“You dideverything.” She rose to her toes and hovered her lips an inch from his. “I love you, Jesse Hayes.”
“And I love you, Aspen Davies.” Then he kissed her and thanked every fucking star that he got to call this woman his.
CHAPTER 37
Becket pulled into the parking lot of The Tea House.
Shit, he was tired. He’d worked well into the morning after a fire at an e-bike store a few towns over. His station had been called because they’d needed all hands on deck. The damn store should have known better than to charge multiple batteries in one area. Lithium-ion batteries could cause fatal fucking fires. Everyone knew that.
He leaned back and closed his eyes. He was used to surviving off a few hours’ sleep. He’d done it plenty as a SEAL. But right now, he needed a strong fucking cup of coffee.
He slipped off his seat belt and was about to climb out of his car when a familiar face across the lot caught his attention.
Sky. His beautiful, feisty neighbor.
A smile twitched at his lips. She’d hated him since the day she’d moved in next door. He had no idea why. He was great fucking company.
She stood opposite an older woman. A woman he recognized as a frequent visitor to Sky’s house. Her mother? Probably. They had the same hazel eyes.
Whoever she was, they argued a lot, and by the deep-set frown on Sky’s face, they were arguing now. But they also hugged and smiled a lot. A complicated relationship?
He shook his head and climbed out of the truck. It wasn’t his damn business.
He still couldn’t believe she’d become entangled in the Dylan mess. Every muscle in Becket’s body had tightened at the story Jesse had told him. Jesse had thanked Sky, and Becket had tried to, also. But the conversation had quickly turned into an argument about his cameras again. The woman wouldn’t let it go.
He entered The Tea House, the scents of coffee and pie already teasing him. Damn, it was good to finally have a place in Amber Ridge with a decent cup of coffee. But it wasn’t just the coffee that was good. The food was un-fucking-believable too. The scones. The bagels. Even the turkey sandwiches.
He spotted his brother, sister and Aspen in a booth by the window.
His brother looked happy. A hell of a lot happier than he’d looked when Aspen had been living with him and they weren’t dating.
Good. He deserved it.
Becket slid into the booth beside his sister, snagged her fork, and stole a mouthful of her pie.
She slapped him on the shoulder. “Hey! Get your own.”
“But yours is right here.”
“Yeah, key word,mine.” She slid the plate away from him.
“You’ve always been terrible at sharing.”
“Because sharing with you means giving up ninety percent of my food. Plus, this pie’s too delicious to share.”
She wasn’t wrong. He looked across the table at his brother and Aspen, the smile on his face a bit gentler. “Hey. How are you both doing?”
Aspen nodded and smiled back. “We’re good.”
“Great, actually,” Jesse added, his arm visibly tightening around Aspen’s waist. “Aspen’s got a new book releasing soon.”
Clara straightened. “Oh my God, really? Don’t mess with me, Aspen. Is it the next in your West Valley series?”
“It sure is. It’s written and currently with the editor,” she said.
Clara squealed.
Jesus Christ.
