Page 95 of Silver Linings
“Mae!” Stone barked, his face bright red.
“And on that note, I think we need to separate Mae and Gunner and get to the meeting we were supposed to start five minutes ago,” Gage gestured to the empty conference room.
Gunner pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Lily.
I know what you told Mae, Lily. Naughty girl. I’m going to lay you over my knee and spank that pretty pink ass of yours when I get home.
Gunner! I know there is no way Mae told you what I said.
Three dots appeared, and he laughed as he thought about how red her face probably was while she typed.
But I’ll gladly take that punishment.
Fuck. How the hell was he going to concentrate on his meeting? Gage better get through the info quickly, because he was going to be going home for lunch right after, and taking the rest of the day off.
“Oh, fudge.” Lily stopped pushing the grocery cart and turned towards Gunner. They were supposed to be hosting a dinner for the team that night, and she’d completely spaced about picking up things from the deli as they walked by. Gunner had surprised her by coming home early for the day and he’d properly scrambled her brain while Sage was down for her nap.
“Fudge? As in the ice cream topping or a substitute for a very adult word?”
“You know I’m trying to be better about naughty words around Sprout. Her first word is going to be something mortifying if we don’t.” She covered Sage’s ears, even though the baby was fast asleep in her carrier.
“Lil, the little goober has a long way to go before she says anything,” Gunner said as he pulled Lily’s hands away, locking his fingers back through hers.
“I don’t know. If she takes after me, she’ll be talking in no time. It was the one skill I was advanced in as a baby. My parents spent my entire childhood telling me how horrible it was, but I can’t wait to hear her little voice.”
“I bet it’s going to be so cute. But if she takes after me, she’ll be too busy trying to walk before she crawls to tackle talking.”
Lily’s heart melted into a giant puddle. Might as well call a cleanup on aisle…she looked up and down the aisle for an identifier…three. There was never a moment after the night he helped her leave James that he didn’t refer to Sage as his daughter, and it was so beautiful. She was theirs, nothing but Lily and Gunner.
“So, what was that ‘oh fudge’ about?”
“Oh, I told Mae and Hawk that we’d pick up some sandwich meat for the cookout tonight, but we walked right past it.”
“Okay. I’ll go take care of it while you finish shopping here.” Gunner kissed the top of Sage’s head. “Make sure you get some barbecue chips. Those are my favorite.”
“I know they are. You think I never saw you sneaking into the kitchen for them when you thought I was distracted with Sage?”
Gunner tipped his head back and laughed. “Guilty as charged.”
She placed her hand on his chest and stood on her tiptoes, tilting her face towards his. Gunner’s response was immediate, capturing her lips in a searing kiss.
“Maybe we don’t need groceries for this week,” Lily giggled.
“Good things come to those who wait, Lily Kate.” The wink he gave as he walked away branded the best sort of anticipation across her heart.
Lily strolled the rest of the aisle leisurely. She didn’t want to walk too far from Gunner, but she needed to keep moving, or else Sage would wake every few minutes. A table full of pies and cookies at the end of the row caught her eye. She would love to pick up a blackberry pie, although Dolly might get mad if she got one from the Save More instead of her diner.
“Oh, Paul, look. She’s beautiful.”
The familiar voice that came from behind Lily flipped her stomach. They couldn’t be there. They couldn’t have found where she’d moved to. Silver Springs was her safe place, the place for her to start over and forget the nightmare that the last few years had been. Placing the pie she’d picked up from the small display back onto the table, Lily turned.
Right then and there, she realized her greatest fear was coming true. In front of her stood James’s parents, evil smiles spreading across their faces.
“What are you doing here?” Lily asked as she took a step back and swept a protective hand over Sage’s back, who thankfully was still fast asleep in the carrier wrapped around her body.
“Seeing our grandchild, which we know we could never do if we didn’t track you down in the middle of some dilapidated grocery store. She’s been in the world for months and you didn’t think to reach out to us? To let us know where you were with her? Honestly, do you really think this town is the best place to raise a Callahan?”
“My baby is not a Callahan. She’s a Brooks.” Gunner was her father, and she wouldn’t let anyone take that from Sage. Ever.