“Jesse, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, that’s not why I told you. It’s just . . . it’s kind of nice to just tell someone, you know?”

“Yeah. What does she need you to get? I can go pick it up for you so you don’t have to make a stop on the way home.”

“Cassi.” His dark eyes lit up and that crooked grin was back. “You’re a sweetheart, but no.” He glanced at his watch and frowned at me. “Because of me you’ve been here an extra twenty minutes. Go home, I’ll see you next week, right?”

I tried to keep my smile to myself. “Right.” I stood there as he walked past me to go back onto the floor and tried not to flinch when he brushed his hand against my arm. I needed to make it a point to tell him about Gage soon. I sighed and walked over to where we kept the employee files, glanced around to make sure no one had come in there, and hurried to jot down Jesse’s address on a piece of paper. I was sure I could get in trouble for looking it up, but it was for a good reason. I slid the paper into my back pocket and walked out of the back room, my head bent down as I texted Gage to let him know I was about to walk home. For whatever reason it made him feel better knowing when I left and when I got home—something about knowing I was safe. I’d just hit send when I heard a deep gravelly voice.

“Hey, darlin’.”

My heart took off and a huge grin spread across my face as I quickly took the last few steps that separated us. Gage wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me slightly to kiss me good and hard before setting me back down. “Were your classes canceled?”

“Wasn’t feelin’ up to it today.” His green eyes glanced up above my head before focusing back on me. “How was work?”

“It was all right, kinda busy. Want something before we go? I’m exhausted and have a feeling now that you’re skipping your classes I’m not going to get any sleep.”

Gage’s lips curved up in a slow, incredibly sexy smile that had my stomach heating. “And I have a feeling you’re right. Let’s grab some coffee.”

We ordered, and after Jenn, Krista, and Lori—Lori . . . pregnant, married Lori—all drooled over Gage again, we stood off to the side of the bar talking quietly, me in Gage’s big arms.

“You wanna tell me why this guy keeps looking at me like he’s gonna jump over the counter and rip you away from me?”

My brows bunched together and I turned around to see Jesse look back down at the drinks. “Jesse?” I chuckled softly. “I don’t think he knew I had a boyfriend.”

Gage’s eyes narrowed again and he looked up at Jesse. I swear his chest rumbled and something that sounded like a growl left his throat.

“Easy there, tiger,” I whispered, and wrapped a hand around his neck so he’d look at me again. “Trust me when I say there is no reason for you to worry about him. But when we get to your truck, I do want to talk to you about him.”

His body tensed. “Did he try something with you?”

“No, Gage, seriously, it’s nothing like that. You need to calm down. I’m telling you, you don’t have to worry about that, it’s about his mom. We’ll talk on the way home, all right?”

“Drinks are done, Cassi,” Jesse said gruffly from behind the bar.

I grabbed Gage’s hand and walked to the counter. “Thanks, Jess. Jesse, this is my boyfriend, Gage. Gage, this is Jesse.”

Jesse nodded his head to himself as he cleaned off the bar. “Boyfriend.” He muttered something that sounded dangerously close to “Figures.” “Great girl you got there, Gage.”

“Isn’t she?” Gage said, challenging him with a smirk, and unlinked our hands to wrap his arm around my shoulders as he turned us to leave the café.

“Well, you didn’t have to be rude,” I said when we got into the truck. “Look, after the way you just reacted to him, this might be a bad idea, but I want to cook a few dinners for his mom.”

Gage’s head whipped to the side to look at me like I was insane, his hand halted in the air on the way to turn on the car.

“Let me explain first.” I told him what Jesse had told me before I left and watched as Gage’s frustrated glare turned to guilt. “So, I was thinking I could cook a few meals that they could eat now, and some they could put in the freezer for later. I don’t even care if Jesse knows it’s from us—actually I’d prefer he didn’t—but I want to help out somehow. And this is the only way I know how.”

“God, I feel like an ass now.”

“As you should,” I teased, and slid over the seat to lean my head on his shoulder. “We don’t have to, it was just an idea.”

“No, it’s a good idea, we’ll do it today. Well, you’ll do it today; I’ll just watch you and help you take it over there.” He pressed me closer and kissed the top of my head. “God, you’re sweet.”

I just shook my head and smiled softly. “Thanks for agreeing to help, Gage.”

WE STOPPED BY the store on the way back home to get enough food to make meals to last them at least a week and started preparing dishes right away. It didn’t last long though; not even twenty minutes in, Gage and I ended up on the kitchen floor making love to each other. After another round in the bedroom, we made our way back out to the food and spent the next few hours making things that could last for a few days and preparing foods that could sit in the freezer until they popped it into the oven.