He arched a brow at me as if there was any other option. “Now you just have to find the perfect time and place to pop the question.” He flashed an evil smile, only shrugging with acceptance when I slugged his arm. “Worth it.”
I held up the bag and thanked the clerk. “Damn worth it. Thanks, man.”
He grunted his acceptance, in typical Nate fashion.
Stevie
“The mayor’s on board, and I’ll love seeing those old girls competing against each other for real.” Nina flashed a wicked smile and shook her head, as if she could already see my vision coming together. “So, that’s your green light.”
My green light. I shouldn’t be so excited, but I was. “Thanks, Nina!” Maybe a little too excited, but this was my first pitch in my new job and I wanted to succeed, because this town took their events seriously. With a capital S.
“There’s a lot to be done, so save some of that excitement for the day of the event.”
I nodded, taking the advice in the spirit it was given. “Right. I’m just excited to get my first event.”
“It was a good proposal and a good idea, not to mention the torturing part of this genius plan.” The gleam in her eyes made me feel a little better about leaving that part out. “It’ll be so satisfying. Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I said, but Nina was already halfway back to her office, which shared a space with the mayor’s corner office. My first event, the Not Your Mama’s Casserole cook-off, would take place in exactly four weeks and there was a lot of planning to do. The hardest part of the job would probably be getting the women to sign up, which meant I needed to start with a yes.
“We’re not open yet,” Maxine called out when I stepped inside her catering business. The place used to be merely functional, but now it was pretty and feminine and whimsical.
“I love what you’ve done with the place.”
“Stevie?”
“Yeah. Can I come back?”
“You’ll have to, because I’m stuck at the stove for the foreseeable future.”
Intrigued, I stepped around the counter and into the pristine kitchen where Max stood, whisking or stirring something inside a very large pot. “Smells cheesy.”
“A cheese sauce,” she corrected. “What brings you by, wedding menus?”
I froze at the question and frowned. “No. I’m planning my first event, Not Your Mama’s Casserole. A cook-off between the matrons of Tulip, and I was hoping you would set up a table and sell some desserts? It can be something easy, like cookies or brownies.”
“A cook-off? Between the old ladies?” I nodded and Maxine tossed her head back and let out a loud roaring laugh. “Oh, that’s so devious. I love it. Count me in.”
“Excellent.” That was easier than I’d expected. “I’ll leave the forms on the counter for you to fill out.”
“Forms?”
“I’m working on a countdown website with Ginger, in conjunction with the Gazette, and we’ll feature all the vendors donating time or goods or services to the event. Free publicity to say thanks.”
“Well, thanks in return.” Her smile was bright and engaging as always, but her eyes weren’t quite right.
“Is everything okay, Maxine?” I hadn’t been living in Tulip long enough to get used to butting into people’s business, but she’d always been nice to me and she looked… troubled.
“Have you and Scott talked about having kids?”
Okay, I guess we’re changing the subject. “No, we haven’t.” Was that weird? Should we have had the discussion about children already, or wasn’t that for people who were ready to have children? Was I ready to have kids? I didn’t know, I hadn’t even let myself think about it for so long that it hadn’t occurred to me start thinking about it. “We haven’t really talked much about the future.”
“Enjoy it,” she said seriously. “Derek and I have been married for like five minutes and already half the town wants to know when we’ll start a family, as if we aren’t already a family!” She snorted a laugh and put a little more energy behind her whisking action.
“Don’t worry about those questions. If you want more kids and you want them with Derek, I think you should think about it.”
She sighed and put one hand on her hip. “You don’t think I’m too old to think about having another child? Callie is almost ten.”
“Nine,” I said automatically.
“Okay, fine. But don’t you think she’s too old to have to get used to another kid in the family?”
“No, and neither do you. I think it’ll make her an over-protective big sister and babysitter in training.” It sounded like solid advice, right?
“Good point,” she said easily as her glance occasionally bounced back to the pot. “So, why haven’t you guys talked about it yet?”
“I don’t know.” Maybe Scott needed more time to make sure we could live together until death did us part. “We haven’t been living together all that long. But this town moves… fast.”
That was the understatement of the year.
Max laughed. “No kidding. Lightning speed is our normal. But, if you want it, there’s no shame in bringing it up. Or dropping hints.”
I wasn’t even sure yet if that’s what I wanted, or if I just thought I should want it. Until Scott and this town, I wasn’t ever sure it would be part of my future—the husband and the kids, the white picket fence, or the happily ever after. The longer I was with Scott, though, the more I wanted it. All of it. “Maybe you’re right.”
“There’s no maybe about it. Take that yellow box with you when you leave. For courage.”
Curious, I couldn’t wait until I was out on the street to see what was inside the box. “Cookies.” Sweet crispy, gooey cookies made by Maxine. “Thanks. And here’s a piece of advice for you—wait for Derek to tell you he wants to knock you up before you freak out about it.” I smiled and gave a little finger wave with one cookie between my fingers as I walked out.
One item on the checklist complete. Now, on to the hard part.
Getting the meddling matchmakers to play along, without agreeing to a wedding date or naming my first born after one of them.
Derek
“Next time, reconsider flying until you get yourself a good pair of wings, yeah?”
Tessa Washington was an adventurer, an explorer. And clumsy as hell.
“I promise, Dr. Cahill. Look first, and don’t leap if it’s too high.” Her sigh was heavy with disappointment. “I knew it was too high, but I just thought I could do it.”
“You will. Some day. Until then, maybe take it easy on your mom’s heart.” She smiled and held up her lollipop—sweetened with beet sugar, at Maxine’s suggestion.
“I promise. Thank you!” Tessa waved as her exhausted mother had to tow her out of the hospital, where she’d enchanted all the staff she came across.
I took my time in the exam room because I just didn’t want to risk running into anyone. At all. There were too many questions about why Max and I hadn’t taken a honeymoon, bets on when we’d announce a new addition to the family, and all manner of details that fell squarely into the none of your business category. So, I took a breather—but it was short-lived because it looked like Steven Locke had been waiting on me.
“Derek,” he said, doing a terrible job acting surprised by my appearance. “Just the man I was looking for.”
“You found me.” I did my best to keep my voice bland, devoid of all emotions just in case he tried to rope me into planning another event. “What’s up?”
Steven’s log legs had no trouble keeping up with my pace, which was good because my shift ended in thirty minutes and I had plans with Callie. “I’m sure you heard about Dr. Glover.”
“No, is his wife pregnant again?” They’d just had twins not too long ago, but at the rate they were going, they’d have a baseball team in a few years.
“If she is, the baby isn’t Glover’s. Turns out, the twins might not be his, either,” he said and launched in
to a long story on Mrs. Glover’s extramarital activities.
“Steve,” I said, mostly to interrupt his delight at telling such terrible news. “What does any of that have to do with me?”
“Right. Sorry.” He flushed a little, seeming embarrassed. “I guess small-town living has officially rubbed off on me.” It would be hard to avoid that fate, so I cut the guy a break. “Anyway, Glover is as good as gone. Given his notice, and plans to take off as soon as he gets the DNA results. The board has decided, along with input from Sabrina Worthington, that you are the top candidate to take over his role as ER director.”
Director of the ER. It was the next step in my career and one I thought I was at least five years from, with Glover only in the job for the past few years. “I’m sorry, Steve, you’ve managed to shock me.”
“Excellent. I do love to surprise people.” He looked at me with a knowing smile on his face.
“Look, Steve, I want the job. Badly.”
“But?”
“No but, just that I need to talk to Maxine. We just got married and I just need to make sure—”
Hell, I wasn’t sure what I needed to make sure, but this felt like a big decision she’d want in on.
“Don’t worry, I get it totally. My wife would kill me, too, if I didn’t at least mention it to her. You have until the end of the week before they look elsewhere for a director.”
“Got it. You’ll have an answer as soon as I have one to give.” This was my dream job, and even though I was sorry about Glover’s personal life imploding, his bad luck had given me the job I wanted—exactly where I wanted to be. “Thank you for thinking of me, Steven.”
“You always come through and you so rarely grumble. I love that in a doctor.” There was a gleam in his eyes as he clapped me on the back and walked away. “Friday, Dr. Cahill.”
I finished the paperwork for my last few patients and left the hospital without another emergency falling into my lap. Most days, I didn’t mind, except for the time it took away from Max and Callie, but today I needed time to think. Quiet time to think. So, I decided to take the scenic view back to town and let my new life sink in.
Director of the ER. The job came with a pay bump and better benefits and, most important of all, it meant stability. To raise a family. A bigger family than we currently had. The job offer had given me the certainty I didn’t even know I was searching for. I wanted to have a bigger family with Max.
A much bigger family.
Now I just had to find a way to get her to agree.
That thought was shoved to the backburner as I put the car in park in front of Callie’s best friend’s house. Maxine had an event tonight, so it was just the two of us, which was just fine with me. Before I could even step from the car, Callie was there, flinging her backpack into the backseat as she climbed in with a smile. “Hi, Derek!”
“Hey, kiddo, how was your day?”
Callie shrugged. “It was good. Are we having a baby?”
I frowned at her question, wondering when my step-daughter had become a mind reader. “Why would you ask that?”
She sighed heavily as if this was news I should already know. “It’s on Facebook,” she said, with the attitude of a child much older than eight. “And all the moms were talking about how long it would be before you put a baby in mom. A few said that’s why you got married. Is it?”
Damn gossiping women. “Of course not. We got married because we love each other, and we want to be a family.”
“So, we’re not having a baby?”
I couldn’t tell if she was pleased or not by the news.
“Not that I know of, and not yet. We just got married, Callie.”
“And? Logan’s mom isn’t even married and she’s having a baby this summer!”
I took a deep breath, waved to the mom and daughter smiling on the porch, and reversed out of the driveway while I figured out a way to respond to… all of that.
“You don’t have to be married to have a kid, that’s true. But it makes life easier if you are. Maxine and I want to spend time together and time with you before we think of adding to our family.”
There. That sounded good and mature, right? Very parental.
“Fine,” she sighed again. “But when you get tired of just me, I want a kid sister.”
I smiled at her precocious words. “I’ll keep that in mind, Callie. What vegetable do you want for dinner?”
Vegetables were the only topic about which Callie ever truly acted her age, a fact I used to my advantage when we were on our own for dinner. “If I say broccoli, can we have it on pizza?”
“How could I say no to an offer like that? Especially when I’m choosing bell peppers and sausage.” It was a system that worked well, and it allowed us to get to know each other without much pressure.
“Cinnamon bread, too?” The hope in her voice was so beautiful that I almost said yes immediately, but I did what I promised Maxine I would always do before making a decision. Take a beat.
“Let’s play it by ear. If you have a bellyache, I have to give you that gross medicine.”
Her face scrunched up like I knew it would, and she shook her head dramatically from side to side. “Okay. Then you’ll think about giving me a sister, too, right?”
I had a feeling I wouldn’t be thinking about much else for the foreseeable future.
Nate
“Hey, babe! I got your cherry marmalade ice cream.”
How I managed to even say those words without puking was a mystery to me, but it was what she wanted and I’d driven to nine different stores to find the stuff. The spicy dill pickles she had also insisted on were easier to find. For some strange reason.
“Mikki?”
“In here.” Her voice was low and husky, and I knew what that meant. The woman was insatiable lately and though I wasn’t complaining, something felt off about it.
I took a deep breath as the strains of some anonymous R&B song grew louder and the scent of candles hit my nostrils. They were lit everywhere and there, in the middle of the living room on a pile of sheets and pillows, was my gorgeous woman, wrapped in yellow and white lace. “You look like candy.”
Heat flared in her eyes—a look I never got tired of seeing. “Just what I was going for.” She batted her eyelashes slowly and licked her bottom lip. “Thanks for the ice cream.”
“Of course,” I said absently, holding it up like it was some damn trophy.
Mikki arched her back and her bra slipped, showing off just a sliver of pink nipple, and I was hard. Instantly. The gleam in her eyes intensified the closer I got, kicking off my shoes first, then my jeans and my Search & Rescue T-shirt. “Nate,” she whispered, reaching out to touch me through my boxers. “I need you.”
Even though I knew there was something else going on, I was powerless when my woman went all out like this to seduce me—especially since she didn’t need to. “I’m right here,” I growled in her ear, kissing my way down her body as I peeled the candy-colored confection off her delectable body. “This is sweet, but you’re so much sweeter.”
“You say the sweetest, oh, things,” she finished breathlessly when my mouth descended on her, feasted on her because she was sweeter than any of her sexy lingerie. “Nate!” Her fingers tightened in my hair, another point against getting that haircut she kept reminding me of, as she ground against my mouth, taking the pleasure she needed.
It was my favorite version of Mikki in the bedroom: the assertive woman who didn’t just take what she wanted, but had no problem telling me exactly what that was. She was horny and, based on the books, that was mostly hormones. But the lingerie, the sex in public places, that was something else. I knew it, but I didn’t know how to bring it up without hurting her feelings because pregnant women were a whole new level of sensitive, so I just gave her what she needed.
Massaging her tits, which were huge these days—another thing I loved about pregnancy—while I feasted on her produced all manner of sounds that reminded me of
the other reason I hadn’t tried all that hard to talk to her. Those sounds were as addictive as the taste of her. “Nate, babe, yes. Oh, yes, just like that.”
I licked her until she nearly suffocated me with her thighs as a violent orgasm tore through her. She shook and convulsed for long minutes before her muscles relaxed and laughter spilled from her lush mouth. “I love the sounds you make when you’re all hot and bothered.”
Mikki flashed a sleepy smile and pulled me close, licking my lips and then giving me a long hot kiss. “I love what you do to get me to make those sounds. Almost as much as I love you.” Her hand wrapped around my cock, and that was all it took.
I laid my wife back and slid in, making love to her slow and deep, exactly what she needed. Her eyes rolled back in her head, her skin flushed pink as she dug her heels into my ass and strained as her second orgasm remained just out of reach. “Mikki.”
Her big eyes looked up at me, mouth fixed in a surprised ‘o’. “Yeah?”
That breathless southern twang hardened my cock and heat flared in her eyes while a slow smile spread from one ear to the other. “Not. Yet.”
She pouted, but even she couldn’t stop the smile from growing just a bit wider. “Nate,” she moaned.
Slow strokes. Deep strokes. She wanted it fast and hard, but that wasn’t what I wanted. Not right now while her lips were pink and puffy, her nipples hard and her belly swollen with my baby. Nope, I wanted to make it last. Just long enough to get what I wanted. “Soon. Promise,” I grunted, because it was hard to resist the urge to give in to what we both needed.
“Nate. Please.” She squirmed to get closer, frustration and heat deepening her voice to a guttural level.
I smiled down at her and gripped the back of her thighs, increasing my speed just enough to get her closer to the edge. “I love you, Mikki.” Just a little faster.
“Love. You. Too.”
My thumb went to her clit. “I love you, Mikki. And now I want you to come.”
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 47