34. Sage

34

Sage

G iggles and conversation flowed through my small backyard as kids ran past mingling parents. Everyone had started arriving early based off Avery’s instruction to get here an hour before the invitation stated, which was unbeknownst to me as I opened the door to the first guest a little over forty-five minutes ago.

Callan had helped me set up the decorations last night, so at least that was taken care of, but cookies still needed to be iced, the cake still needed candles, the food hadn’t arrived yet, and my helping hands were doing the best they could to offer me assistance with all of it. Pudding was locked in Avery’s room down the hall and she was aware that she wasn’t supposed to go in there until after the party, yet I couldn’t help but glance down that way every few minutes to be sure no one was letting the cat out. The last thing I needed today, on top of everything else, was the cat getting loose again. Thankfully, we’d passed our Food Safety Inspection at the cafe with flying colors, so that was off my shoulders in time for the party.

My hair was thrown in a messy ponytail, matching my stained apron, as I’d been in the middle of the cookies when her first friend arrived.

Some of the parents had stayed, but others had dropped their kid and left, which meant everyone was under my supervision, along with the eyes of whatever other adults were here. Adults including Brandy, Oakley, and Lettie, but I wasn’t very confident in their ability to keep things under control because last I’d heard, Brandy was egging someone on to climb the tree in the middle of the backyard.

That was just what I needed—a kid to fall off a branch and end up with a broken arm.

“Is that icing meant for the cookies or you?” Callan’s voice filled the air as I used my shoulder to brush a rogue piece of hair out of my face.

I looked down at my apron, then back to the cookie I was currently mutilating with my shaky hands and runny icing. Nothing was going to plan.

“The cookies,” I mumbled.

I didn’t have time to spare a glance at Callan. Today had to be perfect for Avery.

“Hey,” Callan said. The sound of a gift bag crinkling filled my ears as he set his present down. Then he rounded the counter and grabbed the piping bag from me.

“I need to finish these,” I told him, but reluctantly let him take the bag anyway. It was sticky and covered in edible glitter.

“They’re not going to come out the way you want if you keep rushing,” he stated, as if that wasn’t obvious.

“People started arriving early,” I told him as I grabbed a paper towel off the counter to wipe my hands.

A corner of his mouth tilted down. “Avery’s doing, I take it?”

I nodded and silently wished he had been early, too. He seemed to always be calm, keeping everything together when it was so clearly falling apart.

“No one’s going to blame you if they’re not done right this second.”

“I know, but I just want it to be perfect.”

He set the piping bag on the counter and grabbed both my hands. “Avery will think today is perfect, regardless of whether every cookie is covered in pink glitter icing or not.”

He was right, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to get it all done.

I released one of his hands and went to reach for the icing, but he snatched it back. Walking me backwards, he caged me at the counter, and I frowned up at him. “I need to get back to it, Callan. ”

“Breathe, Sage. You’re going a mile a minute right now. You deserve to enjoy the day, too.”

I huffed a breath, and he added, “Your little girl is six years old. Six . Think of how those years flew by.”

I did. I always did. Every day was gone in the blink of an eye, and I wanted all those moments back to treasure them just a little bit more.

“Today will be over before you know it, and all Avery is going to remember is that her mom threw her the best birthday party out of her whole class.” He reached up, brushing that damn rogue hair behind my ear. “So enjoy it with me.”

I glanced at the mess of the cookies on the counter as Brandy walked in the room from the back sliding door. Callan looked over at her.

“Hey, Brandy. Can you handle this for a minute?” he asked, gesturing to the cookies.

“On it,” she said. She was wearing one of the unicorn party hats Avery had picked out for the party, and I would’ve laughed if I didn’t feel like crying at the moment.

“Come with me,” Callan said, lacing his fingers with mine.

“Callan, I really need to—”

“Just for a minute.”

Sighing, I conceded, letting him guide me down the hall as Brandy got to work on the sugar cookies. In all reality, the kids probably didn’t need more sugar, but Avery had insisted. It was one of her favorite cookies.

“What are we doing?” I asked as he led me into my bedroom .

He closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it, then brought me over to the bed.

It dawned on me what his plan was.

“Oh, no. Callan, that’s going to take a lot longer than a minute, and—”

“Are you doubting how fast I can make you come?” he asked, arching a brow at me.

“You really think you can do that in a minute?” He was out of his mind.

He took his cowboy hat off, placing it on my head. “Start the timer,” he said, releasing my hand to bunch the bottom of my dress up above my thighs.

“My phone is in the kitchen.”

“Better start counting, then.”

“I’m not going to count,” I bit back.

“Then you better take my word for it.”

And then this man—this overly-caring, husky, thoughtful man—was on his knees before me. Calloused hands slid my panties down my legs with no restraint, and his head disappeared beneath my sundress. The instant he was out of view, his mouth was on me.

“Holy fuck,” I said with more breath than actual words.

He nipped at my clit with his teeth, and my knees almost buckled on the spot. It hadn’t even been ten seconds.

His fingers dug into my thighs, and then he slid two digits into me. His tongue flattened against my core as he licked me from my entrance to my clit. He moved at a speed I couldn’t handle, my body relaxing and tensing around him all at the same time. His tongue flicked over my clit in rhythm with his fingers, and my thighs were already trembling.

He pulled his fingers out of me, then stood, letting my dress fall back over my thighs. He grabbed my hand to bring me over to the bed.

“What happened to your minute of my time?” I teased.

“Fuck the minute. I want to savor you.”

He laid down on the bed, pulling me on top of him, then started to tug me forward.

“What are you—”

“Ride my face, baby. Soak me.”

My brows shot up. “Callan—”

“Sage, if you don’t sit your pretty little pussy on my face right fucking now, I’ll make you beg until I allow you to come, and I’m not letting you leave this room until you fucking do.”

I didn’t even have time to consider as he hefted me to his shoulders as if I weighed nothing.

I’d let this cowboy manhandle me any day if I had anything to say about it.

My thighs were on either side of his face as my palms laid flat against the headboard. He hiked up the skirt of my dress so that he had easy access, and then the fabric covered his face and what he began doing to my body.

His rough hands slid up the sides of my thighs, coming around to grab my ass in a strong pleasure-inducing grip. He tugged me down, causing me to fall onto him. All of my body weight was pressing my pussy onto his mouth, and the sensation was like nothing I’d ever felt before.

Involuntarily, my hips moved, rubbing my pussy against his mouth. His tongue was out, lapping up every bit of me he could get, and the stubble on his cheeks grated on my thighs.

Every nerve ending lit up inside me like a blazing furnace. My hands wrapped around the top of the headboard, using the leverage to quicken my pace as I rode his face.

Somehow, not being able to see him under my dress made it all the more attractive, knowing he was down there doing the unspeakable to my body and I couldn’t see a bit of it.

He pulled my clit into his mouth as I continued moving my hips, and my breath quickened at the pleasure rolling through me.

I tried holding back just to prove him wrong—that it’d be longer than a minute—but I knew he wasn’t being literal, and I’d already lost track of time.

Instead of trying to hold it in any longer, I relaxed against him, letting his lips suck my clit in bursts, his tongue flicking over the bundle, and then I fucking exploded.

Every star, every galaxy, bursted behind my eyes as I squeezed them shut and tried to keep quiet. The last thing I needed was someone hearing what was going on in here.

He continued sucking on my clit, and once my thighs relaxed the slightest bit around his face, he moved his tongue to my entrance, licking up every last drop of me. I gathered the skirt of my dress, moving it away so I could slide off of his face.

Once I was straddling his hips again, he smiled up at me. “Baby, it should be illegal to taste that good.”

“Probably all the sweets,” I joked.

He sat up, placing his hands on my waist as my arms came around his neck. “I don’t know what it is, but keep doing it. I want you to ride my face every night.”

My fingers slid into his hair. “Every night, huh? You’re going to come here that often?”

He shrugged, his hands idly running up and down my sides, the fabric of my dress bunching up with each swipe. “Or you guys could move into my house, and we’d see each other all the time.”

My fingers froze in their strokes. “What?”

He blushed, but it felt like all the blood had drained from my own face. “When you’re both ready, of course. I don’t know when your lease is up here, but we could figure something out. I have the space, the land. It’s a little farther from town, but we’d see each other every day.”

“Callan—”

“I know. You don’t have to decide right now. I just wanted to throw the idea out there.” His face fell a bit, but he covered it with a smile.

He wasn’t expecting me to answer right now—he’d never put that pressure on me, but I also didn’t know how I would tell Avery if I did decide that would be the best move for us.

She’d stay at the same school and nothing would change aside from our house, but then again…everything would change .

Callan and I would be more official than just a title to our relationship. We’d be living together.

It shouldn’t scare me, but somehow it did.

I hadn’t lived with anyone else since Jason, and with how things were going with that right now, I didn’t want to bring any more of that drama into his life.

“Sage,” he started, giving my hips a small squeeze. “You don’t have to decide right now.”

“I know. It’s just…” How did I even explain that it wasn’t him I was nervous about living with? It was merging my life with someone else’s again with the risk that it could go south. Callan would never treat me the way Jason did, but it also didn’t ease that part of my brain that would always be terrified of the possibility.

His hands came up to cup the sides of my neck. “Get out of that beautiful head of yours, baby. I’m not him.”

He was right.

He wasn’t him, and my past wasn’t my future.

Callan Bronson was safe, caring, and treated me like both the strongest and most delicate flower on the planet.

My head needed to comprehend that not every relationship would end up that way.

It meant more to me than I could ever express that Callan was understanding about my past. Even he didn’t let it define me, so I shouldn’t either.

“Can I let you know after all of this chaos is over?” I asked.

He nodded. “Of course. I didn’t mean to spring it on you right now. It’s just been on my mind, but I should have waited.”

I shook my head, threading my fingers deeper into his hair to pull his face closer to mine. “It’s not that. I just want to talk to Avery about it first, and having that conversation while she’s hyped up on sugar probably wouldn’t be the best. She’d pack her things tonight if I gave her the option.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “I guess you’re right.” He pressed a kiss to my lips, then said, “Ready to go tackle this party?”

“Ready as ever.” I got off of him, standing so I could straighten my yellow dress, then looked in the mirror to fix my hair.

“Thanks to me,” he sarcastically remarked.

I shot him a joking glare in the mirror. “I would’ve been fine without it.”

In the reflection of the mirror, he cocked a brow in challenge. “Don’t make me do it again.”

I grabbed for the door handle right as he darted for me. Doing quick work of unlocking the knob, I swung it open right as he got his arms around me.

“Too bad,” I said with mock deflation.

“I’ll make you pay for that later,” he promised.

I silently wished that he would.

“One question before we go back out there.”

I turned in his arms as he loosened his hold. “What’s that?”

“Avery’s gift. I got her a stuffed horse,” he started, watching me closely .

“I’m sure she’ll love it,” I replied, but it sounded more like a question.

“It’s not just a stuffed horse, though.”

My brows drew together in confusion. “Okay…”

“It’s a real horse.”

My eyes widened. “It’s outside?”

He shook his head, his fingers gripping the fabric of my dress. “No, no. I need to go pick it up, but I’ll be bringing him to the ranch. I got her a stuffed one that looks just like it, but I wanted to make sure this was okay with you before I gave it to her.”

He bought Avery a horse.

This man who had shown up in my life not so long ago bought my daughter an entire horse—her dream that she’d been begging me to get for her for ages.

“Uh, I— Yes?”

He smiled, but the act looked nervous, like he couldn’t gauge my reaction clearly. If I had to be honest, I couldn’t either.

“You don’t have to pay for a dime of it. He’s got a place to live and hay to eat, I just didn’t want to overstep.”

“You’re not. It’s just…”

“You’re shocked.”

I nodded, but before I could get another word out, Avery came barreling down the hall toward us. “Mama! I wanna open gifts!”

I turned to her as Callan dropped one of his arms from around my waist. “Okay. Let’s go open gifts.”

She squealed with her friends behind her, then they all took off toward the living room. I looked back to Callan. “She’s going to love it.”

“You think so?” His voice was a bit shaky, like he was anxious for our reactions.

“Of course, she is. I know I already do.”

“You’re not mad?”

I shook my head. “Just in disbelief, is all. I never thought Avery would have the opportunity to have her own horse, and now you’re making that come true, and it’s just… a lot to take in.” Expressing how happy I was over the whole thing was hard to put into words. Obviously, I was surprised, but it was clear he’d fallen for her as quickly as he had with me.

It was my own dream to find someone who loved Avery as much as I did, and if I wasn’t sure before, I was now. He loved her like his own.

That’s all I ever wanted.

“You tell me if I’m ever too much,” he said.

“Hey,” I whispered, combing my fingers through his hair and bringing his face slightly closer to mine. “You’re never too much.” I knew what it felt like to feel like you were taking up too much space and wanted to shrink in on yourself. “You make life a lot more bearable, and I don’t think I could ever get tired of you, even if I tried.”

A small smile pulled at his mouth. “Right back at you, baby.”

“Mama!” Avery called from the other room.

“We better go out there,” I said, dropping my arms .

He nodded, intertwining his fingers with mine, and led us down the hall to twelve little girls all gathered around the table full of gifts.

Brandy sidled up next to us and muttered, “Gone a long time, huh?”

My cheeks heated as I elbowed her arm, eliciting a giggle from her. It was at that moment I realized I’d forgotten to put my underwear back on, and my hand instinctively smoothed down the folds of my dress, straightening them out as if everyone could tell.

“Can I open them now?” Avery asked, every pair of eyes on us.

I cleared my throat. “Go ahead,” I answered, and she got to work unwrapping the gifts, all of her friends gasping and chatting about each one she opened.

After about seven gifts, she grabbed Callan’s, smiling at him after she saw his name on the tag.

She reached into the bag and pulled out the stuffed animal, the fur a dark brown with white socks on each leg near the hooves. It had a little white stripe down the nose, and a black mane and tail.

“I love it! It looks like the horsey I drew,” she said, not knowing it would be real in just a matter of days.

Callan had his arm wrapped around me where we stood as he told her, “The real one will be at the ranch next week. ”

It took her a moment to process what he said, and then her mouth popped open as her eyes turned the size of saucers. “A real live horse?”

He nodded. “You can name it, too.”

“Really?” she squealed, her little hands gripping the stuffed animal so tight.

“Anything you want.” His smile couldn’t have been bigger if it tried, and I got the feeling he didn’t just mean that in regards to the name of the horse.

Avery ran over, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back, and I swore I saw a sheen in his eyes reflecting in the sunlight.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice muffled in his shirt.

“Of course, Aves. Happy birthday.”

She released him, angling her head back to look up at him. “The best birthday ever.”

And when she turned back to her gifts, joining her friends again, I knew, without a doubt, that she was telling the truth.

It didn’t make me feel bad in any way that I wasn’t able to get her those things.

After all, parenting was supposed to be a joint task, and the fact that she now had a father-like figure to be there for her in ways that I couldn’t made my heart threaten to burst with my admiration for him.

After never getting the feeling of being a family with her father, it felt nice to feel it with Callan .

It didn’t matter who her dad was—Callan loved her for who she was.

And that’s all I had ever wanted.