“Who happens to have kids that you adore,” his mother countered. “Is that a deal-breaker? You’ve never dated anyone with kids before.”
Was it a deal-breaker? Beckett wondered. He thought back to video game night and pizza night. Evan and Aurora weren’t deal-breakers. Somehow they made the deal even more appealing.
“You’re smiling,” his mother announced triumphantly.
“God, Mom. Don’t tell me you’ve joined the Beautification Committee,” Beckett grumbled.
“All I’m saying,” she said, slamming on the brakes to turn onto Beckett’s street, “Is that with the way you look at her —”
“Just how exactly do I look at her?”
“Like you want to devour her.”
“Mom!”
“What?” Phoebe asked innocently. “That’s how your father used to look at me. How do you think we ended up with three kids? There would have been more if your father hadn’t gotten snip —”
Beckett brought his hands to his face. “Why are you torturing me?”
“She looks at you the same way,” Phoebe said, turning into Beckett’s driveway.
He had to bite his tongue. “She’s not exactly my type, Mom,” Beckett said, feeling a twinge of guilt at deliberately misleading his mother.
Phoebe shot him a look that told him she wasn’t buying it.
“Beckett, your type bores you. You always were a cautious kid and now you’re a painfully responsible adult. Don’t you think it’s time to try playing with fire?”
Gia stretched her legs under the linen-draped table in the conference room of the Lunar Inn. She, along with most of the other female entrepreneurs in Blue Moon, were spending their Wednesday lunch hour enjoying a special get-together hosted by the city council and chamber of commerce to honor women in business.
It was a delicious meal with entertaining company, but the timing meant she’d had to give up an hour with Beckett in her bed. These were the tradeoffs of an adult, she supposed.
She’d see him tonight, but with their families. With the days to the wedding ticking down, Summer and Carter offered to host dinner in exchange for planning help. In order to get out of any planning, Joey announced she’d give Evan and Aurora another riding lesson.
Gia wondered if she and Beckett would have a chance to sneak off for a quick, hard kiss ... or two. Just the thought of it had her fingers flexing in the napkin in her lap. Aurora had already made sure a dozen times that her friend “Bucket” would be at dinner tonight. It seemed even five-year-olds weren’t immune to the charm of the Pierce brothers.
As the president of the chamber of commerce was wrapping up her speech, Gia saw her gaze dart just off stage. Beckett waited patiently, his hands clasped in front of him, his eyes searching the audience until they found her.
Gia’s lips parted in a secret smile, and she heard the delighted whispers run through the crowd. Apparently women at every age succumbed to that quick grin and those sharp, stormy eyes. No one was safe from Beckett Pierce.
Elvira Eustace wrapped up her comments. “I’d like to now introduce Blue Moon’s mayor, Beckett Pierce. Beckett has a few short remarks he’d like to make.”
The applause was hearty as Beckett took the podium, shaking Elvira’s hand and waving to the crowd.
“Thank you, everyone. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to join you today, because I was spending some time with my mother. As you all know her, you’re well aware of the fact that Phoebe Pierce is a force to be reckoned with.”
The crowd laughed appreciatively. And Gia smiled. It wasn’t an exaggeration. She didn’t doubt that every woman in the room knew Phoebe.
“I look like my father. My mother tells me I walk like him and argue like him, too. But after spending the morning with her I was reminded of how many things of hers I absorbed. Her impact on me is staggering. And it got me thinking about your impact.”
He scanned the audience slowly, making and holding eye contact.
“You are the heartbeat and the backbone of our community, our families. The decisions you make, the boundaries you set, the strength you show all make this world a better, brighter place. Because of you, it never once dared to occur to me that a woman had no business in HVAC or dentistry or town council or the thousand other things you do. Because of you, generations grow up in this town never doubting that a woman can and will do whatever she puts her mind to.
“You’ve all sacrificed something in order to be here today. Businesses demand your time and your energy and as women you are too often faced with unfair standards, sometimes from outside forces and sometimes from within.”
His eyes were on her again and Gia shifted in her seat.
“To do it all and do it all perfectly. But what impresses me the most about each and every one of you is your unwavering dedication to community. You see our community as an extension of family and you encourage us to come together time and again to support someone when they need it the most … whether they ask for our help or not.”