Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Hailey: Hey! We missed you at dinner last night!
Hailey: We had a full house and I really wished you were there!
They had just gotten back to Will’s after checking out of the resort and she had been expecting the texts to start.
Sloane: Yeah, sorry about that. Will got some great news and we went out to celebrate.
Sloane: We went up to Summit Ridge for dinner and spent the night.
Hailey: Ooh…I love it up there. It’s one of our favorite places to go for a sexy getaway.
Sloane: It’s the only place around here to go for a sexy getaway.
Hailey: There’s that, but it’s still a great place.
Hailey: What’s the good news?
Sloane: It’s not public yet so I can’t say, but it’s really great for him.
Hailey: I’m sure we’ll all find out soon enough, right?
Hailey: Mom and Dad are hosting a big Donovan shindig at The Ridge tonight.
Hailey: I hate to say it but…
Sloane: I need to be there. Got it.
Dammit.
Sloane: What time?
Hailey: Six. They’re closing it to the public, so it’s just going to be us.
Hailey: It’s going to be so much fun!
It was on the tip of her tongue to remind her sister that the opening two nights ago was primarily family members, but she didn’t.
Then, before she could reply, another text came in. This one from her mother.
Mom: Hey, sweetheart! We missed you last night!
Mom: I thought I was going to finally have all my kiddos together, but you weren’t there.
And…cue the guilt. Again.
Mom: But tonight I will because we’re hosting a dinner at the bar tonight and you and Will need to be there. No excuses.
Sloane: Hailey was just texting me about it and don’t worry, we’ll be there.
Mom: Wonderful! We just wanted a night to celebrate with everyone.
Mom: So please don’t flake and not show up. It would break your father’s heart.
Sloane: I don’t flake, Mom. Will and I had plans last night, and I didn’t think dinner at Hailey’s was mandatory.
Mom: Family dinners should always be a top priority.
Sloane: We do them every week. I think it’s okay if I miss one.
Mom: It was your sister’s first time hosting everyone. She was very disappointed.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and counted to ten before replying.
Sloane: Then I’ll apologize to her. I promise.
Sloane: And Will and I will see you at the bar at six.
Mom: Thank you, sweetheart. I appreciate you making time for us.
Mom: Love you!
“Well, if that wasn’t passive aggressive…” she mumbled before tapping back over to her sister’s messages.
Sloane: Hey. Just got the guilt check from Mom.
Sloane: I’m sorry I messed up your big hosting thing yesterday. I had no idea it was such a big deal.
Hailey: What are you talking about?
Sloane: Dinner last night. Mom said you were very disappointed because it was your first time hosting everyone and then I didn’t show up.
Hailey: OMG! I mean, yeah, I was bummed because I missed you, but it wasn’t a big deal. Plus, it wasn’t my first time hosting. I’ve hosted plenty of times.
Sloane: Freaking Mom! Grr!
Hailey: We ordered pizza and then the guys all went up to The Ridge to hang out.
Hailey: I went to bed early because once everyone left, I put Layla down and took advantage of the peace and quiet!
Hailey: You totally got guilted.
Sloane: Ugh!
Sloane: I’m almost tempted to not show up tonight, but I won’t do that to Dad.
Hailey: Good. Plus, I really want to see you.
Sloane: We’re all going to see each other at the festival tomorrow. I’m guessing this is going to be a group thing, right?
Hailey: Probably. We’ll figure it all out tonight.
Sloane: Sounds like a plan.
Sloane: See you at six! Love you!
Hailey: Love you too!
Tossing the phone down, she let her head fall back against the sofa cushions and sighed.
“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good. You okay?”
“Just family stuff,” she murmured before showing him all the texts.
“Yikes.”
“Welcome to my world.”
Putting his arm around her, he gently guided her head to his shoulder. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say here,” he admitted. “Obviously we have to go, but you can give me a code word and when you say it, I’ll know it’s time to leave.”
Perking up, she stared at him. “Really?”
Nodding, he said, “Yup. Pick a word that no one will get suspicious of and when you say it, I’ll come up with an excuse to get us out of there.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And you don’t think it’s terrible that I’m not all excited about hanging out with all of them?”
“Sloane, everyone has one kind of issue or another when it comes to family. Because mine isn’t big, it’s not a big deal when we hang out. I’d imagine with as many Donovans as there are in your family, it could get overwhelming. Maybe you don’t get along with some of them, I don’t know.”
“No, I love them all. Whenever we get together, it’s fun, but…”
“But…?”
“You read the texts, right? It’s like I have to be there. I know it’s childish, but whenever I’m told that I have to do something…”
“It makes you not want to do it.”
Groaning, she fell back against the cushions again. “This is where I need to work on not being so damn immature.”
“Sloane, come on. We’re all immature sometimes. Hell, if you ask anyone in town, they’ll have tons of stories about things I’ve done that appear being immature.”
“Sure, but I’ll bet most of them involve chasing after me because I was being a brat.” She knew she was whining and pouting, but she couldn’t help it. “I’m working on changing, but it would be nice if my family wasn’t just standing there reminding me of the things I’ve done. It’s embarrassing. When did it become a crime to want to have fun, huh? Why do I have to feel bad about going out and having a good time? What law says I have to settle down and have babies and live near all my relatives?”
You could have heard a pin drop, and that’s when she realized what she had just admitted out loud.
Shit.
“So…tell them,” he reasoned after several long, quiet moments. “The next time someone says something that makes you feel bad about yourself, tell them how you feel. They may give you shit about it, or…they’ll respect you and move on.”
“Wow, you seriously don’t know the Donovans very well. My parents and all my aunts and uncles? They are from the guilt-throwing generation. My generation is the snarky, poke-fun-at-you generation.”
He gave her a patient smile. “Sounds to me like you’re making excuses for not having to deal with the crap that pisses you off.”
“Maybe. Sort of like the whole scared to take that giant leap toward achieving our dreams thing we were talking about. I’m not big on confrontation. Sometimes I definitely stir the shit up and then step back and watch things explode.”
God, I really am immature…
“Sometimes that’s fun,” he countered. “Either way, if you really want to be seen as a more mature person, you’re going to have to let them know. It’s easy to assume a persona and then no one wants to see you as anything but. I’ve been the subject of some town gossip and when most people see me, they see the guy who spilled hot chocolate on himself and burned his arm at a Christmas festival. Or the guy who knocked over the candy heart display at the Valentine’s Day festival.”
“Will…”
“I’m also the guy who knocked over a drink stand and ruined most of the fireworks that were set for the big show on the Fourth of July,” he went on. “I’m not saying this to make you feel bad. I’m telling you this so you can see what I’m talking about. I still get a lot of shit about those things. I’ve had people question if they can trust me to work on their cars. To their faces I smile and laugh with them, but then I get serious and show them I’m not that guy all the time.”
“Okay, but…”
“Sometimes I am. Sometimes I’m going to be the guy who does something goofy because I lead with my heart. Some people would consider that admirable, and if I weren’t so clumsy, more people would think it too.” Another grin. “Don’t change who you are because you’re tired of people treating you a certain way. Change because you want to. Or…don’t change. If they really love you and care about you, it shouldn’t matter if you’re a…a flake or do immature things. Be the woman you want to be, not a carbon copy of who you think you should be.”
“I wish it were that easy. Part of the problem is that I don’t know what I want to be. All of my friends are getting married and settling down and I’m happy for them. But I also miss doing the things we used to do.”
“I get that. A lot of people meet their significant other and that’s it. They no longer have their own identity or they don’t need anyone else. I think you need a balance. Or…” He paused, but then seemed to change his mind about what he was going to say.
“Or…?” she prompted.
The long breath he let out told her he was hesitant to finish the thought.
“Will?”
Turning his head, he looked at her. “Sometimes people are only in our lives for a season and then we’re supposed to move on. Most of the time, we lose track of childhood friends, or camp buddies, or college roommates. That’s just the way it goes sometimes. We outgrow certain friendships and, more often than not, there’s no big fight or disagreement; we just drift apart because we have different interests.”
“I guess I never looked at it that way.” Swallowing hard, she nodded. “When I showed up at Hailey’s a few weeks ago, my cousins were all there with their babies and I felt like an outsider. Instead of being happy for them, I was focused on being annoyed because the only thing they talked about was…you know…babies.”
“That’s their phase of life right now, Sloane. It’s nothing personal against you.”
Now she felt like a total idiot.
All her friends were doing all the things her sister and cousins were doing. They were all moving forward.
She was the only one standing still.
Ugh…
Now it was her turn to sigh because now that she realized she was the problem, it sucked.
And she wasn’t sure she was ready for the solution.
Glancing over at Will, she saw nothing but compassion and understanding in his eyes.
He’s too good for me. I’m only going to break his heart.
“How about I make us some lunch? I make a mean BLT. What do you say, beautiful? Are you hungry?”
Nodding, she thanked him. And as he walked away, she wondered if it would be better to end things now so she could figure out exactly what she wanted, or if she should stay and grab all the happiness she could with both hands.
Either way, she knew this was going to come to an end.
She just didn’t know when.
Will was waiting for the toast to finish when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw a text from Devin.
Dev: Hey! I know this weekend is going to be wild, but would it be okay with you if we don’t mention our plans to anyone yet?
Will: Sure, but…how come?
Dev: I don’t know about you, but I want to relax this weekend. If word gets out that we’re doing an expansion, it’s all anyone’s going to want to talk about.
Dev: I got us a three-day weekend and I’d love not to think about cars and work if I don’t have to.
That made Will chuckle because he was always thinking about cars and he knew Devin was usually the same.
Will: I don’t see a problem with it.
Will: Besides, I think I’m going to be dealing with like a hundred Donovans, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be busy.
Dev: LOL! And you’re cool with all of them? Even after they didn’t tell you about Sloane?
Damn. He had tried to forget that part.
Will: I don’t love that they hid it from me, but I’m more interested in experiencing the festival with Sloane at my side instead of from a distance.
Dev: Trust me, the whole town thanks you.
Will: Ha. Ha. Very funny.
Will: Anyway, I can keep it a secret so you can relax.
Dev: Thanks. I really am excited about it though.
Will: Me too! I can’t wait until we can sit and start making plans!
Dev: That will be here soon enough. Trust me.
Dev: I’ll see you at some point tomorrow.
Will: Definitely! See you there!
Placing the phone down, he sighed. He was so excited about the whole thing, and now he had to keep it to himself. The toast popped, so he turned his attention to the sandwiches. Sloane walked in and grabbed them a couple of drinks from the refrigerator.
“Hey,” she said. “Are you okay? I heard that sigh and it didn’t sound good.”
He shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin. “Devin just texted and we’re not going to tell anyone about the expansion and partnership right now.”
“How come?”
“He wants to just be able to enjoy the festival without people asking all kinds of questions.” He sighed again. “I guess it’s a good thing you and I went out and celebrated privately last night. Who knows when we’ll be able to announce it publicly.”
“You really want to tell people, don’t you?” It wasn’t a question.
Will tugged her in close and then let his hands slowly travel up until his fingers caressed her face. “I do, but…I get his reasoning. Besides, at least I got to celebrate with you last night.”
“Aww…” She snuggled closer.
“Would it be wrong if I wanted to celebrate a little more with you while we’re alone?”
Rather than answering right away, she kissed him. She kissed him until they were both breathless—that was the best kind of kiss—and as soon as they caught their breath, she leaned in and kissed him again.
He whispered her name as his lips grazed her cheek, her jaw, her throat. Slowly, she pulled back, cupped his face in her hands, and sighed dreamily. “Later,” she whispered.
“That wasn’t very fair,” he murmured.
“What can I say? You kiss like a dream.”
They both laughed, and Will took a step back. “You’re never going to let me forget that, will you?”
“Nope!”
Laughing, he finished making their sandwiches and they enjoyed a leisurely lunch together. When they were done, Sloane’s phone started blowing up with text messages, so he left her to them while he busied himself with a little research for the expansion of the garage. Just because they couldn’t talk about it with anyone didn’t mean he shouldn’t be getting prepared for it.
Before he knew it, it was time to get ready to head over to The Ridge and the big Donovan get-together. Sloane was in a pair of faded blue jeans that hugged all her curves, and a snug black sweater that made him want to beg her to stay home.
But he controlled himself because he knew she’d be coming home with him later and he could peel those garments right off of her.
And I can’t wait to see them all in a pile on my floor…
The drive to The Ridge was short, and he was surprised at how many cars were parked in front. “I thought this was just a Donovan family thing?”
Grinning, she said, “It is. There’s just a lot of us and apparently no one drove together. There’s easily something like twenty of us and then the staff, so…”
Nodding, they walked inside together. Will had her hand in his as they made their way across the room. He felt every eye on him and felt a little self-conscious about it. He knew all the local Donovans and had met the others just the other night, but it sort of felt like there was a spotlight on them tonight. He kept a smile on his face, but was ridiculously relieved when they spotted Max behind the bar.
“Let’s go grab a drink!” he suggested loudly to be heard over all the noise.
“Definitely!”
“Hey, you two!” Max said with a grin. “Glad you could make it! What can I get you?”
Will ordered a beer and Sloane did the same. “The place looks amazing, Max! You guys did a hell of a job!”
Sliding their glasses toward them, Max nodded. “Big difference from when you were here a few weeks ago, right?”
“Oh, yeah! I know we were just here the other night, but I couldn’t remember if I congratulated you, so…” He held up his glass. “Cheers!”
“Thanks, man! Go have fun. There are a lot of people eager to talk to you!” Then he winked and moved down to get someone else’s drink order.
No sooner had he turned around to face the room than they had several people standing in front of them.
Here we go…
“Oh my God,” Sloane said. “Are you guys serious right now?”
Her three brothers were standing in front of them looking extremely intimidating, and he wasn’t sure if he should say something light to break the tension, pretend someone was calling him and duck away, or try to be equally intimidating and haul Sloane close to stake his claim.
“You’re not intimidating anyone,” Sloane stated defiantly. “So why don’t you just…”
“Hey, I hear you guys are into classic cars!” he said quickly, his voice sounding only mildly squeaky.
“That’s right,” Ben said, shaking Will’s hand. “We heard you work on classic cars!”
“What the hell?” Sloane murmured. “What was with the whole…you know…glaring at Will thing you were doing?”
“That was just to mess with you,” her brother said with a grin. “It was cute how you got all defensive.”
“You guys are the worst!”
“Have you ever gotten your hands on a classic Corvette?” Finn asked, also shaking Will’s hand. “I’ve always wanted to drive one of those. Especially the ’57.”
“The ’57? Really?” Kyle chimed in before shaking Will’s hand. “I’ll bet Corvettes are easy to come by. Have you ever worked on a classic Aston Martin? You know, like what James Bond drove?”
“Ugh…not the James Bond thing again,” Ben groaned. “Seriously, dude. You have a problem.”
After that, the conversation flowed, and at some point, Sloane just walked away. He figured it was because she could tell he was handling things just fine with her brothers.
As the night wore on, he talked to almost every guy in the room—and the occasional girl—but they typically grew bored with the conversation and walked away.
Now, it was after eleven and Will was yawning a bit more as the day caught up with him. He was currently sitting with Levi, Reid, and Chloe’s husband, Tanner. Reid nudged him on the shoulder. “Huh…what?” he said, realizing he was close to dozing off.
“Tell you what, you’re doing me a favor by helping a buddy of mine, so it’s my turn.”
Was he really half-asleep or was Reid talking in circles? “What are you talking about?”
“Go and grab Sloane—the girls have been gossiping with her long enough–and go home. We’re all going to be together again tomorrow at the festival, so it’s not a big deal if you go.” Then he looked at Levi and Tanner. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m more than ready to leave too. Levi, I love your family, but sometimes…”
“It’s a lot,” Levi murmured. “Believe me. I know. Why do we need to be together all the time? We were all just here two nights ago. Why did we need another get-together here? I mean, I’m happy for Ronan and Max and Marcus and John…”
“Don’t forget Kevin,” Tanner added. “He’s been talking a lot about his contribution to the bar too.”
“Exactly. We’re all happy for them, but this could have been a night where they were open for business,” Levi said. “Plus, my kids are going to be up so early tomorrow. I’m exhausted.”
Will’s eyes went wide. “Wait…so…you’re all like…being together all the time isn’t…like…”
“Dude, use your words,” Reid teased.
“Sloane’s a little freaked out at how much time you all spend together,” he told them. “She doesn’t exactly get it.”
“To be fair, it only got this way once we all started having kids. Before that, it was maybe once or twice a month that we were all together,” Levi explained. “And the girls always had one night a month when it was just them. All the babies changed that.”
“Oh.”
“Seriously, Will, grab your girl and go home,” Reid said firmly, giving him a small shove. “The two of you don’t get to see each other very often because she lives so far away. No one’s going to begrudge you for wanting some time away from the family.”
“There are texts that say otherwise,” he joked before yawning.
“Yeah, there are some guilt queens in the room. Just don’t let it get to you. Or Sloane,” Levi said. “She’s the baby of the family, so naturally everyone’s going to have something to say while also having a hard time with her maybe pulling away from them. They’ll get used to it and then she’ll get some peace. Trust me.”
“Will, just go,” Reid said wearily. “It’s too freaking late to start a conversation about the dynamics of this family.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be the first ones to leave.”
“You’re not. Billie and Marcus had to go because Billie was exhausted, so you’re good,” Levi assured him.”
“Okay. Cool. You don’t have to tell me twice.”
“I’ve told you three times,” Reid said with amusement. “And if you don’t move your ass, I’ll have to say it a fourth. Then I may rescind my offer.”
Will finished the bottle of water he’d been drinking for the last hour and slammed it on the bar. “I’m going, I’m going!” he said as he shook Reid’s hand. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” He said a quick goodbye to Levi and Tanner and a blanket goodbye to everyone around him as he made his way across the room to where Sloane was sitting with Chloe, Jade, and Hailey.
Over the last few hours, he’d danced with her, shared a drink with her, and even played a game of darts with her, but the girls always drew her back to the table, and he realized…he liked that. It would be awesome if she saw how much fun it could be to live in Sweetbriar Ridge. Maybe it would be enough that eventually she’d want to move here with him.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
It wasn’t just that he wanted her to move here with him and live with him. He wanted Sloane to move here with him to create a life with him.
Love him.
Marry him.
Holy shit.
His heart rate kicked up and he was glad she wasn’t looking at him because he was sure he looked a little shocked. Will already knew he was in love with her. Hell, he was probably in love with her before he even got to know her. But this was the first time that he thought along those lines and knew that he wanted to plan a future with her.
Like now.
Was he crazy? Was this too soon? Would it freak her out if he brought it up? He took a step forward just as she turned and smiled at him and there it was, like a punch in the gut. She took his breath away. Did she even realize how amazing she was? How beautiful? How the hell had he gotten so lucky to have someone like her hunting him down because of a silly kissing booth?
He was startled when Jade stepped up in front of him, grinning. “You’ve got it bad, William,” she said saucily. “And it’s adorable.”
“Adorable?” he repeated. “Seriously?”
“The look on your face a few seconds ago was priceless,” she said. With a bit of a head tilt, she studied him. “Do you even realize how head over heels you are?”
“Jeez, Jade…”
She waved him off. “No worries. The rest of us do.”
“Shit.”
She chuckled and patted him gently on the cheek. “And just for the record, she’s awesome. Seriously awesome. The perfect fit for our little town.”
“You’re telling the wrong person,” he said before he could stop himself. “If it were up to me, she’d be living here already.”
“Does she know that?”
He shook his head. “Kind of afraid to bring it up. I don’t want to spook her or make it seem like I’m rushing her.”
Jade nodded. “I get it. I do. We all gave her the hard sell here tonight, so maybe we paved the way for you.” She paused. “Although, I have to admit, we’re all a little bummed that we won’t be able to make bets on whether or not your elusive kissing partner is going to show up. It was becoming an interesting part of the festivals. What are we gonna do now?”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.”
She sighed dramatically. “I guess we’ll have to find some other unsuspecting couple to bet on.”
“Are you sure you don’t just have a gambling problem?” he teased.
“Now who’s being funny?”
“Well, sorry we can no longer entertain the town. I’m hoping to slip under the radar tomorrow and simply enjoy a festival as an attendee and not a participant for everyone to make fun of.”
“Oh, stop. You know it was all in good fun. We were rooting for you the entire time,” she said with a sweet smile. “Although it seems a little anticlimactic that we won’t get to see you kiss her and catch her at the booth. That would have been the best way to end that chapter.” Jade turned when Levi walked over and almost purred when he wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Is she giving you a hard time?” Levi asked with a grin.
“No more than usual,” Will said, but he was grinning too.
“I was just telling him we’re all bummed that we’re not going to have anything to bet on this year. I was certain that this was going to be the festival where he got the girl!”
Levi shook his head and laughed softly. “But he already got the girl, so…victory.”
“But the town’s been so involved!” she cried softly. “It just would have been nice if…”
“Jade? Honey? Let it go,” Levi said, kissing her on the head. “And just for the record,” he said to Will, “the town is just fine with the way things turned out.”
Now he chuckled. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“And for what it’s worth, I honestly never put two and two together and realized it was Sloane you were looking for. For all the togetherness this family has, there were times she was in and out of here without most of us seeing her. So…sorry.”
It was a relief to hear someone admit it.
Shaking Levi’s hand, he said, “No worries. And I appreciate you saying that.”
“I saw the reels she made for the garage,” Jade said before they walked away. “She does good work. We didn’t talk about that too much—work is a taboo subject when we’re out having fun—but I can almost guarantee she’d have a lot of clients if she decided she wanted to do a little more freelance work. I told her she should talk to her cousin here about possibly working with him. Just FYI…”
“You’re amazing, Jade. You know that, right?”
She beamed at the compliment. “Of course I do,” she teased and then kissed him on the cheek. “Now go get the girl and go home. I’m sure we’ve talked her ear off and she needs someone to kiss it and make it better.”
He straightened and grinned. “I’m just the man for the job.”