More Than Cookies (The Maple Leaf Series) (31 page)

“What happened?” Adam asked at the same time.

Wendie immediately went to Orion and inspected his bandaged arm. “EMTs don’t know how to bandage anything. C’mon. I’m taking a look at that myself.” She dragged Orion toward the door and everyone else followed.

“Dude, we were having dinner in St. Jamesbury and suddenly this story of ‘someone trying to kill that hot chainsaw guy’ started flitting around the restaurant.” Adam pulled off his baseball cap and rubbed his hand over his buzz cut as he stood in Orion’s kitchen.

“We took one look at each other and said how many chainsaw guys are in Vermont?” Wendie added.

“Dozens,” Adam said.

“But not many ‘hot’ ones,” Wendie said. “Half of them have positively unruly beards. We knew it was you, Orion.” She’d gotten him to sit on a kitchen stool where she was peeling off the bandage and assessing the slice in his arm. “Not bad stitching. Looks like Myer’s work. He’s good with a needle and thread.” She re-bandaged to her satisfaction, however, then grabbed Orion’s chin, making him look at her. “Tell us everything.”

Between all of them, they replayed the events for Adam and Wendie. When they were done, a collective dancing ensued in the kitchen over Orion being alive and Myah being reunited with him.

“Daddy,” Myah said. “I was scared for you today, but it ended up being the best day ever.”

He kneeled in front of her. “I was scared for me today too, but you’re right. Now we don’t have to be apart anymore.”

“I love you, Daddy.” She launched herself at him and Sage’s eyes stung with happy tears as she watched father and daughter together.

“I love you too, son.” Ian rested a hand on Orion’s shoulder. “I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking care of me. I know it’s not always easy.”

“Oh, Dad.” Orion stood and embraced his father. “I like taking care of you. I like having you here.”

“Yeah, Gramps,” Myah said. “Now we can play every day!”

Every day.
The words echoed in Sage’s head. She wanted to be with them every day too.

“Who’s hungry?” Wendie asked. “You all look hungry.”

“I’m always hungry,” Adam said.

Wendie looked at Sage, her kind eyes studying her to the point Sage wondered if she had dirt on her face or something. “Myah and Ian, why don’t you come with me and Adam to get some pizzas. We’ll bring them back here and have ourselves a party.”

“A great idea,” Ian said, giving Sage the same look Wendie had.

“C’mon, Myah Dandelion.” Adam guided her toward the porch door after shooting Orion a look too.

What’s with all the looks?

“It’s Myah
Rose
, Adam.” Myah put her hands on her hips. “Why can’t you remember that?”

Adam messed her hair and laughed. “I don’t know Myah Daisy. I guess I’m not that smart.”

Myah growled at him, but marched to the door.

In under two minutes, Adam, Wendie, Ian, and Myah were gone, leaving Orion and Sage standing in the kitchen.

“That was… odd,” Sage said at the same time Orion said, “Convenient.”

He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “Pizza will take at least an hour by the time they get to the restaurant, wait for the order, and drive back.”

“An hour?” Sage caught on. “Well, that’s plenty of time to—”

“Love you,” Orion finished. “Because I do, Sage Stannard. My God, I do.”

“That’s not a head injury speaking, is it?” she teased.

Orion took her hand and pressed it to his chest where a steady beating pulsed against her palm. “Nope. It’s my heart speaking, and I’m going to listen to it.”

He crushed his lips to hers, and Sage decided listening to hearts was the best idea they’d ever had.

****

He literally could not get enough of her. Sage’s lips were a slice of heaven and he wanted to consume that slice. No crumbs left behind. Nothing wasted. He wanted all of her.

“Orion.” Sage panted his name after their steamy round of kissing. “I love you too. That’s
my
heart speaking. I don’t usually trust my heart, but I know it’s not lying to me about you.”

“Hurray for hearts that speak the truth.” He dove back into kissing her and felt weak in the knees when she slid her leg up his and hooked it around his hip. He ran his hand along that gorgeous, flawless thigh.

“Take me to your bed, Orion.”

Without a word, he scooped up her other leg and headed down the hallway. His arm stung a little bit under the bandage, but nothing was going to stop him from following Sage’s command.

When they reached his bedroom, he slowly eased her down on the bed where she immediately shed her shirt and shorts. Neon green panties and a matching lace bra brightened the room instantly.

“Too much?” she asked, shimmery hair pooling at her collarbone and looking so touchable. She leaned on her elbows as she waited for his answer.

Too bad his brain had ceased being able to form actual words at the sight of her. No one was as well put together as Sage Stannard. No. One.

“Not at all,” he finally managed as he peeled off his clothes in as few moves as possible. “You’re perfect, Sage. Perfect.”

“You’re pretty perfect too.” She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down to her. “And here I was thinking The Perfect Guy didn’t exist.” She ran her lips along his slightly bearded jawline, stopping to give his mouth more attention. “But you’re right here,” she whispered.

“For as long as you want me.” He traced the tops of her breasts, aching to free them from that bra.

“And what if I want you for forever?” She bit her lower lip, waiting for his response. Her vulnerability was a monster turn on. And sweet. So sweet.

Blood raced south in Orion’s body as he memorized her face. He never wanted her image to be erased.

“Forever sounds exactly right.” He looked into her emerald eyes and got pulled in. Deep. Deeper. The deepest he’d ever been. “How attached to Cressen’s place are you?”

“What?” She paused in circling a finger around his abs.

“I know you just moved in there, but sell it. Sell it, Sage, and live here with me and Myah and my dad. Please. I don’t even want a patch of woods between us. I have Myah back and now I want you. I want a family. One that functions. One that makes me happy. One that will make you happy.”

It sounded crazy. They hadn’t known each other long, but Sage was what had been missing in his life. Once she’d shown up, his father had gotten better and Myah had been returned to him. Yes, he’d almost ended up dead, but he had to believe he’d lived to be with Sage.

A slow smile eased across her lips and she blinked slowly, long lashes fanning against her cheeks. “Is this a ploy to gain limitless access to all the cookies you can eat?”

“That’s merely a side benefit.” He kissed her bare shoulder. “Besides you taste better than cookies. I love you more than cookies.”

She rolled him to his back and straddled him, her center so hot against his most ready of places. “I’ll get my realtor on it right away then.”

“Yes!” He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing as if he never planned to let her go.

Which he didn’t.

They spent a few moments holding each other until Ranger trotted in and slumped to the wood floor with a thud and loud scratch of claws. The deep doggy sigh he let out made them both laugh.

“The sound of satisfaction,” Sage said.

“Let’s see if I can get you to make similar sounds.” Orion slid the straps of her bra off her shoulders.

“Give it your best shot.” She arched her brow in challenge.

“I always do.”

He turned them so she was below him. When he took her breast into his mouth and flicked his tongue over a budded nipple, she shivered and let out a purr.

“Guess my work is done here.” He made a move to get off the bed, but Sage grabbed his wrists in a lightning-quick move and pulled him back to her.

“Get back here. You’re not even close to done, mister.”

“My mistake.”

“Don’t let it happen again.”

Orion hooked his fingers onto the panties at her hips, and lightly scraping his fingertips along her skin, he pulled the panties off, letting them drop to the floor. Sage was completely naked now and he needed to be one with her.

She reached up her arms and unfastened his shorts, sliding them down until he shed them along with his boxers. Nothing stood in their way now. Nothing stopped the perfect pairing of their bodies, their hearts, their souls.  

His cell phone rang, the sound of it cutting through him mercilessly.

“Grrrr…” he growled. “I’m taking a chainsaw to that damn phone.” He slid off the bed and jogged to the kitchen where he’d left it. Adam’s number flashed on the screen.

“We like olives on our pizza and take your time,” Orion said. He needed this conversation to be over like right now. A primed and ready Sage was not something a man should keep waiting.

“Orion.” Adam’s voice was serious and Orion stood straighter.

“What’s wrong?” Because something was. Definitely.

“Your dad—”

“What about my dad? Is he okay?” Suddenly, Orion’s stomach flip-flopped and he could barely swallow.

“He collapsed outside the pizza place. We called an ambulance,” Adam said gently.

“I’ll meet you at the hospital.” Orion hung up and ran back to the bedroom.

Sage was already putting her clothes back on, looking concerned. “Who’s going to the hospital?”

“My father. He collapsed.” Orion’s voice was scratchy because his throat stung. He wouldn’t lose it. No, sir, he wouldn’t. He’d been strong for his father all these years and now was not the time to fall apart. He’d keep his shit together even if every happy thought he’d had with Sage only moments ago disappeared into the air around him.

“C’mon,” Sage said. “I’ll drive you.”

He hopped back into his shorts and fumbled with the zipper. “You don’t have to. I got this.” He didn’t want her wasting any more of her time wrapped up in his emergencies. And why the fuck was he having so many emergencies lately?
Christ.

Sage came around the bed and stood in front of him as he wrestled with his inside-out T-shirt. “Orion.”

He looked up at her. “Seriously, Sage. You have a life.” He puffed out a breath. “Or at least you did before you got tangled up with me.”

“Yeah,” she said slowly. “And now I realize what that life was missing, you big idiot.” She swatted him on the back of the head.

He blinked at her for a few seconds, not expecting her to hit him because he’d already banged his head pretty good today.

“Look, I’ve told you before I make my own decisions. I’ve decided I love you, Orion Finley, and if you think you can push me away, you’ve made a gross miscalculation. Now give me that T-shirt.” She ripped the shirt out of his hands where he had still been trying to right it. Giving it one solid shake, the bottom hem came out of the sleeve. She shoved the neck hole over his head and let him take care of the rest.

As he poked his arms through the sleeves and watched Sage walk out of his bedroom, he realized he couldn’t be without her even if he tried. That was a scary thought. He’d always depended on himself. He took care of people, but was never taken care of.

Until now.

Hurrying to catch up with her, Orion bolted out the porch door and met her at her car. “Sage?”

She looked at him over the roof of the car.

“I’m sorry. I just… I need…” He couldn’t say what he wanted to say.

“You need your father to be okay. I get it. Let’s go.” She disappeared into the vehicle.

How did a woman who was so new in his life know exactly what he was thinking?

Chapter Twenty-four

“He dropped to the ground,” Adam told Orion as soon as they found their way to the hospital waiting room.

Myah was on Wendie’s lap, sniffling into the woman’s shirt. As soon as she saw Orion, she squirmed off and ran to him. “Daddy, is Gramps going to be okay?”

Orion kneeled in front of his daughter, and Sage’s heart squeezed in her chest when he simply folded himself around her, tucking his child in close to him. They had been through so much in the last few days. The two of them hugged for a long time. Then slowly, Orion’s arm came out, his hand motioning for Sage to join them. She put her arms on their shoulders and gave them each a kiss on the tops of their heads. Myah turned into Sage’s arms, tears coming down her cheeks now.

“Oh, sweetie.” She smoothed Myah’s hair and rocked her gently. “Come sit with me over here.” She guided both father and daughter to the seats near Wendie.

Orion sat first and Myah crawled onto his lap. Sage sat beside Orion. He instantly reached for her hand and the three of them created a little chain of support.

If someone had asked Sage if she would ever have such potent, amazing feelings for a man and his kid, she would have told that someone to stop being so ridiculous. But here she was now, and these two people beside her meant absolutely everything.

“He’d been doing so well,” Orion said. “I got too comfortable. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“None of us saw any signs, Orion,” Adam said. “He
was
doing better.”

“Maybe I made him play with me too much.” Myah’s voice was so soft, so small. “I should have let him rest.”

“This is not your fault, Myah.” Orion backed her up a little on his lap and tipped her chin so she had to look up at him. “Gramps was having a blast with you and that’s nothing but a good thing. You understand?”

Myah nodded, her dark lashes clumping together with tears.

“Shhh, baby.” Orion pressed her head to his shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll get some news soon.” He glanced at Sage over Myah’s head.

“Very soon.” Sage squeezed his hand and looked to the waiting room doors. “Any minute a doctor is going to come through those doors and give us good news.”

That better be true.

She didn’t want to think about what bad news would do to Orion and Myah, especially after they’d been through the whole Adriana ordeal. They were finally getting what they wanted, what they deserved, and if The Universe decided to be a total bitch, that would be terrible.