In the few short hours since the Coven party, Rowan had finally felt like he had one of those ‘movie scene moments’ in real life.
Once Delaney had hopped in his truck, he had happily let her connect to the janky bluetooth adapter that stayed shoved in the aux. Rowan had taken his time driving through the back roads of Washington. The few beers that he had had made him just slightly nervous to be behind the wheel - even if he wasn’t drunk. One of the very last things he wanted to do at the moment was run over a deer.
When they had arrived, Rowan had walked around the truck to open the door for Delaney. It was pretty easy to tell that she was the drunken one in this situation, and Rowan wasn’t about to let her fall face first into the dirt because she forgot to use the side-step. Once the lights were on, thermostat adjusted, and the playlist was booted up, Rowan turned his full attention to caring for Delaney once more.
In her adorable drunken state, Delaney had convinced Rowan to dance around his living room for the first time in what felt like decades. They had joked around, and he had made sure that he had cooked her a meal worthy of a queen - then came time to debate over who would take the shower first. Much to his surprise and pleasure, Delaney had actually spent quite some time arguing with him about getting him in the shower with her. He wanted to be a gentleman - through and through - but he’d be damned if his little blue-eyed Jubilee wasn’t making that hard.
So he had given in.
Delaney had made fun of him for using borderline horrible hair products - but she still let him wash her hair and get out all of the glass that Lilith had missed. She had absolutely cashed in all of those kisses that she was promised, and nearly put up another fight when Rowan had bridal carried her to his bed. He had offered to take the couch, but Delaney refused, pulling him down onto the mattress with her.
He had woken up the next morning with his arms wrapped around her. Rowan laid there for a moment, soaking in the scene before him. Tracing her shoulder and neck with gentle kisses, the man eventually decided to climb out of his spot of comfort before heading downstairs to make breakfast for the both of them.
The smell of eggs dragged her from her sleep. Slowly blinking her eyes awake, she took in the scene before her. This was definitely not her room. Furrowing her brows, she slowly sat up, the blanket falling from her bare chest. It was then that everything came flooding back to Delaney. The dancing, the shower, the bed…
A smirk tugged at the ends of her mouth as she fell back onto the mattress, her hair splaying out from all ends of her head. She had one hell of a hangover, but thankfully she didn’t black out last night. Every little memory was perfectly implanted within her mind and continued to play itself out as she reminisced. Everything had been absolutely perfect. Better than she could have ever imagined.
But now it was time to join the hunky dunk for breakfast. Getting to her feet, she quietly padded her way to his closet. Her fingers ran across every single item before stopping on one of his plaid button ups. Very woodsy of her man. That thought broadened her smirk. Her man. Did this mean he was really hers now? Man, she hoped so. Letting out a breath, she slipped the item on and buttoned it up just to the center of her chest. It rested just below the curve of her behind.
She took a moment to run her fingers through her hair before slowly making her way downstairs. Looking around, she soon remembered where the kitchen was and walked into the room to join him. The sight of him at the stove brought a mischievous gleam to her eyes. Delaney walked up behind him and carefully slipped her arms around his waist, laying her cheek flat against his back. ”Morning, hunky dunk.”
Upon what felt like natural instinct, Rowan froze up momentarily before hearing Delaneys voice. A small smile broke through his hardened expression, his spare hand wrapping around her wrists as he reached to turn off the stove.
"Well howdy there, Jubilee," he responded, the remnants of his accent pouring through. Rowan unwrapped her arms from around him as he turned around, planting a kiss on top of her head. "How'd you sleep?"
Jubilee. While before she only liked giving the nicknames, she couldn’t stop smiling at the one he gave her. His sweet little dessert. Delaney nibbled on her bottom lip as she looked up at the man. And boy, did she have to look up. She tilted her chin up towards him for a kiss. ”I slept amazingly, until I woke up all alone. But now I see it was worth it.”
She looked behind him and eyed the food on the stove. Looking back at him, a shy smile stretched across her face. ”You made me dinner. You didn’t have to do breakfast too. Though I’m really not complaining.”
Placing a gentle finger under her chin, Rowan dipped down to place a kiss on the woman's lips. He allowed the moment to linger for a short period of time before turning to grab plates from the overhead cabinet.
”Cooking is one of my weird love language things you gal’s are always goin’ on about. ‘Sides. I rarely get to cook for more than one.” Delaney’s comment had almost made Rowan chuckle. He did things for her because he wanted to - not because he felt like they were required. Not to mention if his momma knew he kicked some poor girl out the door without breakfast - he was sure she’d still whoop his ass.
”I played it safe,” he continued, now shoveling food onto either plate. ”Everyone likes scrambled eggs, right?”
Now reaching for glasses, Rowan moved to open the refrigerator before catching a glimpse of Delaney from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help but to turn his full attention to her once more. The sun was shining through the windows, glistening off her eyes and dancing through her golden hair. Perched up against his kitchen counter, Delaney looked like she fit right into the scenery. Rowan stood there looking dumb founded with one hand on the refrigerator handle, staring at her standing in his shirt.
”That’s my favorite look of yours so far,” he commented before hiding his red hot face behind the fridge door. ”Apple or orange, my dear?”
”I mean, not everybody, but I do.” She looked over at him just in time to see him staring at her. Delaney bit down on her bottom lip to hold back a squeal of delight. She was absolutely delighted in him looking at her like that. Letting out a slow breath to hopefully hide her own blush rushing up her cheeks, she pulled herself up onto the counter and slowly kicked her legs.
Tilting her head, she allowed herself to look over the man as his face was hidden. She knew right then she’d never grow tired of looking at him. Delaney then realized he asked her a question. Clearing her throat, she ran a hand through her hair and looked at the rest of the kitchen. ”Apple for me, thank you.”
This time, the chuckle building up inside managed to escape the man. Reaching for the apple juice, Rowan nodded his head in approval before closing the fridge behind him and moving back over to her. Moving around the kitchen as gracefully as a man of his stature could, he eventually managed to get their glasses filled and over to the same counter with the plates of food and Delaney herself.
Silence filled the air as they began to eat.
”So what are your plans for the day,” he asked.
Delaney barely remembered what the food tasted like last night, so she was surprised when his food was actually really good. She then prided herself on snatching up a man who could cook. As she ate, she did a little wiggle on the counter out of pure delight. This was the happiest she could remember herself being in quite some time.
Glancing over at him as he spoke, she finished her bite and sipped some of her drink. ”Other than working later tonight? I don’t really have anything. Not planning on going back to the Coven any time soon with all the hell that was unleashed yesterday, so.” She gave a shrug of her shoulder. ”Anything going on in your world? Do you need me out of here soon?”
Watching her from the corner of his eye, Rowan was happy to see that she was, well - happy. She was absolutely adorable, even when she wasn’t trying. While he knew her last comment was well intentioned, he couldn’t help the fact that his anxiety rose ever so slightly. Rowan really hoped that she didn’t feel like he was rushing her.
”Of course not woman,” he nearly huffed. Hell, I’d give you the damned key to the place if you just asked, he thought. ”I just gotta feed the chickens, split some wood - usual household things. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” he adds, looking over at her.
Her eyes widened a bit in excitement. ”You really do have chickens here? Oh, I wanna see!” Finishing her plate, she set it aside before sliding off from the counter. Delaney scrunched her nose as she looked down at her outfit. ”Pants are a necessity though. Need to go find my pants.”
Bouncing up to him, she stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek before hurrying back upstairs to find her pants. She already made up her mind that she was keeping his shirt, so he’d just have to deal with that fact. It didn’t take her long before she was pulling her leather pants back on and looking around for her shoes. ”Babe, know where my heels went? I don’t remember where I kicked them off at.”
After Rowan had finished speaking, he had taken the last few bites of food off his plate - leaving him very little room to protest as Delaney bounded up the stairs. He wasn’t used to such an excited response at the mention of his animals - at least apart from Sassy, who was probably terrorizing said chickens at the moment. The kiss on the check had caused the heat to rise to his face once again. Downing the last of his apple juice, Rowan placed the dishes in the sink while waiting on Delaney to return.
Babe.
Hearing the word fumble from her lips, Rowan shook his head as a grin spread across his face. ”I uh… yeah,” he called back, clearing his throat and turning off the faucet. Crossing the room, Rowan grabbed her shoes from beside the front door, getting ready to head up the stairs himself before meeting her in the living room instead. ”You got pretty frustrated with these things last night,” he commented with a smirk. ”Kicked ‘em off in the truck, so I took the liberty of making sure they were safe. Don’t know if it’s the best choice in footwear around these parts, but I doubt you can fit any of mine,” he joked.
As Delaney put on her shoes, Rowan moved to do the same and grabbed his boots and jacket before re-entering the room. ”You’re real excited about this, aren’t ya,” he half-asked, half-stated as he put on his footwear. Once Rowan had sorted his own things out, he draped his jacket over Delaneys shoulders before leading her to the front door.
After slipping both of her heeled boots on, she stood and beamed over at him. She shrugged her shoulders and pulled her hair up into a messy bun, securing it with the lone hair tie around her wrist. Delaney wasn’t really a woodsy type girl, but she always got excited when any kind of animal was involved. Especially ones she didn’t see on a normal basis.
”What’s not to be excited about? They’re chickens!” Slipping her arms into the jacket, she pressed the fabric to her nose and inhaled his scent. If he wasn’t careful, she’d steal this article of clothing as well. She wanted everything that reminded her of Rowan. Still, the jacket was huge on her. Pushing the sleeves up to her elbows, she clapped her hands as she followed him out.
Rowan couldn’t help but laugh once more as he opened the door to the fresh morning air. The chicken coop wasn’t all that far from the house, which lessened his worries about Delaney tripping and falling. He still kept a close eye on her anyway as they traversed the rocky ground. Sassy had bounded up shortly after they had stepped outside, jumping up and down in excitement. Rowan had promptly tried to gain control of the silly dog, trying to keep her from knocking Delaney over. He knew that the blonde didn’t mind, but he still didn’t want to risk it.
The chicken coop was one that Rowan had constructed himself out of old wooden pallets and chicken wire. He had nailed some spare tin on the sides and the roof for wind and rain protection, and the bottom was surrounded by a ring of concrete to keep the wolves from digging underneath. It was tall enough to fit himself, and once inside you could easily spot the twelve individual cubbies that the chickens used for their nests.
”Ain’t nothing too fancy,” he stated. ”But they seem to like it.” Taking a look around, Rowan reached into the small loft above them to grab the chicken feed. Upon hearing the bag rustle, a large tan looking chicken began to peck wildly at Rowan's boots. ”Watch out for Marge. She’s a menace.”
Delaney tried everything in her power to hold back a squeal. Not only did she get to interact with chickens today, but she also got to see Sassy. She knelt down to better pet the dog when she noticed the large hen come around the coop. Her eyes widened in amusement as she watched the chicken peck at Rowan’s boots, then came over to peck at her own shoes. Letting out a laugh, she kept her hands to herself. Last thing she needed was a chicken to start attacking her.
Standing slowly, she peeked into the coop and looked inside at the little cubbies. This life was so far apart from her own. Yet, she knew after last night and this morning that she absolutely loved it here. Rowan’s house was quickly becoming one of her favorite places. With another small laugh, she beamed at Rowan and shook her head. ”You know your life is pretty much amazing, right? To be able to have all of this to yourself, to live your own life the exact way you want to?” Delaney let out a slow breath as she placed her hands on her hips. ”I love it out here. So calming. Quiet. I don’t know why you ever leave.”
Rowan gently used his foot to guide the chicken away from Delaneys boots. He was silently grateful for yet another positive reaction from the woman - most people would - and definitely have - tried to kick Marge away. Sure, she was a pain in the ass, but she was also Rowans best egg laying hen.
”It’s not by choice, I can promise you that,” he chuckled, now filling the small trough with chicken feed. Reaching back above him, Rowan put the bag back into the loft before keeping a watchful eye on the chickens to make sure that a fight didn’t break out. They were mostly good about not starting crap with each other, but accidents could still happen.
”I inherited the land from my Pops,” he began. ”When I first moved out here, it was all just trees and wildlife - so I just started to build. Cut down a few trees - made a house. Cut a few more and added the upstairs, built the coop. I just saw all of this potential of what this place could be, and I guess I just never stopped. In a world full of chaos, I guess all I ever really wanted was a nice, quiet place to call home - so I made it happen.”
Eyes now falling upon hers, Rowan cleared his throat again. ”Didn’t mean to ramble on like that. Apologies.”
She hung on to his every word as he spoke, seeing the passion in his eyes. Delaney shook her head and stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Glancing up at him, she kissed at his jaw and beamed. ”Don’t ever apologize to me about your passions. Ever. Okay?”
Delaney looked back at the chicken coop, watching as they all started to peck at their feed. A bright grin was on her face, her eyes sparkling. Everything about this place just spoke to her. It was very different from her bar nightlife, her partying ways. It all just seemed…like another world. One with its own different kind of magic. Letting out another breath, she looked back up at him. ”Everything here is perfect. Including you.”
Completely lost for words once more, all that Rowan could do was bring his lips to meet hers again. Usually he was full of words - he just chose not to say them. Delaney on the other hand literally left him speechless. It was a new feeling, something strange and welcomed at the same time. He kissed her for as long as he possibly could before breaking away, pressing his forehead to hers as he took a deep breath inward.
”I ain’t the best at this sort of thing,” he began. ”But would you do me the honor of bein’ my lady,” he asked.
She was still lost in the sensation of the kisses when he started speaking, but was fully aware by the end of his sentence. Delaney sucked in a breath and beamed, her heels doing a little tappy dance on the gravel. ”Hunky dunk, I thought you’d never ask.” Nipping at his bottom lip, she kissed him once more. ”I’m all yours.”
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