Who keeps calling you?

                                    

                                          
Request – Reader hasn't been answering her phone because her ex has been calling her. Everyone wonders who had been calling her, but she just brushes it off like nothing is wrong. Kayce grabs her phone and answers it... 
The buzz from your phone against the wooden table made everyone around you glance at it...again. 
You quickly clicked the screen off and flipped your phone over. This was the fifth time he had tried to call you. You weren't sure why; it had been a little over a year since you had seen or heard from him. Sure, his six months in prison had helped the situation, but he had probably been out for over five months now...why suddenly was he calling you? 
"You owe someone money or something?" Ryan asked from where he was dealing cards. 
"No," You took a sip of your beer. You weren't playing but you had decided to sit and watch the others since there really wasn't much else to do. Plus, Kayce and Rip were here taking part and that rarely happens. You felt it was a good thing to be there when the boss and his boss were there. 
Your eyes danced to Kayce and saw he was watching you from over his hand. About two months ago, one night you both were very drunk, stupidly drunk, and the next thing you knew you were waking up in his bed. Instead of kicking you out like you had feared, Kayce had made you coffee and breakfast before you retreated to the bunkhouse. Ever since then, you had spent the night in his bed a few more times...not drunk though, and even had a couple of dinners in town when you volunteered to go run some errands with him. You weren't sure what to call it, it wasn't necessarily a dating relationship, but each time you stayed longer and the two of you talked more in depth about each other's lives. 
Kayce had also slowly started to favor you over the other wranglers. No one else seemed to notice it yet, but he would always choose you on his rides out, or you seemed to be getting a lot more of the work meant for wranglers who had been there longer. You didn't feel like whatever you had with Kayce was wrong, you just didn't want it to jeopardize your job or his. Very rarely does a wrangler and the boss work out. 
Your phone buzzed again. 
You weren't quick enough to grab it before Rip snatched it from under you. 
"Who's Asshole?" Rip asked with a chuckle, looking at the screen. 
You snatched the phone out of his hand and ended the call, standing up and placing the phone in your back pocket. You walked over and threw your beer can away before leaving the bunkhouse. You didn't want to tell them about your ex. You didn't want to tell them about the fights, the bruising, the low points. You had left that all behind and you didn't want it to come back into your mind and cloud all the work you had done on yourself lately. 
After stepping outside, you walked over to the barn to see Carter finishing his chores. He smiled at you as he shut the door to the barn, carrying a few blankets over to the wash station. You turned and headed to the closets fence, kicking one boot up on the lowest post and folding your arm over the top. The moon was bright tonight and lit up most of the ranch, making it peaceful to you as you took a deep breath. 
"You okay?" Kayce's voice made you snap your head around to see him standing a few feet behind you. He slowly walked up and mimicked your pose, keeping a small distance between you both. 
"Yeah," You whispered, focusing back on the view. 
"Who keeps calling you?" Kayce asked. 
"No one," You shook your head. 
"Bullshit." 
"Well," You sighed. "No one who matters now." 
"Ex?" Kayce asked and you glanced over at him. He didn't look angry, but he didn't look pleased. Kayce wasn't always long-winded with his words, and you appreciated that about him. He was always straight to the point. 
"Maybe," You offered him a frown. "I thought I was done with him after he went to prison, but I guess he wants something." 
"Prison?" 
"He robbed a liquor store when he was high," You shrugged. "Made ending things with him easy." 
"Sounds like a charmer," Kayce grunted. 
Your phone buzzed from your back pocket, making you sigh and pull the phone out. You went to end the call again, but Kayce snatched it out of your hands and answered it before you could react. 
"Kayce!" You whispered-yelled. 
"Who's this?" Kayce grunted. "Yeah, it is her phone, but you need to stop calling her. Don't matter who I am, you need to leave Y/N alone...why? Because I said so...maybe I am...you know what I can do?" 
You listened to Kayce's end of the conversation. He sounded authoritarian with his tone; he sounded protective of you, and it was making your head feel funny. Or maybe it was your chest? 
"Call her again and you'll wish you were back in prison." 
Kayce hung up the phone, glaring at the screen before holding it in both hands and smashing the phone against the post. 
"Hey!" You said, reaching out and grabbing his arms. "I could have just blocked his number or something!" 
"I'll get you a new one with a new number," Kayce tossed the phone into one of the bins. "Something tells me that guy would still try to call." 
"I don't know," You shrugged. "You sounded scary to me." 
"I did?" Kayce smirked at you. You hadn't removed your hands from his arms just yet, but Kayce reached down with one of his hands and held your waist. 
"Thanks," You felt a blush creep across your cheeks in the moon light. "You didn't have to." 
"Trust me," Kayce said. "I wanted to do that." 
You placed your hand over his on your waist and nudged a few fingers between his. Kayce threaded your fingers more together and reached around your back with both, pulling you closer to him. 
"Will you stay with me tonight?" He asked lowly.   
You nodded your head, not having confidence in your words just yet with how he was looking at you. Kayce smiled at you, pulling you until you were flushed against him, his hands holding your loosened so you could pull your arm around and wrap it around his waist. Your head leaned against his shoulder as you both looked out onto the land. 
Not that you normally thought about your ex when you were with Kayce, but since he literally threatened him for you and destroyed your phone your mind did wonder back. Your ex never held you like this, it was never calm like this. Sure, there were a few times on the Yellowstone you didn't particularly agree with tasks done, but overall, this place had become a home to you and even though you fought it, the man holding you right now was slowly become that as well. 
"Do you think..." You paused and cleared your throat. "Do you think maybe...I could not...in the morning I could not have to...sneak back?" 
You didn't dare look up at Kayce though you felt him move his head so he could look down at you. 
"You don't want to hide anymore?" Kayce mumbled and you felt his lips brush against the top of your forehead. 
Taking a deep breathe you looked up at him. "I mean, I don't really like doing it if I'm being honest." 
"Then don't," Kayce smiled. "I just didn't fight you because that's what I thought you wanted." 
"What?" You leaned back slightly from him. "I never wanted that." 
"Then stay the night," Kayce leaned in and pressed his lips to your softly before pulling back a centimeter. "And the morning," He kissed you again. "And the next night." One more kiss. 
"Okay cowboy," You laughed after his last kiss.