“Just give me a few more minutes of being in your arms.”
“No problem.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “This is so relaxing.”
“Mmmm, I totally agree.” Rick kissed the top of her head and smiled. The heat of the fireplace warmed their bodies, and a sense of peace like he’d not known in forever washed over him. In that moment he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wanted Maggie McMillan in his future. Now all he had to do was find the right time to tell her about his past.
23
That’s the Good Stuff
“THIS UP-AT-THE-ASS-CRACK-OF-DAWN STUFF IS FOR THE birds,” Reid grumbled as he slapped his baseball cap on his head. “And so is leaving you.”
Addison turned from filling his coffee mug and wrapped her arms around him. “I totally agree with you.”
“You’ve been doing a lot of that lately.”
Addison tilted her head up. “Agreeing with you?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Does that mean you kinda like me?”
Addison lifted one shoulder. “Eh, maybe a teeny little bit.” She measured an inch with her thumb and index finger. “You might cross my mind like once or twice . . . or maybe a hundred times a day.”
Reid tucked a lock of her damp hair behind her ear. “Only a couple hundred? Well, then, I do believe I’ll have to leave you with something to think about.” He flipped his cap around, dipped his head, and gave her a deep, lingering kiss that held a promise of things to come. Pulling back, he pressed his forehead to hers and said, “God, I don’t want to go . . . This sucks so bad.”
“Well, then, I think I have to give you something to think about while you’re riding around on that big green tractor.” She took a step back and reached for the knot on her robe. With a slow smile, Addison parted the terry cloth, giving him an eyeful.
Reid groaned. “You’re not making this any easier, you know.”
“Just get your chores done and get your cute butt back here.” She handed him the coffee.
“So, you think my butt is cute?” Reid turned around and pointed to it.
“Your butt is awesome, just like the rest of you,” Addison assured him, and then gave him a quick, light kiss. “Call me when you take a break.”
“I will,” Reid promised, and then headed out the back door. Addison watched him walk to his truck, thinking he looked so sexy in his Wranglers and boots. He looked up and waved just before he opened his door. Addison raised her hand and smiled. Right timing or not, she was falling in love with Reid and she was powerless to stop her feelings from growing. It was hard for Addison to believe that just a couple of months ago her life had been pulled apart at the seams, but day by day, stitch by stitch, everything was coming together. Happiness surrounded her like a warm blanket and she hugged it close to her heart.
After pouring a cup of coffee she sat down at the breakfast bar and looked over some notes. Since the open house a few of weeks ago, business had been brisk, leaving her little time to head out to the Greenfield farm, but Sara kept her informed on the progress of the barn renovations. So far they were on schedule, with Sara having an autumn wedding. Mia and Cam had decided to get married at Wine and Diner but were going to wait until the barn was ready and baseball season over to have their reception there as well. Later that week Addison had a meeting with Tristan and Savannah, who were thinking about having a winter wedding with a holiday theme. Addison smiled at her notes by Savannah’s wedding. Three of her bridesmaids were residents of Whisper’s Edge, the retirement community where Savannah served as the social director, and Addison thought it was just the sweetest thing.
While Addison acknowledged that she dearly missed her parents, life in Cricket Creek was so much more to her liking than living in LA. She enjoyed the slower pace in the tight-knit community and simply loved running her own shop. Ideas never stopped coming. She planned to add prom dresses next year. Reid’s mother ran a quilting bee and they were working hard to make wedding quilts for her to sell. Her only challenge was running out of shelf space!
She inhaled a deep breath, crossing her fingers that her ended engagement with Garret was now old news and remained that way. Addison didn’t want anything to intrude on the peace she’d found in Cricket Creek. Apparently she was a small-town girl at heart but just never knew it. Thankfully, she hadn’t heard any more about Garret’s reality show, giving her hope that the idea never really got off the ground. Maybe Rick Ruleman had had the clout to squash the show, but, come to think of it, Addison hadn’t seen him in the pop news lately either. She’d never know which one of the Ruleman men had started the rumor of her having an affair with Rick, but since it had seemed to die down, Addison wasn’t about to stir that pot. She found it in really poor taste that neither of them had bothered to call her with an apology but, then again, she supposed she wasn’t surprised. It was sad, though, because Addison really did believe that Garret was a much better person than he allowed himself to be, and she hoped someday he figured that out.
Since she’d already shared a steamy shower with Reid, all Addison had to do was put on makeup and get dressed before heading down to the bridal shop. Because she still had more inventory to unpack, Addison opted for leggings and a loose-fitting floral blouse belted at the waist and comfortable ballet flats.
“Gotta love this commute,” she said as she bounded down the stairs. Her seamstress was on an as-needed basis and Cassie, the college student she’d hired as a sales clerk, worked limited hours. Most days it was still just her in the shop, but the press release she’d sent out had resulted in interviews for the local paper and in Kentucky Monthly, so she anticipated that business was going to pick up even more in the near future.
After unlocking the front door Addison turned on some soft music and then starting arranging some lovely headpieces she’d received yesterday. Mia had informed her that Southern ladies loved bling and she should stock a full line of tiaras. Addison had to admit that they were pretty cool.
A few minutes later Gabby from Flower Power walked into the shop, carrying a vase packed full of wildflowers. “Hey there, Addison. I’ve got a little somethin’ for you,” she said in her cute Southern singsong voice.
“They’re lovely!” Addison said as she walked across the floor. “Oh, I just love the mason jar as the vase and the raffia bow! This would make a wonderful table arrangement for rustic barn weddings.”
Gabby nodded. “Funny, but this was all I had to use as a vase when I picked flowers as a kid. Now it’s super-popular.” She shrugged. “I guess I was just ahead of my time,” she added with a laugh.
Addison smiled when she silently read the note that said: Thinking about you one hundred times already. Reid. “Aw . . .” Addison smiled and didn’t realize she had brought the note up to her chest.
“There must be somethin’ special about you ladies here in Wedding Row. I just delivered flowers to Maggie, the real estate lady, the other day. What’s up with you girls, anyway? And would you please send some of it my way?”
Addison grinned. “Oh yeah. I saw Maggie walking past my shop with some good-looking guy last week.”