calves," Juice scrunched his face up. "And I don't want to, I can't picture him in shorts."

"You are spending way too much time picturing my brother."

Pulling off his cut and shirt and kicking his boots off, Juice nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I want to be picturing you," he whispered into her neck, his lips brushing against her skin. "Actually I want to be doing other things involving you."

"This is crazy, being outside together like this, I love it."

Juice agreed and told her as much with a line of kisses across her shoulders. "We'll always have the cabin," he joked.

"Does it bother you?" She turned to face him as the water raced over their feet. "Knowing we have such huge limitations as a couple?"

"I'd be a liar if I said it didn't."

Amelia sighed and kissed his chest. "One day at a time, eh?"

Nodding, he lifted her off the ground and headed out of the water. "Let's go back."

"Why?" She pouted.

"It's getting dark and I don't want to burn ticks out of your perfect ass." He winked, making his intentions perfectly clear.

Giggling, Amelia kicked her feet as he carried her back to the cabin. "So no forest sex?"

"No," he laughed as they arrived back. "I'm going to try to be a man, this fire place working?"

"It is," she nodded. "We get it checked every year, we have to, it's code."

"Keep everything as legal as possible," he mused.

She laughed, "Except the guns and shit."

Juice got it going, with help from Amelia, and the two cracked open some beers before settling on the rug in front of the fire. Her words about their future stuck with him as did her obvious preoccupation and Juice was sure she was thinking about Jax.

When she stretched out her leg, nudging him gently with her foot, he didn't react. "You okay?"

"It's my head now," he sighed. "I'll be right back."

Juice popped up and headed out to the porch, smoking as he paced the length of the creaking wooden planks. It started to rain and he listened to the drops falling around him with a peaceful smile.