Beating Heart: A Small Town, Single Dad Romance (Magnolia Falls Series Book 4)

A winter wedding in Magnolia Falls was as good as it got. Saylor wanted to be married on their property, and Kingston wanted his wife to have whatever she wanted. There was snow covering the ground, and they had several tents with industrial heaters to keep the space warm, and everything was winter white and holiday-themed. Hayes had given Saylor away, and there hadn’t been a dry eye in the room when Kingston and Saylor read their vows.

You could feel the love that surrounded those two. Their reception was the largest I’d ever attended. Everyone in town had come out, and they were all fawning over Lincoln Hendrix, the star QB whom everyone knew well. I’d really enjoyed getting to know Romeo’s brother and his wife, Brinkley, but Nash and I found ourselves at a table with Cage Reynolds and his wife, Presley, gaping over the fact that our kids couldn’t seem to stay away from one another.

Little Gracie Reynolds had met Cutler in the fall when Cage and Presley had come to town with Brinkley and Lincoln to see a ranch that Lincoln was interested in purchasing so he could have a home near Romeo and their sister, Tia, who’d come home from school to attend Kingston and Saylor’s wedding, as well.

Nash and Kingston would be renovating the place, and they’d become good friends, as we’d gone to Cottonwood Cove a couple weeks ago so Saylor and I could try out the Tranquility Day Spa that Presley co-owned with her best friend, Lola.

“Look at the way he’s twirling her,” Presley said, as her son slept in her lap. The little angel was just a few months old, and Gracie adored her little brother.

“He never stops talking about her. I think J.T. is getting sick of hearing about his new bestie.” Nash barked out a laugh.

“He’s about the only kid on the planet that I’d let twirl my little girl around on the dance floor,” Cage grumped. “But I’m a big Beefcake fan.”

I smiled. “They’re pretty adorable. He was so excited you guys were coming to the wedding. He wanted her to see him carrying the rings down the aisle.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Presley said. “We were thrilled to be included in their special day.”

“It was a nice wedding, huh?” Nash said, his hand finding mine, as our fingers intertwined.

“It was beautiful.” I stared out at the dance floor, watching Gracie try to twirl Cutler, and he clearly didn’t love the idea of being spun around, but he went along with it.

I loved him as if he were my own, and in a way, he was.

Things happen for a reason.

I knew that I belonged here in Magnolia Falls with Nash and Cutler.

We visited with everyone as the party just kept on going. River, Ruby, Demi, and Romeo came to join us at the table.

Demi gave me a look, and I followed her gaze to the dance floor, where her brother, Slade, was slow dancing with Peyton.

“I think something is going on there,” she whispered to me.

She was definitely right. Peyton always found an excuse to hang out with Slade.

“I think you’re right. Is that okay with you?” I asked.

“Yeah. He’s been doing really well with his sobriety. He loves working at the gym with Romeo, and he seems crazy about her. I don’t know why they don’t just tell me they’re dating at this point.”

“It’s okay. I like watching her squirm when she’s with him, and she’s always glancing over to see if you notice,” Ruby said over her laughter. “It’s hilarious.”

Just then, Peyton marched in our direction, her hand in Slade’s. “Demi. We have something to tell you.”

“Really?” Demi said, feigning surprise.

“Tell her, Slade.” Peyton raised a brow at the man beside her.

“I don’t know why it’s a big deal, but Peyt and I are dating. I don’t really need your blessing, but she sure seems to need it. And I’m done sneaking around.”

“Baby, that was not as well done as it could have been.” Peyton raised a brow, and he tugged her forward, planting a kiss on her lips. We were all smiling, watching them.

“You have my blessing, but maybe let’s not make out in front of me just yet.” Demi was laughing hysterically, which had Romeo on his feet, hurrying over and bending down in front of her. He placed his hands on her cute round belly, this look of concern that was almost comical.

“Our boy loves when his mama laughs,” Romeo said.

We’d had a gender reveal party not that long ago, and they were having a boy. We were all thrilled for them, but Cutler seemed to be the most excited about having a new brother, as he called him.

“Are you going to grab her stomach every time she laughs, hiccups, or coughs?” Hayes grumped as he joined us at the table, pulling up a chair beside me.

“Yeah. This little dude is active. He’s always kicking around in there, and I fucking love it.”

“I want to make fun of you real bad right now, but I get it,” Nash said as he rubbed the back of my neck. “Hey, I heard John Cook announced that he was finally retiring.”

Hayes nodded slowly. “Yep. He’ll be retiring in a few months. Lenny and I are both up for the position, but that fucker is practically campaigning for it now. He keeps mentioning how his wife loves to host potlucks and fundraisers, and I can’t compete with that. I sure as shit don’t want to.”

“Play the game, brother. You’re damn good at your job. You deserve the promotion. Maybe you could marry Trish Windsor real quick,” River said over his laughter. Nash had filled me in that she was a woman who’d pursued Hayes hard, and he avoided her any time she came around.

“I’d rather get demoted than be alone with that woman. She tried to tie me up, remember? I’m not into that shit.”

“Unless you’re the one doing the tying, right?” Romeo teased, and Hayes balled up a napkin and tossed it at him.

“Something like that.” Hayes shrugged.

“Sad news about Abe Wilson,” River said, taking a long pull from his beer. “I wonder if Savannah will come home for his funeral.”

“Who’s Savannah?” I asked.

“Savannah Abbott lived next door to Hayes when we were growing up. She and Hayes were—what do you call that, baby? When they’re inseparable?” Romeo was now sitting with Demi on his lap as he rubbed her belly.

“Besties, baby.”

“Pfft.” Hayes shook his head with disgust. “I don’t use the word besties in my vocabulary. We were neighbors, and we looked out for one another. And then all that shit went down with her family, and she went radio silent.”

“Ahhh… she ghosted you,” Ruby said with a laugh.

“Whatever. Call it what you want.” Hayes stared out at the dance floor, but he looked a million miles away.

“You two were tight. I remember you and Kate having some brutal fights about how jealous she was over that friendship,” Nash said. He’d filled me in on Hayes’s ex-fiancée who’d slept with his coworker at the firehouse. She sounded like a real piece of work.

“Yeah, Kate liked to go off about anything and everything. I should have run for the hills long before I caught her riding Lenny like it was her fucking day job.”

Laughter bellowed around us.

“That’s called red flags,” Demi said with a brow raised. “Well, I hope Savi comes home for the funeral. She was always so sweet and kind to everyone. I hated that she left town so abruptly. But she and the Wilsons were really close. The last time she came home was over a decade ago—for Lily’s funeral, right?”

Hayes nodded, and something crossed his gaze that I couldn’t read. Sadness, maybe? “Yep,” was all he said.

“I wonder who he left his millions to,” Romeo said. “That man owned the largest piece of property in Magnolia Falls. He’s got no kids, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens with his estate and land.”

“He married that crazy-ass woman, Sheana, for a short time. If she gets that land, I’d guess we’ll have a strip mall in town within a few months.” Hayes took another pull from his bottle.

I gave Nash a questioning look, and he leaned down close to my ear. “Abe was a sweet old man who lost the love of his life, and then a few years later, he got worked over by this young gold digger whom everyone in town despised. Thankfully, he figured it out quickly and filed for divorce.”

“And she just left?” I asked, my mind blown that someone would be so cold.

“Yep. She got a large settlement and moved out of town.”

“Money brings out the crazy in people,” Hayes said, shaking his head with disgust.

“She got what she wanted,” Romeo said, as Kingston sauntered our way.

“Hey now, why aren’t we out on the dance floor?” Kingston asked, as he dropped into a chair across from me.

“Because we’ve been here for seven hours. This is the longest wedding known to man,” Hayes grumped. “And I don’t dance.”

“Yeah, I think this party is wrapping up.” River pushed to his feet. “It was a great wedding. You sure know how to throw a party, brother.”

All the guys were hugging goodbye, and Ruby, Demi, and I were walking over to say goodbye to Saylor.

“What’s the story with Hayes and Savannah? He looked pretty distraught over the mention of her name,” I asked.

“Yeah. They were really close back in the day, and a bunch of stuff went down with her family right around the time that Hayes and Saylor were going through a bunch of stuff, and River and Romeo got sent to Fresh Start. So I think it was a rough time for everyone.”

Fresh Start was the juvenile detention center that Ruby worked at now.

“When it rains in Magnolia Falls, it sure does pour.” Demi shook her head, eyes heavy with emotion. “I hope she comes back for Abe’s funeral. She was always so happy and nice.”

“Yeah, she was funny as hell. Even my blackened heart couldn’t help but smile around the girl,” Ruby said with a chuckle.

“Who are we talking about?” Peyton popped her head into the little circle we’d formed, appearing out of nowhere.

“Savannah Abbott. We’re wondering if she’ll come back for Abe’s funeral.”

“Oh, I always loved her. She was one big glass of sunshine, if memory serves. But that family scandal of hers was all everyone in town was talking about. I don’t blame her for moving and staying away.” Peyton shook her head and shrugged at the same time.

“It wasn’t her fault, and, speaking of scandal… How about the fact that you’ve been secretly dating my brother?” Laughter echoed around us, just as Nash came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist.

“You ready to head home, beautiful?”

I turned to see Cutler on his hip, with his head resting in the crook of his father’s neck.

We said our goodbyes and made our way out to the truck. Cutler slept all the way home, and Nash carried him inside, and then I got him undressed and ready for bed. We had our routine, and tucking this little boy in at the end of the night was the highlight of my day.

Well, aside from what happened every night in the room across the hall after he was long asleep.

“Hey, I have something for you,” I said, leading Nash down the hallway. He had his tuxedo coat slung over the barstool, his dress shirt unbuttoned low, exposing his muscled chest.

“Oh, yeah? I have something for you, too,” he said as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

I knew the day that Tara had threatened that Nash might not be Cutler’s biological father had really messed with his head. So we’d agreed to have him do a paternity test that we’d keep between the two of us, because he needed to know just in case she ever tried to pull anything legally with Cutler. I’d already seen the test results because I didn’t even know how I’d tell him if the outcome had been different than it was.

I handed him the envelope, and he opened it. His eyes welled with emotion as he read the words that he’d known in his gut were true.

Cutler was his son in every way. Nash had never cared if Cutler was his son by blood. Hell, his best friends were his family. They were brothers not by blood but by history.

But knowing that Tara could never come back and claim Cutler wasn’t his brought him peace of mind.

She’d signed the papers, and we hadn’t heard from her since, which he told me was pretty normal for her.

And it didn’t matter if she came back around, because he had all the paperwork in place to protect his little boy.

Our little boy.

At least he felt like ours.

He was thriving, and that was all that mattered. His asthma was under control now, and the new meds were working wonders. He hadn’t had an attack since that day out on the lake, but we were prepared and ready if he did.

“So, what do you have for me?” I asked, waggling my brows as he wrapped a hand around my neck and kissed me.

“Come on, and I’ll show you.” In the next breath, I was flung over his shoulder as he carried me to the bedroom where I slept every night, though all of my things were still next door in my rental house, as my lease had a few more weeks before it was up.

And tonight was just about enjoying the moment. And that’s exactly what we did. He dropped me onto the bed and buried his head between my thighs as I writhed beneath him.

I loved this man so fiercely that it was hard to wrap my head around sometimes.

He took me right over the edge like he always did, before he undressed me and pulled me on top of him so I could ride him into oblivion.

Which is exactly what I did.

I fell asleep in the warmth of his arms, and he held me there until the sun flooded our room.

I felt him slip out of bed, but I wasn’t ready to get up just yet.

“I’ll get your coffee, okay?” he whispered against my ear.

I heard the sound of Cutler’s laughter come from out in the hallway before he climbed into bed with me, and Winnie jumped up and started licking my cheek. I propped my back against the headboard and opened my arms for Cutler to come on over for his morning cuddles.

This was our routine.

Nash brought in a cup of coffee and set it on the nightstand beside me.

“So, we have a little present for you,” Nash said.

“A present? For what?”

“Pops and I want you to live with us!” Cutler shouted.

“Beefcake! That wasn’t what we practiced.” Nash shook his head at his son.

“Sorry about that. But I got excited. And it’s true, we do want her to live with us.”

Nash handed me the little box he was holding, and my teeth sank into my bottom lip.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s a key to the house. To our house.” Cutler covered his mouth with his hand when Nash shot him a warning look.

“For God’s sake, buddy, let her open it first.”

“But it is a key to the house.” Cutler bounced on the bed beside me.

“Yes. Your lease is up, and we want you to move in here with us,” Nash said.

I pulled the lid off the black box and stared down at the key sitting on the cotton inside, but it was the ring it was attached to that had me gasping. The platinum band held a breathtaking round diamond. It was classic and gorgeous.

“Why is she looking like that, Pops? Does she not want to live with us?”

“There’s something else in that box that I didn’t tell you about because, well, you’re not good with secrets.” Nash moved to the side of the bed and dropped down on one knee. “I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you, baby. I love you in a way I never knew possible. I want to live with you. I want to laugh with you. I want to fight with you. I want to grow old with you.”

My chest was beating so hard I could hear it in my ears as the tears sprung from my eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Will you marry me, beautiful?”

I nodded and sprung forward, dropping to my knees in front of him and wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him hard.

“Sunny?” Cutler’s voice had me pulling back and turning to see him down on one knee, too.

“Yes, angel face.”

“I want to spend all my days with you, too. I want you to run my bath because you make the tub hotter than Pops.”

“Hey,” Nash said over his laughter, but Cutler smirked and continued.

“I still think you have the best balls in town, Pops, but I like the way Sunny runs my bath. I like the way you read to me every night and the way you teach me new things to bake every Saturday. I love riding horses with you and going out to the lake to swim with you. You’re my forever girl, Sunny. Will you marry me, too?”

If it were possible to have your heart explode in your chest, mine would be doing just that right now. I was overwhelmed and overcome with emotion—in the best way.

“I would be honored to spend my life with my two favorite boys. I love you so much it hurts sometimes,” I said, but my words were barely audible.

But they heard me.

The three of us—we didn’t need words to know how much we loved one another.

It was the way we looked at each other. The way we cared for one another.

The way we fit together like a family.

They wrapped their arms around me, and I breathed them in.

All that joy.

All that happiness.

All that love.