Always On My Mind: A Bad Boy Rancher Love Story (The Dawson Brothers Book 1)

by Ali Parker

  After drying off and throwing on some gym clothes, Drake texted Sicily, not receiving a reply, which left him nervous. He called Jake, but the phone went to voicemail.

  Kari was next on the roster. He thought about calling Lisa, but if Sicily was upset, Lisa would be a total bitch to deal with.

  "This is Kari."

  "Hey. It's Drake."

  "Hey. Where have you been? Sicily has been worried to death." Kari's tone wasn't much better than he had expected Lisa's to be.

  "I know. My brother needed me. I just need to find Sicily. Is she with you? She's not answering my calls."

  "She's at home, or was. I have the bakery today, so I'm up here to give her one more day off. She was headed to the gym sometime today. Leaving her to fly home alone was a dick move, Drake."

  "I know that. I didn't have a choice. I'll make it up to her. I promise."

  "You better. Jake talks about how good of a guy you are. I'd love to see that on a regular basis."

  Drake's shoulders stiffened with the truth that he hadn't been consistent at all as of late. Sicily probably didn't want anything to do with him. His life just didn't afford him the opportunity to be truthful, which forced him to look like a flake.

  "I'm working on it. I love Sicily. I just need to tell her sooner than later."

  "You love her?" Kari's voice softened a little.

  "Of course I do. I started falling in love with her about the time my boy scored the prettiest reporter in town."

  "You're pushing it." She laughed.

  "Save me a few of the best cupcakes. I want to surprise Sicily."

  "With her own cupcakes?"

  "Hell yeah. She might have made them, but no one bakes better than my girl."

  "I'll have them ready. Sweep her off her feet?"

  "That's the plan."

  Chapter 28

  Sicily pressed a cold rag to her face as she leaned over and studied herself in the mirror. Maybe Drake had left her in Chicago because he'd realized after losing his mother that his life was there. D needed him, which was obvious. Maybe having her and the gym wasn't enough?

  "Let it go. He said he would be back today. Stop unwinding every good thing that's happened between you. The man cares for you and was talking about houses and babies to his dying mom." Sicily moved back and turned in the mirror, comparing herself to Izzy and coming up lacking – severely.

  "I'm off to show a house. You sure you're okay?" Lisa poked her head into the bedroom and lifted her eyebrow at Sicily. "Get that cardigan off. You look great. Stop hiding behind your clothing."

  "Do you think people can change? Like really stave off their pasts and become entirely new people?" Sicily turned and pressed her butt against the counter.

  "God, I hope so. Otherwise Marc and I are in a world of trouble." Lisa smiled.

  "How so?"

  "We both would have chosen lust over love any day before meeting each other. Because of our love, we're totally different people. I would choose his love over the wildest night of hot sex anytime." Lisa shrugged.

  "So it's not about having the willpower to change, but really loving someone so much that you have no option but to change. That love forces you to become different."

  "Exactly. You’re unwilling to disappoint the person you love and it forces healthy change upon you."

  "Most of the time."

  "Right." Lisa walked into the room and ran her hand down the side of Sicily's hair. "You okay?"

  "Yeah. I think so. I just hope Drake comes back today."

  "Me too. I have this feeling deep inside of me that the two of you are supposed to be together." Lisa smiled. "Corny, I realize. Don't tell anyone I said that shit."

  "Mum's the word." Sicily smiled and picked up her phone, moving through all the messages from Drake. He had fucked up slipping out on her, but he had to have a good reason for it. How easy it would be to judge his actions without understanding more about him.

  Maybe that was the way to get around pre-judging people. She would work to get to know them better and to understand where they were coming from. It might not always work, but with her and Drake it would be a great tactic. No one else would ever understand him, because they wouldn't be allowed access to peek behind the curtain, but she would be.

  She texted him that she was headed to the gym. To meet her there.

  ***

  Sicily swung by the bakery before going to the gym to check on Kari. The pretty reporter was in a great mood and taking pictures of several cakes when Sicily walked in.

  "Oh. Hey. I didn't expect you. I thought you were going to the gym." Kari glanced up and moved her camera to rest on the counter beside her.

  "I am. I just wanted to stop by and see you. Thanks for being such a good friend." Sicily walked toward her and pulled her into a warm hug.

  "You bet. We're having dinner tonight, so get out of here and I'll meet you back there."

  "We are? Who's cooking?"

  "Um, the only chef in the house." Kari laughed. "You."

  "Too funny. You need me to pick something up from the store?" Sicily tugged the strap of her purse up farther on her shoulder.

  "Nope. Jake and I are going this afternoon after I close shut the shop. We'll meet you at home. If you see Drake, invite him to come."

  "I thought you didn't like him much."

  "I'm not sure I do, but I want to try and be open. I wouldn't have liked Jake much either if I hadn't put my need to judge him aside. Maybe Drake is the same." Kari leaned against the counter and let out a soft sigh. "Men."

  Sicily laughed. "Everyone deserves a chance or two. Where would we be without second chances?"

  "Not here." Kari smiled and nodded toward the door. "Get out of here. I got this. I'm going to run an ad in the paper next week highlighting some of my favorites in your shop."

  "Have you been eating my profits?" Sicily winked and turned, walking toward the door.

  "Just don't check the receipt book. Half this stuff is in my belly."

  "You're fired," Sicily called over her shoulder and walked out into the early afternoon. Leaves blew around her feet and she decided to jog to the gym instead of driving. It wasn't more than a mile and a half and though it had started to get cold, it was beautiful outside.

  She popped her trunk and deposited her bag into it before locking the car. She turned to jog up the long windy hill that led to Drake's business.

  The need to see him sat heavy on her. She missed just being around him and knew she would be willing to forgive almost anything. The sadness of him losing his mother probably blinded his actions, and something had come up with D. She could talk to him about how to better handle her the next time, but bitching at him for rushing out to help his brother wasn't happening.

  It would have been blissful to have Drake by her side as she buried her own mother, but she made it through the event alone. Tears burned her gaze as she thought about how much she missed her mom. A sense of warmth rushed across at the thought of her mom looking down from heaven and feeling pride where Sicily was concerned. She was healthy, happy, and successful. Now all she needed was her man beside her for the rest of her days, a few kids, and a big white house.

  She chuckled and picked up her jog to a run, wanting to work up a sweat by the time she made it to the gym.

  ***

  Her workout went quickly and Violet stopped by and chatted for a while. The other girl seemed amazed that Sicily had snagged Drake so fast.

  "We met six months ago, so I'm not sure fast is the right word." Sicily stepped off the treadmill and took the rag Violet extended to her.

  "Well, he's like a brother to all of us now, but we all tried for more with him when we first met him. He's just the full package deal, which is hard as hell to find in a small town like this."

  "I can imagine. I wasn't looking, to be honest. I figured I would focus on my business and eventually the right man would show up. He just arrived early." Sicily smiled and glanced behind her. "I think one of the things
I'm going to have to work on is not being jealous that he's around all these fit women all the time."

  "You're fit, Sicily." Violet leaned against the nearest machine to her. "You're beautiful and so what if you have more curves than you want. Men like curves. It’s something to remind them that you’re feminine and a soft place to land. You're perfect and Drake believes that completely. I've seen the way he looks at you."

  Heat rushed up Sicily's neck and coated her cheeks. "He makes me feel beautiful. I'm grateful for that."

  "Well, you are. I'm going to get back to the front. I’ll see you soon."

  Sicily nodded and picked up her keys, realizing that her damn phone was in her purse back at the car. She would jog back down and text Drake to let him know to just meet her back at the house. She waved at Violet and walked out to find him leaning against his bike.

  "Hey, sexy girl." He lifted a big strawberry cupcake to his lips and took a deep bite, mumbling around his mouthful. "There's only one thing sweeter than my girl’s cooking..."

  Sicily smiled and walked to him. "Don't be a pervert."

  "Her heart." He set the box on the bike and pulled her to him, leaning down and kissing her passionately. The delicious flavor of strawberries and sugar rolled over her tongue.

  She pulled back. "Damn. That is good. I haven't eaten any of my own stuff since I started feeling fat."

  "Well, you're missing out." He licked at his lips. "Hey. I'm sorry about yesterday morning. D needed me."

  "Everything okay?" Sicily slid her hands over his thick shoulders and looped her arms around his neck.

  "No. Someone gunned down Izzy's mother in an alleyway."

  "Mrs. Castaletta? Joe's wife?"

  "Yeah." Drake looked over at the cupcakes. "Forgive me?"

  "Of course, baby." She reached for the cupcake and took a small bite. "I never thought I would see the day when you would eat a sugary cupcake."

  "Speaking of." He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her, taking the cupcake and making quick work of it.

  A younger version of Drake was in the photo with Demetri. He was a good hundred pounds overweight and had pie covering his little fat face. The smile on his lips was worth a million dollars, though. Sicily teared up and glanced toward him.

  "Oh, my god. I love this."

  "I hated it for a long time. Everyone made fun of me when I was a kid, but it’s part of who I am, I guess. Being in the syndicate is part of me, too. I guess what I want more than anything is to have you accept me, regardless of the parts that make me up."

  "I do. Nothing is going to change how I feel about you." Sicily pressed herself against him and looked up as one of her tears dripped down her cheek.

  "Everyone has something, but who cares, right? I love you because you are you. Not because of your size or your baking or anything else. I love you because of your heart, and I don't think I would ever be able to love again if something happened to us."

  Sicily lifted to her toes and kissed him hard, opening her mouth and brushing her tongue deep into his as he sucked on her offering. His fingers tightened on her, the powerful pull of his grasp leaving her assured of one thing. She was his.

  He pulled back and licked at his mouth before giving her a cheeky grin. "There's only one thing I'll always judge you for."

  "What's that?"

  "Your cooking, woman. Too much sugar and butter in every fucking thing."

  "I like the things I stick in my mouth to be sticky and sweet." She giggled as his eyes widened.

  "That being said, I need you to bring home a vat of icing tonight. I have just the thing for you." He laughed deep in his chest and pulled her close. "Forever?"

  "Forever. I love you, too."

  Epilogue

  Six Weeks Later

  "Do we really need two cups of sugar in this pie? Can't we work on making our recipes a little healthier?" Drake glanced over at Sicily as they worked to wrap up their holiday baking. He had agreed to work the bakery with her from five in the morning to two in the afternoon, and then they would work at the gym together until the evening shift.

  It was a lot of time around each other, but he couldn't seem to get enough of her. He'd asked her to move in with him, but she wasn't ready for that just yet. After Christmas... that's what she had promised. It was almost Thanksgiving and he was counting down the days.

  "Yes, baby. Stop trying to jack with my recipes. Do you want me to go remove some of the bolts on your exercise machines?" She passed by him and swatted his ass – hard.

  He groaned and turned to go after her as she yelped and ran for the back of the store. "If you remove a bolt, you could kill someone."

  "If you don't add the sugar to a pecan pie, you can..."

  "Not kill someone." Drake caught up to her and lifted her to sit on the pastry counter. He pulled her close and moved in between her legs. "You're killing me with your teasing today. I'm going to devour you tonight. Make you quiver and beg for more of me."

  "You do that every night." She tugged at his T-shirt.

  He pulled it over his head and pressed her back, running his hand up the center of her stomach and over her chest. "When is your brother coming into town?"

  "Today. He should be at the airport at three."

  Drake glanced at the clock on the wall. "Good. We have time for a quickie."

  "Not here on the baking table. That's gross."

  "You're right." He leaned over, picking her up and walking to the office as he gripped her butt. He pressed her to the wall by the recipe file and forced her to wrap her legs around him. "Here."

  "Drake. You're corrupt."

  "No, baby. I'm yours."

  He leaned down and pressed a soft, wet kiss against her neck, wanting to lose himself in her.

  The sound of the bell ringing above the door caused him to growl. "What now?"

  Sicily slid down the front of him and smirked. "Go get your shirt and stop trying to seduce me in my shop."

  "Our shop." He reminded her and walked back to the pastry room as warmth rushed around him. Hope was his again. Not only the hope of having a new life and a new existence, but in finding love for the first time and the last.

  He swallowed his emotions and walked out into the bakery as Lisa, Marc, Kari, Jake, and Sicily turned. Stopping by the door, he took a shaky breath and realized that for the first time in his life, he wanted to be judged.

  Judged as a brother who would walk through hell to offer assistance.

  Judged as a friend who would never let any of them down.

  Judged as a man who loved his woman – forever.

  Judged as for who he could become, not who he had been.

  The End

  As a Final bonus I have included a Christmas Story from my Second Chance books...

  Second Chance Romance

  Christmas Box Set

  By

  Ali Parker

  Jaded Christmas

  A Holiday Novella

  Chapter 1

  Jake

  "It's freezing out here." Marc pulled his hands to his face as Jake glanced around at him.

  "It's not even that bad, yet." He smirked and glanced over at Drake. "You're quiet today. What's up, man?"

  "I lost my mom a month or so ago." He shrugged and averted his eyes toward the ground.

  Jake stopped and reached out to grab Drake's shoulder. "What? Your mom died?"

  "Yeah." He shrugged and pulled out of Jake's touch as Marc moved up beside them.

  "You better not be kidding, fucker." Marc crossed his arms over his chest, the playboy a few years younger than the others. "We're supposed to be having a good time, and you're gonna just casually throw out that you-"

  "Hey. Shut it," Jake barked at Marc. Drake wasn't kidding. The sadness that Jake had seen sitting on his friend over the last few weeks had been real. Something was off, but they all figured it was just him and Sicily trying to work through some of their differences, or maybe even some of the shit they'd been through
during late October when their relationship started.

  "It's all right." Drake turned to face them and slid his hands into his pockets. "She was a good woman. I just wish I'd spent more time with her, you know?"

  "Are you serious?" Marc's smirk faded off his face. The little shit would soon be Jake's brother-in-law and where most people would see him as a cocky frat boy, Jake knew a different guy. Sort of.

  "Yes, asshole." Drake turned a hard stare onto Marc. "Why is this so hard to believe that I lost my mom? People die all the time."

  Marc lifted his hands in the air. "No, I get it. I'm just suffering a little bit of shock here. This happened a month ago and we're just hearing about it."

  "He's a private person, Marc. You know this." Jake glanced over and gave the guy another warning look.

  "I know, but man... we're here for you. We're going to be in your life for a long fucking time if you're planning on shacking up with Sis. She's like a sister to my sister. You gotta stop carrying shit on your own. Jeez." Marc lifted his hands, brushing them over the top of his hair as his eyes widened.

  "I'm sorry for your loss, man. It's a horrible time to lose someone." Jake reached out again and gripped Drake's shoulder tightly. "We're both here for you."

  He nodded and turned, walking toward the cluster of Christmas trees that sat in the distance. "I'm good. Just thought I should tell you guys before Sicily told Kari and Lisa and it got out."

  Jake glanced toward Marc, who had paled visibly as Drake walked off. "You know Sicily's mother died in January. It's going to be a tough Christmas for them."

  Marc shook his head and they started toward the trees. "Or maybe it will draw them in closer. You know sometimes tragedy fortifies relationships."

  Jake chuckled. "Where did that shit come from?"