Epilogue
Six Weeks Later
Caleb had just pulled his oyster dressing out of the oven when Rhys burst back into the apartment from the shop below.
“I’m sorry. I said I was going to make you a holiday spice latte, but—” He realized Caleb was holding a cup.
“Wait. What are you drinking?”
“A double shot of espresso.”
Rhys frowned. “Seriously? Just plain. Without sugar?”
“Yes. The taste has grown on me. You know that.”
“I guess, but I thought you only drank them with me.”
He shrugged. “I wanted one this morning.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You’ve converted me. I don’t always have to have something sweet.”
“I love you.” Rhys’s words and his big smile made Caleb’s heart skip a beat.
“I love you too. I still wouldn’t say no to following this up with a latte.”
“How wired do you want to be today?”
Caleb grinned. “After how little sleep we got last night, I need all the caffeine I can get.”
Rhys began measuring beans into the grinder. “Whose fault is it that we were up half the night?”
Caleb laughed. “Like you didn’t love every minute.”
“Maybe I did, but sleep would have been good since we’re spending all day with people.”
“We can leave anytime you need to. You know Tessa and Finn and their family will understand.”
“I know, but you don’t have to leave early if I do.”
“Let’s just see how the day goes.” Rhys narrowed his eyes. “Shit. You hate when people say that.”
“I do, but I think today I’ll be all right since I’m with people I feel safe around.”
Caleb took his arm and pulled him away from the espresso machine. “I’m so glad I make you feel safe, especially since you used to just want to run from me.”
Rhys looked down at his feet. “I was never running from you. I was running from my own fears.”
Caleb lifted Rhys’s chin and gave him a soft kiss. Rhys started to deepen it, but Caleb pulled back quickly. “Any more of that, and we’ll be right back in bed.”
Rhys grinned as he pointed to the oyster dressing and the marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole. “Why don’t you take these containers of food out to your truck, and I’ll make your latte.”
“I could make it myself.”
“But I like making drinks for you.”
Lured back in by his sweet smile, Caleb reached for him again, but Rhys shook his head. “Go, or we’re going to be late. We can’t deprive them of the marshmallows.”
Caleb laughed. The casserole was one of the few dishes Rhys could make. His mother had always made sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, and Rhys had loved them so much he’d insisted she teach him how.
A few moments later, Rhys came out with Caleb’s latte in a to-go cup. Caleb had been trying to stand where Agnes, who was walking down the street, couldn’t see him, but she noticed Rhys immediately.
She waved enthusiastically and veered toward them. “Hello there. Happy Thanksgiving. I just love that you two are spending your first holiday together.”
“I was happy to stay in town to celebrate,” Caleb said.
“Aww. You’re such an adorable couple. What are you taking to the Moores’ house?”
Of course she knew they were going to the Moores’ Thanksgiving. Caleb wanted to reach for Rhys’s hand. He knew this type of attention made him nervous, but Rhys surprised him. “We made my mom’s sweet potato casserole and oyster dressing.”
“Perfect. I’m so glad you’re continuing your mom’s traditions.” She patted Caleb on the arm. “You’re one lucky man.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Agnes,” Caleb said. “We’d better get going.”
“Oh, don’t let me hold you up. I’ll see you tomorrow at the Small Business Friday celebration.”
She hurried off down the street, and Caleb pulled Rhys to him. “You’re amazing.”
Rhys frowned. “What did I do?”
“You didn’t even look rattled when she cooed over us.”
“Oh, I’m used to it now.”
“That’s a big deal.”
“I don’t think—”
“Rhys.”
“Okay, I guess it is, but being with you is… it’s too good to hide.”
Caleb kissed him again. This time, he had to fight for control. He couldn’t keep things soft and gentle. Finally, Rhys pushed him away. “No show for the neighbors.”
Caleb grinned as he caught his breath. “I’ll just have to wait until I can get a repeat of last night.”
Rhys’s cheeks were bright pink, and Caleb loved how flustered he looked. “Get in the truck.”
Tessa, Finn, and their family welcomed Caleb, and none of them made a big deal out of his relationship with Rhys.
He’d met Mr. and Mrs. Moore several times.
They’d been into Cloud Nine, and he’d seen them around town, so the only family member who was new to him was Rowan, Tessa and Finn’s younger brother, who’d flown in from New York.
Rowan was so much like Tessa that Caleb felt like he already knew him.
It took a while to finish up food prep and warm things back up, but finally, everyone took their seats around the table.
Mrs. Moore called everyone to attention. “Before we dig into our feast, let’s all share something we’re thankful for.”
Tessa went first. She said how thankful she was to have a loving family who could be together and friends like Rhys and Caleb to share the day with. Finn said essentially the same thing, and then it was Rhys’s turn.
“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to, dear,” Mrs. Moore said. But Rhys shook his head.
“I’ll share, because I’m extra thankful this year that I met Caleb and that we needed to work together for the festival so we could find out that… well, that we love each other.”
“Oh my gosh, that is just too sweet,” Mrs. Moore said.
Tessa’s eyes were wet with tears, and it was all Caleb could do to hold his own back. He reached for Rhys’s hand and laced their fingers together.
“That’s the first time you’ve ever shared at Thanksgiving,” Tessa said.
Rhys shrugged and focused on his plate. Caleb knew it was time to move on before he got any more embarrassed by being in the spotlight. He hoped he could speak around the lump in my throat. He really didn’t want to cry at Thanksgiving dinner, but he’d never expected Rhys to say something so sweet.
“I’m thankful for Rhys and thankful he changed his mind about making a drink together and then about being my boyfriend.”
Rhys squeezed Caleb’s hand, and Caleb knew he needed to stop, or there were going to be a lot of tears at the table. He turned to Rowan. “Your turn.”
Rowan was thankful for the new job he had recently gotten. Mr. Moore said he was thankful for his wife and their kids and how good the town had been to their family.
Then, it was time to eat. Everything was incredible and as good as any Thanksgiving dinner he’d had back in Boston. He missed his parents and Kate, but he was also very happy to be spending the day with Rhys.
After they ate, Tessa insisted that their mom wasn’t doing any more work. She settled in the living room with her husband, who’d turned on a football game. Everyone else cleaned up and put leftovers in containers. Somehow, they made them all fit in the fridge.
Caleb usually loved spending the day with friends, but he was already anxious to get Rhys back home, where they could be alone. It had been all he could do to keep his hands off Rhys when he was standing at the sink, showing off his perfect ass.
When Finn looked in on his parents, they were sound asleep.
“Don’t you dare wake them,” Tessa said.
“I won’t. I need to walk off some of this lunch, or I’m going to be sleeping too,” Finn said.
Everyone else agreed, so they started out on a walk across the empty fields that neighbored the Moores’ property.
Once they were a good distance from the house, Tessa took Finn’s arm. “Okay, now you’re going to tell me why you had that look on your face when you got here this morning.”
“There was no look. You’re just being weird. I told you I was worried about being late.”
“Bullshit.”
“Tessa, do you have to annoy him on Thanksgiving?” Rhys asked.
“That’s the best time,” Rowan said.
“I’m fine.”
“You didn’t look fine,” Tessa said. “You looked like something had scared you.”
He huffed. “Hardly. I stopped by to check on Mrs. Murphy and bring her some treats from the bakery since she can’t get out.”
“That was nice of you. I know she’s miserable, stuck at home with a broken leg. That’s a good reason to be late.”
“Is she okay?” Caleb asked.
“Yes, she’s doing fine, progressing just like her doctors want her to.”
“Then what was bothering you?” Tessa asked.
“Nothing.”
“Finn.”
He blew out a long breath. “She asked if I’d found someone to take her place helping with the Gingerbread Festival. I told her no, but that I would, and it was fine. She said she’d found the perfect solution.”
Tessa frowned. “But that’s a good thing, right?”
“Elliot is coming to stay with her to help her, and she’s told him that he has to step up and help with the festival.”
Tessa’s eyes went wide. “Elliot Murphy? Her grandson?”
“One and the same.”
Rhys made a strangled sound. “Holy shit.”
Caleb looked confused. “That’s a problem?”
“Oh, right,” Tessa said. “You don’t know about what happened our tenth-grade year.”
“And you don’t need to,” Finn said.
Tessa shook her head. “He definitely needs to.”
“It’s okay,” Caleb said.
Finn shook his head. “No, she’s right. I had a crush on Elliot. He was the star of the football team, and most of the girls were crushing on him too, but I was dumb enough to think he felt the same way I did. I was wrong.”
Rhys frowned. “No you weren’t. He wanted you. He kissed you back.”
“And then he never spoke to me again. Thank God he was a senior that year. He left for college, and I’ve only seen him from a distance since then.”
“He was totally into Finn,” Tessa said.
Finn glared at her. “Don’t start. Now I’ve got to find someone else to help before he gets here next week.”
Tessa smiled. “Or—”
“No. Even if it wouldn’t be the most awkward experience ever, he has no idea what he’s doing. Mrs. Murphy has been working with the festival for years. I need someone who can actually help.” He ran a hand through his hair and took a seat on a fallen tree trunk. “What am I going to do?”
“We’ll figure it out,” Tess said. “I’m sure we’ll find someone to help.”
“Everyone in town is already overcommitted during December. You know that.”
“I can help,” Caleb said.
“You’re going to be way too busy at Cloud Nine.”
“I could still help some.”
Tessa shook her head. “It’s fine. We’ll figure it out.”
Would they? Finn hoped to hell some solution would turn up. He was not working with Elliot Murphy.
Thank you for reading Harvest Heat.