Page 31 of Freeing the Wild
Cole shakes his head and laughs before Dean even spills the punchline and Ginger hands me a cup of steaming hot coffee.
“What?”I ask with a grin.
“A little boy,” Dean says, pointing to the other men around the island while waggling his own white stache at us.
“Eat shit, old man!”Nash smiles wide.
Dean looks at me, shaking his head.“They never like the truth.”
It’s easy chatting for another twenty minutes, and I do my best not to wonder where Cassie is or who she’s talking to as Cole talks my ear off about his new deputy sheriff’s house reno.
“Let’s eat!”Jo calls to the group as she uncovers a huge tray of scrambled eggs.
“Ladies first,” Cole says, reaching around Ginger from behind and kissing her neck.
“Brunch, Cole,” CeCe says, wrinkling her nose.“We said none of this where food is concerned.”
“It’s payback, Rae.”He calls CeCe by her middle name as he pulls Ginger to his side.“And I can’t help it if I can’t keep my hands off her.”
Ginger reaches up and pats him on the jaw.“Come on, baby, control yourself.Mama needs to eat.”
“We all need to eat, Ginger,” Cole fires back.
“Fucking Christ,” Wade mumbles under his breath as CeCe swats at Cole in disgust.Cole and Ginger laugh.They obviously think they’re hilarious.
The large island is full of food and the large crowd piles up their plates.After serving myself, I turn back to grab some pepper and almost run right into Cassie.She looks up at me and her startled eyes lock with mine.I notice it again—the lack of fire there.I let my gaze trail over her pretty features, noticing the way her hair being pulled back enhances the size of her eyes.
“Fruit, Cassie?”Dusty asks on the other side of her, breaking our stare.He’s holding a plate of mixed berries.Fucking kiss-ass.
“Thanks,” she says, as he drops some fruit salad onto herplate and then heads for the orange juice on the other side of the island.
I move closer to Dusty when she leaves the line.
“Aren’t you gonna offer to scoop my fruit?”I ask him with a mischievous brow-waggle.
Dusty grimaces, but dutifully drops a scoop on my plate too.“I’m just trying to be nice.”
“Make sure that’s all it is,” I warn.“She’s Ivy’s little sister.I’m sure Wade would say she’s off-limits.”
I instantly hate myself for making that comment, because what the fuck do I care if they flirt?Dusty nods in understanding as I pour myself another coffee and follow everyone into the dining room to find an empty seat at the massive harvest table.Of course, the only one left is directly across from Cassie.This day just keeps getting better and better.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Cassie
Okay, so it turns out itwasthe worst-case scenario.Haden knew I was Ivy’s sister and he knows my song is about him.After my first therapy session last night with Dr.Payler, I was exhausted.It’s only eleven in the morning and I’m already exhausted again.I’m glad I don’t have a session today.I have enough to work through already and we didn’t even talk about the trampling yet.Instead, she talked to me about what is weighing on me “right now.”She said you can only deal with the present, so I need to try to focus on the little problems one at a time.Like what is causing my feelings or reactions in this moment.
Well, right this moment, the only thing I can think of is how I’m going to get past those stormy blue eyes living so close to me.Which feels impossible when I can’t even get past coming face-to-face with them across the room in the Ashbys’s kitchen.In the last thirty minutes I’ve been introduced to Nash, Wade’s best friend and also his sister CeCe’s husband.Turns out he’s an ex-hockey player and the moment they told me that, I remembered the Dallas Stars photo at the local bar.I also met the beautiful CeCe, who told me how much she lovedmy music, which made me smile.And the old grandfather, or Papa Dean as they call him, is a distinguished-looking old man with the kindest eyes.
My mama gives me the lay of the land as we mingle.She hasn’t left my side since she brought over the coffee to my cabin.
“This group is large, and usually loud, but they love so hard.I’m so glad you’re here, baby.You really need it,” she says for at least the fifth time, with tears in her eyes.
“I’m glad I’m here too, Mama.This place has been so good for you.Maybe it will be good for me too.”
She squeezes my hand.“I’ll be here every step of the way.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
