Page 32 of My Knotty Mountain Men

So when I see a little cafe calledThe Hearty Bean, I tell Jenny to pull into the parking lot.

It’s a cute little place. The outside gives off a small-town diner vibe, but as I step inside, I smile. It’s a hell of a lot more stylish than something you typically see in a small town.

Walking up to the counter, I take a look at the menu as the girls go grab a table.

“Hello, welcome to The Hearty Bean. I’m Macy. What can I get for you today?”

My gaze drops to the little brown-haired, hazel-eyed, Omega. “Hi.” I give her a friendly smile. “I’d like a coffee,” I start, then remember coffee shouldn’t be something I’m drinking. “Actually, I’ll grab a mango smoothie... and a BLT please.”

“For sure,” she says, looking down at her computer. “Can I get a name for the order, please?”

“Yeah, sure. It’s Violet.”

She looks up at me with a curious look. “Violet?”

“Yes?”

“Huh.” She nods her head as she types.

Strange.“Also, I was wondering if you knew where Nolen, Aiden, and Thomas live? They’re a pack from around here.”

This time, her eyes snap up to mine, going wide.Awesome.She knows who I am. She probably knows I’m some home-wrecking Omega too.Just great.

“Violet.” She grins, saying my name again, but this time a little too excited.What is going on?“Yup. I do know where they live, and I can tell you how to get there.”

She gives me step-by-step instructions on which road to take, which turn off leads to their home, and how long to drive before getting to their place.

Once we all order, I suggest we don’t stay and eat. Macy seems like a nice person, but she keeps looking at me with a way-too-happy grin, and it’s freaking me out.

She even yelled good luck as I left the cafe.

This town is weird already.

We end up quickly eating in the car, surprising myself that I was actually able to eat everything.

Once I grab what I need from the store, I decide that heading to my cabin to freshen up and maybe take a much-needed nap to help me relax before delivering some life-changing news to these guys is the best option for me.

The drive up there is a lot easier than when I was here last; the roads are clear, and so is the driveway when we get up to the cabin.

Parking the car, we bring everything to the front porch, not wanting to make a bunch of trips in the snow to the car and risk me falling.

After I accepted that I was pregnant, I fell in love with the little one growing inside me hard and fast. My world might keep changing in the blink of an eye, but I don’t regret this baby one bit.

“Alright, little one,” I sigh, rubbing my belly as I put the last of the food away in the fridge. “Shower, then it's time to face your daddies.”

Something I am both excited and terrified to do.

Chapter 11

Aiden

The sun beats down on me as I raise the axe before bringing it down onto the block of wood, splitting it in two, and sending it clattering to the ground below.

I’m tired, hungry, and in need of a shower.

Yet, I’m outside chopping wood, even though I’ve been up since four in the morning, working all day.

I don’t want to go inside right now. If I do, then I’ll have to sit and be with my thoughts, and that's a place I don’t want to be. I need to keep myself busy so my mind doesn’t have a chance to wander, to think about her until this gnawing pain takes over my body.

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