A Little Thankful (Small Town Lovers #8)

Sage 7

I woke up late, eight fifteen according to my phone. The good thing was there were no text messages or missed phone calls from my mom or my grandma. However, I knew my daughter. She’d probably been awake for at least an hour. I didn’t know if my mom was okay with not only babysitting last night, but also this morning when I knew at some point, she would be baking pies for the apple pie bake off.

Mace had long since left for his bakery, but the memory of some wicked sex with him, lingered. He’d kept his promise before he left with some wild sex, and I was going to join him in the shower, then follow him to his shop, but I never made it to the shower. I fell back to sleep again.

The man was a driven machine.

How he kept up this mad schedule, day after day was beyond me. He did, however, take Monday’s off. The bakery was closed on that day. But today was Sunday, and the place would be jumping with customers getting ready for the Holiday on Thursday.

Once dressed, I secured an Uber, and made it home by eight-forty-five, hoping my mom wouldn’t give me the third degree.

Instead, I found my gram tending to Autumn whose little face lit up as soon as she saw me.

“There’s my sweet baby girl,” I cooed, as I walked over to her.

She was on the floor on a brightly colored blanket in the living room. Her arms and legs shot out and she giggled like she couldn’t wait for me to pick her up, which I did. I sat on the floor, and cradled her in my arms. The absolute joy of my life.

The house reeked of cinnamon and sugar, a truly delicious smell, and my mouth watered for apple pie. Mom always made an extra pie or two for us when she entered the bake-off and I couldn’t wait to have a slice.

“Thanks so much, Gram,” I said, once I snuggled my sweet Autumn. She smelled so good, that I couldn’t stop kissing her neck, which always caused her to belly laugh. Music to my ears, that was for certain.

“Anytime, Sage. She’s a joy to be with. I love watching her, and just know that you can drop her off with me anytime,” she said, and I could tell she meant it.

Gram looked especially good this morning, wearing a jean blouse, black jeans and red sneakers. She’d always been a thin woman, much like my mom and my aunt. All three of them guarded their weight, much like I tried to do… except for these last five baby pounds.

Gram’s naturally gray, shoulder length hair was pinned back. She wore her usual amount of makeup, including lipstick, which she always loved. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling this morning. I hadn’t seen her this joyful since I was a little girl.

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I told her. “You’re glowing this morning, Gram. I love seeing you this way.”

“It’s little Autumn. She’s simply a delightful child. I’ve never seen a child so happy, but then look at her mother. Always a delight to be around.”

We hugged then, and kissed each other’s cheeks. I truly missed her, and out of all the people in my family I would have wanted with me during my pregnancy and birth, it would have been my grandma Iris.

Unfortunately, she would have had no choice but to tell my folks about my pregnancy, and I wasn’t ready for any of that.

“So, what are your intentions, my love?” she asked, as she sat on the floor on the blanket where she’d been playing with Autumn.

“About what, Gram? That’s a leading question.”

“I meant it to be,” she said. “About living here or in San Francisco? Cause, I’ll make a deal with you. If you move back here, your grandad and I will move back as well. We can live in the guesthouse, and babysit for you whenever you need it. You could either live here in the big house, or you could live with one of Autumn’s baby daddies… or in this town… you might be living with all three of them at once.”

I couldn’t believe she’d just said that. I was shocked. I’d always thought my grandparents didn’t like any of that stuff. I’d assumed that was one of the reasons they’d moved away.

“And you’d be okay with that?” I asked her, as I placed Autumn back down on the blanket.

“Honey, I’d be okay with anything you decided to do, as long as your grandpa and me can be part of your life. I don’t know if you noticed or not, but we’re getting up there in age, and for the time we have left, we want to be part of your life, and part of Autumn’s life. It’s important to us.”

She brought tears to my eyes, and I leaned over and gave her another hug. “Oh Gram, I would love that. I really would, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet.”

“What does Mace have to say about all of this?”

A rush of heat momentarily swept over me as soon as she mentioned his name. “I think he’d be thrilled if we stayed. He’s a good man, Gram.”

“They all are. If you’re going to have a relationship with three men, you couldn’t have picked better men. They’re all great, with good jobs and good morals… although I wouldn’t have said that a few years ago. But I’ve changed my mind. I’ve seen how some of these other group families are doing in this town, and I’ve come to understand it, and even admire them. It takes a lot to make a relationship work. I can’t even imagine what it must take to make a plural relationship work.”

“That’s the problem. I have no idea what that even looks like.” We sat together on the blanket, watching as Autumn sucked on some of the toys that surrounded her, cooing and studying each one.

“I think it must be like anything. You jump in and keep moving until you learn how to swim. That’s the secret. You just do it, and once you do, you realize you can do anything,” she said, sounding so smart I wondered why I never really paid attention to her wisdom before.

Probably too busy being full of myself.

We hugged again, and this time I thought about what it would be like to live in Cricket, with one or all three of the guys.

Could I really do it?

It was then that my phone rang with a call from my assistant back in San Francisco. I knew right away it had to be bad. Today was Sunday. Only bad things happened when Emma called me on a Sunday.

“What happened?” I said once I accepted the call.

“Oh, Sage, you’re not going to believe this, but…”

THE APPLE PIE bake-off, along with a pumpkin pie bake-off and a cranberry sauce contest, and various craft booths were housed inside Moon Hall, where our city mayor held most of his town hall meetings on the Sunday evening before Thanksgiving. The doors opened at five and most everyone in town arrived as soon as those doors were unlocked.

Mace and Forrest were already there when I finally arrived with my family, but tonight was my time with Hunter. We had it planned. We’d stay for the apple pie awards, but then we were off for dinner at Food Therapy by eight, and back to his house for drinks. Once again, my family were more than happy to care for Autumn, who seemed to be loving all the fuss. Even Sami got into playing with her, and feeding her. She and her mom only lived up in Sweet Whiskey, an hour away, so if I did relocate to Cricket, I’d have plenty of babysitters who loved her.

Mace greeted me with a warm kiss that Sami noticed. “Awe, Auntie Sage, you and Mace make such a cute couple. Does this mean if he’s the dad, family members get a discount at Just Desserts? It only seems fair.”

Mace broke the kiss and turned to her. “For you, I’ll make all sorts of exceptions. I’ll even give you your first cupcake or muffin of the day completely free. After all, you’ve been on my side from the very beginning.”

“I think I’m going to like having you in the family,” she said with a little chuckle. “Like it a lot.”

I was falling in love with my cousin. It seemed as though her Diva phase was behind her, and what was left warmed my heart. She still kept an edge, but she was much more agreeable than I’d ever imagined she could be.

“How about me?” Hunter asked as he approached. We were standing just inside the front doors now. Mom and dad had already gone in to officially enter her apple pie. And of all things, Aunt Sylvia had entered her cranberry sauce. It has always been a hit at our dinners. Best cranberry sauce ever, so this year she decided to do something about it.

She was also already inside, doing the official thing as well.

“What about you?” I asked spinning around to get a better look at him. God, but he was a handsome man, with his square scruffy jaw, and arms of steel. I couldn’t decide which of these three men I liked hanging with more, they were all so damn tempting. He wore a baby-blue shirt, gray casual pants, and black boots. He looked delicious.

“Am I part of the family as well?” he asked in that salty, low voice of his.

“Not yet, big guy,” I said, smiling. I warded off his kiss by giving him a peck on his cheek. “The results aren’t in yet.”

“I don’t really care about the results,” he said, then he whispered. “All I care about is you. When can we get out of here. I’ve been thinking about our date all day.”

“I can’t go anywhere until I find out if my mom’s pie is in the running or not.”

“Yeah, and my mom entered her cranberry sauce in the contest. You may be here awhile… best laid plans and all that shit,” Sami said.

“Sweetheart, I know it’s a different time now, and you’re very cool, but I’m not too fond of words like shit. Can you find something else that doesn’t conjure up the bathroom,” Gram said.

“Stuff… and all that stuff. Is that better, Grammy?” Sami asked, looking sincere.

“Yes, my pet,” Gram said. “Was that so difficult?”

“No, but it just doesn’t have the power that shit does.”

“Fine, but please use those kinds of words sparingly. They hurt my ears,” Gram told her with a smile.

It was something she always said to me when I was growing up. If she didn’t like what I said, she’d tell me that it hurt her ears, and I certainly never wanted to cause her any pain. I’d usually stop whatever it was that caused her ears to hurt, even if it meant that I couldn’t speak for awhile.

“I made reservations for seven, and they were hard to come by,” Hunter insisted. “But I get it if you want to stay. I’ll call and see if I can push our reservation forward.”

“Sweetheart, why don’t you two run along to your dinner,” Gram said, looking a bit concerned. “I’ll text you the good or bad news and Sami is the designated photographer, so she’ll send you all the pictures you need. Your mom has been doing this contest since you were a little girl. Spending time with Hunter is much more important. Go on now. I’ll take care of your mom.”

“If this were my night with you, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to give up one minute of it,” Forrest said, looking adorable in his attempt to look casual. He still wore dress pants, but at least he wore a dark-blue, Blue Angels t-shirt. The t-shirt was beyond cool, especially the way it hugged his pecks and arms, so it made up for his conservative pants and black loafers.

“I have to agree,” Mace said. “It’s your time to be with Hunter. It’s a time for you two to get to know each other better. A lot depends on it. Your mom will understand, and if she doesn’t, we’re all here to convince her. Now get out of here, before she shows up and guilts you into staying,”

Hunter reached out to take my hand. “C’mon. Let’s blow this pop stand.”

Sami’s forehead furrowed. “How old are you?”

“Old enough to know when to leave,” Hunter said, and I took his hand and blew past everyone as we headed out.

FOOD THERAPY HAD always been my favorite high-end, low-light restaurant in town, and Beau Hutton was my favorite chef. He loved to come out and talk to his patrons from time to time, and tonight was one of those times. We were just finishing our amazing dinner of wild caught king salmon poached in butter and lemon with a few sprigs of some kind of herb I couldn’t recognize, with fingerling potatoes, and steamed baby carrots when he showed up at our table.

We sat together in one of those half-round booths, a seating arrangement I preferred, especially with Hunter, who radiated a sexy heat whenever I was close to him.

Beau and Hunter immediately exchanged one of those guy handshakes, like they’ve known each other since forever, which they had. They couldn’t have been more than a year or two apart in age, and had probably been on the same sports’ teams growing up. I loved how Hunter’s face lit up when he saw someone he truly admired, and apparently Hunter truly admired Beau.

“I heard you were back in town, Sage. Nice to see you. I hope your dinner didn’t disappoint. Did you enjoy the salmon?” he asked.

Beau was one of those drop-dead gorgeous men, with thick, ultra-dark hair, baby blue eyes, a square jaw, and a body meant for sin. He even looked sexy in a chef’s coat, and that said a lot.

“Best salmon I’ve ever had. Superb,” I told him, happy to see him again.

Beau was in a group relationship, a relationship, that by anyone’s standards, could simply only be described as amazing. Jess Hall, from Dragonfly Designs, just happened to be his wife. Her other two husbands were, Anton and Galen, both amazing craftsmen in their own right.

She and her team more or less saved this town from anonymity. They redesigned most of the shops in our business district after the many floods had damaged them beyond recognition. Our town doesn’t flood anymore due to our great mayor, but for most of its existence, there was some sort of flooding almost every single year. The roads still sometimes flooded on the outskirts of town, especially near the cabins along the river, but the business section was now safe.

“Really great, Beau,” Hunter told him. “I don’t normally eat salmon at a restaurant. I’m usually a steak kind of guy, but every time I come here, I can’t resist. It’s so damn good.”

“You’ll have to come back soon and try our filet mignon. Like fucking butter. Just sayin’.” Then he turned back to me. “Rumor has it that you’re a mom, Sage. Congratulations! Hope you’ll hang around for a while so we can meet your baby. Jess would love that.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing yet. Scheduled to drive back to the city this Saturday. I have to be back for a meeting with my staff and a very important, disgruntled client on Monday morning. I can’t get out of it. She’s flying in from Switzerland just for the meeting. I can’t miss it. Things like that keep me working in the city.”

“Too bad. I’m sure your family and Hunter would love for you to stay.”

Beau wasn’t getting it. I was a mom now, a mom with financial obligations to my daughter. Nothing could get in the way of that. I needed to be able to provide for her, to take care of her, to be a role model for her. I would do and give up anything for her well-being, including my own happiness. But he should understand that. He had children of his own.

“I’m trying to convince her to stay,” Hunter added. “I think I’m having an impact, but she still hasn’t committed yet.”

“I know exactly what you’re going through. Jess took some convincing as well, but once she saw how much this town needed her, she never looked back. Might work for you, too.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Hunter told him.

“This sounds like some sort of conspiracy,” I told them, chuckling, but enjoying the warmth from both men. I’ve been so focused on working and my baby girl, that taking any time for myself, or feeling as though any other adult truly cared about me seemed foreign.

“Believe me, it’s an absolute conspiracy. One hundred percent,” Hunter said, then he leaned over and gently kissed me.

“That looks like my clue to move on out. I’m sending over our best dessert. On the house. Either of you gluten free or have any food allergies?” Beau asked, grinning.

“None,” we both told him.

“Great. You’re going to love it. Have a great night.”

And he walked off to a table not far from ours and starting chatting up the group of four who also seemed to know him well. That was the nice thing about living in a small town. You knew everyone… and their business.

Of course, depending on your mental state, it could also be the worst thing ever, especially when you’re a kid and looking for your own identity.

“You know I want you to stay,” Hunter whispered.

“Really?”

I didn’t want any of them to feel obligated to say they wanted me to stay. I wanted it to be genuine, or I didn’t want it at all.

But even with that, I had to weigh everything.

I had to admit, if there was a way to make a living here… a way to stand on my own two feet here in Cricket, I would absolutely consider it. Unfortunately, so far, I didn’t see one.

So, unless some kind of opportunity dropped in from the sky, I was driving back to the city on Saturday.

He smirked, and my heart melted. “Do birds fly? Do tigers roar? Do leapfrogs, leap? Yeah, I want you to stay. Even if Autumn’s not mine. It would be an absolute pleasure to have you and Autumn in my life on a daily basis.”

He kissed me again, our tongues touching, and that familiar fire shot through me.

“Let’s get out of here,” Hunter said in a hushed voice. “Come home with me. Spend the night.”

“We have a dessert coming,” I teased, knowing damn well I wanted sex with him more than my next breath.

“You’re my dessert.”

He couldn’t have said it better if I’d scripted those words for him myself.

“Tell the waiter to box it up and bring the check,” I whispered in his ear.

Twenty minutes later we were standing in Hunter’s bedroom, tearing at our clothes, doing our best to shed them without ripping anything. Unfortunately for Hunter, I couldn’t get some of his buttons to open, so he ended up ripping the damn shirt off his body.

My clothes came off much easier. No buttons. All stretch and cotton.

Even my bra slid on over my head, and my panties were merely a thin piece of fabric that he tore off before I could slip out of them.

I fucking loved it.

Passion is a powerful force, and once it consumes you with its heat, almost nothing short of a bomb going off can stop its wicked ambition.

And its ambition was to blow the roof off this tiny apartment on Frog Street, so everyone passing by would know we were fucking, and loving every dirty and sinful moment of it.