Chapter 3
GRAE
Aspen smiled at Maddie as she slid an assortment of baked goods onto our table at The Brew. “You know, when you quit, I was worried I’d never see you.”
Maddie grinned as she popped a piece of a scone into her mouth. “With these goodies, you’ll never have to worry about that.”
Wren rested a hand on her belly, which was just starting to round. “I swear this kid is going to come out asking for orange-cranberry scones.”
Aspen chuckled. “We’ll have you covered if they do.”
A little red-haired girl that was the spitting image of Aspen popped out from behind her mom. “You’re gonna have a baby, Miss Wren?”
“I am. I’ve got some months to go, but they’ll be here before we know it.”
Cady started bouncing up and down. “I hope it’s a girl, and maybe she’ll want to do ballet with me. Charlie’s my best friend, but he doesn’t want to do ballet with me, and some of the other girls in my class are kinda mean. I need a ballet buddy.”
I leaned forward in my chair. “Who’s mean to you?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Heather Beasley’s the worst. She always says I’m not good and my tutus are ugly.”
Fury lit through me. “What the heck? That little—”
Maddie squeezed my arm, silently reminding me I was talking to a five-year-old.
“That’s not cool,” I adjusted.
Aspen crouched so she was eye-to-eye with her daughter. “And what does it mean when someone is unkind to us?”
Cady’s lips pressed together. “That they’ve got some sadness in them. It’s not about us.”
“That’s right. There’s something going on with her, and we should feel bad.”
Cady nodded, her expression serious. But as quickly as the look filled her face, it was gone. “Can I go help Zeke make the cookies?”
Aspen laughed and ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Sure. But only one spoonful of dough, or you’ll get a stomachache.”
“Okay!” Cady was already off.
“Promise?” Aspen called after her.
“Cross my heart!”
She sighed. “Kids are not for the faint of heart.”
“You are so good with her,” Maddie said. “Most kids wouldn’t be able to see the reason behind someone’s actions at that age.”
“I think someone needs to give ole Heather Beasley a swift kick in the booty,” I grumbled. “What’s wrong with people?”
Maddie chuckled. “She’s five. Are you going to take her on?”
“I’d like to at least threaten her a little.”
“Trust me, I’ve thought about it,” Aspen said. “She’s awful. And her mother’s even worse.”
Wren groaned. “Katelyn, right? She picked on Grae and me like crazy in middle school. And I’m pretty sure she tried to hook up with Holt in high school.”
I gaped at my best friend. “Are you serious?”
She nodded. “Holt’s given her a wide berth ever since.”
Aspen leaned against a chair. “I don’t think she’s changed much since then, so I’m taking Holt’s approach as much as I can.”
Wren squeezed her hand. “I hope I can be half the mom you are to this little one. You’re amazing.”
Aspen’s eyes glistened. “Thank you. Some days I wonder if I’m enough. It’s tough doing it alone.”
Maddie stood and wrapped her in a hug. “You’ve always got us. Whatever you need.”
Aspen took a shuddering breath. “Thank you. I swear I’m not usually this emotional. It’s just been a long week.”
“You need a girls’ night. Drop Cady with Lawson for a sleepover with Charlie, and we’ll do something fun.”
Maddie arched a brow at me. “The last time you called for a girls’ night, you got wasted, and I got cracked over the head with a tree limb.”
I winced. “Quiet girls’ night?”
Aspen laughed. “That sounds like a plan. I’ll let you know when I can get off for an evening.”
She headed back behind the cash register, and I turned to Maddie and Wren. “Has Aspen told you anything about Cady’s dad?”
They both shook their heads, and Maddie worried the corner of her lip. “I get the sense that he wasn’t a great guy, but she hasn’t opened up any more. I just hate that she hasn’t had help all these years.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it must be. But Cady’s amazing, and it’s because of Aspen,” Wren said.
I watched as Aspen smiled warmly at a customer, but she had shadows in her green eyes that told me her life hadn’t been easy.
“So…” Maddie began. “Caden certainly seemed to be needling you last night.”
I grimaced at the reminder, but Wren perked right up. “What was he doing?”
Maddie leaned back in her chair. “He’s like a little boy pulling G’s pigtails at recess.”
I snorted. “Hardly. He just gets extreme pleasure out of annoying the hell out of me and suggesting I make horrible life decisions.”
Wren frowned at that. “I’ve seen him tease you, but I’ve never seen him be mean.”
“It’s not mean, exactly.” It was as if Caden were assessing me every moment, certain I would screw something up. “It’s like he doubts me. I can’t explain it.”
Maddie nodded. “And that hurts because you two used to be so close.”
“He used to be the person who believed in me the most.” Saying the words out loud lit a burn along my sternum. “Enough about him. Tell me about the new house,” I said to Wren.
She filled us in on her and Holt’s new build, Maddie told us all about her new dog training clients, and I recounted the tourist trip from hell yesterday. Before I knew it, we’d been there for over an hour.
“I need to run, or I’m going to be late for work,” I said, pushing to my feet and throwing some cash onto the table.
“Hope there aren’t any delusional tourists on your trips today,” Maddie said with a laugh.
“Me, too.” I pressed a hand to Wren’s belly. “Take care of my bestie in there.”
She grinned up at me. “I will.”
With a wave at Aspen, I headed out the door.
Laughter caught on the air from the kids playing at Dockside Park across the street, and the sun streamed down in a way that made me want to hold on to summer for just a little bit longer.
I took a deep breath of fresh, pine-scented air.
Days like these made me certain I’d never want to move away from Cedar Ridge.
“Grae,” a masculine voice called.
I stiffened as I turned my gaze to the figure hurrying down the street in his navy firefighter slacks and tee.
Rance came to a stop in front of me, but just a few inches too close. “You didn’t text me back.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. He was right. I hadn’t returned the three texts I’d gotten while at my SAR meeting or the four he’d sent after that. “I’ve been busy. And I honestly didn’t think there was anything else to say.”
Annoyance flickered in his brown eyes. “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think? We’re friends. We’ve been dating.”
“We went on three dates over a month ago. That’s not the same as dating.”
He waved me off. “You know what I mean.”
But I didn’t. I had no idea what Rance was fighting so hard to hold on to.
“You weren’t home until late last night. Is everything okay? I was worried.”
A chill skittered down my spine. “How do you know that?”
Rance scoffed. “We live in the same neighborhood. I was out for a late jog.”
My stomach churned. That much was true. Rance lived about half a mile from my cottage on the outskirts of town. But feeling like he was checking up on me had me on edge.
“Where were you?” he pressed.
Maybe it was growing up with four older brothers and never wanting to answer to them, but I had the urge to dig in my heels. “That’s not really any of your business.”
Rance’s eyes narrowed. “It’s a simple question.”
It didn’t matter that it was simple; I didn’t owe Rance any information about me.
He sighed, but a smile played on his lips. “Your stubbornness is one of the things I love about you.”
Oh, schnitzel. We were heading into stage-five clinger territory.
A flash of movement caught my attention. It was as if my body had some finely honed radar for Caden Shaw, no matter how far away he was. I blamed my desperate, short-circuiting brain for the word that popped out of my mouth next.
“Babe!” I called in Caden’s direction.
His gaze snapped to me so fast it made my head spin.
I widened my eyes at him, pouring every bit of silent pleading into the look. He was the last person I wanted to ask for help, but he was all I had.
Caden’s brow furrowed for a moment, but then he caught sight of Rance and glared. He crossed toward us in five long strides, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close. “Hey, babe.”
The gleam in his eyes told me I’d be paying for this one in the form of teasing torture for years to come.
“Babe?” Rance gaped. “But you hate him.”
Caden chuckled, the sound wrapping around me, along with the heat from his body pressed against mine. “Love, hate, two sides of the same coin, right?”
“Love?” Rance spluttered.
Caden squeezed my shoulder. “She’s got me wrapped around her little finger. I’d do anything for her.”
My heart hammered against my ribs, and it became painful to breathe.
Rance’s gaze ping-ponged between the two of us. “You’re dating?”
“Oh, I’d say it’s more than dating. Wouldn’t you, Gigi?” Caden asked, glancing down at me.
I let out a tiny squeak. “Yup. It’s pretty serious.”
“Since when?” Rance demanded.
“I’ve had my eye on her since the moment I got back, but I’d say the last couple of weeks really took things to the next level,” Caden said, toying with a strand of my hair.
Rance’s face reddened. “The next level?” His gaze snapped to me. “You can’t think that’s a good idea. He’s a total manwhore.”
Caden stiffened. “I was just waiting for the right woman to come along, and she has.”
Rance scoffed. “I’m sure. Do your brothers know?”
My hand fisted in Caden’s shirt. “My brothers have nothing to do with this.”
He arched a brow at that.
“She’s right,” Caden said, his voice going hard. “Not a damn thing on this planet could keep me from her. And I’ll be honest, it pisses me the hell off that you won’t stop texting her.”
“She didn’t tell me she was dating anyone,” Rance said, clearly flustered by the intensity in Caden’s tone.
“Well, you know now, don’t you?” he growled.
The ferocity in Caden’s words had me glancing up at him and pressing my hand harder against his abs.
Rance scoffed. “This is nothing. It’ll fizzle out in a few days, and then Grae will come to her senses and see who she really needs.”
Caden’s jaw clenched, anger flaring in his expression. Then he looked down at me, those hazel eyes swirling into a mix of greens, browns, and golds that hypnotized me. He lowered his head slowly and quickly, all at the same time. My heart hammered against my ribs as time slowed.
I should’ve moved, given him my cheek, something. But I didn’t. I was held captive in the spell that Caden wove with his presence alone.
At the first touch of Caden’s lips, I was lost. Heat and need swirled around me as my lips parted on instinct, and his tongue slipped inside, stroking.
A buzz lit low in my belly—one I’d never felt with any other kiss, no matter how much I’d searched for it.
That buzz deepened into a hum that spread through my muscles, making my knees weak.
When Caden finally pulled back, I blinked up at him and could only think one thing.
He’d completely ruined me.