“I know this isn’t what either of us planned for the night.”
“What exactly did you have planned, Nate?” she asked, stepping up against me.
“There was going to be a lot of finishing what we started in the kitchen earlier.”
“Hmm… I like the sound of that.”
I tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. It was easy being with her like this instead of pussyfooting around every interaction. I could touch her, taste her any time we were alone. I craved it. “I really am sorry.”
“It’s okay. My brother misses his friend. I get it.”
“I have a feeling he never liked to share.”
We both chuckled as the girls came down the stairs, eyeing us suspiciously as we stepped apart.
“I won’t be home too late.”
“It’s fine. We have everything we need.”
I nodded toward the door as I held Alex’s attention. She followed me outside while letting the girls know she’d be right back.
As she stepped onto the porch, I cradled her face and brushed my lips against hers. Alex’s hands gripped my lower back as she stood up on her toes, and as my tongue swirled against hers, I felt her responding moan all the way to the tip of my cock.
Pulling away from her was agony.
From my rearview mirror, I watched as she stood on the porch until I turned onto the main road. I knew I’d have a good time with Andrew, but I was already wishing to be back at the B&B, watching cheesy shows with my girls. All three of them.
The bar was less chaotic than it had been last time. I assumed the day of the week made the difference. Monday was the start of the workweek for many, so they most likely wouldn’t be out on a Sunday night.
I found Andrew seated at a high-top table with two other guys he introduced as Franklin and Simon. They’d all grown up in Ashfield together but scattered across Tennessee as they got older. Whenever one was in town, they tried to meet up. It was a coincidence all of them were here this weekend.
Andrew already explained a bit about me to them, so besides answering a few questions, we talked about the baseball game he pulled up on his phone. The televisions in this place only showed old movies, which I actually enjoyed. I didn’t tell Andrew and his friends that though.
Conversation flowed to Autumn, specifically her husband, Colton. They couldn’t believe Andrew now had a celebrity in his family. From there, they asked about his other sisters. He seemed bothered by Alex’s passion to open a cake shop and was very vocal about her pursuing something that had a more substantial career path.
“She should be a chef and open a restaurant. That makes more sense than opening a place to buy desserts.”
“Dude, her cakes are really good. Have you had one?”
“Why would someone eat cake unless it’s a special occasion like a birthday? Why else would you need one?” The guys seemed to agree with Andrew.
“Maybe you can talk some sense into her, since she’s like your maid right now.”
I sneered in his direction at the insinuation of Alex filling in as host at the bed-and-breakfast.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked, and he took a pull of his beer and bowed his head once. The corners of the label had been torn away—a nervous habit of his. “Why does it matter to you so much? How does her career choice affect you?”
Cocking his head to the side, Andrew paused. “I just don’t want to watch her make another mistake; that’s all. I can’t pick up the pieces again.”
I wanted to know more, but I didn’t ask him to elaborate. That was a story Alex could share, if or when she wanted to. “Who says you have to? Maybe have a little more faith in her.”
One of the guys at the table, Franklin, inquired if we could move the subject to something less heavy. Something more like the Ashfield Summer Festival happening in a couple of weeks. The guys spilled the beans and joked that Andrew lost a bet and was going to be manning the dunk tank.
After my one beer, I settled in with a glass of water until the game ended. Franklin and Simon left first, and Andrew and I were close behind. He only had a couple of beers and was staying at the farm. Something about going over some financial contracts in the morning. I wasn’t exactly sure what Andrew did for the farm, but he seemed to have his hands in everything.
My chest felt lighter with every passing mile back to the bed-and-breakfast, and I suspected it wasn’t just because of my daughters.
A sigh escaped my lips as I pulled my SUV in front of the house. I looked up at the double porch, expecting to find Alex sitting on the upper swing overlooking the property. She confessed it was a favorite spot of hers and Autumn’s.
