Craved, p.1
Craved, page 1
Craved
Copyright © 2023 Billie Bloom
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Billiebloomromance.com
Edited by
Julia Griffis
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Synopsis
Returning to Alaska was never part of the plan, but I can’t walk away when my gran’s beloved bed and breakfast is crumbling before my eyes. Sticking around definitely has NOTHING to do with the smoking hot firefighter renting my parents’ guesthouse.
(Especially not when I get to watch him paint shirtless).
He’s got a hard candy shell, but I’m determined to tease him until I crack it. Pretty soon he’s chasing me through the hotel and straddling me on a bed to get his revenge…
Not that it leads anywhere good☐ because West has the self-control of a monk. Sigh.
He says it’s because he’s a single dad. He says it’s because he’s friends with my parents…but even a former marine has to give in to his desires sometimes.
When West finally kisses me, I light up like a Times Square Christmas tree. He loses his restraint…I lose my shirt…
But then his guard is back up before anything good can happen.
Maybe I should go back to being a chef in New York and leave him be. But West is a recipe I really want to taste.
How do I get this man to take a chance on me?
Chapter 1
West
“Daddy. Up. Pwesents.”
The light is suddenly blinding, even though my eyelids are closed. I strain with a dry throat. “Come here.” When I lift the blanket up, Theodore obediently climbs in. He settles in the crook of my arm. With my free hand, I reach for the phone on my bedside table and pull it into our makeshift tent.
“What time does this say?” I ask, pointing to the numbers on the screen. He doesn’t know what they mean, but we’re working on recognizing them all the same.
His little face scrunches up as he studies the screen and reads slowly, “Six, four, five.”
“Good job, Teddie.” It may be earlier than I want to wake up on my days off, but this is my life now. Has been for three years. And I wouldn’t trade my son for the world, but this whole thing started in the most regrettable way possible_in an alley behind a bar in Juneau where I had sloppy drunk sex with the bartender, Abby. I was just supposed to be in town for a few weeks visiting Henry and Chloe to help them set up their new house. I let my dick do too much of the thinking and now here I am, stuck in this town for fifteen more years.
My off-grid cabin back on the island of Port Providence is currently being occupied by Colt and Ridge during their breaks from commercial fishing, but hopefully, I’ll be able to take Theo for a visit this summer. He’s finally old enough to start enjoying what the remote wilderness has to offer.
“Birfday,” he reminds me, blinking long dark lashes expectantly.
“What should we have for breakfast?”
“Kate pancake.” He claps his tiny hands at the idea of it. Hell, I should clap mine too. I’m lucky that I finally got us out of that hole in the wall apartment. Or I should say, I’m lucky Dale and Kate Westover sprung us from that apartment, offering us their guesthouse on the cheap for as long as we need it. This place is much nicer than I’m used to. It’s practically brand new.
I throw the blanket off of us and stretch. Theo imitates me. God, he’s adorable, but it’s scary what a sponge he is. I have to be much more careful now to be my best self because he’s always watching.
“You went potty this morning?” I cock an eyebrow at him.
He gives me a proud nod and pulls me to the bathroom. He indeed has managed to go by himself, even if it’s a bit all over the place. This is progress. I’m so ready to be done with diapers.
I clean up the bathroom, and we brush our teeth and get dressed. Then I shoot a text to Kate to make sure it’s cool that I bring Theo over for breakfast. Always! Especially when it’s his birthday! she replies. Did I mention yet how lucky I am to have them? Dale and Kate are the perfect hybrid between parents and best friends. They are full of wisdom, happy to share their knowledge, and always good for a laugh. Plus, they insist I eat with them whenever possible, and they shower Theo with that special brand of grandparent love.
Theo and I hold hands and open the door to the glass dome pool. Did I mention the Westovers are loaded? They’ve hustled for decades flying helicopters around the remote Alaskan wilderness, and now that they’re slowing down their hours, they have more time to enjoy their money. Hence the new pool and guesthouse.
“Danger,” he chirps as he gives the water a wide berth.
“That’s right,” I remind him. It makes me nervous that he can open doors now. If he got curious about this pool, I’d never forgive myself. So I might have overcompensated by scaring the crap out of him. All in the name of love, of course.
Kate opens the door on the other side of the pool house and squats low with her arms out. “There’s my birthday boy.”
Theo toddles to her in an uneven run, leaping into her arms at the last second as she scoops him from the ground into a hug.
“How old are you, baby?” she coos.
“Free,” he booms confidently, holding up two fingers.
Kate laughs and pulls another finger up, and he studies it for good measure. He’s such a smart boy, and I beam with pride.
“Coffee with cream?” Dale calls from the kitchen as I walk in.
Kate takes Theo to the living room to play, and I slide into the stool at the counter. Resting my head in my hands, I nod. “You are my hero.”
Dale slides me a cup with a laugh. “I remember those days with Amelia. It’s cliché to say it, but man, you have to cherish these tired mornings. They grow up way too fast.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” I say before sipping the warm liquid. As it hits my stomach, I finally start to feel like a person again.
“We can fly today if you want. Around two,” Dale offers as he cleans a big bowl of plump strawberries.
I’m distracted for a minute as I hear Theo belly laughing in the living room with Kate. It sounds like she’s reading him a new book this morning. “You’re too good to me.” Dale shakes his head at my words because I say them every day, because every day they are still true.
When Dale heard about my struggle to make it full time at the fire house, he took me under his wing and started helping me accumulate hours to get my helicopter pilot’s license. That’s how I met Kate eventually, and now I’m a permanent hassle in their life. But they say they love us, so I try to believe them.
“Stop talking like you don’t deserve it. After everything you’ve done for our country and our community, I’m honored, son.” Dale just beams at me and the praise makes me uncomfortable. I’m not good with compliments. I always want to deflect them. But Dale forces you to bask in them. Damn him.
“Two is great,” I manage as I suck down more of the magical liquid. “If Kate doesn’t mind. Abby doesn’t pick him up until two-thirty.”
“Already cleared it with her. Plus, she’s on cloud nine today because Amelia’s coming in this afternoon.”
“Amelia?” I cock an eyebrow at the news. I’ve only seen a half dozen pictures of the girl posted around the house from different stages in her life, and I’d yet to meet her. But hearing her parents talk about her, I can only assume she farts rainbows.
Dale beams at me. “The manager of The Daffodil quit a few days ago.” That’s his mother’s Bed and Breakfast joint. She’d passed on about a year ago and the manager has been keeping it afloat ever since.
“Why are you smiling like that’s good news?”
He taps his fingers together manically. “Because it’s the perfect chance to guilt Amelia into moving home, of course. When your kids are grown, you got to do what you got to do.”
I laugh at him. “You’re going to convince her to work there?”
“That’s the best part, I don’t have to. Gran wrote her a letter about it. I just found it when going through some old boxes last week_sure wish I would have sifted through them sooner_and she said it was her wish that Amelia take it over. Needless to say, that letter is sitting on the pillow of her bed as we speak.”
“You are sneaky, Dale. Remind me never to cross you.”
He holds his hands up. “I only use my powers for good, not evil.”
Theo comes running into the kitchen, squealing in delight as Kate chases him. “The pancake monster!” she shouts, and he squeals even louder in delight as they circle the island.
Dale steps in his path and catches him, setting off another ear-piercing squeak of delight. “Pancake time, birthday boy.” Dale tosses him lightly in the air before handing him to me.
Theo rests his head on my shoulder, apparently exhausted from all the effort. This is just one of the ways the Westovers are amazing_tiring out my energetic son. He stays quiet while I rock him slowly side to side and sip the rest of my coffee. Kate whips up a stack of pancakes and shoves in a candle. She thinks of everything.
After a hearty round of “Happy Birthday,” Theo rips apart the fluffy treats and jams them into his mouth, until his face and hands are thoroughly covered with syrup. He slaps his sticky palms against my cheeks and alerts me that he’s all finished. It’s only eight in the morning now, but I’m already exhausted. Even with amazing help from the Westovers and my best friends, Henry and Chloe, raising a kid as a single dad, even just half the week, is a herculean effort.
After I capture Theo’s attention for an hour with some cartoons, which allows me time to clean and pack our lunch, we step outside to walk to the park. Henry and Chloe have a two-and-a-half-year-old named Sunny, and she and Theo are best friends. Today, they are surprising Theo at the park with his birthday present.
“Sunny be there,” Theo chatters to himself, repeating the information I told him as we walk. “My birfday. Present.”
It’s funny to listen to him string together the words he knows now as he tries to make sense of the world around him. A lot of the time, that means muttering the same words to himself on repeat.
When I spot them in the distance, my stomach sinks. There is a dog on a leash walking with them. If they think this is going to be Theo’s present, I’m going to kick all their asses, even little Sunny’s.
“Doggie,” Theo’s voice raises three octaves with delight as he too spots the majestic canine. He takes off at a sprint down the rest of the path toward them and crashes into the goldendoodle, wrapping his arms around it tightly.
“Easy, Teddie.” I jog up to grab him, but Henry holds up a hand to stop me.
“Don’t worry about Penny, she is kid-proof.”
“Who does she belong to?” I ask nervously.
Chloe cracks up laughing. “You should see your face. I told Henry you would be worried. She belongs to our backyard neighbor. We’re just walking her for the afternoon.”
“That was evil,” I sigh in relief. “Why do you people like messing with me?”
“My doggie,” Theo coos, unaware of our conversation.
I squat down next to him. “Not your dog. This is Penny, she belongs to Sunny’s neighbor. She’s just here for today.”
“Best pwesent,” he chirps, and I hope that somehow my words will soak into his little brain.
Chloe unclips the dog’s leash then, and it takes off at a sprint around the little park, running circles around Sunny and Theo, who cackle at the way it darts here and there to avoid them. It’s almost like the dog is as amused by the kids as the kids are amused by the dog.
The three of us settle on a bench, and I appreciate that simple things like this can entertain Theo for hours. I know this won’t work when he’s older, but for now, a silly dog is as good as gold in my book.
“You look tired.” Chloe pats my knee. Henry leans in to assess. “You sleeping all right?”
“Still adjusting after that fire a few nights ago. Every time I have to pull an all-nighter, I swear I age a year.”
“Remember when we could stay up all night in the field? Hell, we could last days at a time,” Henry says thoughtfully. We were marines together for eight years on active duty, and we definitely spent our fair share of nights keeping watch together while our squadron slept.
“I can’t believe I’ll be forty soon.” I slump a little at the thought. I’m feeling more and more like an old man lately. Especially now that I have a kid. That means the women in my league are all equally tired single moms my age, or worse, self-proclaimed free spirits who don’t understand my responsibilities. At least, that’s who I’ve met around town lately. Not that I want a woman. After fucking up my life_again, in a way I wouldn’t take back_I know better than to mess around. So casual sex is out too. I thought I could handle being a loner since I had so much experience, but this shit is starting to grate on me.
I just have to focus on my goals. Finish the last eight hours I need to get my chopper license so I can start making better money. Then once I save, I’m going to buy a decent house for me and Theo. All my dreams are right there for the taking. So long as I stay focused on them.
Chapter 2
Amelia
“Surprise,” I call out as I open the front door.
“Prize,” a tiny voice calls back to me, and my brow twists.
“Mom?” I ask, setting down my duffle as I close the door. Kicking off my shoes, I follow the sound of childish giggles.
In the kitchen, there is a tiny human with blond hair and giant chocolate eyes blinking at me. “Who are you?” I ask as a curious smile breaks out on my face.
“Teddie,” he says confidently as he mashes his fingers back into a pile of play-doh. I sit at the table with him.
“I’m Amelia. Nice to meet you. Mind if I get in on this?” I nod to the yellow cup.
He shrugs nonchalantly, and I chuckle as I take the salty smelling dough out and mash it in my hands.
“Hey, my sweet girl.” My mom rounds the corner just then with a cookie cutter in hand. She still talks to me like I’m a little kid, but I don’t mind being babied by her from time to time. I guess by the looks of it though, she’s found a new little friend.
“Here’s your cutter, Theo.” She sets down the plastic shapes in front of him, and he grabs them assuredly.
“My birfday today,” he says, looking at me a bit expectantly.
I can’t help but giggle at him. “Happy birthday, Mister Teddie.”
He chuckles at me and returns to his cutting. I set the ball of dough on the table and stand to hug my mom. She gives me a big squeeze, and I let her warmth wash over me.
“So, you didn’t uh, kidnap a kid, did you?” I ask in a low voice.
“I might have. I’m unpredictable,” she snarks.
Planting my hands on my hips, I tilt my head and wait for her to explain.
“Fine. I’m boring and you know it. Teddie belongs to West, who lives in the guesthouse. He’s our unofficially adopted son.”
“Ouch, you replaced me?” I joke. “I’ve only been gone a few years.”
My mom pats my head like I’m a puppy. “Just because there’s a new baby doesn’t mean we love you any less.”
I chuckle and stick my tongue out at her. “My room still available, or did you rent that out too?”
“It’s all set up for you_” she starts, and I walk down the hall to see it. Something about seeing my childhood bedroom, just how I left it when I was eighteen, always feels so comforting.
“Wait, Amelia. About that letter_” she calls out as I stop at the pillow and pick up the envelope.
Turning it in my hands, my heart leaps into my throat as I recognize the handwriting. “Ma?” I gasp, tears already filling in my eyes. “What is this?”
