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A few minutes after the coffee was brewing and the bacon was frying, Liv trudged into the kitchen.
“Mornin’, beautiful,” I called over my shoulder as I scrambled some eggs. “Breakfast’s almost ready.”
“Morning,” she grumbled.
I chuckled as I heard her pouring the coffee into a mug. When I finished cooking, I brought our plates to the table and sat down.
“I can’t believe I’m up this early on a Saturday,” Liv commented before taking a sip from her mug.
I patted her thigh and smiled. “Well, we have a fun-filled day ahead of us so eat up.”
After we ate, we got ready and hopped in my truck. The farmers’ market was a few towns over, but the drive still wasn’t very far.
Even though it was early, the farmers’ market was packed with people. Customers moved from stand to stand, perusing the various goods offered, from fruits and vegetables to herbs and cheese.
Liv and I walked along the various booths, trying a variety of samples. Liv picked out some herbs and tomatoes for her mother’s lasagna recipe and also grabbed a loaf of freshly baked bread.
“Maybe we can churn some butter for the bread,” I suggested as I paid for the loaf.
Liv smiled. “That’s a great idea; nothing’s better than homemade bread and butter.”
We moved on to a stand with apples in an assortment of colors. Liv grabbed a bright green one and glanced over at me with a grin. “Maybe we should bake a pie.”
I arched a brow. “You really think you’re going to have time to make a pie with everything else you have to do?”
She set the apple back with a pout. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Besides, we have the best apples in Beaufort in our orchard. You’re welcome to those if you want.” I rubbed her back as we moved on to the next vendor. We bought a few more things before heading back to the farm, then brought what we’d purchased inside.
Liv set everything on the kitchen counter and started taking them out of the bags.
“I have some things to do around here. Wanna give me a hand?” I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. “Like old times.”
When Liv and I dated in high school, she was over every weekend helping around the farm. We’d joke around, stealing kisses between tasks to make the work fly by. The faster I was able to finish, the more time I had to myself with Liv.
Liv’s cheeks flushed, and a smile curved her lips. “I’d like that.”
“All right, then.” I grinned, clapping my hands together. “Let’s get to work, baby.”
We started with feeding the animals, then worked in the stables before milking the cows. Once we finished with that, we took the milk inside to chill so we’d be able to make butter later that night.
I didn’t want to get too ahead of myself, but the weekend was giving me hope; the everyday things we were doing together, the constant laughter, how we could barely keep our hands to ourselves. The future I’d been dreaming of with Liv was coming back into focus, just out of reach. It might have been different from what we’d originally planned, but it was beautiful all the same.
As she smiled over at me as I chased her around the barn, I vowed to do anything to make it happen.
The next day, Liv was frantically running around the kitchen, trying to get everything ready for dinner that night. Piper and the Andrews were coming over, and Liv wanted everything to be perfect.
The smell of marinara and Italian spices filled the air, and I inhaled deeply, savoring the scent. “Smells delicious.”
Liv flashed me a quick smile as she set a large, rectangular glass dish on the counter next to the stove. She spooned some of the homemade sauce she’d been slaving over for the past few hours into the bottom of the dish, then assembled the lasagna noodles she’d cooked over the sauce.
When she finished assembling the layers of pasta, sauce, and cheeses, she covered the dish with foil and slid it in the oven to bake. Sighing, she took off her potholders, and said, “I hope Piper likes it.”
I chuckled. “From what I tasted, she will.”
Liv washed her hands in the sink, then moved to her next task. She’d gathered some vegetables from the garden that morning to make a salad.
I pushed off the door frame. “Need some help?”
