Something More (A Well Paired Novel)

by Rice, Marianne

  “It’s peaceful out here.” As a kid he went through phases of enjoying the quiet to being bored with it. Now he appreciated it. If only the quietness didn’t have a trace of doom ready to fall in his lap.

  “Do you like it here?” Her sunglasses shielded her eyes so he couldn’t read her expression, not that she was facing him anyway.

  “Some days are better than others.” The days spent with Mia were the ones he looked forward to most, but he couldn’t tell her that now. Not after she already heard him bare his soul.

  “You’re here for the long term?”

  “I want to be.” Even if Mia didn’t want a relationship with him, he’d still want to settle down in this neck of the woods. It would be damn near impossible to get through each day knowing she was so close yet so far away, but it was better than faking a life in the city and not caring whether he lived or died.

  “You never asked if I wanted to live in the city.” She tapped her sneaker into the grass, her nervous energy carrying over to Ryan.

  “Do you?”

  “I never thought about it before.”

  He had no idea where she was going with the conversation, but he’d let her lead it anyway.

  “Are you thinking about it now?”

  Mia got up and paced the patch of grass in front of him.

  “Of course I’m thinking about it now. You can’t just drop that bombshell on me, well, on my brother, and not expect me to react.”

  So, she did hear it.

  “You can’t give up your home and your job for a woman. For me. That’s not fair. What if you hate it here? It would be my fault for your misery. You’d be setting our relationship up to fail.”

  “I hate living in the city, but if that’s what you want—”

  “I don’t know what I want.” Mia threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “I want it all. I want to get to know you. I want to be with you, but I’m afraid I’ll feel smothered, so I want my space as well. I want you to go away for a business trip, not too long, only a few days, and then flirt with you on the phone at night before I fall asleep. I want my space, and I want to miss you, and I want to have I miss you sex when you return. I want the dinner dates and the quickie sex in the kitchen. Against the front door. And in a bed would be nice too.”

  “What about the shower?” Ryan stood and brushed the back of his hand across her cheek. He grinned when she wrinkled her nose.

  “You could use a shower.”

  “I could use some help.”

  “That’s a pretty cheesy line.”

  “I’m not good with lines. Only the truth.”

  “Did you mean it all? What you said to Ty?”

  Ryan rested his arms on her shoulders. “I meant to say it all to you, not your brother. Or to your parents.”

  “I don’t know how I would have reacted if you said all that to me. I don’t do well with the mushy kind of stuff.”

  “No?”

  She shook her head. “Sex and games and sarcasm are more my style.”

  “I’m willing to work in all three whenever you want.”

  Mia moved in closer, pressing her body against his. “I like this Ryan I’ve been seeing lately. He reminds me of this guy James I once went out with.”

  “James?” He furrowed his brow in jealousy, not liking being compared to another man.

  “Mmhm.” She looped her hands behind his neck. “We took the train to Boston, and he told me all kinds of science geeky stuff about the ocean.”

  Relieved, he lowered his head and nuzzled her neck. “He’s a science geek?”

  “Totally. But he was sweet as well. And funny.” She shivered as he traced his lips across her ear and down her cheek. “I liked how close he was with his family. In fact, I kind of met his dad. And Mom. They’re pretty cool people. I can’t wait to meet them in person.”

  Ryan lifted his head. “I can’t kiss you while you’re talking about my parents. That’s weird.”

  “Tell me one thing.” If there had been any space between them, she’d just squashed that, pressing her body even harder into his. Any second now she’d feel just how excited he was to have her in his arms again.

  “Anything.”

  “That stone cold badass FBI agent persona. How much of that is you and how much of that is an act?”

  “I guess a little of both.”

  “Because it’s kinda hot.”

  “Hot?”

  Mia nodded. “You’re really good at that role play thing. I have ideas.”

  “Ideas?” Ryan grinned and nipped at her lips.

  “Lots. I’ll explain in the shower.”

  EPILOGUE

  “Well, holy she-ite. We didn’t think our precious little Mia was ever going to settle down.” Grace lifted her red plastic cup in a mock celebration, as did the rest of the group.

  “Ha, ha.” Mia sipped her wine and settled into the couch.

  “My poor brother-in-law is once again heartbroken at the loss of a potential bride.” Mia and Carter had never been a couple. Good friends was all, but she’d let Grace have her fun.

  It was the first book club since Lily had her baby three weeks ago. Little Ethan slept on Jenna’s shoulder, and Hope nursed Brayden on the other end of the couch. It was nice to see her tribe at ease.

  They’d all worried about Jenna’s PTSD of sorts, but she’d been amazing with Hope’s and Lily’s babies. Even though she could no longer have children, she didn’t begrudge her friends their own happiness.

  This was how true friendship worked. They’d all had their ups and downs, their failed relationships, their tragedies, their arguments, but at the end of the day, her girlfriends were her tribe.

  She’d been looking for something more, and all along she thought the stability she needed was about a career. It took her long enough, but she finally realized she had it all. Her tribe, her family, Ryan, her love for writing. This was her something more. She’d found herself, and for the first time in her life, she felt complete. Whole. Truly happy and content.

  “Are you moving into his house? The view there is spectacular.” Lily reached for Ethan when he started to fuss and positioned herself so she could nurse him.

  “We’re not at that stage yet. I like having my independence.”

  “Could have fooled me. You sleep over at his house every night. Mrs. Nickerson says you haven’t spent a night at your place for the past month,” Grace said with a smirk.

  Three weeks, but who was counting? Other than her landlady. “The cabin is the perfect writing spot. I’ve been getting a lot of work done.”

  “Uh, huh.” Hope chuckled.

  Ryan had told her a million childhood stories about his and Megan’s summers at their grandparents' cabin, and how he bought if from them a couple years ago. Next week they’d be driving down to Delaware so she could meet his entire family. She was nervous and excited for this next step in their relationship. His parents were wonderful people. When she’d learned her top commenter on her blog was his mother, it was like everything was meant to be.

  “It’s true. Ryan is gone all day at work, and I have the place to myself. I’m almost done with my third book, and I’ve finished the edits my agent gave me for book two.”

  “Good thing you like your independence,” Jenna teased.

  “I get it.” Alexis came to her rescue. “I needed time to adjust before living with Ben as well. I was secretly happy to have my room at my parents’ house while he stayed at the inn.”

  “Oh, please. If you weren’t in his room, he was climbing up that tree into your window every night.” Hope lifted Brayden off her breast and covered up before burping him.

  “Alexis!” Grace held up her cup again. “You go, girl. I’m glad that tree still got some use after I left the nest.”

  They all laughed and continued not talking about books well into the night. Or at least until nine o’clock when the moms had to go home to put the babies and kids to bed, and the other two missed their husbands. />
  Mia helped Lily carry her diaper bag to her car.

  “Are you going back to Ryan’s tonight?”

  “I think so.” She knew so. While her apartment was her safety net, she didn’t want to spend a night away from Ryan unless she had to. He had a job down in Portland coming up and would be away for at least three nights. He’d asked her to come with him, but she wanted to see how the space would feel.

  “Ty and I are happy for you two.”

  “Glad my brother’s come around.”

  Lily made sure the car seat was locked in place and closed the door. “It’s taking some time for him to fully come to terms about you and Ryan. He thought he’d lost you a few months back. I’d never seen him so frightened before. Ty loves you and only wants the best for you.”

  “I’m pretty sure Ryan is what’s best for me.”

  “I agree.” Lily gave her a hug. “I’m not going to lie. Learning about you two surprised us all. We all had bets that you and Carter would be the next couple.”

  “Carter’s destined to be single for the rest of his life. He’s too much a ladies man. He’s a great guy and treats his girlfriends well, but relationships are like the plague to him. He stays clear away.”

  “And here we used to say the same thing about you. Drive safe, and say hello to Ryan for me.” Lily laughed as she slid behind the wheel.

  Mia chuckled to herself as she crossed the parking lot to her car. She was only kidding herself with her supposed need for independence.

  In the morning, she’d call Mrs. Nickerson and tell her she wanted out of her lease. There was no place she’d rather be than wrapped up in Ryan Thorne’s arms.

  Forever.

  THE END

  Acknowledgments

  I’ll keep it short and sweet.

  This past year, writing has been a challenge. Between a hectic day job, family injuries and surgeries, raising three hormonal teenagers, and watching Princess move 3,000 miles away, I’m surprised I had enough energy to write.

  To be honest, I didn’t. But I found it. I found it through the love and support of my family, of my writing community, my readers, my tribe. And I found it within myself.

  So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

  Much love and happiness.

  Marianne xoxo

  If you enjoyed Something More, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased the book.

  I love hearing from my readers. Tell me what you think of Mia and Ryan’s story and what you’d like to see from me in the future! You can email me at mariannericeauthor@gmail.com. I do my best to reply to every email within a reasonable amount of time.

  To answer your burning question, YES, Carter is getting his own book!

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  And in case you missed the first book in the series, here’s the opening to At First Blush...

  CHAPTER ONE

  Alexis Le Blanc’s temper was as red as the blood that covered her hands.

  “You can’t be serious, Dad. Coastal Vines has been in our family for three generations. Do you really want to be the one to ruin its reputation? All the work Grumpy put into the vineyard?” Alexis blotted the blood from Hemsworth’s giant paw, inspecting his gash. It didn’t look too deep. Her giant Bernese Mountain dog got up on all fours and shook out his thick coat, hair flying every which way of the tasting room floor. He’d always been a tough dog.

  Her mother furrowed her brow at Hemmy—or possibly her—and handed Alexis a dry towel. “You’re being a tad dramatic, Alexis. Your father and I have done a great deal of research, and aren’t going into this blind. If we want to keep up with our competitors, it’s time for a change.”

  “Doesn’t tradition mean anything to you?” Alexis rubbed Hemmy’s fur, and gave him a body hug. When he hobbled over and curled up on his dog bed in the corner of the room, she figured he was no worse for wear. It wasn’t the first time he’d walked through the thorny raspberry bushes. Alexis stood, tossing the soiled rags in the trash.

  She paced the tasting room, the wide-planked floorboards creaking under her heavy boots as she stomped around in a fury. “If we expand Coastal Vines, we’ll need to hire more staff. You’ve heard the horror stories from the other wineries in the area. Good help is hard to find. And if we expand, we won’t be rural any more, which is what makes us who we are.”

  “Honey.” Shane Le Blanc’s French Canadian accent came out when he was angry or tired. She hoped for the latter as being on the receiving end of a Le Blanc’s temper was not a pretty sight. “We would never make any decisions we didn’t think were best for you girls, or for the winery.”

  Alexis rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. “Really? And you think Grace strolling through Europe for the past six years is best for her? She needs to come home and help out around the fields. Or at least in production. She can stick labels on bottles, can’t she? Or didn’t her fancy liberal arts degree in Paris teach her that?”

  “Alexis Marie,” her mother scolded, making Alexis feel like a teenager again. When Claudia used their middle names, the girls knew it was time to find another tactic, or to shut up.

  Other than parental genes, the sisters had nothing in common. Knowing Grace, she’d put her parents up to the hare-brained idea of expanding the winery into a local circus instead of keeping it quaint and welcoming. They didn’t need to turn their family-run business into something commercial to earn more money.

  There would always be something bigger, better, and more advanced out there. It’s what drove the weak away. Friends. Sisters. Potential boyfriends. Only the strong stayed in Crystal Cove and made a life for themselves. The devoted stayed loyal to their roots.

  Alexis enjoyed meeting the tourists during summer and fall months; they brought in a lot of the family’s income, and being just north of Rockland, Maine, summer was the winery’s busiest time of year. Most visitors were friendly enough, but every now and then they’d get a group of rowdies looking for a free tasting. It was part of the business, offering free samples and not banking in on the sales.

  The story of her life. Fine for a temporary thrill, but not good enough for the long haul. People who were caught up in the newest, hottest, trendiest wine—or woman or fashion or whatever—weren’t of quality. They weren’t worth the investment. If people couldn’t appreciate their quaint winery—that focused on quality over quantity—they weren’t worth her time. Or the winery’s.

  Alexis wasn’t girly enough for the men. Coastal Vines wasn’t cool enough for her sister. And now her parents were saying their wine wasn’t good enough to make a living?

  Taking another minute to cool her temper, she squatted by Hemmy’s bed and rubbed behind his ears. He was the only loyal one in her life. The only one who wasn’t fazed by the shiny gold dollar. Hemmy licked her hand and rolled to his side, an obvious invitation for her to rub his belly.

  If only everyone could live so simply. Could be pleased so easily.

  After her great grandfather retired from his job as a superintendent of the local schools, he went on his first vacation to Europe. He fell in love with the wineries in Italy and France and invested in fifty cold climate vines and planted them, never dreaming his hobby would be a future career for his son.

  Grumpy believed his life experiences were reflected in his winemaking style. He didn’t give a care about anyone else’s opinion, which had earned him the nickname Grumpy. He was dedicated to his father’s hobby, and loved and nurtured the vines, turning the grapes into a semi-profitable business.

  It was no secret Alexis had been his favorite grandchild, following him around the fields like a puppy since she started walking at ten months. They did everything together. Peas and carrots. Bacon and eggs. Peanut butter and jelly. His death had been hard on her.
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  Grumpy had scoffed at those who succumbed to the spawn of Satan...technology. It wasn’t until he passed away that Coastal Vines put up a website. Alexis was only a junior in high school, and she remembered not talking to her parents or Grace for weeks. They’d disgraced Grumpy the second he was buried, turning to the Internet.

  It was also no secret that her father resented taking over the winery when Grumpy died. Shane had hoped to sell and start a new career—carpentry, woodworking—he liked to have his hands on wood. But Alexis put up a stink and promised to work her tail off, even offering to quit playing high school sports so she’d have more time to devote to the winery.

  Her parents supported her and let her be part of most of the decision-making involving Coastal Vines. It was the ultimate sacrifice from her father who put his desire to be a woodworker aside to support Alexis and her dream of eventually taking over the winery.

  Which was why their hiring outside help without talking to her first made absolutely no sense.

  Alexis gave Hemmy one last pat and counted to ten, giving herself more time to ease off the attitude. This was about the winery. It wasn’t anything personal. But it sure the heck felt like it.

  The promise of the upcoming January freeze meant more time for inside production, bottling, rotating the oak barrels, checking the stainless steel drums, and bottling last year’s crop. It was not a time to start renovations. More customers would be good, but she had a feeling what her parents were thinking of would change the integrity of Coastal Vines. Alexis pulled off her winter hat and slapped it on the hickory counter where they doled out samples of wine in the warmer months.

  “Okay. Show me the business plan. What are you thinking?” She’d take a look, explain why it was wrong for their winery, and then go back to business as usual.

  “When your mother and I visited Napa Valley in November we met a wonderful family who runs a successful vineyard.”

  “Dad. We’re not Napa. We’re Maine. Our grapes and wine are different, our growing season is totally not the same, and we barely qualify as a vineyard. Three acres of vines is nothing compared to the hundreds they have out west.”