Spring Fling Trio- Beyond Love Starter Set

by Karice Bolton

  The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was on in the background as I grabbed a cutting board and took in this moment of bliss.

  “Your hair is so cute that way,” I said, glancing at Aaron.

  “So is yours.” His smile was gorgeous as he spoke but not as beautiful as the words he said.

  I ran my fingers through my hair, which was still in its grow-out stage, and felt the bursts of hair that were sticking straight up. There were only a few places that were shaved and during the day I was able to strategically place my hair so that no one would even see the gaps. However, that definitely wasn’t the case first thing in the morning.

  “Thank you.”

  He grabbed the remote and switched the stereo on, blocking out the parade.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” I teased. “We’re going to miss something.”

  “Like a turkey float falling over? The occasion calls for some old school celebrations,” he laughed. The next thing I knew Beastie Boys was blaring through the speakers.

  “Finger Licking Good?” I started laughing.

  “Ah-uh,” he said, mimicking the song.

  “Oh. My. God. What is the return policy on you?” I teased.

  Aaron wrapped his arms around my waist just as I tugged on his pajama bottoms. “There. That’s better,” I laughed, admiring how low I teased the pajamas without him catching on. Or so I thought.

  “Is that all you want from me?”

  “Not all, but—”

  He softly kissed me before letting go to turn off the Beastie Boys. “I’m gonna go shower.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  He smiled and shook his head as he left the kitchen.

  Curse these appetizers!

  I grabbed the package of tortillas and began spreading the cream cheese mixture over the first tortilla to make the roast beef rollups.

  “Forget this,” I said tossing the half-done roll-up on the cutting board.

  I heard the shower water come on upstairs and began making my way up the steps. Not every stair was my friend, but I knew the more I did it the better I’d be. Besides the payoff was worth it. As I made it to our bedroom, I saw the steam rolling out of the bathroom and tossed my nightshirt on the bed.

  “Room for one more?” I asked, watching him stand under the shower.

  “Always,” he said, opening the glass door of the shower.

  Stepping inside the shower, I watched his gaze follow along my body as I grabbed the soap and slowly began rubbing it along his chest.

  “That feels nice,” he murmured.

  My hands continued moving lower and lower until I felt him in my palms. He let out a quiet moan as I gripped him more firmly. Looking into his eyes, he removed the soap from my hands and began to glide the bar along my breasts and stomach, lowering with each circular motion. His free arm cradled me next to him as he gently pressed me against the tile wall.

  My heart was beating so quickly as he continued the quick circular motions, and his lips followed along my collarbone. Slowing as he got to my breasts, my body trembled as his mouth traced over each curve.

  I ran my hands along his back as he lifted me up the wall. The water pounded on us both as our bodies joined together and a cry of happiness escaped from my lips. This was definitely a holiday to remember.

  Our house was filled with family and friends and the amazing aromas of Thanksgiving drifted through the air. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was on the television, and I was just happy to be in the moment.

  I looked around the dining room table and felt so grateful to be surrounded by family and friends.

  “I loved Onyx. Remember Slammed?” I asked Gabby.

  She nodded her head and popped another cracker in her mouth.

  Jason started cracking up and looked over at Aaron who was shaking his head.

  “How old were you? Like two?” Aaron asked, his eyes narrowing. “How could you remember it?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe three. Blame my brothers.”

  Mason and Ayden started laughing. “Yeah. It is our fault.”

  Aaron grabbed a dinner roll and passed the basket to Gabby. “How so?”

  “We performed it in third grade for the talent show at our school.”

  Gabby burst into laughter. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

  “Yep. It’s true. So my poor developing mind had it memorized before I even hit kindergarten. I think I even got written up for singing it.”

  My mom and dad started laughing, and I knew they remembered it too.

  “That’s not the only thing you got written up for,” my dad chimed in.

  “Really?” Aaron asked, grinning.

  “I talked a lot back then.”

  “Back then?” Gabby teased.

  “You know…I think we even have video of it. I think the moment one of you find that special someone, it’s time to bring out the footage. You should have seen how they dressed,” I said, not letting my brothers off the hook.

  Mason threw a piece of dinner roll at me and it landed in my gravy. I plucked it out of the gravy and began aiming.

  “Don’t you dare,” my mom said. “It’s Thanksgiving for crying out loud.”

  I looked around the dining room table and felt overcome with emotion as I saw everyone enjoying this moment. It was hard to believe that I almost didn’t make it to be here. I took a bite of the roll that was covered in gravy and glanced down at my plate.

  “You okay, baby?” Aaron whispered as the rest of the family continued talking about grade school memories.

  “Yeah. Just tears of joy,” I said, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. “I love you. I’m very grateful to be here.”

  Aaron’s breath caught, and I watched him swallow hard. “You make the world a better place. I couldn’t imagine living on this earth without you here by my side.”

  “I’m gonna hold you to that,” I whispered.

  “Okay, you love birds. Enough already,” Ayden said, kicking me under the table.

  And that was my perfect Thanksgiving with Aaron.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Do you think we should do it? Like really hunt him down?” I asked, feeling a tinge of excitement at the thought.

  “It only seems fair, doesn’t it?” Gabby asked, laughing.

  “All right. What are you two scheming in there?” Jason asked, bringing a cup of warm apple cider for Gabby.

  It was a week after Thanksgiving, and I went on a Christmas shopping spree to get Aaron’s house ready for the holidays. I think I managed to cover every surface with something holiday trinket.

  “Mmm, delicious,” she hummed.

  “Hey, where’s mine?” I teased Aaron.

  “Coming right up.” He opened the fridge and grabbed the whipped cream container and began squeezing the nozzle, topping the mug off. Grabbing the chocolate sprinkles, he dusted them on top and looked over wearing a large grin.

  “This is what I’m talking about,” I said, taking the mug from him as he sat next to me. Slurping some of the white stuff off the top, I sat back and felt fully content and completely lost in the moment.

  The Christmas tree was over eight feet tall and was decorated with everything I could throw at it. Silver tinsel streamed from the branches as the red and white lights blinked away. And there were so many ornaments on the limbs that there was a slight droop to most. The tree only had to last three weeks and then it could fall over if it wanted, but right now I wanted everything perfect. If Aaron had missed out on a decade of Christmases with loved ones, then I was certainly going to put an end to that this year. Jason had told me that last year he and Aaron bought a six-inch felt tree at the drug store and hung it on the fridge. So not happening in my world.

  “So do you think we could pull it off?” Gabby questioned.

  “I think so. We’ve got his name, age, approximate vicinity. It can’t be that hard,” I said, thinking aloud.

  The idea of tracking down Lily’s high sch
ool sweetheart was beyond exciting.

  “This can’t be good,” Jason said, shaking his head.

  “What do you mean?” Gabby said, pretending to pout. “We are only up to good—only good. Speaking of which, I can’t believe Carla is willing to relinquish the holiday to Brandy. This is completely unheard of. Do you think you can handle it? I mean hosting all of my family and your family is crazy.” She glanced at me smiling, knowing full well I was up for the challenge.

  “I’ve totally got it. All the menus are planned out, and you promised you’d bring over the desserts so I’m fine. Aaron needs to have the house smelling of gingerbread, ham, turkey…”

  “What do you mean menus?” Gabby interrupted.

  “It’s an all day event. So I have to start with brunch then we’ll do snacks all day and then dinner.” Aaron gave me a big squeeze and I nestled in.

  “Do you want me to come over on Christmas Eve to help prepare?” Gabby took a sip of her cider.

  “No, because you need to make sure all the desserts are ready.”

  Jason’s phone rang, and we watched him dig it out of his pocket and glance at the screen.

  “Is it her?” Gabby asked.

  Jason nodded. “It’ll just be a second.”

  “Is it who?” I asked as he answered the phone.

  Gabby motioned for me to be quiet and then whispered, “We think we found his sister.”

  I didn’t know much about Jason’s family other than he didn’t really seem to have much, if any. He’d been in the foster care system for most of his childhood and only recently began researching his past.

  Jason walked toward the French doors and went out onto the patio. It was freezing outside with a chance of snow, and Jason only had a sweater on so I grabbed my throw blanket and threw it at Gabby to give to him outside.

  “Are you serious? Did he have any idea that he had a sister?” I asked, completely bewildered.

  “Not a clue,” Gabby said, grimacing. She grabbed the blanket and started walking toward the door. “He’s been able to slowly start piecing together his family. They are all over the place. He tracked down an aunt, and it started spiraling.”

  “Tell him he can invite her.”

  “I don’t know if he’d be ready for that,” Aaron said.

  “Exactly,” Gabby agreed. “It’s all kind of new.”

  “True and I guess he can always call her back if he wants,” I said, taking a gulp of the whipped cream as Gabby opened the door slowly and handed the blanket to Jason.

  She gently shut the door and scurried back to the warmth of the fire. “I think it really is her.”

  “That’s crazy,” I muttered, shaking my head.

  A slight ache in my hip began radiating down my leg, and I shifted to change positions. I really was looking forward to when everything would be healed completely. If it would be healed completely.

  The ache in my leg was getting worse so I stood up slowly to stretch it and noticed Jason pacing back and forth on the patio.

  “Do you maybe want to go check on him?” I asked Aaron who craned his neck to see Jason rubbing his temples.

  “Sure.”

  I shook out my leg and slowly started making my way to the kitchen as Aaron went outside, flipping the patio heating on and pulling out a chair for Jason to sit on.

  “You doing okay?” Gabby asked.

  “Yeah. It just knots up sometimes.” And felt like my leg was on fire, I wanted to add. “I think the artichoke dip is ready.”

  “Awesome. Let me help.” Gabby hopped up and got to the kitchen before I could even turn her down. She knew very well that I didn’t want people going out of their way for me or thinking I couldn’t handle things. But I had to admit the ache wasn’t making things very easy. She grabbed the set of potholders off the counter and took the dip out of the oven. The top was a beautiful golden brown and it smelled delicious.

  “You can set it right here,” I said, pointing to the trivet.

  I walked to the pantry and grabbed the crackers while Gabby began slicing the French bread.

  “This smells phenomenal.”

  “It does,” I agreed.

  “Looks like Jason’s not on the phone anymore,” Gabby said, glancing through the window.

  “Hope everything’s okay.”

  “Me too.”

  Gabby carried the steaming hot dip to the coffee table, and I followed with the slices of bread and crackers just as the guys were coming back inside.

  “Everything okay?” Gabby asked.

  Jason nodded and Aaron’s eyes connected with mine. Something was definitely bothering Jason and if I could pick up on it so could Gabby.

  “Doesn’t seem like it,” she said softly, putting the tray down on the table.

  “Meh. Doesn’t matter. I don’t know what I was expecting anyway. I don’t want to ruin what we’ve got going on here,” he said, plastering a smile on his face.

  Aaron nodded and came by my side, whispering softly, “I saw you limping a little tonight. Don’t overdo it.”

  I nodded and smiled at him, placing a soft kiss on the crook of his neck.

  “Now, let’s dig in and hear your bright idea,” Jason said, scooping the dip on top of the cracker.

  “We are going to track down Lily’s first love,” Gabby said, curling into Jason.

  “Do you really think that’s a great idea?” Jason teased. “She hasn’t had the best track record.”

  “That’s exactly why we need to do this. He was her first love, and in her eyes, he was perfection. If we can get them to meet and fireworks go off, it will be absolutely amazing,” I gushed.

  “And if they meet and she can’t stand the toad he turned into then she can start living her life without always thinking about the what-ifs,” Gabby continued.

  Aaron and Jason started laughing in between bites.

  “Seriously. She was in love with him and it has colored everything,” I said, nibbling on a piece of the bread.

  “I guess we’re lucky we weren’t toads,” Jason said.

  “So where is this poor soul? Do you even know if he’s single?” Aaron asked.

  “He’s in Utah and I have no idea if he’s single, but we devised a plan that should work flawlessly as long as you guys follow our rules,” I said.

  “Really?” Aaron raised a brow. “And what are those?”

  “The first one is to be ready to go to Utah after the holidays. We’re making it a ski trip so Lily shouldn’t catch on.”

  “And the other rules?” Jason asked.

  “There’s only one,” Gabby replied.

  “And?” Jason said, the sparkle appearing in his eyes once more.

  “Never ask questions,” she said.

  “It will never be boring with you two, will it?” Aaron said, holding me tightly.

  “Not as long as I can help it,” I said.

  “Life’s too short not to make it interesting,” Gabby said. “Besides, we haven’t been on a vacation yet. We should make sure we’re compatible.”

  “And if we’re not?” Jason asked, a smirk appearing on his lips.

  Gabby just shrugged, smiling. “Beats me.”

  “A toast to Utah and a life never dull,” Aaron said, grinning as he grabbed his mug full of eggnog.

  “Utah it is,” I said, snuggling in to Aaron. “And to a life full of love.”

  If only Lily would agree.

  Hope you enjoyed the second book in the Beyond Love Series.

  Keep reading for Lily’s story in BEYOND REASON,!

  Would you like to receive exclusive FREE novellas and learn about Karice’s new releases? Sign up for her newsletter! Her subscribers have already received “A Very Merry Wedding” and “Something Borrowed” novellas so don't miss out!!

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  Also available in the Beyond Love Series:

  Beyond Reason (Book 3) Lily

  Beyond Intent (Book 4) Gabby

  Beyond Chance (Book 5) Brandy

  Beyond Promise (Book 6) Lily

  Beyond the Mistletoe (Book 7) Emily

  Finding Love (Mason's story in Island County)

  Recipes

  Thanksgiving Menu

  Sweet Potato Casserole

  3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

  2 tbl orange juice

  2 tsp vanilla extract

  1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

  1/2 tsp salt

  1/2 cup flour

  1 cup pecans

  3 lbs sweet potatoes, cubed

  6 tablespoons butter

  Preparations

  Preheat oven to 400°F.

  Mix 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon each of the cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat well. Pour into 9x13-inch baking dish and place 2 tablespoons chopped butter on top. Cover with foil and bake for thirty minutes.

  Remove from oven.

  Mix flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and remaining spices in bowl. Cut in remaining butter until course crumbs form. Stir in pecans and crumble on top of sweet potato dish and bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes more, until sweet potatoes are tender.

  Corn Pudding

  1-15.25 ounce can whole kernel corn or fiesta corn

  1 (15 ounce) can cream style corn

  1 8.5 ounce package dry cornbread mix

  1/2 cup butter, softened

  1 cup sour cream

  1/2 cup cheddar, shredded

  Preparations

  Preheat oven to 350°

  Grease a casserole dish. Mix together all ingredients and pour into casserole dish. Top with shredded cheddar and bake for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

  Herb and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

  3 lbs white potatoes (red potatoes work well too)

  ½ stick of butter