Shaded Amethysts: A small-town love triangle romance (Brunswick Bay Harbor Gems Book 6)

by Ann Omasta

  I hadn’t really been expecting an answer, so when he started chanting the word “Park” over and over again, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Okay, then, I guess we’re heading to the park,” I said before whirling around to head in that direction.

  I turned too fast and thought I ran into a solid brick wall, until I looked up and realized it was Gage. Of course.

  “Oh, hi!” I blurted out with way too much enthusiasm.

  He reached out to steady me as he answered, “Good, thanks. And you? Err…”

  I smiled at the answer to a question I hadn’t asked, realizing that perhaps I made him a fraction as nervous as he made me.

  After recovering from the flub, Gage looked down into Scout’s face to say, “You okay, little guy? We didn’t mean to squish you.”

  Scout answered with a loud, “Park!”

  Gage stood back up to his full height, grinned down at me, and said, “I guess you’re going to have to take your son to the park to make up for us nearly flattening him into a pancake.”

  “Oh, he’s not my son… But I am taking him to the park… We just went to a wedding… I’m only watching him for the day… You can come with us if you like.” I revealed the random bits of information in quick succession.

  Gage appeared bemused by my stammering and over-sharing as his eyes sparkled down at me. He didn’t take long to ponder my invitation before he answered, “It just so happens that I was looking for something to do on this bright, sunny day. The park sounds perfect.”

  With that settled, he turned in the direction I had been heading when we slammed into each other. Despite his long legs, Gage walked at a pace that was easy for me to match. I found myself wishing that he would reach out to touch me in some way as we walked, but I sensed that he would consider that to be crossing an invisible boundary. Although it would probably be smart of me to erect that kind of emotional wall between us, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  When we passed in front of the gaping hole that used to house Mimi’s Diner, Gage stopped to look at the leveled building before he turned and asked me, “What’s the story with this place?”

  I filled him in about the fire that had obliterated one of our town’s favorite eateries. After deciding to give him the full scoop, I added, “Our town doctor, Danica, rented the apartment above the diner. She wasn’t home at the time of the fire, but her sweet little dog, Bruiser, was.”

  Gage’s face morphed into a horrified expression, which I found to be utterly charming. Quickly rushing on, I assured him, “Bruiser’s okay. My best friend’s brother, Max, is a fireman. He went into the blazing building to save the dog and ultimately won Dani’s heart.”

  The relieved expression on Gage’s face over the dog’s safety was undeniable just before he weighed in, “It sounds like he earned her love.”

  “Yeah, Max is great. He and Dani are perfect for each other––much like my best friend, Molly, and her husband as-of-today, Grant Chandler.”

  Gage’s eyebrows raised in interest, “Oh, that’s the wedding you were at before bumping into me?”

  I nodded, then said, “Yes, that’s going to be big news once it leaks out.”

  I hadn’t been trying to imply that he would be the one to leak it, but he responded, “I won’t say anything to anyone about it. I’m not much of a gossip queen.”

  The surprised chuckle emerged before I had a chance to contain it. “No, I don’t suppose you are.”

  He took in an audible breath as we turned into the park, then said, “Although I seem to be the hot topic of gossip around here. Maybe it will be nice if Molly and Grant take some of the pressure off of me for a while.”

  I wanted to appease his worries, but I wouldn’t lie to him. He had been the main subject of the ever-churning rumor mill lately. “People like to talk, but it will all blow over soon enough. Don’t give up on us. This town is full of some of the most kindhearted, caring, and generous people you’ll ever meet.”

  “I’m starting to sense that.” His warm smile beamed down at me and made my cheeks heat with pleasure.

  Before I could think of a response, Gage looked down at the little boy in my arms and said, “Do you like to swing?”

  The child practically lunged from my arms into Gage’s. Gage looked as surprised by this turn of events as I was. “May I take him over to swing?”

  At this point, there wasn’t any other option that would keep the little boy from throwing a tantrum, but I appreciated Gage asking my permission before running off with the child.

  After nodding my agreement, I found a bench to sit down on and turned to watch Gage buckle the little boy into the bucket-style, rubber baby swing. The two of them laughed, hollered, and played silly peek-a-boo games as Gage pushed him tirelessly in the swing. I couldn’t help but be charmed by the gentle giant.

  As I watched Gage entertain the little boy, I wondered if Noah would be as patient and playful with a child. The vet clearly loved animals, but I couldn’t picture him making goofy faces to make Scout giggle, like Gage was currently doing.

  The boy tired out before the man did. When his little eyelids began to droop, Gage scooped him from the swing and carried him over to sit down on the wooden bench beside me.

  While we sat in amicable silence, I saw a couple of my mom’s busybody friends pass by the park. From the way they rubber-necked in our direction, I suspected it would only be a matter of minutes until Mom heard that I’d been spotted out with Gage.

  Sure enough, it wasn’t long before my phone began blaring. I pulled it from my pocket and silenced it after confirming that it was my mom calling. I didn’t want to explain to her about Gage with him sitting by my side.

  “I can take Scout for a walk over by the slide if you need some privacy,” the man offered kindly.

  I shook my head. “No, it was just my mom. I’ll talk to her later.”

  Gage nodded in understanding before he said, “She probably just heard that you were with me and wanted to make sure that I’m not messing up your chance for romance with the brilliant and wonderful Dr. Noah James.”

  I was surprised that he had been able to deduce that so quickly. Suddenly, I felt bad for the tender, caring man by my side. After turning one corner of my lip up into a sad half-smile, I said, “I know what it’s like to constantly be compared to an overachieving brother and feel like you come up short. It gets really old.”

  Gage shrugged his wide shoulders, making the one closest to me brush against mine. I tried, unsuccessfully, not to notice the heat that zinged through my arm at that minor connection as he said, “An ex-con isn’t exactly the answer to a mother’s dreams for her daughter. I understand why Noah is the better choice for you. I just wish it wasn’t the case.”

  I opened my mouth to dispute the validity of that, but Scout chose that moment to wake up and wail. Gage seemed startled by the noise as he placed the little boy into my arms and said, “Here, he wants you. I should go.”

  With that, the man stood and left. I wished I’d had the sense to tell him how I truly felt––if only I could figure that out for myself.

  9

  Avery

  I stood outside the front door of my parents’ house trying to prepare for the onslaught of questions and judgment that was undoubtedly about to head my way. Scout blinked up at me innocently––obviously having no idea of the hot grease fire we were about to step into.

  After taking a deep breath to try to calm my thrumming heart, I said to the little boy as I reached for the door handle, “There’s no time like the present. Right?”

  As soon as the door closed behind me, Mom yelled from the kitchen. “Avery, darling, come in here for a minute. We need to talk.”

  When I passed by my dad sitting in his La-Z-Boy watching television in the living room, I mumbled, “Wish me luck.”

  He harrumphed, but wasn’t brave enough to say anything that my mother might overhear.

  Once I sat down at the granite counter with Scout in my la
p, Mom presented the little boy with an apple juice box. He made grabby hands for the juice before taking a giant slurp from the straw she had inserted for him. Mom’s thin eyebrows snapped together before she asked me in a sharp, accusatory tone, “Have you not fed that child?”

  “Oh, I…” When my sentence trailed off, she must have figured out the answer because she moved to the large bag of supplies Molly had dropped off at our house earlier, retrieved a small bowl of dry Cheerios, and set them on the counter in front of him.

  The child pounced on the snack like a starving wolf. Mom narrowed her eyes at me, but refrained from further comment on my obvious lack of parenting skills. She probably didn’t want to take a chance that I might decide I couldn’t handle the responsibilities of being a mother.

  With Scout’s needs taken care of for the time being, Mom fluttered around the kitchen preparing the two of us mugs of hot tea. “How was the wedding, dear?”

  I knew this was how the woman operated. She would ask some innocuous questions first to lull me into a false sense of security before she pounced with what she really wanted to say. I loved my mother, but she could be a lot to handle when things didn’t work out how she wished.

  “The wedding was simple, lovely, and perfect for them. They are obviously so in love and ready to spend the rest of their lives together,” I answered honestly.

  Mom nodded with a faraway look before she snapped back to the present and said, “I just hope they get this custody nonsense straightened out. Anyone with working eyes can see that this little boy belongs with the two of them.”

  I nodded, unsure what to add.

  “Of course, with you on their side, how could they lose?” Mother patted my cheek with her cool hand after she set a steaming mug of English breakfast tea on a coaster in front of me.

  I wondered if she truly believed that, or if she was trying to build my confidence. Either way, it was kind of her to say.

  After taking a tentative sip of the perfectly-sweetened tea, I said, “I sure hope we win this case. It’s bound to be the battle of my lifetime, and I don’t want to let any of them down.”

  “You won’t,” Mom assured me, as if she already knew the outcome.

  Evidently done with that topic, Mom sat down on the high stool next to mine at the counter with her own mug of tea and asked, “So, how was your date with the gorgeous, new vet in town?”

  “It was nice,” I answered honestly, plastering on a smile.

  I had known this vanilla response wouldn’t suffice and was proven right when she glared at me and asked, “Nice? Is that all you have to tell me about my future son-in-law?”

  I tried to let her down easy. “I don’t think we’re heading in that direction, Mom.”

  It became obvious that I had worded my response too lightly when her brows lifted almost to her hairline and she asked, “But you might be?”

  I shook my head and said quietly, “He’s not the one for me.”

  Unable to hide her annoyance, Mom asked, “Why? Is he too handsome? Too smart? Too successful?”

  I didn’t appreciate her trying to force the issue with me, so I answered in a bit too harsh of a tone, “It’s not happening with me and Noah. Got it?”

  Mom pursed her lips before she asked, “Why not? Because of that criminal you were seen with at the park today?”

  And… There it was. This is what she had been itching to ask me about since I walked through the front door.

  Irritation surged through my veins, but I held it in check as I answered through clenched teeth, “No, it’s not because of Gage. Noah simply isn’t the right guy for me.”

  When she opened her mouth to respond, I cut her off by adding, “But that doesn’t necessarily mean Gage is right for me, either. Although he is a really nice man, and you should give him a chance before making assumptions about him based on unsubstantiated rumors.”

  “Did you know that your precious Gage Tavish went to prison for murder?” Mom practically spat his name before finishing her question and sitting back to gauge my reaction to her bombshell news.

  My eyelashes fluttered as I tried to absorb her words. Of course, they might not be true, but Gage had referred to himself as an ex-con. Was he also a murderer?!?

  10

  Gage

  I had no right to dream of a real, romantic relationship with lovely, friendly Avery Biggs the way my mind and heart insisted on imagining. She was way too good for me––in every way. She deserved to be with an upstanding, smart, and successful man, like my half-brother.

  Even though I knew I should step aside and let her find the happily-ever-after ending she deserved with Noah, I couldn’t help wishing––no matter how irrational it was––that she could somehow choose me over him.

  It didn’t make sense. What would she see in a high school dropout and felon, who had seen and done the unsavory things that I had experienced during my lifetime? She would be appalled if she knew the full truth about me.

  No, sweet Avery should have a doctor by her side, who could support her in the manner she deserved. She should be with someone she would be proud to call her husband. I would bring her nothing but shame and embarrassment as the town’s rumor mill churned with suspicions about my seedy past.

  Knowing these truths and accepting them were two different things. No matter how much I rationalized to myself that Avery should be with Noah, I still didn’t want it to be true. I wanted her for myself––more than I’ve ever craved anyone.

  I wasn’t dumb, despite what some people believed. I knew that everyone suspected me of every little crime that had happened in Brunswick Bay Harbor since my arrival, but what could I say to defend myself? I sure didn’t want them to start poking into my criminal history, or I would have to tuck tail and leave town shrouded in shame. Whatever rumors that happened to be flying around about me were bound to be better than the ugly truth.

  I’d moved here hoping to escape my past, having no idea that Noah had the exact same idea. Imagine my surprise when I learned that we’d each taken our share of the inheritance after Grammy’s passing and returned to settle in the one place we’d managed to find a sliver of happiness during our troubled childhoods.

  Evidently, neither of us could completely escape our pasts. Despite the vastly different paths we’d taken to get here, we’d both been led back to the same place. As would be expected, Noah was a respected, welcomed member of the community, while I was viewed as a suspicious drifter, who didn’t belong and never would. No wonder the man wanted nothing to do with me. I couldn’t blame him for that. I would do nothing but taint his stellar reputation.

  Although I’ve always tried to act tough, I saw the wary looks and hushed whispers that inevitably happened when I came near. I would never admit it to anyone, but it hurt that people made so many assumptions about my life before ever even speaking a word to me. It felt like I was fighting an uphill battle on a speeding treadmill that would never let me make any headway.

  I guess it was my own fault. My time in prison had left me gruff looking. I had too many tats and too much facial hair to be viewed as a gentleman. Bulking up my body had been a survival instinct on the inside. The meaner you looked, the greater your chances of being left alone. That was really all I wanted… to be left alone… until I met Avery.

  That blasted woman had me picturing living in a quaint, clapboard house with a front porch swing, a handful of kids as cute as Scout running around, and even a pet or two––like the sweet kitten we’d rescued together. I’d never pictured myself as a family man because I didn’t have a good example of what it meant to be a father. Hell, I didn’t even have a shitty example of how to be a decent dad. My old man left before I was born, and my stepdad… Well, let’s just say, I have no intention of ever being anything like that abusive bastard.

  Unfortunately, I was starting to realize that a beautiful life with a loving family simply wasn’t meant to be for me. When my life had stopped moving forward in prison, I had convinced myself
that I would get a second chance to live the life of my dreams after my release. But it was beginning to dawn on me that some mistakes followed you for a lifetime––even if you tried to hide out all the way up in rural, coastal Maine.

  If I was smart, I would stay far away from Avery and the potential heartbreak we could cause each other. Too bad no one ever accused me of being a smart man.

  11

  Avery

  I paced my room and stewed. Scout didn’t seem to mind the back-and-forth motion, but he was starting to get heavy in my arms. Ignoring that, I whirled around and said out loud, “Murder?!? Is it possible that the sweet, gentle man who played with you today and stopped in the street to save a kitten is a murderer?”

  Of course, I didn’t expect the young child to come up with an answer for me, but he blinked up at me as if he was trying his best.

  “That can’t be right, can it?” I asked after whirling around and walking across the room in the other direction.

  “What can’t be right?” Molly’s voice came from the doorway, startling me.

  Rather than answering her, I gave her a perplexed look and asked, “What are you doing here? You should be enjoying your wedding night. Scout and I are doing just fine.”

  “I know you are,” Molly strolled over to take the baby, who bounced with happiness at the sight of her. She tickled him lightly under the chin, making him giggle before resting her cheek on the top of his head and breathing in deeply.

  “You can’t stand being away from him for one night?” I guessed.

  Molly shook her head, but I saw the tears welling in her lower lids, so I asked, “What’s wrong?”

  My friend’s tone was practically a wail when she answered, “Grant’s team of lawyers just reached out with a custody settlement agreement. It calls for Scout to be with his birth mother in California the vast majority of the year. We would only get to have him here for three weeks in the summer and a couple of long weekends over the holidays.”