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“But—”
“Please, June, don’t make this difficult. This is my first year running the show by myself. I want to impress Mom and Dad.” I started to tell him he already had the inheritance but bit my tongue as I forced a smile onto my face while my head took over and nodded itself.
You wanted to stop running, so stop running. Besides, it’s not Evan who deals with small, local orders. That’s a lackey job. You won’t even see him.
“Fine, but you owe me.”
“I gave you a job as head chef. I’m pretty sure you owe me.” Hayes flashed me a grin before disappearing, leaving me to sigh as I made my way to the front door to head out.
The downside to falling in love with a Butler in Sage River had always and would always be the fact that they were inescapable. Their family, like ours, was the foundation on which Sage River was built. So even if you tried to avoid one Butler, there was a second one not far behind.
The drive to the flower farm was a familiar one, only because I drove past it every day on my way to school for my entire life. I didn’t need open eyes to get there. My hands and head could do the work without them.
Pulling in, my dad’s car bumped along the gravel road before I pulled up in front of the main greenhouse. Grabbing the paperwork Hayes had left me, I climbed out and headed toward the building, my entire body tingling with nerves.
I wasn’t sure what for—was I nervous about seeing Evan or not seeing him at all? Frankly, I couldn’t choose which one sounded better because both felt scary.
As I reached for the door handle, it swung open, and a large body unfolded itself from inside, making me stumble back as I stared at him.
“June.”
“Evan.” Seeing him now, the foolishness of my previous actions hit me. He’d said he loved me. Why would he have said such a thing if he didn’t mean it? And instead of telling him what I felt, I abandoned him.
Guilt wracked through my body and suddenly overwhelmed me with the urge to make things right.
“You’re here. Did you hear about Brendan?” He looked sheepish suddenly as I, likely, looked confused.
“What? No, I’m here to get the resort’s flower order.” I held out the paperwork as I continued to frown. “What happened to Brendan?”
“I, uh, hit him.”
I blinked in surprise as I processed his words. “You hit him?” Not one to condone violence, it still sent a flush of heat through my body. Had he done that for me? “Why?”
He shook his head and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It happened though. Let me help you with this.” He took the paperwork for me and turned around, heading back into the greenhouse. I followed behind him, my eyes drifting to his ass in those jeans, and the heat churning in my stomach dropped lower, making my legs squeeze together.
“I’m sorry.” He was reaching for a plant when he glanced over at me, pausing. “Abandoning you at the cabin with no way to get home was a super shitty thing to do. I don’t even know what I was thinking.”
“You were scared.” He was matter-of-fact as he turned back to what he was doing and began organizing the plants to match my order.
“I was. Honestly, since high school, when I finally started dating, I found myself going after a string of guys who continued to hurt me or use me, and I guess I got used to expecting that to be the case. Coupled with the fact that all this time, I thought you were the first … well, it was hard to shake. But—” I reached out to touch his arm, tearing his attention away from the plants he was counting, “I know you deserve a chance, and I want to give that to you if you can forgive me.”
A smile split his face as he nodded, stepping closer as he wrapped one arm around my waist and tilted my face back to look at him. “I was never mad. Just confused, maybe a little hurt, but you’re welcome to kiss it better.”
“Yeah?”
He grinned more, “yeah. But only if you agree to come to the Cookie Kringle with me. I want you to meet my Ma.”
“I think I can do that.” Pushing onto my toes, I pressed my lips to his, and this time, none of my nerves came. Just comfort because I was finally in the place where I belonged.
evan
The Cookie Kringlewas a staple in Sage River at Christmas. Almost always hosted at the Resort owned by June’s family, it started originally as a cookie exchange amongst the founding families. It then grew into this monstrous event with cookie decorating competitions, gingerbread house displays, a charity dinner, and Santa stopped by for the kids—before heading out to deliver presents, of course.
It was impossible to celebrate Christmas in Sage River without going to the Cookie Kringle. It was an anticipated social event everyone loved.
Asking June to come with me was a big move. It wouldn’t just announce to our families that we were dating, but the whole town. Hell, Brendan Lewis might even be there.
Since it was happening at her family’s resort, I told her I’d meet her there and drove over with my brother Colt and his family.
