Hometown Hope: A Small Town Romance Anthology

by Zoe York

“Do you like kids? Want them? I just realized we never talked about it.”

  “Oh, yes,” Millie said, her face clearing, and she brought her hand to grasp mine this time. “I love kids, and I want to have kids.”

  “Yeah? How many?”

  “I’ve always thought three, because of how close my sisters and I are, although we weren’t always close growing up, but I’m open to suggestions.”

  “And, marriage? Do you want to be married one day?”

  “Yes, I want it all. A family, our business, the American dream,” Millie said, squeezing my hand, a small smile playing on her lips. “Now that we’ve agreed to hire full-time help and start having lives outside of Three Sisters, it’ll be easier for me to focus more on the personal part of my life. More on us.”

  “I can’t wait,” I admitted, and it was the truth.

  I couldn’t wait to see where this thing between Millie and me would lead.

  Millie

  “Okay, there’s an important topic you’ve been avoiding, and we need to get serious. We’re running out of time,” Dru was saying from my chaise, where she was currently snuggled up with a glass of wine. “Our birthday party.”

  “Ugh,” I groaned, throwing my head back and grunting as I hit the cushion behind me. “We’re going to be twenty-nine, not nine, Dru. Aren’t we getting a little old for parties?” I asked. “It’s not even a milestone.”

  “Every birthday is a milestone,” Dru said dryly, then looked to where our sister was laying on the floor and added, “Tasha’s got my back on this one.”

  “I don’t know,” Tasha replied, tilting her head back so she was looking at us upside down. “Maybe Millie’s right and we’re getting too old to make such a fuss.”

  “Too old?” Dru asked with mock fury, sitting up so abruptly that she almost spilled red wine on my gray sofa. Luckily, she didn’t. “We’re still in our twenties, for crying out loud. We should be hitting the clubs, going nuts, instead we work our butts off and a night in with a bottle of wine is considered living it up. Come on, you guys, don’t take my birthday away from me.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at my twin’s dramatics, she’d always been more into parties and celebrations than me.

  “What if this year, we only celebrate your birthday with a party, the way you want to?” I suggested. “Mine can be more low key, the way I want it.”

  Dru looked at me as if I’d grown another head in the last few minutes.

  “We share the same birthday, Millie,” she said, telling me something I obviously already knew. “We’ve always celebrated together.”

  “That’s my point. Wouldn’t you rather have a party focused solely on you, instead of on both of us?”

  She narrowed her eyes on me and asked, “Do you already have something planned with Jackson, is that why you’re trying to separate things?”

  “No, I haven’t even told him our birthday is coming up yet.”

  “You totally need to tell him. If he recited Keats to you while making love, I bet he’d do up your birthday all kinds of romantic,” Tasha said on a sigh.

  I’d regretted telling them about Jackson’s words almost as soon as they were out of my mouth, but I’d been floating on a cloud and it had just spilled out.

  “Shut it,” I ordered as I threw a pillow at Tasha’s head, which she avoided with a giggle.

  “Are you serious about this?” Dru asked, still hung up on the birthday thing. Seriously, the girl loved parties, especially in her honor, and I’d never really cared one way or another. Maybe it was time for us to start doing things separately. Our lives had always been practically interchangeable, and although it was scary, I knew they couldn’t remain that way forever.

  “Yes,” I replied, smiling at my sister. “Do it up however you want. Whatever theme, whatever food, anything you want.”

  “But, what about you?” she asked softly.

  “We can go out to lunch or something … Oh, I know, we can do brunch. With champagne. And, I’ll come to your party.”

  “You don’t think that would be weird?”

  “What do you say we give it a try this year, and see how it goes, then, next year, we’ll have a big blowout for our thirtieth?” I suggested.

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Dru warned.

  “I know,” I said with a laugh.

  “Deal,” Dru said, then looked between me and Tasha and added, “So, we have one week to plan the best Speakeasy-themed party ever!”

  “I think I know a catering company that can pull it off,” Tasha joked.

  “I don’t know, it’s kind of short notice,” I argued.

  “Good thing I blocked the date on the calendar six months ago,” Dru countered.

  “Of course you did,” I laughed.

  Tasha pushed herself up and off of the floor, crossed to get the open bottle of wine, then proceeded to refill our glasses.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to stop by and see how you were doing last night,” I began, watching my younger sister closely for any signs of duress. “How are you doing now, with the whole Jericho thing?”

  Tasha tossed the empty bottle in the trash, then came back to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of us. She’d always been the kind of person who’d rather sit on the floor than on furniture; weird, I know, but that was our Tasha.

  “I was totally taken off-guard, you know? We were having a good time, watching Ty and Rebecca make a love connection, while laughing at Rob trying to hide beer from Jan, who obviously knew what he was doing, then … Bam! Jericho.” Her eyes widened and she took a big gulp of her wine. “It’s crazy that they’re all friends, isn’t it? Totally unexpected.”

  “Yeah, I’m so sorry, I had no idea that it was even a possibility that he’d be there,” I assured her. “I mean, Jackson said they were, like, sports-watching friends, but I didn’t know Jericho was actually a friend he hung out with a lot.”

  “It’s not your fault, and I’m so sorry that I left like that. Jackson must think I’m a drama queen.”

  Tasha laid back, resting her wine glass on her chest. I moved off the couch to sit next to her on the floor.

  “No, he doesn’t think that, he likes you both. I think he felt bad, they all did. No one wanted you to feel like you had to leave.”

  “I know,” Tasha said softly, her eyes coming to mine as she admitted, “He looked really, really good. Even better than he used to.”

  “I’m sorry, babe, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but you should talk to him. Hash it all out and get closure once and for all.”

  “Yeah,” she replied, but neither the look on her face nor her tone made it seem like she would be eager to do that any time soon.

  Jackson

  The week had, thankfully, gone by quickly. It was a usual week filled with lesson plans, homework, and Kayla, so I’d had plenty to do, but now I had the added bonus of yearning for Millie.

  Yeah, I said it, and I’m man enough to admit it. I yearned for her.

  The night we’d spent together was always at the forefront of my mind, distracting me at the most inopportune moments. Flashes of her lips curled up, the feel of her soft skin, the little noises she’d made when I was inside of her, hit me when I was standing in the checkout line of the grocery store, making dinner for Kayla and me, or, most often, when I was reading aloud to my students.

  Once again, we’d mostly been communicating between texts and phone calls, which was great, but, man, I missed the feel of her in my arms. We needed to move forward with her spending time with Kayla, so that I could get more time with her.

  Which was why I was currently making tacos, rice, beans, and salsa, even though it wasn’t Tuesday. It was Kayla’s favorite meal, and Millie was taking a dinner break to join us for about an hour to get to know Kayla better.

  Humming to myself, I cut up the vegetables to top the tacos and kept glancing at the clock. The anticipation was killing me, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.


  “Do I smell tacos?” I heard Kayla asked from behind me and turned to see her sniffing at the air as she walked into the kitchen. “But, it’s Thursday.”

  “You do, and we’re starting a new craze, Taco Thursday,” I joked, my stomach clenching nervously as my little girl’s eyes narrowed on me.

  I shouldn’t be afraid of re-introducing my daughter to my girlfriend, at least, I hope she’s my girlfriend, but I was. After her initial reaction to Millie, I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy thing for her to accept, and although I wanted the evening to go smoothly, I had a feeling I was in for some bumps.

  Rather than reply, Kayla just stood there, arms crossed, staring at me as she waited for me to come clean about what was really going on.

  Seriously, her teenaged years are going to be terrifying…

  “I thought it would be fun if Millie came by for dinner so you guys could get to know each other.”

  As soon as Millie’s name left my lips, Kayla scowled.

  “Now,” I kept going as if I hadn’t noticed the death glare. “She only has an hour break before she has to get back to work, so remember your manners, and be the sweet, thoughtful girl I’ve raised you to be.”

  Rather than respond as I’d hoped, her lower lipped popped out. Before I could think of any other way to bribe her into being on her best behavior, the doorbell rang.

  My immediate reaction was to grin and run to the door. I held back from running, but couldn’t hold back the grin. I looked at Kayla on my way to the door, and saw that the scowl was gone and she was watching me with a mixture of fear, hurt, and panic.

  Shit, throwing a fit was one thing, but I didn’t want my little girl hurting over my decisions.

  “Come here,” I said, stopping to crouch in front of her. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her close, and even though she didn’t return the gesture, I promised, “You’ll always be my number one girl.”

  Pulling back, I kissed her on the forehead, before standing up and rushing to let Millie in.

  “Hey, sorry.” I opened the door and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, wishing it was more, but knowing Kayla would freak if I had a full-on make-out session on the porch. “Come on in.”

  “It’s okay, I haven’t been here long,” Millie assured me with a sweet smile, her eyes taking in my face as if she hadn’t seen me in weeks.

  It felt good to know that she’d missed me as much as I’d missed her.

  I stepped aside to let her walk passed, then gestured at Kayla, who was still standing by the kitchen where I’d left her. She didn’t look exactly welcoming, but at least she wasn’t shooting Millie her death glare.

  “Kayla, you remember Millie, who gave you the tea party that you loved so much,” I tried, but Kayla didn’t take the bait.

  “Hi, Kayla, it’s great to see you again,” Millie said with a little too much enthusiasm when Kayla didn’t say anything. “Thanks for letting me join you for dinner.”

  “It’s just tacos,” Kayla said with a shrug, causing me to shoot her a glare of my own, which I hoped conveyed that she’d be grounded if she kept this up.

  “Well, I love tacos,” Millie said happily, as if Kayla wasn’t being a brat. “I think they should be made into a new food group, all their own.”

  “Millie would know, she’s a chef,” I said, noticing for the first time that Millie was still in her chef coat, which was intimidating, since I was cooking for her. “Just so you know, these are just regular old ground beef tacos, nothing too fancy.”

  Millie laughed and began unbuttoning her chef coat, which snagged my attention and made me thing of the last time she’d undressed in front of me.

  No, bad brain, think of tacos, football, a hairy naked man riding bareback…

  “Your tacos are the best, Daddy,” Kayla said, joining us as she came to my defense.

  “Thanks, baby,” I replied, dropping a kiss on her head as I tried to avoid Millie finally unbuttoning the last button.

  “Don’t want to make a mess on this,” Millie said as she shrugged out of the coat and laid it over the back of the couch. I did not notice how fantastic she looked in her tank top with little pink roses as she turned to Kayla and added, “I’m sure his tacos are wonderful. I can’t wait to try them.”

  “I know you’re on a schedule, so let’s go ahead and eat,” I suggested, holding my arms out so that both Kayla and Millie could walk in front of me.

  As I followed, I prayed that the next hour wouldn’t get my daughter grounded, or ruin my budding relationship.

  Millie

  I knew I shouldn’t be so nervous; she was a nine-year-old girl. I’d once been a nine-year-old girl, so I knew what it felt like. Still, Kayla had made it no secret that she would rather be eating glass than sitting down to a meal with me, and Jackson was trying so hard to pretend that everything was going well, that he was giving my nerves hives.

  “Millie and her sisters started their business all on their own and are now so successful that they’re expanding. Isn’t that great? Just goes to show you, that if you find something that you love, and put your heart into it, you can make your dreams come true.”

  I caught Kayla’s eye roll at Jacksons attempt at a life lesson, but luckily, he hadn’t. I think that would have been the final straw that made him blow a gasket.

  My face was beginning to hurt from holding the smile that I’d had plastered on my face since dinner began, but I powered through and maintained my pleasant expression.

  “Oh, Jackson, I know I mentioned Dru’s Speakeasy birthday party to you, but Dru wanted me to have you invite Rob, Jan, Ty, and Rebecca as well,” I told him when the thought popped in my head.

  “Oh, okay, sure, I’ll pass it along,” he replied, his tone conveying his stress over this not-so-enjoyable dinner. Then he blinked twice and put his taco down. “Wait, if it’s Dru’s birthday, then it’s yours, too. Aren’t you having a party with her?”

  I shook my head and explained, “We’ve always done one together, but I’m more low-key than Dru, and I wanted to give her the chance to go nuts and have the party she’s always wanted. It’ll be weird, but it’s not like we won’t still be together all day, and celebrate together, but I wanted her to have something fun for herself. We will be having a lunch that day to celebrate my birthday, and I’d love it if you could come. Both of you.”

  “This Sunday?” Jackson asked.

  When I nodded, Kayla shoved the rest of her taco in her mouth, then said, “Iawayamd bsjia.”

  “Kayla,” Jackson warned, but she ignored him and started talking with her mouth full again.

  That’s when he snapped.

  Jackson’s cup landed on the table with a clatter and his chair flew back as he stood.

  “Go to your room, now. We’ll discuss your punishment after I calm down.”

  Kayla looked startled, then her eyes filled before she shot a glare at me, rose from the table, and stomped off.

  I held my breath until her door slammed and Jackson sat back down with a sigh, pushing his glasses up his nose as he looked at me apologetically.

  “I’m so sorry,” he began. “She’s a sweet girl, I swear it. I know that’s probably hard for you to believe after the way she just acted. I’m not sure what’s gotten into her, but I’ll talk to her.”

  “It wasn’t so bad,” I lied, hoping to make him feel better.

  “How could it have been worse?” he asked incredulously.

  “She could have stabbed me with her fork,” I joked, and felt some of the tension ease when he grinned.

  “Well, thank God for small favors.”

  “I have to get going soon, but let me help you with this,” I said, standing so I could start clearing the table.

  “Don’t worry about that,” Jackson countered, then snagged my hand and gave it a tug. “Come here.”

  With a quick glance to where Kayla had disappeared, I allowed him to pull me into his lap, putting my arms around his shoulders as I sat.

  “
I missed you,” Jackson admitted sweetly, causing me to smile down at him.

  His glasses were a little askew, so I fixed them, my stomach clenching when his dimples popped out at the gesture.

  “I missed you, too,” I returned softly, watching his eyes as I lowered my face slowly toward him.

  Our lips brushed gently once, then twice, before his hand on my back applied more pressure, urging me closer, and his lips parted beneath mine. The kiss was delicate and full of yearning, and I wished desperately that I didn’t have to leave him and go back to work. It seemed like ages since I’d been in his arms, and I was eager to lose myself in him again.

  As soon as possible.

  “So, Sunday?” I asked when we broke apart. I rested my forehead against his and tried not to count the hours until I’d see him again. Why did Sunday suddenly feel so far away?

  “Yes, for lunch, and the party. I’ll talk to the guys and let you know if they can make it, so you can pass it along to Dru.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  “Text me tonight when you get off work?” Jackson asked, his voice full of the same longing that was in my heart.

  “I will,” I promised.

  Reluctantly I stood and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want help?” Indicating the mess from dinner.

  “I’ve got it.”

  I nodded, and with no other reason to stay, I knew I had to get back in order to not get behind. Once I had my chef coat back on, Jackson walked me to the door and gave me one last kiss.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said, and when he opened his mouth to apologize once more for Kayla, I put a finger against his lips to stop his words.

  “Thanks for inviting me,” I whispered, then tilted my head and added, “Don’t worry, she’ll come around.”

  I was walking back to my car when I felt eyes on me, so I looked over my shoulder to find Kayla watching me from her window. I lifted my hand and waved goodbye, but was disheartened when she quickly closed her pink and purple-striped curtains and disappeared.