Page 16 of In the Arms of a Hero

“Bess felt so badly that we weren’t together for Thanksgiving that she baked extra goodies for me to share with your family.”

He was struck by her generosity. “Whoa! How much did she bake?” Amusement and awe filled his voice.

“A cake, two pies, and a dozen of the éclairs that you love.”

He looked at her, then down at the bags in his hands as they made it to his SUV. “Which bag has the éclairs?”

Her brow furrowed at his question, and she leaned over to peer inside the bags. “This one,” she said, pointing. He set that bag farther into the back of his SUV. “Why did you want to know?”

“Because those aren’t going into my brother's house. Those are for me!”

“Aaron! You can’t eat a dozen éclairs!”

“Who says I can’t? Anyway, my brother is getting a cake and some pies from this deal. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

She laughed and placed her hand in his as he opened her door and assisted her. The drive only took fifteen minutes, and he pulled into a driveway that led to a neat yard and a small two-story house.

“Oh, I like their home,” Belinda enthused. She laughed and blushed. “I only saw the back and the kitchen the other day.”

He chuckled, then shifted slightly. His cock needed no reminder of their visit to Andy’s house. He’d thought of little else. “Andy bought it a while back, and Ivy has now moved in with him.”

“Did they date in high school?”

Barking out a rude noise, Aaron shook his head. “No! They actually hated each other.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but adulthood changes everything. They just met up a while back and got together. I’ll tell you that crazy story sometime.”

She leaned closer and kissed him gently. “I can’t wait to hear it.”

He grabbed the bags and led her to the front door, where Andy met them with a welcoming smile.

“Hi, I’m Andy. Happy Thanksgiving!”

“Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.”

Aaron stepped closer. “This is Belinda Crowder.”

“Come on in, you two.”

Andy led them inside, and as Aaron moved to the kitchen to hand the bakery bags to Ivy, he caught the wide-eyed look Andy aimed his way. He managed to lift both bags with his middle finger raised in silent response. His brother just laughed and escorted Belinda into the kitchen as well.

His dad and girlfriend, Sally, came bustling in, their arms full of bags, just before Ivy’s parents arrived. Introductions were made, and once everyone discovered that Belinda had brought desserts from Bess’s Bakery, they were thrilled, exclaiming over the offerings. Aaron leaned against the doorframe leading into the kitchen and watched the gathering. Belinda was smiling, drawn into a conversation with Ivy and Sally as they set the food on the counter.

He stood to the side, talking to Ivy’s dad, and caught Belinda’s eye from across the room. She grinned and made her way over to him. Aaron accepted the beer Andy brought over, then stood with his arm around Belinda as they chatted with his brother. She easily conversed with the men, laughing at Andy’s jokes and discovering that Ivy’s parents were teachers she’d had and loved. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d brought a woman around who seemed to fit so easily with the family. His last girlfriend had stood to the side at a family barbecue and tapped her foot as though bored.

Once the food was ready and the table set, they all took their seats, and Andy performed the honors of carving the turkey. As they ate, the conversation moved to Aaron’s upcoming preparation for the detective’s exam. He felt the same nerves shooting through his stomach that he’d felt when he was much younger and in school—constantly feeling a little behind and likeI had to work a little harder.

Sally asked Belinda about her photography business, and the tension surrounding him eased as the focus moved to someone else.

Once the meal was over, the men washed the dishes as the women divided the leftovers and put them away. After a while, Sally and their dad left, both claiming they needed a nap. Soon, Ivy’s parents left, too. Ivy and Belinda moved to the living roomwith wine, and he and Andy headed to the backyard to chop wood for their wood-burning stove.

“I have to work off some of those calories I just stuffed down my face,” Andy said, picking up his ax.

“I saw you get an extra piece of cake as well as a piece of pie,” Aaron joked.

Their conversation flowed as it always did. At five years apart, the two brothers had always been close as children, which continued into adulthood. They carried armfuls of the wood to the back porch, stacking it next to the house.

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