I chased after her, her pale blonde mop of hair like a flag beckoning me along. When I got to her, I swore under my breath and tried to remember if I’d put on a bra or deodorant. Not that it mattered, except that Jellybean had led us straight to Alec and Chelsie.
They were standing, sipping coffee next to a little food truck that sold donuts and coffee in the heavy tourist season. Jellybean stood beside them, her eyes glancing back and forth between the donuts and Alec several times.
Finally, the man won out. She stomped over to him, and looked up at him with her hands on her little hips. “You smell like my mommy.”
My face heated to a burning fire, and I knelt beside her, taking her hand in mine. “What have we said about you running off? You know it’s not allowed. Even in Helen’s Corner.”
She looked from me to Alec and grinned. “Can I have a donut if I promise not to?”
I groaned. “Did Uncle Cannon teach you that?”
Amy Lynn, the cart owner, laughed happily and leaned over the cart. “Little Miss Jellybean, you’re in it again, aren’t you? You’re back earlier than I expected. I don’t have any of your favorite today.”
Her face twisted, but then her smile came back. “What about the pink ones?”
She looked amused and laughed again. “I’ll prepare one special just for you.”
Before I could stop her, Amy Lynne got busy. With the promise of a special donut, Jellybean had nothing to focus on but Alec and Chelsie, who were still standing beside us, watching. Chelsie’s face looked like she’d been sucking lemons.
“Why do you smell like my mommy?”
Chelsie frowned. “I haven’t a clue. I highly doubt we use the same perfume.”
Jellybean shook her head. “Not you.”
Chelsie glanced back at Alec and stiffened her shoulders. Her eyes narrowed on me, but she didn’t say anything. It was obvious the woman was fuming mad.
Alec knelt in front of Jellybean, like I’d just done, and held his hand out to her. “Alec Patterson. And you are?”
Smitten already, Jellybean grinned from ear to ear and stuck her sticky little hand in his. “Jillian Marie Ray. I like to be called Jellybean. This is my mommy, Carter Ray. Uncle Cancan told me to tell everyone that she’s single and looking for some fun.”
15
Carter
“Jellybean!” I was going to throttle Cannon. I forced out a fake laugh and tugged her hand. “Don’t repeat things that Uncle Cannon tells you. He’s trying to give Mommy a hard time.”
Alec looked up at me from where he was squatting and a slow smile spread across his handsome face. “She’s adorable.”
“The cutest.” Chelsie did not sound like she meant that. She grabbed Alec and pulled him up. “Time to go. After our couple’s massage, I’ve got a few more lingerie outfits to model for you.”
My stomach flip-flopped and I quickly scooped Jellybean up and held her to my side like a shield against the pain I was battling. I turned slightly so we weren’t facing the couple head on and watched Amy Lynn. Christ, the woman was slow. She had to be almost finished. I needed to get away before my stomach exited my esophagus.
“Alec Patterson, can you come over for dinner? My mommy makes super yummy food. She made me a unicorn cake for my birthday.”
“A unicorn, huh? I bet that was something.” Alec chugged his coffee and tossed the empty cup into the trash. The lines around his eyes seemed tight and he was obviously unhappy. He held out his hand to Jellybean again and chuckled when she fist bumped him instead. “It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you around.”
I pulled her closer and blinked away the sharp stab of pain. Jellybean didn’t need random men hanging around giving her false hope. When Amy Lynn turned towards us with a chocolate donut topped with pink sprinkles, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I swiped the donut and gave Amy Lynn a look that I hoped conveyed how sorry I was for not staying to chat as I usually did, especially after all the work she put into the special doughnut for Jellybean. “Thank you so much, Amy Lynn.”
She waved me off when I tried to pay. “Anything for the munchkin.”
I turned and hurried away, bouncing the protesting Jellybean the whole way. There was a struggle when we got closer to the house because the donut almost slipped and fell since I was practically running.
Even though it hadn’t fallen, Jellybean still let out a piercing cry and shoved her even stickier face and hands into my hair to sob into my ear properly.
Cannon stepped outside onto the porch of the house and shook his head at me. “You broke her.”
I nodded and blew out a rough breath. “Yeah, I did. I don’t know if she’s going to be up for an amusement park today.”
Like magic, her little head flew up, strands of my hair sticking to her, and she blinked away large tears. “I can go, Mommy.”
Even as stressed as I was, I couldn’t help but laugh. “You think you can, huh? Are you sure? Because you were just crying a few seconds ago about almost dropping your doughnut.”
Her little mouth turned down in a pout, her face still dampened by tears, and she shook her head. “I wasn’t crying about that. You didn’t let me say goodbye to Alec.”
My already churning stomach threatened to vacate my body. Running into them together had been a worst-case scenario for me. I was so ready for them to be gone so I could go back to enjoying my town.
“Who’s Alec?”
“He’s Mommy’s friend. He smells like her.”
Cannon’s eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. “Oh, he does, does he?”
I pushed him aside and entered the house, determined not to discuss it. “I’m going to get us cleaned up. She’ll be ready to head out in just a little bit.”
I avoided talking to Cannon about it like my life depended on it. I knew he’d know why Alec smelled like me and I wasn’t ready to start the discussion it would take to explain. After cleaning Jellybean’s face and hands, I sent her out to Cannon and then I showered. I took my time and only came out when I heard Matt telling Cannon it was time for them to leave.
Cannon narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head. “Coward.”
Matt slapped his arm. “Play nice, boys and girls.”
Jellybean tumbled out of her room with her tiny backpack stuffed full of toys. “Ready!”
“I don’t think you’ll need all these toys, baby.” I pulled a handful of stuffed animals out and grinned at her. “You’ll have all sorts of stuff to play with there.”
She shrugged and held her arms in the air for Matt to pick her up. “I’m ready! Uncle Cancan, told me all about the rides. I want to go on the teacups, Uncle Matt!”
I said my goodbyes to her and grinned while I watched Matt scoop her into his arms and toss her over his shoulder. She squealed and laughed, already having the time of her life.
Cannon and I watched as he carried her out to the car.
“It’s good to see things worked out for you and Matt. You two had a rough start.”
“That was partly my fault. I assumed it would be easy. You find your mate, run into each other’s arms and live happily ever after, or so I thought. Turns out that was a delusion. Life is not that simple.”
“You stuck with him. I mean, all the difficulties weren’t easy on you, but you never gave up.”
“Hell, yes. We may have had a rocky start, but I can assure you, it was worth every painful second. Is there a reason you brought that up?” He eyed me suspiciously.
I wasn’t even sure how I would start the conversation or what I would say. The entire situation made me feel like a damned fool.
“Just seeing you two together now. It’s like you were made for each other.”
“He’s my mate. We were made for each other. Sometimes love is messy.”
I half smiled through a sigh. I was afraid to meet his eyes. Afraid he might see something and guess my secrets.
Cannon wrapped me in a hug and sighed into my hair. “Little sister, you
’re hiding shit from me.”
I buried my face in his chest and enjoyed the moment of comfort. He was my rock and I missed having him closer. I wished I could talk to him about Alec, but I just wasn’t ready.
“I love you, Carter. You’ll tell me if I needed to kill anyone, right?”
Even said light-heartedly, it made me flinch. I swallowed and pushed away from him, the comfort gone. Cannon had killed for me before. And almost been killed himself. My choice in men had proven to be off the charts horrid.
“Carter, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine. Honestly.” I forced a smile. “Go, have fun.”
He sighed. “You sure you don’t want to come?”
“Yeah. I’m going to meet up with Muddy and everyone later.” I pushed him away and waved at Jellybean and Matt. “Don’t stress about me, Cannon. You know I’d tell you if something was wrong.”
“We’ll bring you back something fun.”
I thought of the blown glass “art” he’d brought me home from a carnival in Nashville once. I never knew something shaped almost identical to a pair of balls could be considered art, but I didn’t trust his gift buying expertise after that.
“No, thanks.”
“Come on, Carter. They weren’t testicles. It was a blown glass set of planets.”
I rolled my eyes. “Get out of here.”
I stood on the porch leaning against the railing and watched them drive away, Jellybean waving ‘till they were out of sight. Instantly, I felt sadness creep over me like an afternoon shadow. It seemed that I could distract myself from the pain of being rejected by my mate, but I couldn’t move past it.
I couldn’t keep my mind from straying to thoughts of Alec and his fiancée, or my brother’s words, “Sometimes love is messy.”
16
Alec
She had a daughter. An adorable little girl whose smile could almost outshine the morning sun. Jellybean. What a sweet nickname. The child looked just like a mini version of her mom, without the weary edge. Pale blonde hair, painfully bright blue eyes, the poutiest little pout ever. When she’d held my hand, I’d felt my world shift.
It had gone off its axis when I saw Carter, but seeing her little girl and envisioning the three of us as a family caused my heart to ache longingly in my chest.
Carter had looked stunning in a T-shirt with no bra, stains and all. Her hair had been a nest around her head, curling and sticking out in all directions, but she hadn’t seemed to care. I’d seen her before she saw me. She’d been smiling down at her daughter, looking more carefree than I’d ever seen her. It was pure heaven to my soul. I longed for her to look at me lovingly like that.
I knew then and there that I was done trying to finagle an easy way around this situation. Done. Maybe I could successfully end the engagement with Chelsie and somehow still manage to save the business merger, but I was gambling with something too precious to gamble with. It wasn’t worth it.
Fuck the merger. All I could do was tell Chelsie the truth. Her reaction was on her.
Which was why I was sitting in the chair across from Chelsie, trying to end things with as gentle a touch as possible. I didn’t want to hurt her and, except for a few blows to her pride, I strongly suspected that she would feel any distress. She didn’t care enough about me to be hurt by losing me.
“I can’t believe you. I saw you check out that woman’s fat ass. Don’t even try to deny it. You looked at her like you were starving and she was a steak dinner. Don’t even try to say that you didn’t. I know you did!” She’d been ranting since we got back. She was riled up and she had every right to be.
“I did.”
The simple words just burned her up even more. She got scary quiet and narrowed her eyes. “Daddy isn’t going to like this.”
I sighed and leaned back into the chair. I yanked loose the tie I’d put on for Chelsie’s next planned social media photo session. My wolf rumbled in appreciation. “Daddy can react any way Daddy wants.”
She stuttered, not at all used to anyone saying they didn’t care about what her father thought. “W—what?”
“I’m sorry, Chelsie. I didn’t plan any of this, but it’s clear that this isn’t right for either of us. I’m calling off the engagement.”
She stopped pacing and her eyes slowly narrowed into dangerous slits. “Excuse me? Alec, you proposed to me!”
“Technically, you asked me to marry you. Then, after you picked out a ring, you told me how and where you wanted me to “propose.” And, exactly what I was to say. All so you could post it on Facebook Live. I just went along with it.”
“I can’t believe you’re bringing that up! We agreed not to mention that.”
“There’s no one here, Chels. It’s just us.” I ran my hands down my pants and thought of what a refreshing change it would be to not have to wear suits all the time. “Neither of us love each other. You’re beautiful, Chelsie. You’ll make some man very happy someday. It’s just not me.”
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“It’s that little slut, isn’t it?”
My wolf bristled and I sat up straighter, anger coursing through me. “Don’t. She isn’t the reason.”
“But she’s a reason, right?” Chelsie laughed bitterly and started moving again. She started dragging her clothes out and tossing them onto the bed. “Just like a man. What? Does she suck your dick better? I know she’s not prettier than me, so what is it?”
I stood up and moved towards the door, my blood boiling. “I’m not doing this. I’m sorry it’s ending this way, but I’m sure we’ll both be happier.”
“You won’t be happier, Alec. I’ll make sure of that. You’ll realize soon enough the mistake you made. It’ll be too late, though. I’m going to make sure you’re ruined. Daddy will destroy you.”
I barely resisted the urge to fake a shudder. “I think I’ll be fine. Goodbye, Chelsie. I’ll come back later and clean my stuff out of the room.”
I closed the door behind me just as a loud thump sounded, followed quickly by a muffled scream of frustration.
I felt bad for upsetting her, but not bad enough to go back in and try to comfort her. Free of Chelsie, a load had been lifted off my shoulders. I wanted to run to Carter and tell her, but I had to get some plans in motion first. I had an entire blueprint for a new life and I couldn’t wait to get started.
I made my way to a picnic table at the back of the property and dialed my dad.
He answered on the first ring, laughing. “Hello?”
I smiled at how happy he sounded. I didn’t think it’d be possible after Mom died when I was younger. He was a fighter, though. “Hey.”
“Twice in one week. Something big must be brewing.”
More of that same guilt nagged me. “I think it is. I broke off the engagement with Chelsie today. That undoubtedly means the business deal with Dames is dead, too.”
There was silence for a few moments and then my dad cleared his throat. “Is that what you want?”
“Yeah, Dad, it honestly is.” I looked around at all the nature around me and smiled. “I’m actually thinking of taking Patterson Furniture in a different direction. Maybe scaling down, becoming more customized. Some things I’d like to discuss with you. Oh, I’m planning to relocate, too.”
“Uh huh. This wouldn’t have anything to do with another woman, would it?”
I laughed. “I found my mate, Dad.”
The cheer from his end of the line was ridiculous. I felt his joy projected straight through the cell towers. “It’s about time! I’m so happy for you, son.”
“I kind of fucked things up. I plan on fixing them, though. I’m in a little town in New Mexico, near the Texas border. A place called Helen’s Corner. Why don’t you come down? There’s some things I want you to see here. I’ve got a host of ideas that I’m hoping you’ll be on board with.”
“New Mexico, huh, The Land of Enchantment? I’d be more than happy t
o. Do I get to meet this lovely lady that smacked some sense into you or did you screw things up that badly?”
I thought of Carter and Jellybean. “That remains to be seen. I’m going to be here, trying no matter what, though.”
“Smart man.” Dad laughed and I could hear him smack his knee. “Okay. Alright. I have a few arrangements to make, but I should make it out in a few days or so. And son, you did the right thing. I’m proud of you.”
I would have thought I was too old and too accomplished for those simple words to get to me, but they did. Embarrassingly, I choked up a little and had to clear my throat. “Thanks, Dad. See you soon.”
17
Carter
I’d told Cannon a small fib. I wasn’t meeting with anyone. I had the day off and I planned to spend it trying to get my baking back in order. I needed to sort out my issues, as much as I could, and try to make something that didn’t suck. I also couldn’t get Cannon’s words out of my head. The thing about love being messy.
Unfortunately, I’d been at it all morning, and had gone through all my milk and eggs with no positive results. I’d become a baking failure. I either burned everything or got the flavors so wrong that I wished I burned it. I didn’t know what to do but keep trying.
I piled my hair up on top of my head, wiped off as much flour as I could with the kitchen towel, and ran out to Karmov’s Market on Main.
I picked up the few items I needed and headed to the checkout.
“Hey Carter, where’s the little one?” Joe Karmov, the teenage son of the owner, Karen Karmov, was working the register.
“Hiya, Joe. She’s in Burden, Texas, visiting her Uncles for a few weeks.” Joe was a nice kid, going through his awkward stage. I suspected that someday, though, his acne-riddled complexion and greasy hair would be replaced by smooth skin and thick, sandy blonde hair. If so, Joe was going to be a very handsome young man.
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