I sucked on her clit, gentle at first. Then doubled down as she fisted her hands in the sheet. I loved watching her come undone and the wild look in her eyes as she let herself go.
“Come here.” She tried to tug me toward her, but I had other plans. “You can’t do that to me and then leave.”
“Later, sweetness.” I pressed a quick kiss to her forehead as I tugged the blanket back up to cover her. I almost told her I didn’t care about the damn ribbon—I’d already won what mattered. “Get some more sleep. I set an alarm for you at nine so you can go get Callie. Can’t wait to see my two girls at the festival.”
She snuggled into the pillow. “Good luck, Cullen.”
I took one last look at her in my bed… exactly where she belonged… then hightailed it into the shower.
Dozens of competitors had already set up by the time I checked in and found my way to the space assigned to me. I recognized one or two, but I was the only local who’d signed up to compete. The smell of hickory, pepper, and a combination of secret spice mixes hung in the air, so heavy I could taste it in the back of my throat.
I set up my station at the edge of the line. The air was cool and crisp with the bite of early fall. My smoker was still warm from the drive, and the moment I lifted the lid, the scent of my brisket rolled out… sweet and tangy, rich with the sauce recipe my great-aunt had drilled into me years ago.
This early in the day, there were only a few spectators wandering around. The morning belonged to the competitors… to the clang of metal tongs on a prep bin, the sound of an old country song drifting from someone’s radio, and to the hiss and pop of smokers coming to life.
I got set up, then pulled out the thermos of coffee I’d brought. This was the part of the process I loved the most. There was nothing to do but mop the meat with sauce every so often while the smoker did its job. That left me plenty of time to think, and it didn’t surprise me a bit that my thoughts immediately turned to Rose. Fatherhood I could grind my way through—diapers, bottles, schedules. Loving someone was the piece that could gut me if I let it. And I wanted to let it.
Neither one of us held anything back last night. I gave her every last piece of me, and instead of emptying me out like I’d always feared it would, I felt whole.
“Already taking a coffee break?” Miles called out as he walked toward me. With a ball cap pulled down over his eyes and a rumpled flannel hanging from his shoulders, he looked like he’d gotten even less sleep than I did.
“How are you holding up, man?” I got up and clamped a hand onto his shoulder. “Are you still going through with this?”
He lifted his shades, exposing the dark smudges under his eyes. “It’s our best chance of drawing him out. You’ll be there, right? You and Rose and Callie?”
“Of course.” I didn’t like the plan he’d shared with me last night. He and Kinley were telling everyone they were leaving town, that the fire at their place had scared them away. They were even having a going away party at the community center on Halloween. Only, it was all a lie. It was a last ditch effort to draw Kinley’s ex out of hiding. For their sake, I hoped it worked.
“Thanks. We’re going to put an end to this once and for all. Kinley’s done some digging, and it looks like Doug owns the company that’s been buying out pieces of Mustang Mountain. He’s not just terrorizing us. He’s been coming after the whole damn town.”
“Why?” I’d heard how Kinley and Miles met… how she’d jumped into the front of his truck in a wedding dress as a runaway bride, one step away from making the biggest mistake of her life.
“I’m not sure.” Miles slid his shades back in place. “But we’re going to find out.”
“Good luck.” I held up my mug to tap against his paper cup of coffee.
“Thanks. You too. I can’t wait to taste whatever it is you have cooking. Smells delicious.”
I leaned against the truck as he ambled away. Miles had proven over and over again that he’d do absolutely anything for the woman he loved. As my thoughts wandered toward Rose again, I realized I was starting to feel the same way about her. I waited for panic to wrap around my heart and choke some sense back into me, but it didn’t come. Instead, a vision of Rose and me holding hands materialized. We stood in front of a restaurant, our restaurant, with Callie sitting high on my shoulders.
When I thought about my future, it had always been hazy, but this image was crystal clear. It was what I wanted. And I was going to fight like hell for a future for the three of us, no matter what it cost me. I was in love with her. Fine. I wouldn’t say it yet—but the truth sat solid as iron in my chest.
Rose
In all the places I’d lived over the years, I’d never felt fully settled. Every apartment, every room I rented, every trailer I stayed in was a temporary pit stop on my way to somewhere else. But waking up in Cullen’s bed, with the sheets still warm from where he’d slept next to me felt like home. I shifted my head to his pillow and drew in the scent of him… pine and cedar and wood smoke. For the first time, I didn’t want to run. I wanted to stay somewhere and try to build a life. I wanted to stay here, with him and Callie.
The feeling lasted as I got ready. It lasted the entire drive to Ruby’s, and even as I stepped into her cozy home and greeted her and Orville.
“Did you have a good time last night?” Ruby asked as she handed me a mug of coffee.
The question made my cheeks pink. She was just being nice and couldn’t know how good of a time we’d had. “Dinner was delicious. We stopped by Ace’s after and I got to chat with Rae and Kinley.”
“I heard about that ridiculous idea Miles came up with.” Ruby bustled around the kitchen while she talked. I hadn’t seen Callie yet. She’d been up early and Ruby had already put her back down for a nap.
“Do you think it will work?”
“I hope so. If that man has been behind all the trouble we’ve had in Mustang Mountain this year, he needs to be held accountable.” She pulled a chair out from the table and was about to sit down when a faint cry drifted down the hallway. “Aw, that’s the little angel. I’ll go get her.”
Knowing Cullen had decided to go all in on being a dad had me eager to see Callie. The thought of all three of us at the festival sent flutters through my belly. She wouldn’t know anything had shifted, but I did.
