Page 25 of Hooking Her Up

“It’s a fresh start,” I say. He nods and waves as he leaves, a smile on his face that transforms him into a jolly looking grandpa.

I hurry through the cupcake order and arrange for one of my employees to deliver it later on this afternoon for the school fair, then head to Lily’s. She won’t let me help with anything since it’s my birthday, but I can keep the kids occupied.

I decide to take the scenic route, letting my thoughts meander. My emotions are a jumble as I turn onto Old Mill Road and I take off my sunglasses as the forest canopy blocks the bright sun. I don’t think things are going to be perfectly smooth sailing from now on with my dad. He’ll certainly try to give his two cents on everything from how I make cookies to how Liam and I decide which houses to buy for our rental business. But he does seem to have realized there’s more to life than his rigid path and maybe Liam and I, and the kids, can loosen him up even more.

A deer jets out in front of me and I slam on the breaks. I miss it, but everything on the car seat flies into the footwell. My purse’s contents are strewn on the floor and my brand new sunglasses, an early birthday gift from Liam when we were out shopping together last week, are under all of it.

I don’t want them to get scratched, so I slow down, leaning over to try to find them under the mess. I barely glance down for two seconds, finally locating them under my wallet. When I straighten up, I let out a scream and slam on the breaks again, sharply veering to miss another deer.

I skid along into the ditch, knuckles white on the steering wheel until I come to a stop, inches away from a tree. My heart is in my throat and I drop my forehead to the wheel, letting my breath get back to normal. Sitting up, I start to laugh, mixed with swearing.

“Don’t let me down,” I tell my car, starting the engine, which cut out sometime during my abrupt stop. It turns over but my tires only stir up mud and slippery pine needles. I’m good and stuck.

I dial my husband, bracing myself for his teasing. “I’m in a ditch,” I say, when he answers.

“Jesus Christ, are you okay?” he asks, panic in his voice.

“Just annoyed. Can you send one of your guys out to get me? I don’t think anything’s wrong with the car, it’s just stuck. I’m supposed to be at Lily’s to help with the party.”

“I’m on it.”

Since it’s a nice day, I get out and wander a bit in the woods, picking up pinecones and interesting fern fronds. I have a nice collection that I think will make pretty decorations, when I hear a motor coming down the road. Hurrying back to the car, I see one of Liam’s bright blue tow trucks heading toward me. With my forest goodies gathered close to my chest, I try to wave, dropping half of the pinecones.

The truck parks and Liam hops out, grinning widely. “Is that our dinner?” he asks, hurrying over to me. He swoops me into a rough embrace. “God, you scared me.”

I don’t mind being pressed against his muscular chest and wrap my arms around his broad shoulders. Looking up at his handsome face, barely changed at all besides being a bit leaner, there’s concern in his dark eyes. His beard is trimmed shorter than when we first got together, and he’s gotten three new tattoos since we’ve been married. My name, along with our kids’ names, each surrounded by a heart. He still takes my breath away.

I assure him I’m fine by rising on my toes to kiss him. “You didn’t have to come,” I say.

He steps back, his hands on my shoulders as he looks me over. His brow arches. “Well, I happen to know that you have a thing for tow truck drivers. I’m not taking any chances.”

I burst out laughing, since his other drivers consist of a high school senior and two guys in their fifties with wives and grown children.

“What?” he says. “You don’t?”

I pull him close again. “I do,” I say, breathing in his soapy scent, then kissing his neck. I start to feel heat rising in my core as his hands trail down my back. “I really do.”

A camper passes by us but we don’t pull apart. A whole line of traffic could be backed up all the way to the highway and I wouldn’t let Liam go. He tugs on my hair, tipping my head back to kiss me.

“Only one, though,” he says.

“Only one,” I agree.

Satisfied, he winches my car out of the ditch, peering underneath it with a scowl. “Axle’s broken. You’re not driving anywhere in this.”

“But—”

“I’ll take you to Lily’s, get the car to the garage, then come back. Your birthday isn’t ruined,” he promises.

Once it’s up on the platform and secured, I ask if I can ride in it up there in the same voice Sam uses whenever he lets her go out in the truck with him. I swear that girl is going to take after Liam, because she has no interest in baking yet but can’t get enough of riding along with her dad.

He playfully smacks my behind, then gets a wicked gleam in his eye. “Actually,” he says, lifting me by my waist to stand on the platform. “There’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

He jumps up beside me and opens the backseat of my family sedan. Since Lily has the kids, she has their car seats too, so except for a few crumbs, it’s nice and roomy.

“Oh, I think I see where you’re going with this,” I say.

“What do you think?”

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