The Way the Story Goes Read online

  “I told you,” he whispered in her ear before kissing her softly on the cheek. “You ready to mingle?”

  Looking out at the large group of people in the yard, she immediately spotted Sydney and waved. “Absolutely.”

  Within minutes they were surrounded by friends and family and Mia had to remind herself several times that this was all normal—people hugging her and being excited to sit and talk with her was normal.

  The quiet and demure get-togethers she had with her own family and their friends was not.

  As much as she wanted to just embrace this atmosphere and the way everyone was being around her, it took a concerted effort.

  “You okay?” Sydney asked when they sat down and had a minute to themselves. “You looked a bit overwhelmed there.”

  A nervous laugh was her first response. “Well, you know me. This is a lot different from any Kingsley get-together.”

  “I think this is different than most family get-togethers. The extended Coleman-Bishop-Westbrook family added to the Jones family makes for a rather rambunctious time. You’ll get used to it.”

  Mia glanced around and wasn’t so sure.

  “I mean, it’s not like anyone’s doing anything offensive,” Sydney went on. “There’s just a lot of people who have big personalities in one place. Most of them are amazing and incredibly sweet, but there are a few…”

  “Like Austin’s Aunt Georgia?”

  Sydney grinned. “Ah, so you’ve been warned.”

  “Yeah, I’d like to meet this infamous snob and make sure she doesn’t give Austin any crap.”

  “Aww…look at you! Getting all defensive for your man. I love that!” She giggled. “Although, I think Austin could totally handle himself against someone like his aunt.”

  “He shouldn’t have to,” Mia said, frowning as she surveyed the yard.

  “Well, if it makes you feel any better, it’s not like he’s the only one she picks on. From what I understand, she’s an equal opportunity snob, and it doesn’t matter if she’s related to you or not.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel even a little better.” Across the yard, she spotted Austin talking to one of his cousins and that made her relax. Then she glanced around some more and realized there were a lot of people here around her own age and they all seemed to either be pregnant or with kids.

  “You’re frowning,” Sydney said, interrupting her thoughts. “No frowning allowed. This is a party.”

  “Is there something in the water here or what?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There are a lot of babies and little kids here.”

  Laughing softly, Sydney reached for her drink. “I don’t think it’s the water, just a lot of ridiculously good-looking men.”

  Mia looked around and she supposed the men were attractive enough, but none of them compared to Austin. If anyone asked her, she’d gladly tell them he was the most attractive member of the family.

  “So…who’s who?”

  Moving in close, Sydney pointed to a couple across the yard. “See the guy with a baby in the guy’s arms?”

  “I do.”

  “Okay, that’s Kyle’s oldest brother Dean and his wife Courtney. Their daughter Zoey is almost six months old.”

  Nodding, Mia said, “Okay. Got it.”

  “See the big, brawny guy over there gently rocking the stroller and the petite brunette next to him?”

  Another nod.

  “That’s Kyle’s other brother Hunter and his wife Violet. They just had their son three weeks ago. Silas. He is the cutest little thing and quite possibly the best baby ever.”

  “Aww…” It was out before Mia knew it and she almost covered her own mouth in disbelief because…babies—or the mention of them—never gave her any type of feeling before.

  Weird.

  “Oh wait…is that Austin’s mom over there in the floral print dress?”

  “Where?”

  “Over by the gazebo.”

  “It is. She’s so sweet. Who’s she talking to?”

  “My father-in-law,” Sydney said and then playfully slapped Mia’s arm. “Is it just me or do they look a little flirty?”

  It was hard to say with any certainty, but Mia was an avid people-watcher, and if she had to guess, she’d say they were definitely flirting. “I think so.”

  “Now that is just adorable. I would love to see Dominic start dating. He’s been alone for far too long. What about Austin’s mom? What’s her story?”

  “Um…her husband—Austin’s dad—sort of walked out on them when he and his brothers were little. Other than that, I have no idea. I guess they’re divorced but…who knows?”

  “Hmm…we may need to keep an eye on them and see if it goes anywhere. Now, where was I?”

  “You were pointing out more babies and who they belong to.”

  “Right. Okay, so over by the grill next to Mason is his cousin Sam. Sam and his wife Shelby also had a baby boy about three months ago.” She paused and pointed to the far corner of the yard. “And you remember meeting Jake and Mallory at my wedding, right? Their little girl is just starting to walk and is completely adorable.”

  “It looks like your little one is going to have a ton of friends and cousins to play with,” Mia said, turning to Sydney and smiling.

  “Definitely.” She rubbed her belly. “And I have a feeling he’s going to be here sooner rather than later.”

  “He?! Do you know for sure you’re having a boy?” Mia asked excitedly.

  “We said we wanted to be surprised, but a few people have told me I’m carrying like I’m having a boy.”

  Um…yeah, Mia had no idea that was a thing, so she just nodded.

  “Any chance you and Austin are getting serious and you want to get knocked up sooner rather than later?” Sydney teased. “Then our kids would be best friends too!”

  Mia felt her cheeks heat. “Oh, my goodness! Um…yeah, uh…I don’t think that’s going to happen. We’re not…I mean…I’m going to go back to Boston and Austin’s going to head back to Baltimore eventually. I think.”

  “Really? And then that’s it? You’re not going to see him again?”

  “I…I don’t know. We really haven’t talked about it. We’re just sort of…you know…living in the moment.”

  “Wow! Look at you! I had no idea you would be interested in anything like that.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, she caught Austin’s eye and smiled. It might not have been something she was interested in before, but she knew where Austin was concerned, there was no way she could have ignored the way she felt about him.

  And as for the future? Well, she refused to think about it.

  On the other side of the yard, Austin took a long pull of his beer and listened as his cousin Peyton talked about her potential plans for updating the restaurant Pops left to her. She had already successfully assisted in updating another restaurant in town—The Mystic Magnolia—and she was finally feeling ready to take charge of her own place.

  “It all sounds amazing, Pey,” he told her. “When do you think you’re going to get started?”

  “Honestly? I’m not sure. I would love to be able to close down and completely renovate the entire place—you know, rearrange the space and give it a total makeover—but… I don’t think I can.”

  “Why not?”

  “For one, it would be really expensive to do. I’m sure I could get a loan to cover it, but I hate the thought of being closed for such a long time. And there’s no way I would do work while still being open to the public.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think the Board of Health would allow that either.”

  “Exactly. So for now my plan is to go in and do some small changes—a little paint, some new tables and chairs, nothing too crazy—and then in a year or two, maybe open someplace completely new that’s all mine from the get-go.”

  “Wow! So would you buy property and build?”

  “Definitely. I look around town and I know
there are places I could buy, but…I don’t know…I have this vision in my head and I have for a long time and I’d love the chance to bring it to life.”

  “I get that.”

  “And hey…you know I’m going to come to you for the design,” she said with a broad grin.

  “You just say the word and I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

  “Does this mean you’re staying in Magnolia for good?”

  “Um…”

  “Because it would be very cool if you moved back,” she said. “It’s been way too long since we’ve hung out, and now that you’re dating Mia Kingsley, I’d really love to get together. Her books are amazing and I’m a little starstruck right now.”

  That made him chuckle. “Any time you want to come by, just let me know. I’m sure Mia would love to get to know you too.”

  “Oh my God! Do you think so? Really?” she asked excitedly. “I would be so nervous!”

  “Peyton, trust me. Mia’s very down-to-earth and easy to get along with. Has anyone introduced you to her yet?”

  “What? Oh…I mean, no. I was too freaked out earlier. Maybe later on you can introduce me, if that’s okay.”

  Reaching out, he hugged her as he laughed. “Of course it’s okay. Whenever you’re ready, just come and get me.”

  “Thanks, Austin,” she said, relaxing. She looked just beyond him and smiled. “Hey, Mom!”

  Austin inwardly groaned.

  “Hello, sweetheart,” Georgia Bishop breezed over, looking like she belonged at some sort of regal tea party rather than her grandson’s birthday party. She looked over at Austin with a serene smile. “Hello, Austin. It’s good to see you again.”

  He gave her the obligatory kiss on the cheek. “It’s good to see you too.”

  “So what were the two of you chatting about?” Georgia asked, smoothing her hand over her perfectly coiffed hair.

  “I was fangirling over Austin’s girlfriend, Mia,” Peyton admitted. “But we were also talking about my plans for the restaurant.”

  Georgia smiled and nodded. “Which reminds me, dear, Scarlett mentioned how we were almost out of those fruit kabobs you made. Are there more in the kitchen?”

  Peyton’s eyes went a little wide as she nodded. “I’ll go get them.” She smiled at Austin. “I promise to come over and talk more later,” she said as she walked away.

  And Austin was left alone with his aunt.

  Awesome.

  He took another sip of his beer before saying anything. “So…hard to believe Asher’s two already, huh?”

  She smiled. “It is! It still feels like yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital.”

  All he could do was nod.

  “Although, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She paused and moved in a bit closer. “We’re expecting Mason and Scarlett to announce that they’re pregnant again any day now.”

  “Really? That’s very exciting.”

  She nodded. “We’re hoping for a girl this time, but…as long as they’re healthy, we’ll be happy and blessed.”

  For a moment, Austin was at a loss for words. Who was this woman and what did she do with his snob of an aunt? He was just about to let his guard down when…

  “So you’re dating Mia Kingsley.”

  “Yes, I am,” he replied cautiously.

  “I was talking to her just a few minutes ago and she’s going to come and speak to my women’s club next week. I’m hosting a luncheon and she’ll be our guest of honor.”

  “That was fast…”

  “Yes, well…I had heard she was staying in town and was hoping to get an introduction. I never would have guessed she’d be dating, well…you.”

  It’s wrong to punch a lady. It’s wrong to punch a lady.

  “I hear she comes from a very prominent New England family. Her parents are both distinguished professors and Mia is…well, she’s brilliant. What do the two of you talk about?”

  It was a flippant question, but her tone—and now the sour look on her face—said it all.

  “Wow, three minutes. That was almost a record,” he mumbled.

  “Excuse me?”

  There was a part of him that wanted to say something snarky and dirty about how he kept Mia’s sweet mouth busy in other ways, but he’d been raised with better manners than that.

  No matter what his aunt thought.

  Rather than address the mumbled words, he went back to her original question. “Mia and I have spent a lot of time talking about her work as well as mine. We share a love of good food and wine. Conversation hasn’t been an issue.”

  “Hmm…still,” she said with a weary sigh, “it’s a shame you’re proving to be so much like your mother.”

  The gloves were about to come off, and Austin seriously wished there weren’t so many people around.

  “My mother is a wonderful person, so if I’m like her, I’d hardly call that a shame.

  Her face pinched again. “I was referring to the fact that your mother went after someone who was clearly out of her league. The Coleman family was always a prominent name in this town. Maybe if she had stuck to…you know…her own kind, it would have gone better.”

  “Or,” he countered through clenched teeth, “you might consider how the Coleman name proved to be just as flawed as any other. When it comes to my mother and father, my mother was the classier of the two.”

  Her smug smile faltered a bit. “Still…it all looks vaguely familiar with you chasing after a woman who is really several classes above you. Although I guess since she’s just here temporarily that maybe she’s okay with…what’s the phrase? Slumming it? Yes, slumming it. It’s not like she’s taking you back up North with her and bringing you to faculty dinners or to any literary events.” She laughed softly. “Now that would be something to see.”

  On some level, Austin had to agree with his aunt. He knew Mia was far classier than he was and while he never liked to think of anyone as being out of his league, in this case it was true. But Mia wasn’t a snob like his aunt and he knew she didn’t think like that. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to argue this point in the middle of a party because no matter what, he’d be the one to look bad.

  “Speechless?” Georgia said. “Imagine that. Although I’m sure you let Mia do most of the talking when you’re together because I’d wager good money she’s not particularly interested in hearing about construction.”

  “Excuse me,” someone said, and it took a moment for Austin to realize it was Mia.

  Shit.

  She hooked her arm through his and leaned up to kiss him softly on the cheek. “I hope I’m not interrupting, but I was missing you,” she said softly, completely ignoring his aunt.

  That in itself made her the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

  “Sorry, baby,” he said, gazing down at her.

  “Sydney and I were talking about going out on the boat tomorrow and I know we talked about staying in and being lazy…” Another kiss on his cheek. “But I thought by lunchtime we might be able to drag ourselves out of bed. What do you think?”

  “I think I’d go anywhere you want.”

  She hummed happily and pressed in close before glancing over at his aunt. Her smile stayed firmly in place as she sweetly said, “Oh, Georgia, I didn’t see you there. And I hate to disappoint you, but after looking at my calendar it seems like I won’t be able to come and talk to your women’s group. I hope this won’t put you in an awkward position.”

  “Oh, um…I already sent out an email to them saying we had talked and everyone was very excited to…”

  Mia waved her off. “Mmm…I’m sure you’ll find someone else to come and speak.”

  “What about the following week? We can postpone and…?”

  This time Mia fully faced his aunt and Austin found himself holding his breath and both fearing and looking forward to whatever it was she was going to say next.

  “Mrs. Bishop…Georgia,” she began, her voice soft and pleasant. “I
don’t believe I want to come and speak at any organization you’re a part of. I have a feeling I’d be dealing with a bunch of women just like you and after listening to the horrific way you were speaking to Austin, I know it isn’t something I want to be a part of.”

  “Oh, good Lord, Georgia, what did you do?”

  Austin turned and saw his cousin Mason’s wife, Scarlett, walking over with a scowl on her face.

  “Scarlett, darling,” Georgia began. “I was just having a conversation with Austin and Mia about…”

  Scarlett held up a hand to stop her. “Save it. What did I tell you about pulling that crap, huh?”

  Georgia looked downright apologetic as she looked from her daughter-in-law, then back to Austin and Mia. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

  “You could start by apologizing,” Scarlett said firmly, hands on her hips.

  “Scarlett,” Austin began, feeling just a little uncomfortable. “It’s okay. Really.”

  “No, it’s not,” both Mia and Scarlett said at the same time and then laughed.

  “I knew I liked you,” Scarlett said with a big smile. Then she looked back at Georgia. “Either you apologize to Austin right now or you can leave. Those are your choices.”

  His aunt sputtered and her face flushed. “But…but…we haven’t had cake yet, and Asher hasn’t opened any of his presents!”

  “Then I guess you’d better say you’re sorry to Austin—and probably to Mia, too—or I can call you an Uber to take you home.”

  “An…Uber? I’ll have you know I have my own car and…”

  “And it’s blocked in and Beau isn’t leaving.” Hands on her hips, Scarlett stood firm. “Tick tock, Georgia. I’ve got other guests to mingle with.”

  With a huff, Georgia turned to Austin. “I’m sorry for what I said. It was rude and unacceptable. Please forgive me.”

  Austin stared at his aunt and then at Scarlett in total disbelief. Never in his life had he ever seen anything like this. His cousin Sam warned him, but he honestly didn’t think he’d ever witness it for himself.

  Clearing his throat, he gave a curt nod and said, “Uh, thanks. I appreciate it.”

  Mia was still holding his arm while glaring at his aunt. “You have no idea what a talented and intelligent man your nephew is. Maybe if you opened your eyes instead of your mouth, you would know that. Now if you’ll excuse us…” She smiled at Scarlett. “Thank you for inviting me. I’m having the best time!”