Colton Farms

by M. E. Parker

  Owen laughed, “Yeah.”

  Claire giggled, “Tell Daddy we plant seeds in the spring. It’s winter.”

  Owen squealed, “It’s winter Daddy.”

  I rustled Owen’s hair and looked at Claire, “We were just practicing for spring Mama. If Owen wants to plant seeds, we’re going to plant seeds, right buddy?”

  Owen giggled. “Yeah!”

  I eyed Claire, “Besides, your dad’s already grooming him to be the next CEO of Hawkins’ Industries, I have to show him the joys of farming.”

  Claire rolled her eyes, “Jack, we’ve talked about this. Our kids get to decide what they want to be when they grow up, not you or my father.”

  I grinned at her, “Did you just say kids?”

  “You know what I mean. Owen gets to decide. No pressure. And you guys need to clean up. We have company coming!”

  I couldn’t help but kiss her again before I scooped up Owen and threw him over my shoulder. “Bath time buddy!” As I ran up the steps, just to tease Claire, I joked with Owen, “What are you gonna be when you grow up Owen? A farmer like Daddy?”

  “Jack!” Claire scolded me from downstairs.

  Owen didn’t help me out when he exclaimed, “A superhero!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well Peanut, your Mama and I are going to send you to the best superhero college money can buy!”

  I heard Claire giggle as I hit the landing upstairs, “That’s better.”

  After I finished giving Owen his bath, I tucked him into his new ‘big boy’ bed for his nap, and I stood in the doorway to watch him sleep. I felt Claire’s hand on my back and I turned around to kiss her on the cheek. I smiled at her, “He’s perfect, isn’t he?”

  She grinned. “He is.”

  I wrapped my arms around her waist. “I think he needs a little sister or brother.” I didn’t want him to be an only child. It was so hard for me being alone when I lost my parents, I didn’t ever want him to go through that by himself. I knew Claire felt the same way, but I just didn’t know if she was ready yet.

  I was completely surprised when she smiled at me and said, “Well he’s gonna have one in about seven months.” I grabbed her hand and drug her down the hall to our bedroom. I couldn’t contain my excitement and I didn’t want to wake Owen. I pulled her inside the door and closed it. Gently, I moved her back up against the door, trapping her between my arms.

  She looked up at me grinning. “What ya doin’ Jack?”

  I smiled down at her, “Is this for real? I didn’t even know we were trying. You know how hot it makes me when you’re pregnant? How long have you known?”

  I watched her roll her eyes, “Well somebody kept hiding my birth control pills, so I finally just gave up.” Then she grinned, “I’ve known for a few weeks.”

  I leaned down and kissed her neck. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She stood on her toes and kissed me softly on the lips. “I didn’t know what to get you for Christmas.”

  I watched her smiling up at me. My heart felt like it was bursting, and I was rock hard. I don’t know why it turned me on so much knowing she was pregnant, but it did. I kissed her again. “Best Christmas present ever.” I moved my hand down to her breast.

  She giggled, “What’re you doing Jack?”

  “I’m finishing what I started early this morning before we were interrupted by someone demanding breakfast.”

  Claire laughed, “What do expect Jack? He’s two.”

  I chuckled, “He’s still a little cock-blocker.”

  She held back a smile and hit me on the arm, “I told you to quit calling him that, he’ll hear you say it one day.”

  I ignored her and kissed my way down her body as I knelt in front of her. I lifted the little red t-shirt dress she was wearing, to find a sexy red thong. “Where did these come from?” I asked as I looked up at her grinning.

  Her lips curled upwards, “They’re the other part of your Christmas present.”

  I grinned at her and lifted her dress up further and kissed her belly, “Your lucky Peanut number two, you have the best mama in the whole world.”

  She giggled as I ran my finger along the waistband of her sexy red panties. “I’m pretty sure it’s a girl this time,” I told her.

  She ran her fingers through my hair, “I love you, Jack Colton.”

  I looked up at her, “I love you Claire Colton, more than you’ll ever know.”

  Second Epilogue—Claire

  Twenty years later…

  Jack was wrong again, it wasn’t a girl. Jackson came next. Then Noah and then Liam and Mason, and finally, almost six years later, Maggie was born.

  I stood in the kitchen looking out the window. I had just put the turkey in the oven. It was a rare occasion. The house was quiet. I knew it wouldn’t last long though. Soon the house would be full of family and laughter, just the way I loved it. But I decided to pour myself a glass of wine and enjoy my solitude for a moment. I sat down at the kitchen island and thought about how quickly the years had passed.

  Jack had gone to the airport to pick up Owen. He was finishing his MBA at Harvard this spring. He graduated from high school almost two years early. It turns out that Jack was right, the kid was pretty much a genius. He was barely seventeen when he left for college. It was as if he couldn’t get away from the farm fast enough. Luckily, he chose a school in Boston, where my father could look after him.

  His brother Jackson, who just turned twenty, was the complete opposite. He was a farm-boy through and through, we had to practically drag him off to college. He was finishing his third year at the University of Tennessee just like his dad. He had come home every chance he could.

  Noah, who was nineteen, was finishing his first year at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He was the most creative of all our children and was studying photography.

  Mason and Liam, our twins, were seventeen and had another year of high school left. We hoped that they would just stay out of jail and not get kicked out of school until we could get them off to college. They were a whole lot of fun and a whole lot of trouble

  Maggie, who we named after my mother, just turned fifteen, was spoiled rotten. Of course, I could blame most of it on Jack, but her brothers weren’t much better than him. They all worshiped the ground she walked on.

  If anyone had ever told me before I met Jack, that I would have six children someday, I would have laughed at them. But the truth was, I loved being a mother and Jack was a great father. We were a team. It wasn’t easy when they were all young, but somehow, we managed the farm and the children.

  We couldn’t have done it without Ted and Sarah. Owen named them Na-Na and Teddy and that’s what all the kids called them. I wasn’t even sure if they knew that they weren’t related to us, they had become instant grandparents as soon as Owen was born, and Sarah was there every day to help while Jack and I worked. They were both near eighty and retired. But that hadn’t stopped Sarah from showing up every morning to help with breakfast and getting the kids off to school. And even though Ted retired almost ten years ago, he still drove his old pick up around the farm, telling the guys what to do.

  My father finally admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with his assistant Marie and they married when Owen was about ten. So, my children had four grandparents who loved them, and we had a full house for the holidays. When I made Jack drag that great big table up from the barn that day, I never imagined that one day our family will fill it up.

  I took a sip of my wine and felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped down from my chair. I hadn’t heard the door open. I squealed when I realized it was Owen. I looked up at him grinning down at me. He was the spitting image of Jack, with his sparkling green eyes and he had the same adorable dimples. His hair was lighter, but other than that, he looked just like him. I wrapped my arms around him and laughed when I looked up to see him holding a sprig of mistletoe over my head. “I made Dad stop.” He chuckled, bending down to give me a kiss on the cheek.

 
“I’m so glad you’re home Owen! I wish your granddad didn’t have you working all of Christmas break.”

  He laughed at me. “He didn’t make me Mama, I wanted to be there, but I’ll be home for a whole week. So, you have plenty of time to fuss at me.” There was no doubt in my mind that he would be the next CEO of Hawkins’ Industries. I knew my father was holding off on retirement until Owen was ready.

  I watched as Jackson ran down the stairs to greet Owen with a big bear hug. As different as they were, they were super close to each other. Jackson grabbed Owen’s suitcase and the two of them took off upstairs. Then I looked over at Jack who was still standing in the doorway, taking it all in. He was still the hottest guy I’d ever seen. He hardly looked any different from the day I met him. He had a few gray hairs and maybe a few lines around his eyes, but in my book, those things just made him sexier.

  He walked over and put his arms around me and kissed me, “I missed you Claire Colton.” He whispered against my lips.

  I flirted with him, “Oh yeah? How much?” He covered my mouth with his and my lips parted instinctively. Our tongues danced together in perfect harmony. I knew the first time we kissed that I would never get tired of kissing him and I never had. He pulled me closer and whispered, “Do we have time to go down to the cabin?” We privately and jokingly renamed the fishing cabin the ‘sex shack.’ But thank god, we had it. It was hard to find alone time with six children in the house and that place had become our private hideaway. I was getting ready to tell him there was no way, we only had a couple of hours until dinner, but he just kept kissing me and I started to think about where we could go for a quickie when I heard Owen and Jackson coming back down the stairs.

  Jackson was laughing, “Oh my god Owen, they’re making out again.”

  Owen yelled, “Get a room!”

  Jack grumbled, “I have a room. About thirteen of them, as a matter of fact, but they always seem to have children in them.” Owen and Jackson laughed, and Jack leaned down in my ear and whispered, “The kid’s twenty-two and he’s still a little cock-blocker.” I couldn’t help but laugh and elbow him in the ribs.

  Noah came down the stairs a few seconds behind Jackson and Owen wondering what was going on. It wasn’t long after that Mason and Liam came flying through the door with Maggie. Following them were, Sarah, Ted, my father and Marie. So, much for a quickie, I thought.

  It wasn’t long before it was time to get dinner on the table, so I started barking orders. What’s the use in doing all the work yourself when you have six kids? Maggie was setting the table while the boys and Jack were helping with food when Jack noticed Maggie. She got her braces off today and I noticed that she was wearing a little mascara and lip gloss. She usually wore her hair in braids, but it was down and falling over her shoulder. She looked beautiful, but she was my baby and I hated to see her growing up. Jack hadn’t seen her transformation yet.

  Jack grimaced, “Maggie come here. What happened to you?”

  Her cheeks turned pink, “What Daddy?”

  He turned to me and whispered, “What the hell happened? She didn’t look that way yesterday.”

  I laughed, “She’s growing up Jack.”

  He frowned. “Well, I don’t like it.”

  I watched her walk over to Jack. He pulled a brand new white iPhone out of his pocket and handed it to her. She let out a squeal and began jumping up and down. “Oh my gosh Daddy, thank you!”

  I looked over at Jack and rolled my eyes and he just grinned at me and shrugged. Mason was the first to notice. “What? Dad, you just give her a phone?”

  Liam piped up. “What happened to the rule that ‘Colton children don’t get a phone until they turn sixteen?’”

  Jack cleared his throat, “Well, Maggie’s a girl, it’s a safety issue.”

  Mason chuckled, “I’m pretty sure that’s gender discrimination, Dad.”

  Jack looked at me for help. “Don’t look at me. I’m pretty sure Mason has a good point.”

  Noah laughed. “I seem to remember having to muck out stalls the whole summer before I got a phone.”

  Maggie’s little cheeks were pink. “I mucked out stalls last Saturday.”

  Liam smirked, “More like you ogled Rake Johnson’s butt while he mucked the stalls.”

  “I did not!” Maggie insisted.

  I looked at Jack and now his face was red, and his jaw was clenched. Jack growled, “Who the hell’s Rake Johnson?”

  “I hired him last summer, you gave me the okay, remember?” Jackson looked at Jack.

  I smiled, “Is he Luke Johnson’s kid? Because if he is, I’m guessing I might be ogling him too.”

  Maggie frowned. “Eww Mom. Just eww.”

  Jack scrunched his eyebrows up at me, “You’re really not helping things here.”

  I laughed. “You started all this.”

  Owen interjected, “What kind of name is Rake, anyway? And how old is this guy?” His face looked a lot like Jack’s.

  Liam smirked, “He’s in our grade, he’s seventeen.”

  Owen looked at Maggie, “He’s too old for you.” Maggie rolled her eyes.

  Jack looked at Maggie. “Owen’s right.”

  Noah laughed, “Aren’t you like five years older than Mom?”

  Jack glared at Noah, “Well your mother was twenty-five when we met, not fifteen.”

  My father decided to join the conversation at that point. “You were still too old for her.” He smirked at Jack, clearly enjoying his predicament.

  Jack turned his glare to my father, “Thanks for the input, Rich.” He shifted his eyes to Maggie, “Mags. It doesn’t matter. Just from now on, take one of your brothers with you when you go down to the stable.”

  She crossed her arms and huffed. “Now that’s gender discrimination.”

  Jack grinned and shrugged. “Maybe so. It turns out I’m not as progressive as I thought.”

  I rolled my eyes and put my arm around Maggie, “God help any poor boy that wants to date you, little bug.”

  Owen laughed, “Show of hands, who thinks Mags shouldn’t be allowed to date until she’s thirty?”

  Everyone raised their hand but me, and Maggie stomped out of the kitchen with her arms crossed. We all laughed as we sat down at the table.

  Jack raised his glass, “To having everyone I love home for Christmas.”

  I looked at Owen and I could see his eyes watering as he raised his glass higher. “To Mama and Daddy.”

  All the children toasted. “To Mama and Daddy.”

  I felt my own eyes watering when I looked at Jack and raised my glass higher, “To Jonathan What’s-his-name.”

  A wide understanding grin spread across Jack’s face. “To Johnathan What’s-his-name.”

  All I could think about was how lucky I was to have stopped at the diner that night.

  Would you like read more about the Colton family? Be on the lookout for a Colton Family Farms Series. Up next…Jackson’s Story. Email the author to be notified of new Colton Farms releases or for a spot on the ARC team. maryestherparker@gmail.com

  A Note from the Author

  Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, or even if you didn’t, I would love to hear from you. Feedback is important for new authors and is always appreciated, even if it is just a few words. Please leave a review on Amazon or send me an email. maryestherparker@gmail.commailto:maryestherparker@gmail.com

  —M.E.

  ALSO, BY M.E. PARKER

  M/M/F

  Roommates

  One failed blow job…

  One steamy encounter between a professor and student…

  One bad break up....

  Two seriously hot, womanizing rugby players…

  More than a few shots of whiskey…

  One dirty game of truth or dare…

  Put them all together and you a get a recipe for a night that will change everything for Janie and her college roommates, Jake and Ethan.

  Truth? The truth is, it gets hot. Very
hot. Very fast.

  Dare? I dare you to keep reading to find out just how hot.

  WARNING: This book is for readers over the age of eighteen. It depicts m/m, m/f, and m/m/f sexual situations and contains graphic language.

  Roommates is an erotic m/m/f contemporary romance that follows three college roommates—Ethan, Janie, and Jake—on their journey from friendship to love. This unconventional love story between the three graduate students, deals with the struggles they will have to face living in a small southern college town as they try to figure out how to overcome all the barriers to their relationship.

  Would you like to be notified of new releases? Are you interested in receiving a free Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC)? If so, email maryestherparker@gmail.com for details.

  M/M

  JUST BE YOU—Coming Soon!

  When Scott Cohen got word that he’d been nominated for a Grammy, one question spun over and over and over in his mind. Wasn’t it ironic?

  After devoting years to his music, he had finally gotten the recognition he had worked so hard for. One song had launched him into the spotlight practically overnight. It was the one song he’d always thought he’d keep to himself, a song he’d written as a teenager.

  It was a song that meant more to him than any other he had written, a song inspired by Marshall Donavan.

  Marshall had been so many things to Scott. He was his muse. He was his hero and protector. He was his big brother Abe’s best friend. He was his first crush. Marshall was Scott’s unhealthy obsession. He was the standard Scott used to measure every other man in his life against—none of whom ever seemed to measure up.

  Even in high school, Scott knew that he didn’t have a chance with Marshall. Marshall was a popular senior. Scott was a nerdy freshman. Marshall was into sports. Scott was into music. Marshall was beautiful. Scott was not. Marshall was straight. Scott was gay.

  Over ten years had passed since he’d written that song and even more since Scott had become obsessed with Marshall Donavan. So, when Scott got a call from his manager asking him to submit a song for a movie and a call from his brother Abe informing him of Marshall’s engagement to Julia Sterling on the same day, Scott took it as a sign. It was time to say goodbye and forget Marshall Donavan forever. Submitting ‘Just Be You’ to the movie executives was supposed to be Scott’s way of letting go—of forgetting, of saying goodbye.