Hope Falls: Hearts Afire (Kindle Worlds Novella) (11 page)

This is it
, Katie thought. She was head over heels in love with Casey Palmer. They hadn’t said the words aloud to each other, but it was only a matter of time. Before that could happen, she had to get the thumbs’ up from his parents.

Her mom, Ryan, and Lizzy had given her the green light as soon as she showed up at her mom’s house. As far as they were concerned, Casey could walk on water. He was the man who had driven seven hours so that she could see with her own two eyes that her mother was alive and well. That gesture went a long way with her family. Plus, they could see how happy the two of them were together.

Everyone could.

Katie and Casey seemed to be the last ones to entertain the idea. But, that was behind them now. She wasn’t lying when she told Casey she was his. With arms spread wide open, she welcomed him into her life and into her heart. She wanted to be his for as long as he’d have her. She hoped like hell that was forever.

Now, she just hoped that his family would feel the same way—that they would welcome her like her family had Casey.

“Hey, son. Two nights in one week. To what do we own this pleasure?”

Katie was sure the man with the booming voice was Casey’s dad. He looked just like him.

Casey gave his dad a backslapping hug and then turned to her. “I wanted you to meet someone. This is Katherine.”

With a big smile, his dad offered her his rather large hand. “Nice to meet you, Katherine. I’m Dan.”

Her hand could have gotten lost in his, but she felt the warmth in the gesture nonetheless. “Please, call me Katie.”

He straightened out, standing tall. “Well, then. Come on in, Katie. I think my son has a nose for my wife’s cooking. This is the second time this week he’s shown up at dinnertime. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I don’t mean to intrude, but I could eat a horse.” She followed Dan inside and she could feel Casey on her heels. “Casey and I didn’t eat much today.”

Dan turned back to his son and gave him a stern look. It would have scared her if it wasn’t so damn cute.

“Dad, we were pretty busy all day. We didn’t get back to Hope Falls until early this morning.”

Busy? Yeah, they were busy all right. Thankfully, they were saved from any further questions when a woman walked into the room.

“Casey, back so soon?” Her face lit up when she saw him and it made Katie feel all gooey inside.

He wrapped his arms around the woman and held her tight for a second or two. “I brought someone to meet you.” Then, he turned to Katie and smiled. “Katie, this is my mom, Mary. Mom, this is…my Katie.”

Mary clutched her hands to her chest, tears instantly flooding her eyes. Katie sensed there was something more going on here other than an introduction.

“Honey,” she said to Casey, “I’ve waited twenty years to hear you call me Mom. I’m as happy right now as the day your sister was born.”

She watched in awe, tears in her eyes too at the emotion filling the room. Casey hugged his mom again as she cried on his shoulder. Katie stole a glance at Dan who was tearing up, too. The whole thing was beautiful.

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” Casey said.

Mary patted him on the back. “Okay, enough of that. No more tears.” She fanned her face and then turned her attention to Katie. “I’m so sorry, honey. As you can see, I was just having a moment with my son. And if I had to guess, you’re the reason why he’s so happy and is bringing so much joy to us. It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. Sue Ann has told me so much about you.”

Katie winced at Mary’s last statement. Her facial expression must have said it all, because the whole group of them laughed. That didn’t stop Mary from engulfing her into a bear hug. She rocked back and forth with her, just like Katie had with her own mother the night before.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mary.” She stepped back and gave her a warm smile. “It’s good to hear Sue Ann has kept you up-to-date.”

Casey chuckled. “She probably knows more about us than we do.”

Katie nodded. “No doubt.”

“Well, now that we’ve taken care of the introductions and Casey made everyone cry, what do you say we all get a bite to eat?” Dan shooed them all into the dining room. “This little lady could eat a horse and I might fight her for it. I’m starved.”

Katie couldn’t have said it better herself.

The chatter came easy as they all sat down to eat. Katie was impressed with Dan and Casey and how they tended to the women. It reminded her of home. Ryan had truly spoiled her and her mom over the years. Dan and Casey were no doubt cut from the same cloth.

She caught Mary fawning over Casey when he wasn’t looking. She beamed with such pride and such happiness. She couldn’t wait for Casey to disclose the whole story later. She was sure it was a good one.

When they were finished eating, the ladies cleared the table, while the men started the dishes.

“Join me for a glass of wine, Katie.” She followed Mary into a great room and waited while the older woman uncorked a bottle with ease. She poured each of them a glass and invited her to sit with her. “There’s nothing like a glass of wine and a good book after a long day.” Mary sat down on an oversized chaise lounge, leaned back and closed her eyes. “This is the life.”

Katie looked at her choices and decided to sit across from her on a loveseat. Immediately, she wanted to close her eyes too. It had to be the most comfortable piece of furniture she had ever sat on. It was soft and cushy, hugging her like a pillow. “I’m sorry, Mary, but I may never leave this spot.”

“When we got new furniture, I slept out here for a week. I considered getting rid of our bedroom set and moving these pieces into our room. I still can’t believe it sometimes. It’s heavenly.”

Heavenly had to be an understatement. There were no words for how comfortable she was.

“Thank you for welcoming us for dinner. It was a surprise for both of us. Casey didn’t tell me where we were going, but I could tell it meant a lot to him.”

Mary’s smile grew. “You mean a lot to him, honey.”

“He means the world to me.” She echoed the sentiment.

“How long do you plan on staying in Hope Falls?”

“To be honest, I plan on staying. I haven’t told my mother yet, but I think she has an idea.”

“I’m sure she does. Only a fool wouldn’t see how smitten you two are with each other. You belong together.”

Katie nodded. “I agree.” Butterflies fluttered around in her belly. She was thrilled that she was able to talk to Casey’s mom with such ease.

“I’m so excited that you’re staying. Casey came by a few days ago. I could tell something was whirling around in his head. He wasn’t sure you’d stay. He’s had a hard time when it comes to the women in his life.”

He’d come to his parents to talk about her. She didn’t know why, but that was just one more thing that touched her heart about Casey Palmer. He continued to amaze her.

“Yes, he has,” she told his mom. “We’ve both had a rough start in the relationship department, but I think we got it right this time.”

“Did he tell you about his mom and—”

“Nicole? Yes, he did.”

Mary looked surprise. “Wow, he told you about Nicole. He really does love you, Katie. He’s never told a soul about her. Not even his dad.”

Katie rested her free hand on her chest. “One day we sat down along the river and laid it all out. We both shared our pasts. It was one of those defining moments when we decided that we trusted each other. Completely. Wholeheartedly. You raised a great guy, Mary. He’s the best.”

“Thank you,” she said. There was a few seconds of silence as both women sipped their wine. “So tell me about your book. Will I be able to read it? Or is it about my son?”

They both let out a chuckle at that. “No, it’s not about Casey.” Katie took another long sip. “Well, truthfully, it’s not about him, but he is my muse. When I first arrived, I was finding it hard to get the words out. The night I met him, they couldn’t fly off my fingertips fast enough. Sometimes I write about him, about his gestures, or a conversation we might have had, but then I go back and edit those parts out. They’re for me, not for anyone else to read.”

“That’s pretty cool. I bet it helps to write about something familiar. And that morphs into the fictional part of the story.”

“Exactly,” Katie said. “There’s a definite line between what’s real and what’s fake. When I’m revising, I make sure the lines don’t blur. The real stuff, no matter how good it is, never makes the final cut.”

“Good for you,” she said, looking pleased. “How does Casey feel about being your inspiration? It’s not like his ego is suffering.”

She was funny. Katie could kick her feet up, grab a glass of wine, and shoot the shit with Casey’s mom any time. “He doesn’t know. I’ve thought about surprising him. Maybe putting the stuff I’ve written about him in a journal just for him. I would have never believed it when we first met, but your son is pretty sappy. He’s really a hopeless romantic underneath all his firefighter bravado.”

“I heard sappy and hopeless romantic,” Casey said as he walked into the room. “I think that’s our cue, Katie. I need to catch up on some sleep before my shift.”

Katie heard Casey say sleep and she associated it with him, a bed, and naked. Yeah, that was her cue.

They said their goodbyes and left with smiles on their faces and bellies full of food.

As they got settled in the truck, Casey leaned over and gave his love a soft kiss on her cheek. “It’s taken me close to twenty years to realize it, but my family is pretty damn awesome. All these years, I thought something was missing. It wasn’t my birth mother. It sure as hell wasn’t Nicole. The only thing missing was you, Kate. You walked into my world at the right time and I couldn’t be happier.”

When he called Mary “Mom” he could feel the significance of his words wash over her, his dad, and him. It had taken him way too long to acknowledge what she had always been. She was his mother. She had been there for him since she and his dad started dating. She took care of him when he was sick, helped him with his homework, cleaned up his face when he tried to teach himself how to shave. Mary might not have given birth to him, but she was his mom.

Accepting that someone had stuck around for him had gone a long way. When he realized that Mary had been there for him, all these years, it had given him the kick in the ass he needed to take a chance with Katie. He’s always known she was worth the risk, worth putting his heart on the line—but he was a guy, and he needed that push.

Katie knew exactly what he meant. She had spent most of her life thinking that all men were just like her dad—they were bound to love her and leave her. Relationships never stood a chance. Until she met Casey. This firefighter walked into a bar, flirted like a cocky asshole, tugged on her ponytail, and tugged on her heart.

They were quite the pair.

She kissed Casey right back, only her lips landed on his.

“I’m glad you’re happy, Case, because so am I.”

She wanted so much to tell him she loved him. She had no idea what was holding her back. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but they were stuck.

It didn’t matter. They would fall, eventually. Just like she had.

“Let’s go, Kate. There’s still so much to do before I get to sleep.”

“Are you kidding me? I can barely keep my eyes open. What else do we have to do?”

He pulled out onto the road and looked over at her with an arched brow. “You really have to ask?”

“I’m awake.” She sat up a little straighter. “I’m awake.”

The both got a good laugh out of that. Katie even slapped her thigh a few times. She chuckled. She smiled. She was bursting with joy. She couldn’t get enough of Casey and she didn’t think she ever would.

She was kicking herself that it had taken them this long to jump in the deep end and tread the waters together. She wasn’t dumb. She knew there would be rough times right along with the good, but she knew they could navigate them together.

On the way back into town, Katie and Casey debated on whether to go to his place or hers. They finally decided on going back to the B&B. He didn’t need much, but she didn’t want to be without her laptop. She had a feeling he was going to conk out and she was going to be ready to write. She was tired and ready for bed as much as he was, but she had that restless feeling, and she knew it was going to be impossible to close her eyes and allow sleep to take over her.

Since it was much easier for Casey to pack a bag, they made a quick pit stop at his place so he could grab some clean clothes and a toothbrush. He’d used a disposable one from the B&B, but he told Katie that his teeth didn’t feel clean. She completely understood. Apparently, they both had a strange obsession with their electronic toothbrushes. That had to be the only thing she’d never lost, which said a lot.

“Wanna take a bath with me?” Katie asked, when they got back to the B&B.

Casey chuckled. “A bath? Both of us at the same time?”

“Have you seen that thing?” She headed into the bathroom and started removing her clothes.

Levi had installed an old-fashioned claw-foot tub in her suite bathroom. If he and Shelby could fit into it, so could they. Shelby had been nice enough to fill her in on some sexy details about the B&B. She had remembered to close the blinds the night before. Now, she was ready to soak in the tub with her sudsy back against Casey’s muscular chest. She couldn’t wait to feel the dusting of his chest hair against her skin. He had just the right amount on his pecs to scream sexy. She could paw him all day like a lion if he let her. If he didn’t have to go to work, she was pretty certain that he would.

“What are you doing?” he asked as she turned on the water.

“Getting the bath ready.” She stood up straight, naked as can be.

“You took your clothes off. That’s my job.” She wanted to laugh. He stood their pouting with his hands on his hips.

“Honey, you have the rest of your life to be romantic and sexy and seduce me. Right now, I’m being real. It’s late. You need to get some sleep.” She squeezed a drop of bubble bath in the water and stepped inside the tub. “So take off your clothes and get your ass in the water before it gets cold.”

Casey didn’t mutter another word. He kicked off his shoes, toed off his socks, and peeled off his clothes with a quickness. “You’re something else, you know that?”

She raked her eyes over his body. From the waves of his dirty blond hair to his muscular sun-kissed shoulders—it still amazed her that he was rockin’ the bronze tan at the end of winter. Her gaze didn’t stop there, though. She licked her lips at the sight of his six-pack that was flanked on both sides with delicious lines of his V. But, alas, she didn’t stop there either. She bit her lip, and raised her brow appreciating his manhood, erect and twitching just for her.

“So are you, Casey.” She pumped her arm up and down. “Choo, choo. I can’t wait to tell Sue Ann about my ride on the Palmer Express. She’s going to be talking for days.”