Sweet Southern Summer (The Georgia Peaches Book 3)

by Colbie Kay

  This summer has been a wild ride. The emotions that hammered in my heart over the summer between Zac and Brody were overwhelming. With Brody confessing his love for me, to Zac not wanting to open up to me, I was in overdrive. On top of that, these men threw me into a state of confusion from time to time. I knew where my heart was leading me, but my head was getting in the way.

  As far as Brody and my friendship, it will remain intact. We both know that our friendship is important. He simply had to realize the difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. It was hard to lay it on the line, but my heart never belonged to him. It has always belonged to the man that I chased over the last year: Zac Benson.

  This summer, Zac taught me that sometimes the face a person shows to the world is not real. If you look harder, you’ll begin to see the real man deep inside. I never gave up on him, and I’m glad I didn’t.

  As I look around the kitchen table, I realize that there’s plenty of love in this little family we’ve made. I see Callie holding Raine in her lap as she sits next to Dex. Maverick has his arm slung around Cydney’s shoulder. Their smiles speak volumes. Momma is sitting with Professor Bryant, a huge grin on her face. I’m so happy they found each other.

  Tilting my head to the side, I gaze at the man that rocked my world more than he will probably ever know. Zac Benson is a great man, will be a wonderful father, and he’ll be able to live out his dream as a professional baseball player. I know he will. But best of all, he loves me for me. He can handle all my sass, my attitude, and currently, my mood swings. I love this man with all of my heart and soul.

  With one last glance around the kitchen table, I see nothing but joy, love, and bright futures.

  Mav and Cydney, Dex and Callie with Raine, Momma and Professor Bryant, and my parents are all here with me and Cayden sitting backstage, waiting for my name to be called. It's day three of the draft. Dex and Mav were already picked up in the first two days, and this wait is killing me. My heart is anxiously pounding with each name that’s called before mine. My pulse is racing, hands are sweating not knowing which team will pick me…if any team picked me.

  I can’t take sitting here any longer. I stand from the couch and begin pacing the room.

  “Zac?” Cayden questions, worry shining in her orbs.

  I stop marching for a moment to gaze down at her holding our little bean. The two most important people in my life are sitting on that couch.

  My lips tilt up. “I’m okay. Just fucking nervous.”

  She nods her head in understanding and mouths, “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” I stroll over, laying my hand on top of bean’s full head of light brown hair, and then bend to kiss Cayden on her brow. “So much,” I mumble and breathe in her sweet scent, letting it calm me some.

  Our son was born two weeks ago, and even though we named him Noah, the nickname Bean has stuck with us all. I didn't know I could love someone before he arrived as much as I did him, but as he grew in Cayden’s stomach, I fell more and more in love; although, nothing compares to when I first laid eyes on our son, or when I first held him in my arms. I’ll never forget the overwhelming feeling of complete happiness as I laid beside Cayden while she slept in her hospital bed, holding him in my arms. I realized this was everything, nothing else mattered.

  The door suddenly flings open. “Did we miss it?” Melanie blurts out breathlessly. Brody comes in behind her holding Jacob.

  “Hey!” I laugh at her excitement. “No, they haven’t called my name yet.”

  “See! I told you we wouldn’t miss it.” Brody chuckles. “Hey, man.” He pats me on the back.

  “Thanks for coming.” I return the slap and step over to Melanie, giving her a hug.

  “We wouldn’t miss it. At least, I had hoped we wouldn’t.” Melanie rolls her eyes playfully. The three girls approach to take their turns hugging Melanie as Dex and Mav begin talking to Brody. “Oh my God!” Melanie gushes when her gaze lands on Noah. “Can I hold him?”

  “Sure.” Cayden snickers and gently passes him to her.

  Melanie sure has changed since this past summer. She no longer looks exhausted or frazzled, she appears peaceful and happy. She’s even wearing a little makeup and has her hair done.

  Brody has been good for her. He eventually made amends with Cayden, and they started working on their friendship. I have no qualms about it, especially since he and I worked out our shit, and realized neither of us is actually that bad. We spent some time together at Momma and Professor Bryant’s wedding and came to the conclusion that when he’s not trying to take my girl, we get along and could actually be friends. For Cayden’s sake, I’m glad there’s no animosity between us.

  The sound of the announcer's voice brings a hush over the room, "Boston Red Sox’s number one pick is Zac Benson from the University of Georgia." I release the breath I had been holding, and everyone in the room claps, hollering and cheering for me. My hands shake as I quickly hug Cayden, kissing her forehead before I march out onto the stage.

  I give my acceptance speech, telling everyone how excited I am, and plastering a smile on my face. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy I got picked up, but what does this mean for the girls?

  I walk back into the room, and all three of them are hugging while my mom holds Noah.

  "What's going on?" I ask Mav.

  "We don't know,” he answers.

  The three of us guys stand back, waiting for the commotion to die down. I know the two of them are just as nervous as I am. As it turns out, Georgia didn't pick any of us. Dex was the Miami Marlin’s number one pick, and Mav was the New York Yankees’. This is going to separate all of us, and the girls haven't told any of us if they will be going or not. If not, we have to respect their decisions and do long distance relationships, but we’re hoping they choose not to stay behind.

  The girls break apart and stand in a line in front of us. Cayden speaks first, "You know we have never been away from each other, and it's asking a lot for us to move away. But...we couldn't imagine not being with you through this journey the three of you are about to begin. We all knew this was a possibility, and we've prepared ourselves for it. So our stipulations are that we have to come to Momma's for every Thanksgiving and Christmas no matter what."

  I jump in, "Done."

  Callie says, "I have to Skype with my sisters once a day."

  Dex is already nodding. "Deal."

  "And..." Cydney gives the last stipulation, "When I have this baby, everyone has to be there."

  Cydney and Mav's gazes lock. "You're pregnant? We're having a baby?" He asks, shocked.

  Her smile widens. "Is it a deal?"

  "Holy shit! My swimmers work!" He yells, making all of us laugh. He rushes over to her, sweeping her up into his arms. "Hell yes! It's a deal!"

  We move in for a group hug, and Momma exclaims, “I’m getting another grandbaby!”

  Cayden and Callie share Momma’s excitement. “We’re going to be aunties again!”

  After the group hug and some of the excitement dies down, Callie walks into Dex's arms, and Raine runs over for her daddy to pick her up. “Our family keeps growing,” She says giddily.

  “It does,” He states, pressing his lips against her temple before kissing Raine’s head. His eyes meet mine, and we both smile.

  Cayden saunters over to me, and we wrap our arms around one another. My lips meet hers for a brief moment. "Are you really going to follow me to Boston?"

  She gazes up at me with those hazel eyes that shine so fucking brightly with a smile so infectious, mine mimics hers. "I'd follow you anywhere in the world, Zac Benson." And with those words, she makes me fall even more in love with her.

  My mom and dad bring Noah over. “We’re so happy for you, Zacky.” My dad hugs me, followed by my mom.

  “And proud.” My mom adds.

  I take Noah into my arms, kissing his forehead, followed by kissing Cayden’s. “Thank you both for being here with me.”

  E
ver since Cayden and I went to Colorado that first time, we’ve gone back a few times, and my relationship with my parents has grown stronger. On each visit, we make sure to visit Maddie as well. She and Cayden have become great friends and talk on the phone regularly. She wished she could have been here too, but her doctor didn’t give the okay for her to fly, and the drive would have been too exhausting for her.

  My dad chimes in, “You’re welcome. We have to catch our flight home, but we love you. Be sure to come and visit soon.” My mom gives Bean one more snuggle before handing him over to me again. With one last hug from my parents, they leave.

  Holding Bean with one arm, I pull Cayden into my side with the other. "I never thought I could love two people so fucking much."

  She laughs lightly. "I never thought I could be so fucking happy."

  Placing my lips against her ear, I ask, "Would you be happier if I said, ‘Marry me?’"

  She pulls back quickly. "What? Are you serious?" Tears pool in her eyes. "You better not be joking."

  Chuckling, I respond, "I'm serious. Will you marry me?"

  "Oh my God! Yes!" She covers her mouth with her hands, and I pull her back into my side.

  "Did we hear you propose?" Cydney asks surprised.

  "Yep." I smile proudly.

  "Well, fuck! Dex, we gotta step up our game, man." Mav glares at me jokingly.

  "You sure in the fuck do." Cydney shakes her head, grinning.

  Momma’s eyes widen, before darting to Professor Bryant. "Am I gonna have a triple wedding on my hands?"

  He hugs her close and laughs. "I think so, babe."

  “Make that four.” Brody grins widely. “We didn’t want to take away from the moment of the announcement, so we were going to wait, but since everyone’s talking about weddings, Mel and I are gettin’ married too.”

  "Look at what we started,” Cayden chortled.

  Everyone laughs loudly.

  “Congratulations, everybody!” I shout to the room.

  Cayden smiles brightly up at me. “I love you, Zac Benson."

  "I love you too." I grin down at her. "It appears that good shit is happening for all of us."

  "Sure is," She mumbles while we gaze around the room, seeing all of the people we love. Our family.

  Smirking, I ask, “You know what this means right?”

  She glares up at me with a brow cocked. “What?”

  “You gotta give up your dream of marrying your Jax Teller.” My smile widens.

  She guffaws. “That’s okay because I got someone better. I got my Zac Benson.”

  “Aww! I think that might be the sweetest shit you’ve ever said to me.” I throw my arm over her shoulders and hold her tightly once again. Putting my mouth to her ear, I whisper, “If we didn’t have to wait four more weeks to have sex, I’m sure I could get more sweet words to pour from your lips.” My cock twitches behind the zipper of my slacks. I was only trying to mess with her, but damn, not being inside her for the last two weeks has been hard. It’s become my favorite places to be.

  She releases a rush of air. “Not fair, Zac. Keep teasing me, and your new best friend will be the couch.”

  She glares at me and I gasp. “You would never.”

  Her eyes narrow. “Try me.”

  I run my tongue along my bottom lip. “Don’t you wish you could feel that on your—”

  “Zac!” She screeches, her cheeks turning a rosy pink from getting flustered.

  I keep the teasing and taunting going, “I’m gonna make you come just from my words.” I smile in anticipation.

  Her brow arches as she leers. “Is that a new challenge?”

  “Yep,” I proclaim with a huge satisfied grin.

  “Let’s go,” She yells, getting everyone’s attention. “We’re just gonna…umm…go now.” She grabs my hand and rushes as quickly as possible to the door.

  Let’s just hope Noah stays asleep long enough for me to win.

  The End

  Speakers – Sam Hunt

  Playing with Fire – Thomas Rhett/Jordin Sparks

  Nights on Fire - David Naill

  Superman – Charlie Peuth

  I Know Somebody – Locash

  Broken Halos – Chris Stapleton

  Happens Like That – Granger Smith

  Take Back Home Girl – Chris Lane

  Marry Me – Thomas Rhett

  Dancing On My Own - Calum Scott

  Love Of A Woman – Travis Tritt

  Drift Off To Dream – Travis Tritt

  Husbands – Thank you for putting up with all our crazy nights, messages and still loving us in the end. Love you!

  Colbie Kay – What a ride it has been with these Georgia Peaches. We have been through some ups and downs but we always pull through. The laughs we’ve had with this series will never be forgotten. Thank you for taking a chance on me and supporting me. Let’s not forget all the craziness I bring to the table, you handled it well. Love you woman! I couldn’t have asked for a better writing partner than you!!!

  Chianti Summers – We made it to the end of the series! The laughs have been fun, the frustrations have been worth it, and the late nights with lots of video chatting are always a good time. I loved writing this series with you and we will see what the future holds. Love you!!

  Tracie – Thank you for creating another beautiful cover for the Georgia Peaches. You always knock it out of the park.

  Randy – Thank you for capturing our Zac. Your support through this series has been amazing and we love you.

  Tyler – Thank you for being the guy that we envisioned for our Zac.

  Maria – How do we put into words what you’ve done for us with this book? Thank you for everything you’ve done.

  Beta Readers – Thank you for embracing the Georgia Peaches, it’s been one hell of a ride.

  Bloggers/Readers – We couldn’t do this without you. Thank you is a small gesture, we hope you have enjoyed the Georgia Peaches as much as we have. The continued support is outstanding and we love you all.

  Colbie Kay always had a love for reading and wanted to pursue writing. In 2015 she made that dream come true when she published her first book. Since then she has become a stay-at- home mom, writing full-time and bringing her passion to life through the words she creates.

  The most fulfilling part of being an author for Colbie is to take readers into a fantasy world between the pages of her books. Becoming an author has also given her the opportunity to fill another passion of hers, which is traveling. She loves being able to attend book signings and meeting everyone that shares her love of books.

  Colbie has many more stories to share with you, so be sure to connect with her and keep up with what is coming next.

  Colbie Kay’s Rebel Readers:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1515020348819134

  Satan’s Sinners MC Series

  City Lights

  Quiet Country

  Night Sky

  Returning Home

  Changing Lanes

  Runaway Love

  The Betrayed (A Rocker Series)

  Saving Dawson with novella Saving Grace

  Surviving Colton

  Georgia Peaches Series

  (Co-Written with Chianti Summers)

  Sweet Southern Secrets

  Sweet Southern Satisfaction

  Cobras MC Series

  Double Crossed

  Chianti Summers is a military spouse, a mother, a lover of music and wine. She is also passionate about sports and that is why she pursued and obtained her degree in Sports Medicine.

  She decided to take a chance on writing in 2016. One day she would love to travel to Italy and mark it off her bucket list. Until that day comes she will continue to be taken away by reading and writing with a nice glass of wine.

  Reader’s Group:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/chiantisummersvineyard

  The Georgia Peaches Series

  (Co-Written with Colbie Kay)

  Sweet Southern
Secrets

  Sweet Southern Satisfaction

  Standalone

  Renovate My Heart