by R. C. Martin
I’m now licensed to be a substitute teacher. What I love about this opportunity is that it allows me to do both—teach and bake. It’ll most certainly be different than what I’m used to, but it’ll give me the chance to hang out with kids every once and a while. Plus, as the rest of the school year plays out, if I decide I want to go back to teaching full-time, I’ll have a little more experience under my belt for the fall. For now, I’m just excited to help out where I can—in the kitchen and the classroom.
My first class will be tomorrow. I’m subbing for a group of second graders. Currently, I’m trying to find my box of old books. I know that I’ll have to follow the regular teacher’s lesson plans, but I’ve decided for twenty minutes I’m going to expose them to my own little tradition. I’m going to read to them.
That is, if I can find my damn books!
I perk up when I hear the front door open and close. Brandon has been out running errands for a couple hours. Now that he’s home, we’re definitely going to tackle this box issue we have.
“Babe!” I call from where I sit. “Babe!”
“What’s up?” he calls in response. I don’t move, knowing he’ll come to me. I smile at him when he pops his head into the room. “What is it, Sunshine?”
“You see this?” I ask, waving my hands around. “It’s a problem. We need to finish unpacking.”
“We will,” he says with a nonchalant shrug.
“I mean right now,” I say with a laugh. “I’m trying to find my kid books and it’s impossible.”
“Alright. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll help you find your books tonight and we’ll make it a point to be unpacked by Friday.”
I look about the room, wondering if I can go another five days living like this.
I suppose if we just closed the door…
“Deal,” I agree as I stand. “So—in the box—”
“Wait—we’re not going to look for books right now.”
“What? But you just said—”
“Tonight. I said I’d help you look for books tonight. I’ve still got six hours before tonight is over. Right now, I need you to come with me.”
“Brandon—”
“Baby, I promise, you want to come with me.”
I fold my arms across my chest and look at him suspiciously. “Where are we going?”
“Little Bird. No more questions. Come on.”
“But, they just closed. Why—”
I stop short as he comes into the room, heading straight for me. He doesn’t stop until his lips are pressed firmly against mine. When I start to pull away, he slips his fingers into my hair and cradles my head, keeping me close. My lips curl up into a smile against his before they’re parted with his tongue. As soon as he deepens the kiss, I’m his.
This is why there are still boxes left to unpack.
When he pulls away from me, I’m breathless. “No more questions,” he mutters before kissing me once more. “Grab your coat. Let’s go.”
I obey without further argument.
I can tell she’s dying to know what I’m up to. Every time I look over in the passenger seat, I catch her gnawing on her lower lip. I gently ease it free with a knowing smirk and she scowls at me playfully before asking why she can’t ask any questions. Of course my response is, that’s another question.
It’s hard to believe that it’s only been six months since Sarah and I started seeing each other. I feel like I’ve known her for much longer—loved her for much longer. She’s my whole world. I’ll never forget the day she stole my heart and tucked it into her pocket. I think about it every time I find her curled up in a corner reading on her Kindle.
I still maintain that she’s so much more than I ever dreamed I’d find. She’s truly taught me what it means to be a best friend. She’s constantly reminding me what it means to be generous, compassionate, faithful, honest and sincere. She inspires me to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be—because that’s the sort of man that deserves her. I’ll never be perfect, and neither will she, but as long as we continue to love each other as best as we know how, our life together will be one that ought to be remembered.
Who will remember it?
A smile tugs at my lips as I think about everything that I want our future to consist of—and the children I want to fill it with. I never really thought about having kids until Sarah. It seems like a crime to have a woman so completely gorgeous and deprive the world of her offspring. Not to mention her fondness for kids. She’s going to be an incredible mother one day. I only hope that I can be half as good a father as my own dad was.
“What are you smiling about over there?” she asks, reaching over to squeeze my knee.
“Again with the questions,” I tease. She groans just as I find a parking space and turn off the car. “Come on, sweet girl.”
Despite her mild irritation at my insistence on keeping secrets, she clings to me as we make our way into the shop. With the sun all but forgotten, it’s frigid, to say the least. I certainly don’t mind. Anything that keeps my sweet girl in my arms is alright with me.
“So, at what point am I allowed to start asking questions again?” she asks as I lock us inside of Little Bird.
I grin at her before I take her hand and lead her to the kitchen. “Now.”
“Finally! Okay—what are we doing here?”
“We’re celebrating,” I answer, flicking on the lights.
“Celebrating what?”
“Your first day back in a classroom,” I say, giving her hand a squeeze before I let her go.
“Oh. Babe…” When she smiles at me, I think about what I’m about to do and my stomach fills with butterflies.
Yup. Butterflies. She still gives me fucking butterflies.
I help her out of her coat and shrug out of mine before I grab both of our aprons.
“Tonight, I’m going to teach you how to make my blueberry crumble muffins.” Her mouth falls open and her eyes grow wide with excitement. I chuckle as I trace a finger along the side of her cheek. She’s too damn cute. “You up for it?”
“Are you kidding!? Ohmygosh, Brandon! This is, like, the best gift ever!” She springs at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I catch her just as her lips find mine. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“I want to share everything with you,” I murmur, touching my nose to hers.
“Me, too.”
“Alright.” I tap her ass, signaling for her to let me go. “Let’s get started.”
“Yes!” She steps away from me and immediately goes to grab the recipe book. It’s been a while since she’s used it, as she’s got most of my pastries memorized, and I feel nostalgic watching her flip through it.
“It’s in there, but we won’t be using the recipe. The instructions are in here,” I tell her, knocking my fist against my chest. “This is a recipe you feel.”
“Oh, okay.” She claps her hands together and grins at me.
I have every intention of making a batch of muffins tonight. I know how long she’s wanted to try and create her favorite Brandon’s Bakery creation—but first, I’ve got something else to take care of.
“How about you get the blueberries out of the fridge and give them a good rinse,” I instruct, handing her the colander. “I’ll get all the dry ingredients that you’ll need.”
She wastes not a second before she heads to the fridge and pulls out the plastic container full of berries. I grab the sugar and the flour as she begins to empty the contents of the container into the slotted bowl. I’m standing right next to her when she discovers what I’ve hidden inside. I hear her soft gasp and watch as she digs the small, velvet box from out of the blueberries. It takes her a moment before she turns to look at me.
“Brandon?” she whispers.
I’d planned on getting down on one knee, but now that the moment is here, I can’t stand the thought of being that far away from her. Instead, I close the distance between us and reach for her chin, tilting her head up s
o that I can stare directly into her perfect blue eyes.
“Sarah,” I murmur, “This, us, it’s ours, sweet girl. Yours and mine.”
“Always,” she breathes with a nod.
“Always,” I repeat with a smirk. “Everything I have, everything I am—it’s yours. Except one thing. Marry me, Sarah. Take my name. It’s all I have left to give.”
She grins at me as her eyes flood with tears.“Yes! Yes, of course!”
“I was hoping you’d say that. It’s why I got the ring. Open it.”
She inhales deeply and exhales slowly before she flips open the lid. I study her expression as she studies the solitaire diamond that rests in the middle of two infinity twists on the white gold band.
“Brandon…” She’s trembling, tears rushing down her cheeks, when she hands me the box and holds out her left hand. I slip the ring onto her finger and then reach for her face. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect. I love it!”
“I love you,” I declare before pressing my lips to hers.
She wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her body against mine as if she can’t get close enough. “I love you—too,” she mutters, her mouth still begging for mine.
Then there are no words—only this kiss, this moment, and the promise of a future spent with my sweet girl. My Sunshine. My always.
Intermission
Turns out, Sage and Millie have their own story to tell…
Look for the first installment of the Mountains & Men series January 2016!
Prologue
Sage
I see the demons in your eyes and I want to dance
Can’t stop the beat I hear from one haunted glance
Take my hand, baby, don’t let go
I’ll set you free, baby, won’t let go
All night/One song
This room/My home
I’ll set you free, baby, don’t let go
Tonight/Just give me tonight
I don’t believe in love at first sight. Love is messy. It’s complicated. It’s fucking crazy. How can you tell, with just one look, that you’re staring at someone you love? How can you guess, in just one moment, that you’ll go through shit and back just to make her smile? Can you seriously guarantee, without even knowing her name, that you’re ready to take on her demons? In an instant, are you brave enough to give her yours?
I don’t believe in love at first sight. When I saw Millicent for the first time, I wasn’t thinking about forever. I remember thinking how gorgeous she was. She looked so fucking hot in that short skirt with those long-ass legs. Then I took one look into her dark green eyes and I felt it—felt her music. She barely smiled as we were introduced, so cool and seemingly unimpressed. That’s when I knew I had to have her. For just one night, I wanted to feel her burdens, her pain, her heart; I wanted to get lost in the notes of her melody and I wanted her to shatter as she screamed my name.
I should have known better; should have known that one night was never going to be enough. I felt her music and it permeated through my soul. The second I walked away from her, I couldn’t deny that she had left a mark. In an instant, lyrics were pouring into my head. I pulled out my phone without hesitation, recording myself singing the words, the melody coming to me as effortlessly as if it were my next breath.
I finished the phrase, believing that the words could be true. I pocketed the promise of a new song, thinking of how I could get my temporary muse alone and naked. She deserved a damn fine fuck for serving as my inspiration. Little did I know that she was anything but temporary; that one night would never be enough. She was worthy of more than a moment, more than a song.
Millicent Valentine was, and will always be, encore worthy.
Also by R.C. Martin
Made for Love Series
The Promises We Keep
Reckless Surrender
The O’Conners: A Made for Love Novella
Mountains & Men Series
Encore Worthy (Coming January 2016)
First, thanks to anyone in my small little world who puts up with me while I’m in writer mode! It’s incredibly important to me that I get these characters out of my head and on paper. Your support through the process is wildly (albeit quietly) appreciated.
Big shout out to my beta readers. You are few, but you each play a unique role in my writing journey and I am incredibly blessed to have you all! You are my friends, first and foremost, and I’m so grateful to have you in my life.
To the lovely Cassy, thank you for my cover and for being so patient with me as I had you tweak it until it looked just the way I wanted!
Stacey, you were this baby’s last stop before I released her into the world. Thank you for making So Much More beautifully presentable!
And to YOU—my readers—I couldn’t keep doing this without you. My gratitude for you is bottomless. Thank you for picking up my books, for giving me a chance, for loving my characters, and for offering me just one more reason to keep writing.
R.C. Martin finds it a bit awkward referring to herself in the third person, so she's only going to do it for this one sentence. (We all know who's writing this bio anyway!)
I'm a born and bred Coloradan. I will always claim that square state as my home! While I now reside in Virginia, the land of the Rocky Mountains is where I've left a piece of my heart and where my characters come to life. I'm a woman in love with love and filled to the brim with compassion for women like me, on a journey to find themselves in today's society. I aspire to inspire my readers to do more than settle. I hope that my writing will remind everyone that she (or he!) is valuable and worthy of the best kind of love--the kind that is gentle, patient, faithful, passionate, all consuming, never ending, and leaves you breathless.
When I'm not writing I'm reading; when I'm not reading I'm writing...you know how it goes! I also enjoy cooking, baking, crocheting, and jigsaw puzzles. Basically, I'm an old soul with a young heart, nonchalantly waiting for my prince to come.
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