Second Chance In Stonecreek

by Michelle Major

  Griffin knew what it was like to love someone with your whole heart and not have those feelings reciprocated. It embarrassed him that his dysfunctional relationship with his dad had left him so deeply scarred, but that was the truth of it. And it was why he’d always kept his emotions so closely guarded.

  Maggie had managed to work her way through every layer of his defenses until she filled a place in his soul he hadn’t even known was empty.

  He stood and moved toward the staircase, running a hand through his hair. He could make this work. She was worth making this work. Now he saw that his reaction to the fire and her sister’s involvement had been a defense mechanism, an excuse to push her away because she’d been getting too close.

  What a damn coward he was.

  No more.

  He retrieved a wine opener and took the steps to the second floor two at a time. Maggie whirled around and clasped a hand to her chest as he burst into the room.

  “You scared me,” she said with a breathy laugh. “You must be even hungrier than I am.”

  “I love you,” he blurted.

  Her mouth fell open, then snapped shut. She stared at him, as if trying to process his declaration.

  “Sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to shock you.”

  She frowned. “Sorry you love me?”

  “Not for a minute,” he answered. “Falling in love with you is the smartest thing I’ve done in ages, even if it wasn’t on purpose.”

  She huffed out a laugh and placed the napkins she held on the table. “You didn’t want to fall in love?” She moved toward him.

  “I didn’t plan on it.”

  “Me neither,” she admitted softly, placing her hands on his shoulders.

  “But...”

  “I love you so much,” she whispered, and the happiness that rocketed through him almost drove him to his knees with its power.

  He bent his head and brushed his lips over hers, and it felt like kissing her for the first time. “I love you,” he said against her mouth.

  “I wasn’t sure,” she admitted, “I was afraid I’d ruined things by saying it too soon.”

  “Never be afraid to tell me how you feel.” He tucked her hair behind her ears, dropping kisses on her nose and then on each of her eyelids. He wanted to kiss her everywhere, to lay her out and worship every beautiful inch of her.

  Then her stomach growled.

  “Priorities,” he said with a grin.

  “Yeah,” she agreed, making a face. “I wasn’t joking when I said I was hungry.”

  He stepped back and pulled the corkscrew from where he’d stashed it in his back pocket. “Then let’s eat and drink.”

  “Should I put on my new outfit first?” Maggie asked, eyeing the bag of clothes.

  “I’d prefer if you didn’t,” he answered. “It will only mean I have to undress you again after dinner.”

  “The robe is so comfy.” She turned to the small table where she’d set out the cartons of food and the paper plates the restaurant had given him.

  “What were you watching?” he asked as he uncorked the wine.

  “HGTV. It’s my favorite thing.”

  He laughed. “You like remodeling shows? If I’d known, I would have put you to work on the tasting room.”

  “I like watching,” she clarified. “Not necessarily doing.” She glanced at the television. “Lucas and Megan from Fix My Flip are my favorites. He’s the contractor and she does interior design. They help people with horror-story flipped houses make them better. At first they were just business partners but got engaged in the season finale. It’s so romantic.”

  “That’s a thing?” he asked, shaking his head. “Not much about construction is romantic in my experience.”

  “Have you ever gotten busy with a girl in one of your unfinished projects?”

  The wine cork popped out at that moment and Griffin almost dropped the bottle onto the floor. “Um...no,” he said with a laugh.

  She dished out portions of chicken parmesan and Caesar salad to each of them. “What about in the rows of grapes?”

  “Maggie Spencer,” he said with mock shock, “do you have some sort of sex-in-public-places fantasy?”

  “Maybe,” she said, winking.

  “Eat fast,” he told her, pouring the wine. “Just imagining you naked in the vineyard is driving me wild.”

  “Good to know,” she told him. “I’m thinking of an early Christmas present involving a bow and a trench coat.”

  “Already the best gift ever,” he murmured, making her laugh once again.

  He loved the sound of her laughter and the fact that he was the one who made her happy. He unmuted the TV so they could watch Fix My Flip while they ate.

  There truly were no words to describe the perfection of this getaway. It was more than the physical connection they shared. Sitting in a hotel room watching some random remodeling show with Maggie was more exciting than anything he’d done in years. He had a close set of buddies from the army and other friends he’d made during his career in construction. Griffin had watched many of them get married over the years, several times as a groomsman at the front of the church.

  He’d never understood the desire to bind himself to one person for his entire life before Maggie. The daily grind of marriage had seemed like a cage from where he’d stood ruthlessly guarding his freedom. He’d thought that being uncommitted made things better, but now he couldn’t imagine going back to being alone.

  Not when he could spend his nights with Maggie.

  This was what he wanted, so much that it made his chest burn with yearning.

  “Shiplap,” she said between bites, nodding toward the television. “I looove shiplap.”

  Griffin felt his brow furrow as he watched the renovation show hosts nailing rough-sawed boards to the walls. “You say that like other women talk about diamonds or fancy shoes.”

  “Fancy shoes hurt my feet,” she answered. “But shiplap makes me happy.” She took a sip of wine. “I’m going to hire someone to install it when I move back into my house next year.”

  At his snort, she frowned. “Okay, fine. I’ll learn to do it myself. No judgment from you.”

  “Your boyfriend,” he said, hitching a thumb at his chest, “just happens to be an experienced contractor. I can put up shiplap or teach you how to do it yourself if you want.”

  “Oh.” Pink colored her cheeks as she took another long drink of wine. “You’re my boyfriend?”

  “I just told you I love you,” he explained. “I think we can safely say I’m your boyfriend.”

  She stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Have you ever—” he leaned across the table, dropping his voice to a low whisper “—had sex on a table saw?”

  Her loud cackle of laughter filled the room. “Eww...splinters.”

  He grinned, once again so easily charmed by her.

  “I’ll wipe it down first,” he promised, and she laughed again. “Right. That doesn’t sound much better.”

  “Shh.” Maggie lifted a finger to her lips. “Don’t talk, darling. Just sit there and look pretty.”

  He pushed back from the table. “Now you’re poking the bear.”

  Her eyes widened. “Nope.”

  “Oh, yes,” he said, moving toward her.

  She shifted her chair to face him and loosened the sash on her robe. The soft fabric parted until he could almost see her breasts. God, he wanted to see her breasts.

  “I hope you’ve had enough to eat,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her to standing. “Because I need to get you back into that bed more than I need my next breath.”

  She undid the sash completely and opened the robe until it fell from her shoulders, a small smile playing on her gorgeous mouth. “What are you waiting
for?”

  Needing no further encouragement, Griffin wrapped his arms around her.

  * * *

  The following Saturday, Maggie drove Morgan and her friend Camryn to Portland for dress shopping. They stopped for lunch at a popular Mexican restaurant first, the two girls pulling up various photos of homecoming dress options while they ate.

  Maggie couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her sister seem truly happy hanging out with a friend. Whenever Jocelyn or anyone from that group had come to the house, there’d been sneering and sassy comebacks if the girls had been forced to interact with the family.

  Today Morgan seemed more like her old self, the girl she’d been before deciding to be a wild child. They started at one of Maggie’s favorite stores, Sweet Threads, where both girls tried on at least a dozen dresses each.

  Maggie played the part of chaperone, steering them toward styles with which neither Grammy nor Camryn’s conservative mother could find fault.

  Morgan chose an open-backed, floral-print dress in shades of blue, which made her look like a fairy-tale princess, while Camryn settled on a dark pink two-piece A-line that highlighted her dark hair and olive complexion. They got shoes to match at a different boutique and Maggie bought a pair of earrings for each of them.

  “What about you?” Morgan asked Maggie as the girls loaded their purchases into the back of her Volkswagen.

  Maggie waved her hand, brushing aside the question. “This trip isn’t about me.”

  “But you have the reunion dance,” Morgan insisted.

  “Oh, yeah,” Camryn chimed in. “The old people event.”

  “Not quite old,” Maggie objected with a smile.

  The two teenagers shared a look, which Maggie chose to ignore.

  “Come on, Mags.” Morgan shut the trunk and tugged on Maggie’s wrist. “I totally forgot about you when I was trying on dresses, but now we can focus on your dance.”

  Spoken like a true teenager.

  “I didn’t see anything I wanted for myself,” Maggie lied. She’d planned to shop for a new dress but felt silly after listening to the girls discuss styles most of the morning. She wasn’t a kid and the reunion dance shouldn’t mean that much to her.

  Except it did.

  The dance would be her and Griffin’s first outing as a true couple. Yes, they’d gone on dates and made tongues wag at the hospital gala, but it felt like things had changed since their night away on the coast. Attending the reunion dance together would solidify their relationship to everyone in town. There’d be no more flying under the radar after that. Maggie was ready, and she had to believe Griffin was, as well.

  He’d told her he loved her and called himself her boyfriend.

  They’d talked about plans for her house once her tenants’ lease was up, and Griffin had seemed totally invested in helping her with her renovation projects.

  That meant he was planning to stay in Stonecreek, didn’t it? She mentally chided herself for not having the nerve to ask him outright. But she hadn’t wanted to spoil the mood of the evening.

  So she’d avoided any topics that would have caused either of them stress. Thank God for her love of remodeling shows because it would have been a pretty quiet night without that.

  Griffin hadn’t seemed to notice the big ole elephant in the room. He’d been loving and attentive—so attentive her toes curled remembering all the ways he’d brought her pleasure. But he had no apparent issues with avoiding difficult subjects.

  That couldn’t last forever, obviously, although she’d been so busy in the past week with campaign functions and the start of planning the winter carnival that she’d only managed to carve out one night with him. Because of their respective living situations, the date had ended with a hot and heavy make-out session in the Land Cruiser’s back seat.

  Another thing from her teenage bucket list that Maggie was finally checking off in her late twenties.

  “Come on,” Morgan coaxed. “That second store we went to—the one with the snobby saleslady—had some matronly dresses you’d love.”

  Maggie sniffed. “I don’t love matronly dresses.”

  Morgan and Camryn shared another look.

  “Then pick something for me if you think you can do better.”

  “We thought you’d never ask,” Camryn said with a smile.

  Morgan looped an arm around Maggie’s waist. “Griffin isn’t going to know what hit him at that reunion dance.”

  “I doubt that’s true,” Maggie said but secretly cheered as the girls led her back down the street. They insisted she try on a dizzying array of dresses, but she finally settled on a wine-colored high-low gown in a gorgeous chiffon fabric.

  “It might be too much,” she told Morgan even as the saleswoman—who was far friendlier when it became clear Maggie was a guaranteed sale—wrapped up the purchase.

  “It’s perfect,” Morgan assured her as Camryn stepped away to take a call from her mother. “I bet Mom would have loved it.”

  Sudden tears pricked the backs of Maggie’s eyes. “I know she’s watching over us,” she whispered. “She’d be so proud of you, Mo-Mo.”

  “Then she had low expectations,” Morgan said, shaking her head. “But I’m working on getting better.”

  “You’re doing a great job, sweetie. In the end, each of us is a work in progress.”

  Morgan laughed. “Now you sound like Dad and his armchair philosophy nuggets.”

  “He’s better at it.”

  “You do okay,” Morgan said, nudging Maggie’s arm.

  They stopped for ice cream, then drove back to Stonecreek, dropping off Camryn before heading home. Grammy’s car sat parked outside the house, eliciting a groan from Morgan.

  “What a way to end the day,” the girl muttered.

  “We don’t know why she’s here,” Maggie cautioned. “It could just be a friendly, grandmotherly visit.”

  “You keep telling yourself that.”

  Maggie had to admit she couldn’t remember the last time her grandmother had stopped by without an agenda.

  After hanging both dresses in the front closet and leaving the other shopping bags at the foot of the stairs, she found her father and Grammy sitting at the kitchen table, a photo album open between them.

  “Hey, girls,” Dad called when she and Morgan walked in. “Successful shopping trip?”

  Morgan nodded. “It was awesome. I got this totally fantastic blue flowery dress and helped Maggie pick out one for the reunion dance. I love Portland. It’s the best city.”

  Jim looked dumbfounded at his younger daughter’s enthusiastic reply and even more so when Morgan walked to the table and gave him a quick hug, then bent to kiss Grammy’s cheek.

  “You need a haircut,” Grammy said, tugging at the ends of Morgan’s long locks.

  Maggie inwardly winced but Morgan only smiled. “One step ahead of you, Grammy. I have an appointment Wednesday after school. Want to drive me?”

  Vivian’s eyes widened slightly but she gave a quick nod. “I’d love to. I’ll pick you up at the high school. We could visit the bakery when you’re finished at the salon. Marionberry is the pie flavor of the month.”

  “That’s my favorite,” Morgan told her.

  Grammy patted her arm. “Yes, dear. I know.”

  “It’s a date, then.” Morgan glanced at the clock that hung on the wall next to the refrigerator. “I have homework to finish.”

  Their father nodded. “Ben is at Aidan’s house. He’s supposed to be back by six, so we’ll eat then.”

  “Sounds good.” Morgan gave Maggie another hug and a whispered thank-you, then headed upstairs.

  “That must have been some shopping trip,” Jim said when she’d left the room. “I haven’t seen her that happy in years.”

  “She’s excited about the dance,” Maggie said,
but she hoped it was more than that. She wanted to believe Morgan was truly working through her teenage demons to become the amazing young woman Maggie knew she had the potential to be.

  “You found a dress, as well?” Grammy asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  “It’s very pretty,” Maggie told her, not giving any more details. Of course she hoped her grandmother would like the dress, but at the same time had no desire to solicit her opinion.

  “I assume Griffin is your date?”

  Maggie took a breath, then said, “He’s my boyfriend.”

  “Things have gotten serious with the two of you?” her dad asked.

  Her first instinct was to offer a denial. It felt too new and precious to share, but she was sick of playing it safe. That had gotten her nowhere anyway. “I’m in love with him,” she said in a rush of air.

  Her father leaned back in his chair and whistled under his breath. Grammy only nodded. “He came to see me earlier today.”

  “What?” Maggie blurted. “Griffin?”

  Vivian tapped a finger on the table. “He wanted to get my thoughts on the announcement about Harvest expanding.”

  Maggie frowned. He hadn’t mentioned any plan to speak to her grandmother.

  “He assured me that Trevor had released the plan prematurely and that the family will work with business owners in town before deciding how to proceed.”

  “Good,” Maggie said, trying not to fidget under her grandmother’s shrewd gaze. “That’s the same thing I told you last week after talking to Jana.”

  “I believe it was a sign of respect,” Vivian explained, “that Griffin came to me. He also mentioned his relationship with you.”

  Maggie edged closer, keeping her face neutral.

  “His intentions are honorable,” Grammy said with a nod. “Your involvement with one brother and now the other is unorthodox,” she continued, making Maggie flinch, “but I approve of you and Griffin as a couple.”

  “Mom,” Jim said, exasperation clear in his tone, “Maggie doesn’t need anyone’s approval.”

  Grammy sniffed. “I’m giving it just the same.”