by Zoe York
Devon sat back on his heels, wiping his mouth with a hand.
Lily was trying to speak, pointing at the flames. Her chest was working hard to draw air. Ethan leaned over his wife. “Lil. Lilypad. It’s okay. You’re safe now. Just…slow it down. Small breaths. You’re in good hands. You’re with me. You’re safe.”
“Tanner trapped me. He started the fire,” Lily croaked, pulling the oxygen mask from her face, not even recognizing her hoarse voice. She watched in horror as flames stretched toward the sky. She would still have been in there if Ethan hadn’t saved her. Her throat felt scratchy, her world black with panic. Her lungs were screaming at the effort of drawing a breath.
Ethan had been sitting beside her on the back bumper of an ambulance, both of them wrapped in blankets and breathing through oxygen masks to ease the effects of smoke inhalation. Now he was up and moving.
Lily bent over as a dizzy spell racked her. With Ethan no longer at her side her ability to remain strong began to dissolve.
Her kitchen. It was gone. Everything gone. She’d lost it all. There’d been no contingency in their agreement for a fire.
She was shaking. Tanner had pushed her into the fridge. He’d locked her in and set the place ablaze.
Igor was still rubbing against her ankles, happy she was alive.
She glanced over as a flurry of activity caught her eye. Ethan was storming at a tall man, slamming him up against a brick wall in the alley, an arm against his throat. Tanner.
“You!” Ethan shouted. He was clearly livid, a stream of threats spewing forth as he held the helpless man against the wall.
“It was an accident! I only wanted to scare her!”
“You locked her in the fridge! In a burning building!”
“I went to get help, but I got scared. It spread so fast.”
“I don’t give a—” Ethan’s words gave way to curses. “She’s my wife!”
“She was mine first, and I warned you. I kept popping your shoddy locks to sneak in and turn off your precious fridge, stole your money—everything I could think of to interfere and give you the message to sell to me, to let me have her. But you didn’t take the hint. You didn’t accept any of my purchase offers, lowball or high. I knew she’d come back to you, but she’s mine! Mine!”
Lily stared in wonder as Ethan pulled back his fist to deck Tanner. But Devon was there, catching his brother’s arm just after he made contact with Tanner’s mouth. In a flash, Ginger’s husband, Logan, snagged the now bleeding Tanner, throwing him to the ground, pinning his hands behind his back while Scott Malone, the local officer, cuffed him.
Devon continued to hold Ethan back as Lily watched from her spot at the ambulance.
She didn’t know what to think, how to react.
“Hey, hon, let’s check you out.” It was Amy Carrick, one of the bartenders from the local pub, who also worked as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.
“Ethan…” Lily’s voice trailed off, unsure what she had to say about her husband defending her, about Tanner and his mixed-up head, which had cost her her dreams and almost her life.
She watched Devon push his brother back as he continued to try and press forward, land another punch. Ethan was no longer the wounded, broken man she’d known two months ago. He was everything.
Her everything.
Amy fussed over Lily and her blood-oxygen monitor while firefighters doused the flames in her burning building.
Ethan was walking toward Lily, his arms held out as though he was too puffed up with adrenaline to lower them back to his sides. He caught her eye and the transformation was immediate. His arms dropped; his angry scowl melted and a look of love replaced it.
Then worry and alarm overtook him as he strode toward her, his limp barely noticeable, he was moving so fast.
He brushed off Amy, who tried to place an oxygen mask on him again. He yanked Lily into his arms and she inhaled slowly, some of the restricted feeling in her chest easing off.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He clung to her, his face buried in the crook of her neck.
“I love you, too, Tagalong.”
The old nickname warmed her, made her feel bigger and more loved than she ever had in her life. She’d tag along anywhere he was going.
Ethan Mattson was the true prize, the thing she’d been looking for in kitchens around the world. And it had been right here in Blueberry Springs all along.
Love.
Belonging.
Ethan.
Ethan sat beside Lily on the ambulance’s metal step and watched her dream restaurant go up in flames. She’d wanted that ratty old place even though it wasn’t what he’d thought she needed. He had a lot to learn, a lot to not assume about her. Himself as well, if he was honest.
“You okay?” He flexed his fingers, still wanting to wrap them around Tanner’s throat. He hoped Scott would put the man behind bars forever and then some. Maybe let some larger inmates beat him up a few times for good measure.
Ethan still couldn’t believe how close he’d come to losing Lily. If he’d stayed talking to Mandy and Gramps for even one minute longer…
He didn’t want to think about it.
He pulled Lily against him once again, unable to let go, unable to get over the awful relief that was still terrorizing him with the fear of near loss.
She was watching the flames lick the dark night sky.
“It’s insured,” he said, his voice husky, slightly choked. His throat hurt from the smoke, but he knew it couldn’t be as bad as Lily’s.
“I don’t care about the restaurant,” she said, pulling the mask away from her face. She swallowed hard, tears falling from her eyes.
“We can talk later. You’ve been through a lot.”
“We’re going to take you to the hospital in a minute,” Amy Carrick, the EMT stated, packing up her supplies.
He held her close and rocked her slowly. To their right he could see members of the Mattson clan hustling toward them, their faces pale, their eyes wide. He gave them a reassuring nod and then waved them away, keeping them on the other side of the police barricade. The night had a chill to it, the fire contained within the restaurant, and he pulled Lily’s blanket up under her chin so she’d feel warm, safe and protected.
Like he hoped she always did when he was at her side.
Behind them, the police car rolled away with Tanner.
“I thought the restaurant was your dream,” Ethan said, his mind stumbling over her earlier words, about not caring about Benny’s. He smoothed the hair from her forehead and gave her a kiss.
“I thought the kitchen meant family and love.” She paused to cough and he resisted the urge to tell her to stop trying to talk. “But it means responsibility and making decisions that won’t always make people happy. You can’t be friends when you’re the boss, and I thought owning it would mean being a deeper part of it all.”
“And it doesn’t?”
“Not as much as being part of your family.”
“You’ll always be a part of the Mattson clan, Lil. No matter what you and I decide to do.”
She slipped her hand into his. “I want to be part of your family.”
He shifted so he could see her better. “What are you saying?”
“That I love you. As a husband. I want to be married to you for real. More than I want…” she gestured to the restaurant from under the blanket “…that.”
“Well, I can see why. Even I’m a cut above the smoking remains of a stagnant old restaurant.” He gave her a wry smile, trying to counter her seriousness, the pain etched in her face.
“Ethan…”
“I know, Lily. And I want you to know that I love you, too. I don’t want you to ever leave me. I want you to live in my house, sleep in my bed and make my remaining days the best I’ve ever had.”
Her eyes welled with tears.
“Because any day you’re in my life, Lily, those are the best ones for me. Always.”
E
pilogue
Ethan looked out over the Blackberry River falls and down at the town below. He’d made the climb, remembering all the quirks of the old trail he used to take with his family. The tree that forked halfway up its trunk due to a lightning strike; the large, dish-shaped boulder he and Devon used to fight over sitting on.
It had taken him well over an hour to make his way up the trail, but it was worth it. Not just because he got to enjoy his new inflammation-free joints, which felt so much better thanks to his no-dairy diet, strictly enforced by his wife, but also because he and Lily were having a commitment ceremony. It was a beautiful, sunny, crisp October morning and they were surrounded by people they loved, people who expected Ethan to lean on them whenever he needed to. Because they were family and that was what family did.
“How are you doing?” Lily asked, sliding a hand behind his back to hug him to her.
“Pretty good, thanks.” He kissed her forehead, thinking how lucky they were and how close they’d come to missing it all.
He hadn’t gone back to creating Dani’s site, but had been working with modeling agencies and their websites, growing his business, while Lily steadily expanded her catering clientele. They’d received an insurance payout for the restaurant even though it was arson—Tanner was serving time for that, as well as an attempted murder charge—and Lily had decided to rebuild. Not right away, but possibly in six months, once she had a better idea of what she wanted—and whether she even wanted her own restaurant.
“You look pretty,” he said, leaning closer to give her a kiss.
She’d made the hike in a flowing white sundress that looked very bride-like. He’d heard that Olivia had altered something for her, but hadn’t seen it until this morning, when they’d met at the trailhead. He hoped the ceremony and the party planned back in town would feel enough like a true wedding for her. She’d insisted this was all she wanted, but like any man smitten and head over heels at long last, he wanted to give her everything, from the moon and stars to the oceans and mountains.
“There she is.” Ethan called over his sister-in-law, Olivia. “You made my wife look ravishing.”
“She’s naturally beautiful,” Olivia said with a smile, giving Lily a hug.
“How are you feeling?” Lily asked.
“Much better. My sister was out visiting and cheering me up. She’ll be back soon to work on the cosmetic line I started.”
“I heard she’s taking over for you,” Ethan said.
“She is. She’ll launch the whole new line.”
“That’s pretty cool that she can go from modeling to in-depth product work like that.”
“Well, she’s the youngest in the family,” Olivia said with a laugh. “Anything is possible!”
“Hey!” Mandy said as she came over. “I resemble that comment.” She winked at Ethan and gave him a light punch in his biceps. “I’m glad you two are doing this.”
“Thanks, Fluff,” Ethan said, feeling a tad choked up.
“Oh, don’t give me that,” Mandy grumbled.
He smiled. The nickname worked every time.
“When was the last time I had a brownie?” he teased. “I think they’re fair payment to prevent me from using the old nickname.”
“When was the last time you babysat your nephew so I could bake?” his sister retorted. Axel was currently asleep in a sling attached to her, adorable and innocent.
“Touché.”
Mandy grinned.
“Family…” Olivia said to Lily with a shrug.
“I love it,” she replied, hugging Ethan’s arm.
People were gathering in the small clearing, just about ready for the ceremony. They began to head that way, but Olivia paused, looking uncertain. “Oh, and, uh…the old family friend who proposed to me?”
“Luke Cohen?” Lily prompted, having apparently heard the story—one Ethan knew nothing about, but would have to ask her to tell him later, by the sounds of it.
“I need a way to get him to Blueberry Springs.”
Lily’s eyebrows shot up. Oh, yeah. Definite story there.
“Why?” Ethan asked.
Lily said quietly, “Emma has a crush on him?”
Olivia nodded mischievously and Ethan figured that romantic set up looked like a giant bomb about to explode. Olivia’s ex-suitor with her sister. Oh, boy.
“Do I hear matchmaking happening?” called Ginger, hustling over. “Who are we setting up?”
“Luke and Emma,” the woman chimed together.
“Excellent. Let me know what I can do to be of assistance.” Ginger rubbed her hands together. She caught Ethan giving her a look and said, “What? It’s what I do. And might I just say you look lovely, Lily. Ethan, tell her how gorgeous she is.”
“You’re gorgeous,” Ethan said, loving how his wife gave him a bashful smile.
“Shall we?” Devon called, prompting the group to gather together.
Ethan held up a finger, requesting a moment as he made sure the camera he’d set up to film the ceremony onto a screen he’d left in Gramps’s room at the center was still online. The satellite was ready to stream and he nodded at Devon, who invited everyone to gather around.
“Ready?” Ethan asked Lily.
“Always.” She wrapped her arms around him, going in for a cheek kiss. But instead of flinching as he had months ago, Ethan angled his jaw, kissing her lips with a passion that promised so much more. Released from their pasts, they were ready for a new beginning. One of love, trust, and most of all, each other.
Thank you for reading A PINCH OF COMMITMENT. I hope you adored Lily and Ethan! Find out what happens next with a SECRET match-up between Luke and Emma who sneak off to get married! But what will these two do when their secret slips out…and things begin to feel very real between to two of them? Read on in THE WEDDING PLAN.
Click to start reading THE WEDDING PLAN now!
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Part XIV
Lemon Tarts & Stolen Hearts
by Dylann Crush
About This Book
When life gives you lemons...squeeze those suckers and make something sweet out of 'em!
* * *
I've only ever fallen head over heels for two things... my mama's homemade lemon tarts and my on-again-off-again boyfriend, Jake Duncan. The lemon tarts are easy to replicate. The feelings I've carried for Jake Duncan? Not so much.So I've decided it's high time we ought to rekindle our romance. Now Jake better get with the program or get out of town.
* * *
He's always had a thing for me, but I know I've hurt him in the past. Hopefully we'll be able to find our happily-ever-after before we tear down the tiny town of Swallow Springs, Missouri trying.
To the strong women in my family who have helped mold and shape me into the woman I am today…
Misty
I rolled the giant lemon around in my hands. It was the perfect degree of ripe for a batch of my mama’s lemon tarts. If only a heart could be tested for ripeness just as easy. I’d been back in Swallow Springs for two days now and still hadn’t mustered the courage to follow up on the reason I’d returned—Jake Duncan.
“Are you going to put it through the juicer or pulverize it with your bare hands?” Mama nudged her chin toward the lemon.
“Oh, sorry. Where’s that hand-held doohickey that grandma used to use?” I’d told Mama the little white lie that I’d taken some vacation time because it looked like I might get laid off from my job. I didn’t want to deal with the fallout yet of revealing the real reason I’d returned was to win back Jake’s heart. If she knew I’d only come back to rekindle a flame that had been snuffed out years ago, she’d send me back to Omaha faster than I could say “See you next time.”
“It’s in the drawer where it’s always been.” Mama tucked a package of tissues into her purse. “You sure you’ve got everything under control?”
“
Of course. I’m just whipping up a batch of lemon tarts. Then I’ll nose around town and see if anyone has any Help Wanted signs in the windows.” My parents had been happy to see me, but they weren’t terribly excited when I said I might move back to Swallow Springs. As far as they were concerned, job prospects up in Omaha seemed much more promising. I just wanted to prep them for the possibility of me moving back. If I couldn’t win Jake back if wouldn’t matter. I’d have no choice but to head back to Omaha and leave him in my past for good.
Mama pursed her lips and smoothed her hair back, tucking an errant strand into her bun. “I still don’t understand what made you decide to come back. Seemed like you couldn’t wait to get out of town when you and Jacob broke up.”
My heart skipped a beat. She was right about that. But that was back when the draw of the city seemed too hard to deny. When I thought of Jake as a backward country boy who had no sense of adventure. I’d tried to convince him to come with me, that we could strike out on our own and leave Swallow Springs behind.
But he’d wanted to stay in the tiny town in southern Missouri where he’d been born and raised. It had just about killed me to leave him behind, but at the time I felt like I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t get out of Swallow Springs I was sure I’d suffocate and wither away.
So I’d left and he’d stayed. As much as I loved my studio apartment and hard-won job, I’d been trying to move on for over a year. Every other part of me embraced my new life. Every part except my heart.
“Make sure you clean up after yourself.”
“I will. Go on and have fun.” I gave Mama a quick hug, eager to be left on my own.
“I’m going to a wake, sweetheart.”
