“Chels, can I ask you a question without a sarcastic response?” I dropped my hand from the doorknob and turned to face her. “Do you think I’m cut out to run the business?”
Her eyes widened so much she took a step back. “Why wouldn’t you be?”
I shrugged.
“Seriously, Aaron. Where’d this come from?”
“I don’t know. Really. It just sort of popped into my head.” I sat on the swing, the cold wood quickly chilling my ass. Chelsea sat beside me.
“You’ve always known you’re going to take over when Dad retires. What changed?” She pushed against the railing, setting the swing in motion.
My breath froze in front of me. I loved winter. The chill in the air, a fire in the hearth, and a peace in our existence. My thoughts flicked to Mallory, but this really started before I met her. It started when Trish dumped me. “Me, I guess. I mean, when Trish and I broke up, I started questioning everything.”
“Ah,” she said with knowledge I clearly didn’t possess.
“Ah what?”
“You know Dad doesn’t expect you to take over the minute your baseball career is over, right?” Chelsea pushed off the railing again to keep the swing moving steady.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“What do you want?”
A small laugh escaped my lips, and I shrugged again. “I wish I knew.”
Chelsea draped her arm over my shoulder. She didn’t say another word, just kept us swinging.
“Thought you were giving Trish a ride home.” Flour dotted my mother’s face and arms. I leaned in and kissed the one clean spot on her cheek. “Why didn’t you bring her on by?”
“Mom, Trish and I are over. Just because I let her sit in my truck for two hours doesn’t mean we’re going to make up, get engaged, and start planning our lives together.”
Mom actually snorted. “Sow your oats, Aaron. That’s what you Betts men do, but you’ll end up with Trish. Mark my words, that’s the girl for you, for this family. Not some city trash you feel the need to play with.”
“You don’t even know her,” I said, stunned by Mom’s hateful words.
“I don’t need to know her. I know her type. She finds a way to get in between a happy couple and tears them apart—”
“Mom, listen to yourself. I’ve told you Trish broke up with me. The night before I blew out my knee playing soccer, she told me it was over. It wasn’t until after I had knee surgery that I met Mallory. After, Mom.” My anger rose in my throat, and I swallowed to push it back down. “And she didn’t even let me kiss her until a few weeks ago. Does that sound like the kind of girl you described? No, because Mallory’s nothing like that. And you better be nice to her when she gets here.”
Mom didn’t say anything for a long time. She stayed quiet as her fingers curled into the dough. “If that’s how you feel—”
“That’s how it is.”
“I wish I knew what got into you,” she muttered. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I’m not Dad. Trish and I…we aren’t you guys. I know you want me to be happy. And, right now, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. Stop trying to run our lives, Mom. Chelsea and I know what we want. And I’m sorry if it’s not what you want for us, but our dreams are our own.” I thought I’d go in for the kill shot. “And I’ll drive Chelsea to New York if that’s what it takes to get her there. Just so you know.”
“Leave your sister out of this.” Mom spun around and pointed at me. “She’s not going to New York. She can go to Westland like you, or Iowa State, but not New York.”
I shook my head and walked out of the kitchen. Dragging Chelsea into it was dirty play on my part. Dad had already told her he would send the check to secure her spot. Mom didn’t know yet, but it wasn’t my place to bring it up. I went up to my room, feeling for the first time in my life that I didn’t belong in this house anymore.
I was lost. Every day, I’d look around the farm or even the shop and not recognize anything. Nothing had changed. The trees hadn’t changed. The fields were plowed under for winter. The counter and garage hadn’t moved. In all of my twenty-one years, everything was the same as always. But it felt wrong.
Chelsea snuck into my room on the night before Christmas Eve with two sodas and a bowl of popcorn with M&M’s already mixed in. Our aunt had been pregnant with our little cousin when I was ten and Chels was six, and she craved microwave popcorn with M&M’s. It sounded disgusting, but it wasn’t. Chelsea and I made it a tradition. Whenever one of us was down in the dumps, the other would bring in a bowl of the concoction and we’d talk it out. We had one rule: no lies, no matter if the truth might hurt the other person.
“Spill,” Chelsea ordered. She tucked her legs under my comforter and set the dish between us.
“Everything’s different.” I dug into the bowl and shoved a handful of the mix into my mouth. The butter, salt, and chocolate tasted like a piece of heaven. I finished chewing and swallowed half the bottle of soda before going on. “I don’t know, sis. I just feel off for some reason.”
“Is it because of this girl?”
I wanted to get pissed, but it would break the rules. “No. I mean, she’s got a lot to do with some things, but not this.” I took another handful and slowly popped a piece at a time. “I know you hated Trish—”
“Oh, yeah.”
“—but I knew what was expected of me. I had a plan. Get drafted, go pro, marriage, family, World Series ring, retire, take over the business. I guess when she dumped me—”
“Thank God.”
“—everything started to unravel.” I glanced at her, but she wasn’t looking my way. Chelsea stared at the map of the world on my wall. “Then I met Mallory, and she turned my life upside down and sideways.”
A smile filled my sister’s face, and she pointed at the poster. “Remember when I’d get scared during the bad storms and hide in here with you? You used to tell me all the places we were going to go on that map.”
“Yeah, I remember. Why?” Those were some of my best memories. Chelsea and I would fight like any other brother and sister, but we were always there for each other when it mattered.
“Why can’t we?” She turned, an excitement lighting her face. “Who says we have to stay in Iowa? Aaron, you’re free from that image you’ve created about your future. That’s what’s changed. You don’t have that anchor anymore. Now you can have the life you want and not the one that’s been expected of you for so long. Let go of the fake dream and embrace the real one.”
I started to shake my head, then I realized she might be right. Maybe the reason everything felt different wasn’t because I was different but my image of the future was. I closed my eyes and pictured the future I’d daydreamed about for months. Me and Mallory on a beach. Me and Mallory at an art museum. In Paris. In London. Getting married. Mallory in the stands with our kids watching me rob a homer. Mallory grading papers in our dining room while I play with the kids. Me coaching a team somewhere. None of it included Betts Family Farm and Implement. It didn’t necessarily include Iowa. We could go anywhere.
Everything I really wanted included Mallory. Those words filled my mind. I knew I liked her. I knew I wanted to get to know everything about her. Fuck if I knew that I had already fallen in love with her. Admitting it to myself was like opening Al Capone’s safe. It left me empty. I’d held on to hope that she would love me back, that she would be the first to admit it and then I could allow myself to feel this way. But it was too late. I couldn’t stop it now that I’d said it in my head.
I loved her.
“What?” Chelsea cocked her head to the side.
“What?”
The smile that grew across her face was knowing and full of laughter. “I think you just said Mallory.”
“Yeah, I bet I did.” My cheeks warmed. Damn, when was the last time I blushed like a schoolgirl?
Chelsea shoved my arm. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“She’s terrified of
you.” I threw a kernel at her head.
“Me? I’m the best in the Midwest.” She tossed a popcorn kernel back at me, smacking me square in the forehead. “But I’ll run interference with Mom. I do kinda owe you after you told her you’d drive me to New York.”
“You heard that, huh?”
“Yep. And that’s why you’re the best brother I could ever have.”
Chelsea left me with nothing but unpopped kernels and a realization. She’d given me the best Christmas present in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I parked in front of Mallory’s house at eight in the morning. That was when it hit me this might not be a good idea. I’d left at five, stopping for an extended breakfast outside of town. Mom always got up at six alongside Dad who would feed the animals before leaving for work. This morning would be different, but not by much. Instead of heading for work, Dad would be doing whatever it took to stay out of Mom’s way. I smiled to myself. Normally, I’d be hiding with him in the basement. With both sets of grandparents set to arrive today, Mom was always hell-bent to make sure her spotless house was also sparkling.
This year would be different.
I stared at the front door, hope deflating in my chest. Finals, along with her job at the bookstore and my packing for break, had kept us apart since the near disaster at O’Malley’s. We exchanged text messages, but Mallory’s schedule at the bookstore went full time the minute the semester ended. Add Christmas into the mix and she was damn near impossible to reach. Fortunately, the bookstore closed Christmas Eve and reopened after New Year’s. Steeling my nerves, I climbed out of the truck and strode up to her door. I wasn’t this nervous in the bottom of the fourth inning during last year’s championship game when we were already down by six runs and the bases were loaded with two outs. That moment had felt like a turning point before I hit the slam. That was easier than knocking on Mallory’s door.
It took a few minutes before she answered wearing flannel bottoms and a tank. Her hands warmed around a steaming coffee mug. I wanted to throw her against the wall and kiss her in a way she’d never want anyone else to kiss her ever again.
“Hey,” I said.
“Aaron? What’re you doing here so early?” A breeze skirted around me and lifted her wild hair. She shivered and stepped away from the open door, motioning me inside. Mickey strolled up to us, swatting my leg with his tail before heading into the living room and curling up in his bed by the heat vent.
“I…” My mind froze when I noticed her living room. No Christmas decorations. No tree. Nothing but the wreath on the front door to even indicate a holiday. I stared at her, a new idea smacking the back of my head. “Don’t you celebrate Christmas?”
Mallory shrugged and shuffled into the kitchen in a pair of bunny slippers. If it wasn’t for the sad atmosphere, I would’ve found them endearing. She kept her back to me, but her shoulders sagged.
“Mallory?” I hurried into the kitchen, reaching for her. My hands fell to my sides before I touched her. Fuck it. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her against me.
Mallory turned and buried her face in my shoulder. “Not really. I…”
I kissed the top of her head. A crack showed in her steely resolve.
“Christmas is hard.” Her raw voice tore at me. “After… So, I…just don’t.” She exhaled sharply. “Mom loved Christmas. She’d go all out on decorations and the tree. We’d have so many cookies, we’d give them to our neighbors.”
There wasn’t anything I could say. I wanted to kick myself for not thinking this out. Here I had expected Mallory to be happily sitting alone in her living room, waiting for me to take her home. It hadn’t occurred to me that she would be miserable. That she didn’t celebrate Christmas at all.
Mallory pushed away from me. “I’m sorry. I… You never answered my question. What’re you doing here so early?”
I kissed her forehead. “I thought we…I just thought we could spend some quiet time together before we left. We’ve seen each other for five minutes in the last few days.”
Her mouth froze in an “oh.”
“I didn’t think…you might not want to spend Christmas with me. That you weren’t much of a holiday person.” My chin hit my chest. “I didn’t want you to be alone on Christmas. I wanted you to be with me. So, if this is too weird…”
I felt her before she touched me. Her hands slid up my chest and moved around my neck. My body melted as her lips brushed over mine. I tightened my arms around her waist, pulling her as close to me as I could. The chaste kiss turned hungry. She opened her mouth, her tongue darting into mine. I pulled away, letting my arm loosen around her waist. She stared at me, wide-eyed with need. She took my hand again and walked toward the stairs in the back of the house, pulling me up each step to the loft bedroom.
My gaze traveled around the small room. It was simple with a queen bed, a dresser, and more books than I could count stacked along the walls. My thumb caressed the palm of her hand. Finally, she turned around to face me. She stared into my eyes; no words were necessary to convey her determination. Her hand fell from mine. As much as I wanted to reach out and take it again, I didn’t. Mallory was in control of what happened next. I wasn’t going to push her into doing something she didn’t want.
I waited, my gaze traveling her body. She closed the distance between us. Her hands slid up my chest, under my jacket. Slowly, she pushed the leather from my shoulders until it fell to the floor. Her hands retraced their steps, stopping at the first button on my shirt. One by one, her fingers opened a button. My breathing was out of control. It was taking a supreme amount of resistance to not grab her.
My shirt was opened, exposing my chest. She ran a finger from the center all the way down to my waistband. I let my head fall back. Ecstasy was an understatement. She slid my shirt off in the same manner as the jacket. Then her touch left me.
I glanced down at her, waiting for the next move. She stared up at me before reaching again. She pulled my head toward hers. I kissed her as if she might break under the pressure. My hands found her hips, my thumbs dug under her shirt, touching the softest skin God ever created. She moaned into my mouth. Slowly, my hands traveled higher, lifting the delicate cotton off her skin. She shivered beneath my touch.
Passion overtook me. I needed Mallory like I needed air. Screw patience. I pulled her shirt over her head, our lips breaking contact only long enough for the shirt to pass between us. The feel of her skin against mine, the scent of her excitement. My hands moved back to her hips, and I lifted her toward me. She responded by wrapping her legs around my waist. Turning, I pressed her against the wall. My lips moved down her neck, tasting every inch of her. Her moans grew louder as I kissed the skin above her breast. With one hand on her perfect ass, I reached her bra, tugging the cup down to free her, taking her into my mouth.
“Aaron,” she breathed. Her nails dug into the skin of my shoulder.
“You’re so soft,” I whispered. My fingers glided over her skin, around her back, and unhooked her simple white bra. My mouth grazed across her chest, taking her other breast into my mouth. God, she tasted good. “So beautiful.”
Her legs tightened around me. She grabbed my face, bringing our lips crashing back together. Using her shoulders, she pushed us off the wall. I took two steps back, my knees buckling as soon as they hit the bed. We fell back onto the mattress. Mallory straddled me, dragging her lips away from mine and down my chest.
Nothing had ever felt like this. Nothing had felt this right.
Her kisses were torturous, slow. She moved down my body, exploring each inch of it. Her fingers found the zipper of my jeans. My dick was pressed so hard against it that I thought I would explode the minute her skin hit mine. She lowered the zipper and unhooked the button. Her hand yanked my boxer briefs down as if she could no longer wait to see me completely.
Then I was in her mouth.
Her tongue circled me as she took me farther inside.
“Mallory,
” I moaned. “Oh God, Mallory, please.”
She raked her teeth along my shaft, making me shudder.
I couldn’t take it anymore. Reaching for her, I pulled her toward me by the shoulders, flipping her onto her back. Two could play the torture game. I took her hands, pushing them above her head and grasping them with my fingers. Leaning away from her, I stared into her eyes. The heat, the desire that I saw reflected my own.
But I had to tell her something before we went further. “I love you, Mallory. More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life.”
I leaned down, kissing her before she could respond. With my free hand, I skimmed over her skin until I found the elastic waist of her flannel pants. My fingers slid underneath, slowly, waiting for her to tell me to stop. She didn’t. I pushed her panties to the side, my fingers exploring her until slipping one inside. She was so wet, so soft, so ready for me. God, I wanted to be inside her, to feel her skin against mine. She struggled against the hand that held her wrists. I let go. She dug her fingers into my hair, pulling me closer still.
Mallory moaned and shuddered. She tightened, and I wanted nothing more than her pleasure to explode around me. She moaned my name as she went over the edge. It was like having heaven open before me. When her body calmed, I slipped off her pants. Kneeling back on my heels, I memorized every freckle on her body.
She stared back for a moment before sitting up and tugging my jeans and boxers off my hips. With a smile, she pulled my wallet out of the back of my jeans and found the ever-present condom. Her hands slid over my dick. I could fuck a thousand women, and nothing would ever be as good as the feeling of this girl’s hands around my cock. She tore the foil open with her teeth and rolled the rubber over me.
I bent down to kiss her. Our lips met, and I worshiped them. She pulled me down on top of her, lifting her hips and wrapping her legs around my waist. I slipped into her and stilled when she gasped. This was so right. So perfect.
Full Count (Westland University) Page 19
