The Way the Story Goes Read online

  “Wow.”

  “So, you think because you were poor and your father left that nothing good ever happened to you. But I had both of my parents and everything I ever could have wanted except love.” She smiled sadly at him. “I’m sorry your mother struggled so much and that your childhood wasn’t what you wanted it to be, but I’ve met your mother and your cousins and I would have given anything to have people like that in my life when I was growing up.”

  He stared at her for a long time as he seemed to process her words. Mia took another bite of her cinnamon roll because she needed it. She had just bared her soul in a way she never had.

  “So where do we go from here?” he asked, back to looking at his coffee. “It seems to me we were both wrong and we’ve apologized but…I have no idea what happens next.”

  “I’m not sure either,” she admitted. “But I know I’m not ready for this to end, Austin. I have no idea how much longer you’re going to be working here in Magnolia before heading back to Baltimore, and I’ve got another seven weeks before I head back to Boston, so…”

  Turning his hand over, he clasped her hand in his and softly caressed her palm. “I’m not ready for this to end either.”

  Was it wrong that she was hoping for more of a declaration from him? That she wanted him to say he never wanted it to end?

  Gently, she took her hand back and took another bite of her breakfast and gasped with surprise when his hand circled her wrist. “Austin?” Slowly, he pulled her hand toward his lips and then slowly licked her fingers.

  It was crazy how much of a turn on that was.

  With her free hand, she ran a finger along the icing on the pastry and held that up for him and he quickly dropped her other hand to get to the icing.

  The man had an incredibly talented tongue and right now, there were so many other places she’d rather feel it besides her hand.

  Mia stood up and smiled down at him. “I hope these will reheat well later because…I’m no longer hungry for them.”

  Austin’s grin was downright wolfish as he came to his feet. “And what are you hungry for?”

  “You,” she whispered. “Only you.”

  He scooped her up in his arms and went directly to the bedroom and kept her there until long after lunch.

  The electrician had finished all the wiring in the custom wall units, and the painters were halfway done with the interior of the house. Ryder had called to say he had a company coming to pressure wash the outside and replace any bad siding, and another crew was coming to demo the back deck. A lot was going on and after working alone for so long, it felt weird to be surrounded by so many people again.

  And he wasn’t loving it.

  For a week, he had been in foreman mode, simply overseeing the work being done. Most of the time he was over at Mia’s and watching from there when they weren’t in bed together.

  It was a great way to work.

  And he was loving it.

  Things were back on track for them, but…he wasn’t sure what exactly they were going to do once his job was done and her lease was up. Neither seemed to want to talk about it and they were living in the moment. It was something he normally preferred, but right now, it wasn’t at all appealing.

  So do something about it.

  Yeah, so many times this week he had wanted to say something to her, but…things were going so well that he was afraid to upset the balance.

  With her edits done, she had more free time on her hands. There was a new series she was loosely plotting, but she spent a couple of hours a day working on it and that was normally while Austin was at Ryder’s talking with the crew over there. Sydney had called one day saying she was in labor and Mia had raced over only to find out it was another one of her friend’s test runs. Austin thought it was clever, but Mia said it was the second time she’d done it so she wasn’t amused.

  Once they were both free, they would go to lunch together, or go shopping at all the little beach shops, and even started spending some time with his family.

  They went to dinner at Sam and Shelby’s one night and to Jake and Mallory’s another. And one night, they even had dinner with his mother, who dropped a bombshell that she had a date this weekend with Dominic Jones.

  Something that Austin really didn’t know how to feel about.

  Of course he wanted her to go out and be happy, but the thought of her actually dating seemed strange.

  And immediately pushed it aside before he felt weird again.

  Tonight, he was taking Mia out to the country club for dinner and it felt good to know he could take her there. It was never something he could afford before, but now that he was older and in a better financial state, he was looking forward to doing it.

  A romantic date was something they hadn’t done yet. They were dressing up, going to dinner, and hopefully a little dancing afterwards. He had plans for them to come home and have either a glass of wine or maybe something hot to drink out on the deck with the help of the heat lamp and then would be his favorite part of the night, taking Mia to bed and making love to her until they were both exhausted.

  It didn’t matter how great the rest of the night was, no matter what, making love to her was going to be even better.

  Austin felt like he was always wanting her, needing her, craving her, and after a month of them dating, it wasn’t lessening.

  Maybe it was time to tell her how he felt.

  It might not change anything—after all, she did have a life up in Boston—but he wanted her to know how he felt and then they could figure out how to navigate the whole long-distance thing.

  If he was starting his own business, he had a little flexibility to make time to go up and see her. And with what he knew about her writing process, when she wasn’t in the middle of a book, she definitely had time to travel. It wasn’t ideal, but he was more than willing to give it a shot and see how it went. Because the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to move back to Magnolia and see how working for himself went.

  When they were at Jake and Mallory’s the other night, they didn’t discuss it—well, he and Jake had while Mallory was busy showing Mia her book collection. Austin had explained what he wanted to do and Jake was completely on board with helping him and even told him how proud his great-grandfather would be.

  And it was crazy how much those words meant to him.

  Looking at himself in the mirror and adjusting his tie, Austin felt like tonight was definitely the right night for him to talk to Mia about…the future. The funny thing was he wasn’t freaked out or nervous, he just knew it was the right time.

  Hopefully Mia would feel the same way.

  At six-thirty, he made his way over to her house and actually went to the front door. It seemed funny to have to knock, but they weren’t living together—even though he was sleeping with her every night, he still kept all his things over at Ryder’s. She opened the door and took his breath away. Her hair was loose and wavy, her dress was red and hugged her sweet curves, and her lips were a glossy deep crimson.

  She was the sexiest woman he had ever seen.

  When he leaned in to kiss her, she stopped him with a hand on his chest. “You look incredibly handsome all dressed up,” she told him. “And if you kiss me, we’re not going anywhere.”

  Right now, he was fine with that and tried to kiss her again.

  “Uh-uh. No way. You’ll wreck my lipstick and you promised me a fantastic dinner at the country club.” Her smile was sweet and, in that moment, he would have given her anything.

  “Fine,” he pouted. “But once we’re back here, I plan on wrecking that lipstick.”

  She stepped outside with him. “And I’ll gladly let you.” With a saucy wink, Mia walked down the steps to her car. Since he drove a pickup truck, they usually took her car when they went out.

  The drive was short and they were seated immediately. Austin felt mildly self-conscious because he hated to admit how this was his first time coming here for dinner. Mia put his
mind at ease by sharing how she felt most fancy restaurants were overrated, and he knew he’d never have to worry about impressing her. For as snobbish as her parents were, she was incredibly down-to-earth.

  Just another reason to love her.

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her right then and there how he felt, but…their waiter came to take their order and the mood was broken.

  “My editor loves to go to every upscale restaurant in New York,” she told him, “and whenever I’m there with her, she thinks it impresses me when she takes me with her.” With a soft laugh, she leaned in a little closer. “And I never have the guts to tell her I’d prefer a burger.”

  Laughing with her, Austin reached for her hand. “Just say the word and we’ll cancel the order and go to The Sand Bar. You know they have great burgers.”

  “Oh, I know they do, and I’ve had my fair share of them since being in Magnolia.” She squeezed his hand in return. “But I think I can tough it out for one night—you know, being fancy.” She leaned even closer still. “And I’m looking forward to dancing with you after we eat.”

  And that’s what finally relaxed him.

  “Me too,” he said gruffly, kissing her palm.

  Their conversation flowed as they enjoyed the chilled seafood tower appetizer. Dinner consisted of surf and turf for him and a grilled rainbow trout for her. Mia swore she was full, but really wanted the chocolate mousse for dessert.

  “Let’s go dance for a little while and then come back and order dessert. What do you say?”

  “That sounds perfect.” And with her hand in his, he led her across the dining room to the small dancefloor where the band was playing softly. Once she was in his arms and they were swaying to the music, she hummed softly. “And this feels perfect.”

  He had to agree.

  One slow song led into another and neither spoke because the mood, the moment, felt so incredibly right.

  Okay, so maybe now was the time to tell her how he felt. “Mia, I…”

  “Excuse me,” someone interrupted, and both Austin and Mia turned to see a woman around his mom’s age standing there. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Ms. Kingsley, but I’m part of Grace’s book club and I missed out on meeting you the day you invited all of them over and I really just wanted to tell you how much I love your books.”

  With a big smile, Mia stepped from his embrace and faced the woman. “Thank you so much,” she said sweetly. “I appreciate that.”

  “I’m Ruth, by the way. Ruth Warner.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ruth.”

  “I hate to ask, but…would you mind signing something for me? Obviously I don’t have a book with me, but if you could sign a napkin or something…”

  Mia looked at him apologetically and he nodded and kissed her on the cheek. “Go and sign for her and I’ll order our dessert.”

  Walking away, Austin figured it was all okay. They would talk when they got back to the house. Perhaps telling her he loved her was something he should say in private rather than in a crowded restaurant.

  Feeling better, he sat back down and ordered the mousse for her and the cheesecake for him. Mia rejoined him five minutes later and had barely gotten situated before their dessert was in front of them.

  “Oh, that looks so decadent,” she hummed, picking up her spoon. The sounds she made were blatantly sexual and Austin had to remind himself they’d be home soon so he could be the reason for more of them.

  “Does that happen often? Readers recognizing you?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. I can count on one hand the amount of times anyone has done that. But it’s always kind of exciting.”

  Nodding, he took a bite of his own dessert and had to fight not to moan with delight too. The entire meal had been amazing and he was glad he chose here for their date. Once they were done, Austin stood and held out his hand to her.

  “Ooh…are we going to dance again?” she asked, her eyes going wide.

  Pulling her in close, he kissed her. “We can, or we can go home and do that out on the deck under the moonlight. What do you think?”

  “I think we shouldn’t be standing here any longer. Let’s go!”

  Did he drive a little faster even though they were only minutes away from home?

  Yes.

  Did he carry her into her house like he knew she loved for him to do?

  Also yes.

  Mia was kissing his neck and as much as Austin wanted to stick to their original plan and go out to the deck and light the heat lamp and enjoy the cool night air, it seemed like she had other plans. “The bedroom,” she panted between kisses. “Please.”

  A war waged within him for a long moment, but when she gently bit down on his neck and then licked the spot, he knew there would be time to go outside another night. Right now, all he wanted was to give Mia whatever it was she wanted.

  Placing her down on her feet next to her bed, she turned and presented her back to him. “Can you please help me with my zipper?” she asked, her voice soft and husky.

  Slowly, Austin slid the zipper down and his knuckles grazed the soft skin along her spine. When she shivered, a smile crossed his face. Once he could see the red thong she was wearing underneath, he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck before kissing his way down to top of the tiny piece of lace. He heard her gasp as his hands grasped her hips right before she moaned his name.

  With one last squeeze, he stood and turned her around. Her eyes were a little glazed and she licked her lips before wrapping her hand around his nape and bringing him closer. “Kiss me.”

  She didn’t need to ask him twice.

  He kissed her with all the pent-up emotion he’d been holding in all night long, and the way she was kissing him back had him wondering if she truly felt the same way.

  His hands gently slid the dress from her body and when Mia pressed up against him, he felt the heat of her skin and it made him practically tear his own clothes from his body. His jacket landed in a heap on the floor and his shirt and tie quickly followed. And when they were skin-to-skin, he couldn’t help but moan into her mouth.

  As if of one mind, they took the last few steps to the bed and Austin wasn’t sure who was leading who, but they landed on the mattress together. Rolling, he pinned Mia beneath him and raised his head to look at her. She was breathless and beautiful and…everything to him.

  Reaching up, Austin saw his hand tremble slightly before he caressed her cheek. “You are so damn beautiful,” he whispered, and saw her blush. “Every time I look at you, you take my breath away.” Her hand came up and touched his jaw and he gently clasped her wrist and kissed it. “Since the first time I saw you, that’s how I’ve felt.”

  “Austin…”

  “When I came back to Magnolia Sound to work on the house, I was angry at everything and felt like nothing good was ever going to happen for me.” He swallowed hard because…this was it. He was going to say the words he’d never said to another woman. “Then I met you and for the first time in my life, I felt like…like maybe I was wrong and…and something good—something incredible—was happening for me.”

  Mia’s expression softened as a slow smile played at her lips.

  “I look at you and I feel happy. Hopeful. I know we still have so many things to work through, but I want you to know that I love you.”

  Her eyes went wide and her hand stilled on his jaw and he felt a moment of panic and didn’t want to risk her saying she didn’t feel the same so…

  Leaning down, he claimed her lips and kissed her until they were both restless and panting. Then he kissed his way down her body—ridding her of her thong, bra, and shoes. When she was naked and writhing beneath him and panting his name, he knew her answer didn’t matter.

  At least…not right now.

  Now, he needed to make love to her and show her that he meant what he said.

  There would be plenty of time to talk tomorrow.

  Kicking off the rest of
his own clothes, he covered her body with his and reveled in the feel of her warm, soft skin pressed against his. One of Mia’s hands raked through his hair and guided his lips back to hers.

  Everything felt amazing—perfect. One kiss led to another and then another and just when he poised to claim her, the sound of a phone ringing made them both freeze.

  “That’s mine,” she said, and seemed to hesitate.

  As much as he wanted to tell her to ignore it, for someone to be calling this late, something had to be wrong. Rolling off of her, Austin climbed from the bed and retrieved her purse and handed it to her. Once she pulled out her phone, she frowned and swiped the screen.

  “I swear, if this is another one of your…what? Are you sure?” Mia looked up at him and he saw a combination of apology and regret. “Yes. I just…I’m going to need a few minutes, but I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay? Okay, I’ll see you soon. Bye.” She put her phone down and sighed.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Sydney’s in labor,” she said with a pout. “For real this time.” Then she laughed. “She swore this wasn’t a test.”

  Pulling her from the bed, Austin gave her a playful shove toward her closet. “Go get dressed and I’ll drive you over.”

  “Are you sure? I hate how we got interrupted, and we can’t…you know…while we’re there, so…”

  Walking over to her, he cupped her face in his hands. “You’re worth the wait. Now come on. There’s a baby waiting on us.”

  She was adorably flustered as she rushed around pulling on yoga pants and a hoodie before quickly throwing her hair up into a ponytail. And while wearing dress pants and shirt wasn’t exactly comfortable, Austin figured he could handle it for one night. Mia would probably insist on sending him home, but he had a feeling she wasn’t going to sleep and if he stayed, they could talk some more.

  “Okay! I’m ready!” she said as she walked out of the bedroom with a small overnight bag.

  He followed her into the living room. “What’s in the bag?”

  “Oh, well, I’m not sure how long I’ll need to stay—I mean, at least until morning and all that—but just in case they need me longer, I wanted to have some stuff with me.”