by Ann Omasta
When his breath hitched, I knew he was awake, so I pressed my lips to his chest.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” he murmured in a lazy drawl.
“Morning,” I said, lightly rubbing my hand down the side of his delectably firm, naked body.
His morning wood twitched to get my attention, but I ignored it for the moment.
Gage trailed his hand down my back before cupping my bare ass cheek and teasing me, “Some of those naughty words you yelled last night shocked my delicate, little ears.”
“There’s nothing on your body that is delicate or little.” I grazed my palm over his manhood before wrapping my fingers around him to enunciate my words.
His proud harumph moved his barrel of a chest, which was serving as my pillow.
I was pondering climbing up to straddle him when he said, “You know… I told you my secrets last night, but I don’t recall you reciprocating.”
“I don’t really have any secrets,” I tried.
“You must have something private you can share,” he said.
I searched my brain for an interesting secret, but came up empty. The silence lingered and put the pressure on, so I finally said, “I’m super allergic to poison ivy. I can practically break out in an itchy rash just from looking at it. In fact, let’s stop talking about it.”
At my exaggerated shiver, Gage’s chest rumbled with laughter. “That’s not really a secret. It’s more of a quirk or medical condition. Try again.”
“I truly don’t have any deep, dark secrets,” I told him, but my voice was just a hair too high.
“I’m not buying that. Spill,” he demanded.
I let out a frustrated huff before saying, “Okay, but you really can’t tell anyone. I would lose my status as a true Mainer.”
“Oh, this one sounds juicy.” His voice was practically dripping with enthusiasm as he waited for me to tell him my secret.
I mumbled the words into his chest, so they came out sounding like ‘I-dn-lk-l-str.’
“What was that?” Gage asked me, not letting me off the hook easily.
I tilted my head so my words weren’t muffled when I repeated, “I don’t like lobster.”
“What?!?” Gage half-shouted as if this was the most outlandish thing he had ever heard.
His shocked tone made me giggle just before I said, “You heard me.”
“I think I heard you, but I can’t quite believe my ears. Weren’t you born and raised here? I thought lobst-ah was a staple of every Maine-ah’s diet.”
His exaggerated Downeast accent made me laugh before I answered, “Not this Maine-ah’s.”
“How have you managed to keep that a secret all of this time?” he asked, sounding truly curious.
“We really don’t eat lobster as often as people assume, but when I get into a situation where lobster is being served, I either grab something else, or choke it down.”
“Choke it down!?!” Gage spluttered. “You’d better keep me close to you at all times, so I don’t tell anyone about this shocking news.”
“That can be arranged,” I murmured just before I climbed atop him and showed him exactly how close I intended to keep him.
25
Avery
Gage’s sexy, talented body had me completely relaxed, but my nerves kicked into overdrive as we rode together to the courthouse. Ringing my hands together, I asked, “What if Judge McCreery won’t listen to us?”
“She will,” Gage answered, never taking his eyes off the road.
“How do you know that?” I asked, hoping that some of his confidence would seep into me.
“Because she has to. It’s what’s right,” he answered simply.
His words and sentiment made perfect sense. I just prayed they would turn out to be accurate. This could easily go the other way, if the judge became angry with us for questioning her decision. It didn’t really matter, though, because we had to try. Scout needed us to fight for him.
Even though we arrived a few minutes earlier than we had agreed, Grant, Molly, Scout, and Meg were already at the entrance to the building waiting for us.
“You two look awful chummy for this early in the morning.” Meg waggled her eyebrows suggestively at us, as if her words didn’t make her insinuation perfectly clear.
Refusing to be ashamed of the truth, I answered, “That’s because we spent the entire night naked and entwined in Gage’s bed where he rocked my world so many times that I lost count.”
The look of immense pride that arose on Gage’s face was undeniable as Molly’s eyes widened in surprise over my brazen pronouncement. Meg’s mouth fell open before she snapped it closed as she gawked at me.
“Well, this has to be a first… Meg is speechless,” I quipped.
Everyone except Grant and Scout chuckled. The moment of levity was quickly shattered when Grant said, “We’d better go inside.”
We presented a united front as we walked in a wide line toward the judge’s chambers. We didn’t really have a plan, other than to snag her before she went into the courtroom for the day, so I asked, “Who is going to do the talking?”
“I can,” Meg volunteered before adding, “Judge McCreery and I go way back.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, considering how off-putting Meg’s bristly personality could sometimes be, but decided having an impartial police officer represent our group might be smart.
When the judge emerged, Meg stepped forward and said in a professional tone I’d never heard her use, “Good Morning, Your Honor.”
The stern woman glared over her thin glasses at Meg. “I thought I told you never to step foot in my courtroom again, Officer Ryan.”
Meg held up her pointer finger before she said, “Technically, I’m not in your courtroom.”
Seeing that this was going nowhere fast, Grant wheeled his chair forward to try his luck. He quickly told the older woman the gist of Angie’s crimes, but his persuasive, charming personality and dazzling blue eyes didn’t sway the now-annoyed judge in the slightest.
As the woman turned to leave, my desperation kicked in. I took a step forward and yelled a little too harshly, “Wait!”
The judge seemed to turn around in super slow-motion. When her beady eyes bored into me, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, but refused to back down. “Please don’t give Scout to this woman. He doesn’t even know her, and she’s not a responsible or suitable parent.”
“Ms. Biggs,” the judge snapped at me. “Coming here with unsubstantiated claims after a case is closed is highly unprofessional and inappropriate behavior for someone who wants to practice law.”
“I know this is highly irregular, and I’m sorry. You can ban me from practicing law or put me in jail, if you need to, but please do right by Scout. Grant and Molly are his parents.”
Gage stepped forward to stand by my side and said, “Here’s your evidence.”
Judge McCreery’s expression couldn’t look more perturbed, if he had just peed on the hem of her black robe. Ignoring her angry stare, Gage held up his cell phone screen and played the video of Angie buying drugs from the bartender.
“They could be exchanging anything,” the judge decided after watching the clip.
“But I found the drugs on her person when I arrested her. The bag is in the evidence lockup, if you’d like to have a look,” Meg weighed in.
The judge’s gaze traveled to each of us as she contemplated our story. Lifting her chin stubbornly, she said, “The judgment stands.”
My ears were ringing as blood pounded in my head. Gage reached out to steady me. This couldn’t be happening. Our last chance to keep sweet little Scout where he belonged, with his parents, had just slipped away. He was going to have to live with the woman who was willing to leave him in a stranger’s care, just to get her next fix.
“But…” the judge continued. I tried to listen to her, but the world was spinning around me.
Turning to Gage, I asked, “Did she just say the custody arr
angement was reversed?”
At Gage’s nod, I felt like leaping into his arms, but decided that should wait at least until we were outside.
In an effort to save face, the judge claimed that the finding had been worded backward. She said she intended for Grant and Molly to have custody of Scout here in Maine, while Angie would receive supervised visits once every three months.
We were all so grateful for the unprecedented about-face that no one dared to call the staunch woman out on the fib. She was too proud to admit she’d made the wrong choice, but at least she was fixing her mistake.
After the judge promised us that the ‘clerical error’ in the judgment would be fixed straightaway, we turned to leave before she could change her mind again. It was all I could do to keep from skipping down the hallway, and the others seemed just as giddy.
Molly’s step faltered beside me when she saw the handcuffed woman sitting on a bench awaiting her time in court.
Angie’s eyes lit up at the sight of us, just before she said to Grant, “You’re a big celebrity. You can get me out of this little mess, right?”
“Why would I help you?” he asked her solemnly.
“Because I’m the mother of your son,” she screeched.
Grant shook his head and reached out to take Molly’s hand. “No, you’re not, and we just spoke with the judge from our case and got the mistake in our custody arrangement all straightened out. Scout will be living here in Maine with us.”
Evidently sensing that this avenue wasn’t working, Angie changed gears. In a frantic, desperate tone, she offered, “I’ll split the money with you. Two different magazines are in a bidding war for the first pictures of your son. I’ll share it with you, if you help me stay out of jail.”
“So, that’s what this was all about. You don’t care about Scout at all. You were just after a big payday.” Shock and disgust were evident in Molly’s tone.
Angie didn’t even bother to deny the truth in Molly’s accusation. “Grant, please. I need your help.”
“Once you’re out of jail and cleaned up, we can talk about your scheduled visits with Scout, if you truly want to see him. But we will require drug and alcohol tests each time, and there will be no pictures taken.” Grant told her firmly.
As a group, we turned to go with Angie shouting after us, “You can’t leave me here like this!”
26
Avery
Once we were outside the courthouse, we gathered as a group. Molly had happy tears in her eyes as she said, “Thank you all so much for bringing our little family back together. We did it!”
We whooped and hollered, drawing stares from the few straggling passersby, but not caring.
“We should go out to celebrate!” Grant suggested.
“Absolutely!” Meg quickly agreed. She was always up for a free meal.
Gage’s eyes sparkled with mischief down at mine, just before he said, “We could go get lobster rolls.”
I considered kicking him in the shin, but he was too damn adorable for me to stay truly angry with him for long. Instead, I redirected the group by saying, “It’s really early for lunch. How about if we head over to Levi’s bakery?”
“Great idea,” Meg said, obviously on board with visiting her husband at work.
Levi served us celebratory fresh blueberry muffins with steaming mugs of coffee.
We carefully clinked the mugs together in a toast when Gage said, “To Scout and his parents.”
“Here, here.” Grant said as we tapped, then took tentative sips of the hot brew.
Scout evidently felt left out because he lifted his sippy cup of juice and held it out to us. We all toasted again with him. This time, Molly looked at me and said, “Cheers to the happy new couple.”
Gage and I sealed this toast with a kiss on the lips. I was sure my mother would hear all about it before I had a chance to talk to her, but kissing Gage was worth facing her potential wrath.
Once our little party broke up, Gage and I walked hand-in-hand back toward his truck. When I mentioned that my mother would probably have the full scoop on our relationship before I had a chance to tell her, Gage said in a somber tone, “At least you still get to talk to your mom.”
I stopped walking and turned to face him. “Your mother doesn’t talk to you?”
Gage shook his head before adding quietly, “She passed away.”
My palm went up to my mouth before I said, “I’m so sorry.”
Curious, I asked him, “Did that last beating from Jack take her life?”
“No, she survived that, but just barely. I have no doubt that he would have eventually killed her, if he hadn’t been stopped. She died of breast cancer.”
“You must miss her so much,” I guessed.
Gage nodded before adding, “But I hadn’t seen her in a long time. She never came to visit me in prison, and she never forgave me for murdering Jack.”
“You didn’t even tell your mother that it was Noah?” I asked quietly, not wanting to betray Gage’s trust by taking a chance that someone might overhear.
“No, she was unconscious when it happened, and there was no reason to have her be upset with both of her sons.”
I stared down at the ground and shook my head before saying, “You sacrificed so much––too much.”
His shrug made it obvious that he didn’t think it was as big of a deal as I did.
I tipped onto the balls of my feet to kiss him directly on his soft lips. After reluctantly pulling back, I infused sincerity into my voice when I said, “You’re a good man, Gage Tavish, and I’m falling head over heels in love with you.”
“Well, isn’t that something?” he asked with a wide grin before he continued, “Because I just so happen to already be madly in love with you, Avery Biggs.”
I beamed up at him before saying, “I’m going to need you to prove that to me with your body… over and over again.”
“Gladly,” he responded, just before we turned and raced––holding hands and giggling––to his truck.
27
Gage
I knew Avery’s parents didn’t like me. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them. I wasn’t exactly the kind of man they probably envisioned their daughter ending up with. But I would win them over… eventually… I hoped.
Avery wanted to tell them that I had gone to prison for my brother’s crimes, but I couldn’t let her do that. Besides, I had another plan that, with a little luck, just might work.
I waited until I knew Avery was at the library studying, then went to her parents’ house. When her mother answered the door, it took her a moment to recognize me with my newly clean-shaven face and trim haircut, but once she did, her lips pursed just before she said in a clipped tone, “Avery’s not here.”
She moved to close the door in my face, so I quickly said, “I know. I’m here to see you and your husband.”
She considered me for so long, I began to wonder if she might not let me in. Eventually, her innate politeness kicked in, and she opened the large door before ushering me inside.
I held the bouquet of flowers I’d driven down to Portland to hand-select out toward her and said, “These are for you.”
After deciding they probably looked like a mismatched hodge-podge, I pointed to each bloom and explained, “The white gardenia represents gentleness and beauty, the peach gladiolus signifies strength of character, the purple iris expresses wisdom, and the yellow rose is a sign of deep caring. I see all of these magnificent traits in your amazing daughter, and I’m confident they were passed down to her from you.”
The woman’s hand fluttered to the thin column of her throat at my bold compliments, just before she said in a much warmer tone than she’d previously used, “Oh my… thank you.”
After she accepted the flowers from my outstretched hand, she graced me with the first smile I’d ever seen on her face. With complete honesty, I said, “It looks like Avery gets her beautiful smile from her mother, too.”
The woman pract
ically tittered at my kind, sincere words, and I knew that half of this battle was won.
When she went to the kitchen to put the fresh-cut flowers into water, I turned my attention to Avery’s gruff father, who was glaring at me with his arms crossed. My flattery of his wife and daughter had obviously done nothing to ingratiate me to him.
“Hello, sir.” I held my hand out for a formal handshake.
His arms remained crossed over his chest and, for a moment, I wondered if he was going to leave me hanging. Eventually, he reached out to accept my hand, and we shared a firm handshake.
I swallowed down my significant nerves before asking, “Avery mentioned that you’re an avid fisherman, so I was hoping I could get your opinion on which of these would be the best, most durable fishing rod?”
When I held the latest L.L. Bean outdoor sporting equipment catalog out toward him, the man’s expression brightened immediately. His state pride was obvious when he said, “Let’s take a look and find you some equipment that was made right here in Maine, so you’ll know it will be top-notch quality.”
He actually placed a hand on my shoulder as he led me into his study to discuss fishing gear, so I knew I was on the right track. Now, I just had to use that positive momentum to convince him to go along with the most important decision of my life.
28
Avery
I couldn’t imagine what Gage’s big surprise was, but I hoped he planned to propose marriage to me. I knew it was quick, and I shouldn’t let my heart jump ahead so quickly, but I couldn’t wait for us to settle down, make babies, and share the rest of our lives together. Besides, it seemed like that was precisely the direction we were headed.
When he asked me to put on a handkerchief-turned-blindfold before greeting him for our scheduled date, I knew something major was afoot. My parents actually sounded excited as they told us to have fun, which confirmed in my mind that something big was definitely going to happen tonight.
