16. Wild Child Rides Again

Istared at the depressingly empty coffee shop, the ticking of the clock on the wall a mocking reminder of yet another slow day. I probably shouldn"t have closed over the weekend even if we couldn"t make lattes. I might have capitalized on the Mustangs fans still coming in to see if there were any Kingmans here.

Although, real fans would have known they were all in Miami over the weekend, and honestly, I wouldn"t trade that trip and the time I got to spend with Hayes and his family for anything.

I needed to remember that because the sight of the espresso machine, now repaired, sitting idle, and the pastry case with it"s no day old donuts looked ridiculously forlorn. I don"t know how Liam did this day after day. Except that he loved this place almost as much as George loved the Mustangs.

I missed them.

I must have sent some intentions out into the universe with those thoughts because just as I was about to start cleaning up for the day, my phone buzzed with an incoming FaceTime call. The Guncles" smiling faces filled the screen, and I couldn"t help but grin back.

"Willa, darling!" George exclaimed, his voice tinny through the speaker. "You"ll never guess where we are."

He turned the phone and showed me some kitschy port market on what I was guessing might be a Caribbean island. "Ooh. I"m not jealous at all. We"re supposed to get snow next week."

To be fair, it was almost December, and so far, I"d lucked out and only gotten the mildest part of a Denver winter. I was not looking forward to February and March when it snowed the most. Even if that still meant once or twice a month and it all melted away three days later.

For the next few minutes, they regaled me with tales of their adventures, showing me snippets of exotic landscapes and bustling shopping districts. Their joy was infectious, but it also made me miss both of them and being out in the world doing crazy fun things too.

"Enough about our world tour," Liam said, his eyes crinkling with concern. "How are things going back home? How"s Cool Beans? How"s Seven, how"s the fam? You"re the first one we called."

"Oh, you know, everyone"s fine." I was not getting into whatever was going on with Xander, and I hadn"t even talked to my parents in days. Just like when I was abroad. "The coffee shop is... it"s going."

Liam gave me some side-eye at those answers. He always saw right through my tough girl facade.

With a sigh, I confessed my fears about the shop"s struggling business and my inability to turn it around. "I"m afraid I"m letting you both down," I admitted, blinking back tears.

"Nonsense," George declared, slapping the table they were sitting at. "Listen, Willa, don"t you worry about a thing. I"m more than happy to keep paying the bills. The most important thing is that you"re there, holding down the fort."

I noticed Liam"s slight grimace at George"s words and realized that he didn"t entirely agree. He caught my eye and gave me a subtle nod, a silent encouragement to keep trying.

Their belief in me, even in the face of my doubts, sparked a flicker of determination in my chest. I couldn"t let them down, especially not Liam. I had to find a way to make this work. "I do have the first playdate with the cat shelter this week, so I"m sure that will bring in business. It should be fun."

"Good, that"s the spirit, kiddo. Now," George waggled his eyebrows at me. "How"s the plan to make me an adopted Kingman because you"re marrying Hayes coming along? I saw the Miami game highlights even though I"m not supposed to have the internet while we"re on the ship."

That was something I could smile about. "The game was really amazing. I got to fly out on their jet, and I met Kelsey Best, who is actually super nice, and the Manniways, and Sara Jayne Jerry."

And did some serious fooling around with Hayes at the hotel. But they did not need to hear that part.

"Right, right, right," Liam said waving away my brushes with fame. "I want love life deets, baby girl. Are you officially seeing Hayes Kingman?"

Okay, so they did want to hear that part. "I... am?"

"Honey, don't answer like it"s questionable." Liam frowned, leaning closer to the screen. "Willa, what"s wrong? You know you can tell us anything."

George glared through the phone. "He"s not being some sports star asshat, is he? I expect better of a Kingman."

"No. Hayes is perfect. Not a single red flag. I"m the one being an asshat," I confessed. I was the one who said we shouldn"t have labels this morning when he was clearly so excited to call himself my boyfriend. Who did that? Scaredy cats, that"s who.

"I"m scared of getting too attached when I"m supposed to be leaving in a few months. I"m afraid I"m already..." I almost said that I was already in love with him. But I wasn"t ready to admit that out loud. "I already have some serious feelings for him."

Liam leaned back and smiled softly at George. "Willa, let me tell you something. Love, when it"s real, is always worth the risk. Don"t let fear rob you of something beautiful. Something that can make your life so much better than it ever could be alone."

George"s bottom lip wobbled a little and he wrapped an arm around Liam. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Embrace love and happiness wherever you find it, darling. Life"s too short to do otherwise."

Their words settled into my heart, a comforting warmth chasing away the chill of my doubts. if anyone knew about love, it was these two.

I full-well knew how to take risks. I told my parents I wasn"t going to college even though that"s all they"d ever wanted of me. I moved to foreign countries without knowing a single soul or a word of the language. I taught six-year-olds around the world how to read! Despite them having no idea what I was saying.

I was fearless... in everything but love. It was time to stop holding back and fully commit to this wonderful, terrifying, exhilarating thing I had with Hayes.

"Ooh, look at her face, Liam," George sing-songed, "She is having a moment. Go get "em, wild child."

We said our goodbyes and I looked around the empty shop with fresh eyes. It was time for a change, time to take some risks of my own. If I was going to make this thing with Hayes work, I needed to make some plans too.

I started brainstorming ideas on how to make the coffee shop profitable, scribbling them down in a notebook. I could partner with local bakeries for fresh pastries. Offer specialty seasonal drinks. It was easy enough to update the menu, but what we needed was more customers.

What made people like to hang out at a coffee shop, besides the food and drink? What did I even like to do when I hung out here? The comfy chairs tucked in the corner by the very small lending library caught my eye.

I liked to read.

And then it hit me. A book club. Ooh, even better, a spicy romance book club. I could host it right here in the shop, creating a fun, flirty atmosphere that would be perfect for coffee and steamy reads.

Excited by the prospect, I scrolled through my contacts, looking for the perfect person to help me spread the word. Trixie. She was writing a romance novel, and she was a former librarian. I"m sure she had connections. I sent her a message.

A dozen ideas of drinks I could pair with books I"d read flew around in my head. That would make for great social media posts. Gasp. I could do the same with the cats from the cat shelter. That would be fun too. I was going to need a brand new InstaSnap and a FlipFlop account for Cool Beans.

But one book club and one playdate with shelter cats wasn"t going to be enough to really make the business profitable. I could ask Hayes to do something with the Mustangs again. Or, yes, Marie Manniway had specifically given me her card and said she wanted to host a Cowgirls and Cowpals meeting here. If I could make that a regular thing, that would bring in a whole crowd of women who could afford fancy coffees and teas. This could be the perfect opportunity.

I fired off a text to Marie, finally following up on her request, asking if she"d be interested in stopping by the shop this week. Her enthusiastic response came minutes later, and I did a little victory dance right there behind the counter.

Watch out, Denver. Willa Rosemount was about to make her mark, one latte at a time.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of list making, graphics creating, and my first few social media posts. Even if I only had two whole customers that afternoon, I was still hyped. By the time the bell above the door jingled that evening signaling a new customer, I was so engrossed in my plans that I almost didn"t look up.

But I"d know those footsteps anywhere. Hayes, freshly showered, sporting a Mustangs hoodie and swagger that made me swoony crossed the shop to lean across the counter and steal a kiss. "Hey, sweet thing. Ready to close up shop? I"ve got plans for you tonight."

I grinned against his lips, my earlier worries and fears melting away in his presence. "Just about. What kind of plans?"

He shrugged, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, you know. Just wanted to see if my girlfriend wanted to come home with me and spend the night."

A brand new thrill zipped through me, like the warmth of hot cocoa laced with Bailey"s, at the way he said girlfriend.

"All night?" I batted my eyelashes at him. "Whatever will we do?"

"Like I said, flower, I"ve got plans for you. And they involve you calling my name as I make you come for, oh, let"s say the dozenth time."

"Oh really? And how many times are you going to come?"

"As many as you say I can." His eyes went dark with an instant shimmer of arousal that had me going all squidgy on the inside too.

"That is an excellent plan indeed," I said softly. "But what if Xander shows up again?"

Hayes grinned, looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Already taken care of. I called in a favor with Flynn and Gryff. The captains of the team just happen to be calling a mandatory meeting tonight. We won"t be interrupted."

I laughed, shaking my head in amazement. "You"re something else, Kingman."

"And you love me for it." He said it jokingly, but there was a hint of vulnerability in his eyes, a silent question.

I swallowed hard, my heart racing like I was the one running down the field slipping past defenders and scoring touchdowns.

"I do," I whispered, holding his gaze.

The wattage of his answering smile could have powered the entire city block.

He literally leaped over the counter and kissed me, and kissed me, and kissed me. I melted into him and lived fully in this passionate moment, not worrying about the future, how we were going to make this work, where I would be in a few months, or what anyone wanted except for the two of us right here, right now.

Hayes grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up, placing my butt right on the counter, then pushed his way between my knees. He reached for the buttons on my coffee shop polo but changed his mind and dropped his hands to the button on my pants.

"Whoa there, Mustang. We are not having sex on the coffee shop counter, especially not while that little neon sign over there says that it"s still open." I slapped his hand away when he popped my pants open anyway. "Do you know how much disinfectant I"d have to use to clean up if we had sex right here?"

"I will buy you a new counter." I had no doubt that he could. But that wasn"t the point. "Besides, I have it on good authority that I could get you to say you love me out loud if I bend you over this counter."

Was that what this franticness was really all about? I"d implied the words a few moments ago, but this sweet, adorable man needed to hear them from me. I was sorry I hadn"t already said it.

I placed his cheeks in my palms and gave him a soft, slow, lingering kiss. "Hayes, I"ve fallen in love with you. I"m sorry if I made you doubt those feelings earlier today."

Relief and joy and love bubbled up in his eyes and he lifted me up again, spinning me around and around, making me dizzy with his excitement. I wrapped my legs around him and squealed, exactly like a little girl on a park merry-go-round, loving the thrill of it all. Loving him.

"I fucking love you so much I felt like I was going to explode if I didn"t get to tell you." He slowed and set me on the counter again and leaned in for another kiss.

I slid my hand between where our mouths would have met. "You"d better save that exploding for the bedroom, mister."

He laughed, and, my god, was his happiness infectious.

"Help me lock up, and then take me home, Kingman." I slid back off the counter and handed him a towel to wipe the counter off with. "You"ve got a busy night counting orgasms ahead of you."

This wasn"t really about the sex or how many orgasms either of us had. The rush of feelings flowing through me was like nothing I could even describe, and it was far better than any sex.

But to be fair, I hadn"t had my brains fucked out by Hayes Kingman yet.