“Hungry?” She holds up a plate filled with bacon, eggs, and toast.
“Thank you.” I take the plate and sit on one of the stools at the island. She tops off her cup of coffee and joins me.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?” she asks before taking a bite of eggs.
You and me in bed all day. “More of the same. The snow finally stopped, so hopefully, they will get up here to the roads.”
“They won’t be here until around dinner time tomorrow. I talked to Aurora this morning,” she explains.
“Yeah, I talked to Dad and Grant, and they said the same thing. Hopefully, the road is good to go by then.”
“If not, we have a plan. Well, Grant has a plan.” I go on to explain hiring a private company to clear the road to the cabin.
“I have no doubt he will do whatever needs to be done to marry my sister. He’s one of the good ones.”
I nod. She’s right, he is. All of my brothers are. I’d like to think that I can include myself in that assessment as well. However, I’ve never really cared if a woman thought I was one of the good ones. Not until now, and I’m not sure why I do. I just know I want her to think that about me.
“So, when the road clears, this place is going to be hopping with activity. The decorators will need to get in here, and then the caterers wanted to set up prior as well. That’s why I’m here early.”
“Yeah, we’ll make it happen. Don’t worry.”
“What if the caterer and whoever she hired to decorate can’t do it with the delay? Then what?”
“Then we take over. I promise you that your sister and my brother are getting married on Saturday.”
“I know. I have no doubts about you and your family. I just worry, you know? She’s been through so much, and she deserves to be happy. I want that for her more than anything.”
I nod. I do know. Aurora’s ex did a number on her, but Grant is working hard to turn that all around. I think he’s well on his way. “What about your parents?” I ask to keep the conversation flowing. If I don’t, my mind will go to her soft, plump lips, at least I think they’re soft. I’d love to find out for myself.
“Oh, they’re already in Nashville. They came a few days early to start looking for a place. I guess now Aurora is getting married, they want to make sure they’re close by when the grandkids start to arrive.”
“Do you know something I don’t know?” I raise my eyebrows in question.
“No. At least, I don’t think so. Mom and Dad know we’re happy in Nashville, and now that Aurora and hopefully me one day will start our own families, or at least settle down, they want to be close.”
“You want to settle down, do you?” It’s a question I would never ask, but I want the answer from her as much as I want to kiss her.
“Yes.” There is no hesitation in her reply. “However, I don’t want to settle if that makes sense. I want a partner in life. Someone I know will love me unconditionally, like Grant and Aurora. There isn’t a single doubt in my mind that your brother isn’t one hundred percent devoted, head over heels in love with my sister. And her with him.”
“So you want to marry Grant?” I tease.
“No!” She smacks playfully at my arm. “I just want someone who looks at me the way he looks at Aurora.”
“I get it. All three of my brothers have been lucky to find great partners in life.”
“And you’re still looking?” she questions.
“Yep. I’m just waiting for the right woman.”
“And what is your idea of the right woman?”
You. “Someone who is with me for me, and all my quirks, and not my family’s money.”
“That has to be hard.”
I shrug. “We’re used to it. All five of us had to deal with it, and Royce’s first wife pretty much married him because of it. That’s why he fought his feelings for Sawyer so hard. He didn’t trust himself to choose again, and right this time.”
“I’d say he did well for himself. Sawyer is great.”
“She really is. So, what do you want to do today?” I change the subject. Talking about this just makes me want to kiss her even more. Who am I kidding? Everything Aspen does makes me want to kiss her. It doesn’t matter what we’re talking about.
“Cookies. I saw the dough in the fridge, and it needs to be made so it doesn’t go to waste. How are your cookie decorating skills, Riggins?”
“I know my way around a cookie.” I smirk, and her face turns beet red.
“You!” She shakes her head. “Dishes. I cooked. I’m going to run upstairs and… make sure I unplugged the hairdryer. I’ll be right back.” She races out of the room like her ass is on fire, but that’s okay because I saw those hazel eyes, and they were filled with desire. Desire for me. Today is going to be another great day.
Chapter 9
Aspen
“I can’t believe your mom thought of all of this,” I tell Conrad as I cut out another heart-shaped cookie to place on the baking sheet.
“She’s always been one for details,” he says, adding his own cut-out version of Xs and Os onto the sheet.
“Perfect.” Picking up the sheet, I place our final batch in the oven and set the timer. “Now, it’s time to drag out all the decorating supplies.” I busy myself doing just that. When I turn around, I find Conrad watching me intently. “Thanks for this,” I say, holding up my hands that are full of icing and sprinkles.
“That was all Mom.”
“No. I mean, thank you for humoring me and making cookies. I’m sure this isn’t your idea of fun.”
“Is it yours?” His gaze is intense as he waits for my answer.
“Yeah, I mean, I know I do it every day, but I enjoy it. And this is for fun, and well, you’re here,” I add on without thinking.
“I’m glad I’m here with you to bake and decorate cookies.”
I watch as he pulls his phone out of his pocket and taps the screen. When the music begins to play from somewhere other than his phone, I look around for a speaker. “Where is that coming from?”
“Oh, we have a Bluetooth system throughout the cabin. I can control it from my phone. So we can listen to the same music throughout, or change it up.” He holds his phone up so that I can see the screen as if that helps me understand what he’s saying. “IT guy”—he points at his chest—“remember?”
“I’m sure there’s a good story behind that. I mean, you blocked Marshall from the thermostat. I’m sure you’ve used this to your advantage at one point or another.”
“Who me?” He places his hand over his heart as if he’s offended. “Maybe,” he confesses. I raise my eyebrows and give him an “I don’t believe you” look. “Okay,” he admits with a laugh. “One night, Royce had this sappy depressing song on repeat. He was annoying the hell out of all of us. It was right after he and his first wife split. Anyway, this song was sad as hell, and we were all over it, but his drunk ass insisted that’s what we listen to on repeat. So, when he went to bed, I might have piped ‘You Are My Sunshine’ into his room while he slept.”