Sugar Pie (Sweet Beginnings Book 2)

by Loni Ree

  Time to accelerate my plans.

  Chapter Nine

  Tricia

  I’m barely keeping my stomach contents from erupting. The next seven to eight months stretch out in front of me, and I groan. Of course, I think about the next couple of weeks and how I’m going to get up the nerve to tell Hoover he left me with more than hickeys during our little tryst. Breaking things off with him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I know long-distance relationships don’t work.

  Sending an “I think we need to just be friends” text was cowardly, but I couldn’t handle hearing the disappointment in his deep, masculine voice as I ended our short relationship. I promised Megan I would stay in Naverton to run Sweet Treats, and I can’t break my promise now, even though keeping it means breaking my heart in two.

  Constantly throwing up twenty-four hours a day has taken my mind off of my relationship problems, at least temporarily. I need to get the urge to puke every ten minutes under control, then I’ll worry about fixing the mess I’ve made of my life. The bell over the front door rings as Sue is helping me restock the cookie cases. Sue looks over my shoulder, and her eyes widen. “Hi. How can we help you?”

  I ignore the heavy footsteps moving toward the counter and continue lining the little cookies perfectly side by side. Sue offered to wait on customers for the near future since I’m a little green looking. Hopefully, Little Hoover will begin to have mercy on his mom soon.

  “I’d like a few minutes alone with Tricia.” Holy shit. My next problem just walked through the door. On a day when I look my absolute worse, no doubt.

  After placing the tray on the light pink counter, I untie my apron and slowly hang it on the hook near the kitchen door. I’m trying to find the little speech I’ve been preparing for days, but it’s stuck somewhere in the back of my memory bank, which is completely clogged with pregnancy hormones. It looks like I’ll be pulling this life-changing talk out of my ass.

  I’ve wasted all the time I can and walk around the counter. Hoover blinks a few times as he looks at me from head to toe. “What the fuck? Have you been sick?”

  He automatically pulls out a chair for me to sit in, but I shake my head. “Let’s go to my apartment. It’s just upstairs.”

  As I slowly lead him up the stairs, the words run through my mind, and I try to calm my racing heart and churning stomach. I’d kill to have Megan here to hold my hand, but it’s time to pull up my big girl panties and face the consequences for my actions head-on.

  I lean over to unlock the door, and his warm breath brushes the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine. Memories from our week together flash through my mind and chase away the speech I’d managed to put together. Deciding I’ll have to wing it, I turn to him after the door closes behind us and blurt out, “You have some powerful swimmers.” Jesus. Is that the best my freaking befuddled mind could do?

  Hoover blinks several times before backing slowly over to my well-worn floral sofa. His eyes never leave my stomach as he drops onto a cushion while rubbing the back of his neck. “When did you plan on telling me? Did you plan on telling me?”

  “No, asshole. I was just going to…” I stop and take a deep breath. This isn’t how I want our talk to go. Before I lose my temper any worse, I walk into my tiny kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator. I’m hoping it will cool me off so I don’t blast the father of my child.

  I sip the water slowly, hoping my stomach doesn’t return it instantly, then sit next to Devin. Hormones and nerves mix together, and all reasonable thoughts flee my mind, taking my practiced speech with them. “I just found out a few days ago. I didn’t want to tell you by phone, and I couldn’t just come right back to Sweetbriar to announce, ‘Hey, I’m knocked up,’ but I was going to tell you soon. Plus, I had to figure out how the hell to make this crazy situation work. You live in Sweetbriar, and I live here. I just needed time.” He’s blinking rapidly and rubbing his bottom lip by the time I finish.

  Devin looks up at the ceiling for a second before standing and pacing the room. “How long have you known?”

  I’m not sure it matters, but I shrug and answer him. “I suspected a couple of weeks ago, a couple of days after I texted you. I waited until I started losing my breakfast every morning to take a test. My first appointment with the doctor is next week, so I was going to come to Sweetbriar after the appointment.”

  Devin stops and leans against the breakfast bar, facing me. He stares at me silently for a few moments before asking, “When is your appointment?”

  I’m waiting for him to ask more, but he stares at me, waiting for my answer. “Friday morning.”

  As I wait for Devin to reply, I watch his reaction to my answer. He runs his fingers through his hair several times before rubbing the back of his neck. After a few minutes, he looks up at me and sighs. “I need some time for this to sink in. You’ve had a few more days than me.” I’m not surprised he’s going to cut out on me. My luck in men totally sucks. Devin walks over and kneels in front of me. “It’s a good thing I’d already given my notice at the Sheriff’s office.”

  His words bounce around my mind for several moments, not making any sense to me. Before I get my hopes up, I look into his eyes and question, “Why would you quit your job?”

  Devin sits back on his heels and runs his fingers over his lips for a second before standing and pacing the room again. He looks over at me as he walks by and admits, “I was already trying to work things out when you sent that fucking text. I sent my text, hoping to get a little bit of encouragement from you, and instead, you shut me the fuck down, sending me into a fucking tailspin.” He suddenly stops and drops down onto the sofa next to me. He picks up my hand and grasps it tightly between his two palms. “The next day, Harden and Mitchell picked my drunk ass up off the floor and told me to get my head out of my ass and go get my girl.”

  Why the hell did he wait so long? He looks over and smiles. “I knew there were a lot of changes I needed to make if I wanted to convince you to give me a chance. The first one, I needed a job in Naverton because I can’t expect you to leave Sweet Treats. Then I had to resign from the job I had in Sweetbriar.” As he’s explaining, it hits me; he’s planning to move to Naverton for me.

  “You gave up your job for me?” I interrupt, and he leans over and kisses my nose.

  “I’m starting a new job for all of us, Sugar Pie,” he corrects and gently rubs my stomach, “This little Cream Puff, too.”

  I look at his handsome face, and I’m afraid to believe this is happening. There are so many questions running through my mind, but I try to fight my pregnancy fog. “How did you get a job at the Sheriff’s office so quickly?”

  Devin shrugs before smiling. “There are a few things I need to explain.” He tells me law enforcement wasn’t his first career choice. He’d actually always dreamed of becoming a football coach and has degrees in Science and Education.

  “Why did you become Sheriff?” I’m curious. None of this makes sense to me.

  “After I graduated college, there were no teaching jobs in Sweetbriar, so I worked on the ranch for a year, hoping something would come up. I was starting to look out of town and heard about a Deputy Sheriff position.” He shrugs and stares down at the floor while explaining. “I got the job, planning to work at the Sheriff’s office until a position became available at the high school. The job was easy, and I liked the people and quickly became Sheriff. It may not have been my original plan, but once I got used to it, I gave up my dream of coaching. Plus, by then, Sebastian was the principal of Sweetbriar High, and I had a hard time picturing my little brother as my boss. Life moved along without much excitement until the day my brother asked me to do him a favor, and a beautiful pink-haired, blue-eyed spitfire walked into my life.”

  When Devin lifts his eyes, the emotion shining from his bright blue eyes warms me. My breath catches in my throat as he walks over and sits next to me on the old floral sofa again. My heart rate increases as he runs a
finger over the back of my hand. “You’re looking at the new football coach and tenth grade Science teacher for Naverton High School.”

  My mouth drops open, and I rub my ear, sure I heard him wrong. “You already got a job in Naverton?”

  Devin lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it. All my thoughts scatter, and I realize I’ve missed part of what he’s saying. “…fucking insane. Hayden and Mitchell told me to sober my dumb ass up and either go get you or get the fuck over you. By that time, I already knew there was no way I’d ever get over you. You were too far in my heart, so I listened to the two assholes and sobered up and started making plans. I knew you wouldn’t take me seriously until I proved myself. I fell in love with you the day you stole my truck. My mind fought for six fucking months what my heart already knew. It took me all that time to admit the tight feeling in my chest every time I thought about you wasn’t heartburn.” His uncertain smile warms my heart. The big jerk is in love with me.

  Oh my God. He’s willing to give up his family and move across the country for me. As happiness flows through me, tears run down my face, and I throw my arms around his neck. “I missed you so much. I just didn’t know how to make a relationship work across the country, and I thought a clean break was best. It killed me to walk away. I knew I was in love with you the night before the wedding. It terrified me and caused me to act like a fool.” Burying my face in his neck, I let his familiar masculine scent fill me and soothe away the rest of my pain. “I was scared to death when I found out about the baby. Of course, I was also happy to have a little part of you,” I admit.

  Chapter Ten

  Devin

  I want to beat my chest. Knowing she’s carrying my child has turned me into a caveman. “I already made an appointment for us to meet with a realtor next week, and we need to get our wedding planned soon.” Her expressive blue eyes look up, and I see all the questions swirling in their depths. I’m not going to let the mother of my child walk around without my ring on her finger. My mind is racing. There’s so much to do.

  Harden and Mitchell kick in and arrange to get my stuff moved to Naverton. Since I have a few months before I start the new school year, I’m going to spend my time getting everything ready for when our new baby arrives. We’re lying in bed with Tricia’s head on my shoulder when she looks up at me and smiles. “I’ve been thinking. I already had one big wedding, and look how things turned out after. Unless you’re dying for one, I’d prefer if we go down to the courthouse with Harden and Megan and get it done. I can’t wait to be your wife.” The reminder of her first marriage sends jealousy streaking through me. That other asshole was a fool to let this gem go. I know I’ll never make the same mistake.

  “As long as I get to call you my wife, I don’t care where we get married. My only requirement is that it happens soon. Like maybe tomorrow.”

  There are tears in her eyes when she leans up to kiss my lips, then she smiles. “Tomorrow sounds great to me.”

  Watching Tricia struggle with morning sickness—or, in her case, all-day sickness—kills me. It takes a few days to get our marriage license and everything in order, but I make Tricia my wife, and my heart finally resumes its normal rhythm. This girl is mine forever.

  Megan’s sister, Sophie, is married to a well-known lawyer here in Naverton. Jason was able to arrange for a friend, Judge Donovan, to marry us in his chambers. The intimate ceremony was the best way for my poor, sick girl.

  We’re lying in bed when Tricia suddenly races for the bathroom. Although I’m so excited for our little one, watching her suffer is killing me. I follow behind Tricia and rub her heaving back. After she’s done, I help her get cleaned up then carry her back to bed. “Your kid is a little shit,” she groans as we lie quietly in the dark. Tomorrow, we’ll start moving into our new home, and I can’t wait for all the new experiences coming our way. Tricia is able to take it easy and relax more since Megan helped me hire more employees to work at the café. I refuse to let my pregnant wife work herself sick.

  As I watch her eyes fill with tears, the band around my chest tightens. I know she’s going to miss Megan, but I vow to keep her so busy she doesn’t have time to worry about it. “I’m going to miss you,” Tricia cries while she’s hugging Megan. Harden looks over at me and rolls his eyes. He’s an old pro at dealing with this situation since he’s gone through the two women’s goodbyes several times now.

  “We will come visit, and they’ll come see us in Sweetbriar,” Harden assures his wife as she wails her way out to the truck. Poor bastard, I’m happy it isn’t me who’s dealing with an upset wife and a long car ride home. “You little bastard. You owe me big fucking time,” he growls when he hugs me goodbye. Mitchell was the smart one. Mitchell somehow convinced Harden and Megan to drive here in their brand new truck to bring the rest of my things while Mitchell and Libby flew both ways.

  Later that night, we’re sitting on our new sofa when Tricia looks up at me. “I love you so much. Thank you for giving up Sweetbriar to come here for us, Hoover.”

  I lean my forehead against hers. “I love you, too, Sugar Pie. You and the baby give my life purpose. I didn’t give anything up. I gained everything.”

  Epilogue

  Tricia-Three Years Later

  I’m standing behind the counter of Sweet Beginnings, trying to decide what cake we’ll use for our new “Cake of the week” promotion. Since I only work a couple of days a week with Megan and me alternating days, I try to get all our promotions arranged on the days I work. Megan runs the cooking side of our business now, and I take care of marketing and promotions. It’s the perfect job for both of us and our growing families.

  Our family only lasted in Naverton for a little over a year. Once Sawyer was born, both Hoover and I missed having his family close. Megan’s family tried to make up for their loss, but weekends with Sophie and Jason and Jason’s family just didn’t replace all we were missing in Sweetbriar.

  By some stroke of luck, Coach Hartman retired from Sweetbriar High at the end of the school year, and Devin was the obvious choice to replace him. He now coaches the football team and teaches Chemistry and Biology. All of his brothers enjoy teasing my poor Hoover about his lack of understanding when it comes to Biology. One little baby seven months after the wedding, and they all want to make fun of you.

  Once he got the job, we packed up our little family and moved back to Sweetbriar. I worried about Devin having his younger brother as a boss, but my worries were all for nothing. Sebastian shocked the entire family when he resigned from his position as principal of the high school to move out of town. The love bug has been hitting the Mackenzies hard the past few years, and Sebastian was its latest victim.

  Selling Sweet Treats was out of the question, so we hired a manager, and Sophie checks in on it for us regularly. Megan and I take turns going back to Naverton to check on Sweet Treats, but so far, Darla is doing a great job running the bakery.

  The bells over the door jingle, and I look up to see Devin walk in holding Sawyer. My little guy throws his hands out for me the instant he sees me behind the counter. “Momma.” His shriek fills the café, and I scoot around the counter to grab my son.

  “I get a kiss, too.” My hot husband smirks before he hands over Sawyer.

  After leaning up to kiss his lips, I look over and ask, “What do my guys want for their treat today?”

  Before my little man can answer, my husband leans over and whispers in my ear, “I’ll wait until we’re alone later to have my treat. I’m looking forward to having some of my Sugar Pie.”

  Thank you for reading Sugar Pie. I hope you will consider leaving a review. Keep an eye out, Sebastian and Justin are going to each get their own stories soon!

  About the Author

  Loni Ree is an author of Contemporary Insta-Love Romance. She plans on releasing several books in the upcoming months that will be available on Amazon.

  Loni Ree is a very busy mom of six who loves to read, and she finds that it helps
her escape the chaos of everyday life. She likes quick reads that are red-hot and on the excessive side. Writing has also been a passion of hers, and Loni decided to share the stories floating around in her mind. Her short, steamy stories are a little over the top because she believes reading should be an escape from real life. She writes steamy love at first sight that always leads to a happily ever after!

  Website: lonireeromance.com

  https://linktr.ee/loniree19

  I’d love to hear from you! You may write me at:

  5636 Telegraph Road

  #510362

  St. Louis, MO 63151

  Also by Loni Ree

  Lukas’ Angel (Ryan Family Book 1)

  Blake’s Bombshell (Ryan Family Book 2)

  Drew’s Undoing (Ryan Family Book 3)

  Sideswiping Mr. Lane (Fielding-Stone Gallery Series Book One)

  Blindsiding Mr. Quinlan (Fielding-Stone Gallery Series Book Two)

  Professor Maxwell (Love at First Sight Book One)

  Packaged Love (Love at First Sight Book Two)

  Nerd Boy (Love at First Sight Book Three)

  Love at First Sight Books One-Three

  Hungry For Red (A Salem Experiment Book One)

  Finding His Forever (Finding His Love Book One)

  Holly Kisses (Kanes’ Kisses Book One)

  Surprise Kisses (Forever Safe Christmas Book 19) (Kanes’ Kisses Book Two)

  Candy Kisses (Kanes’ Kisses Book Three)

  Kane’s Kisses: A Three Book Collection