The Mutter Brothers Series

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All mine.

Lina

Into the future … 

Sitting on the patio sipping a cup of hot tea while the sun sets is my favorite way to end an evening. After we finished dinner, the boys joined Chase in the garage to tinker on random projects before bedtime, and I came out here. It’s how we spend our summer evenings. 

Chase loves spending this time with the boys, and I love the few minutes of quiet it gives me. There’s hardly ever a quiet moment with three rowdy, goofball boys in the house. Well, one is technically a man, but Chase acts like a kid around our two sons.

Our sons definitely take after Chase more than they take after me. They both got his jovial personality, rich brown eyes, dark brown hair, and swoonworthy smile. The only thing either of them got from me is my darker complexion. 

 I take a sip of my tea and pick up the book I’m reading. It’s a thriller that Dad kept trying to get me to read years ago, and I never did. I kept all of his books after he passed. Reading them makes me feel close to him.

I miss Dad terribly and hate that he never got to meet his grandsons. He would have been an amazing grandpa, and knowing him, he’d be right out there in the garage with them. 

We kept the land the trailer was on, deciding we could build a small cabin someday. Maybe Oren or Oakley would want it when they’re grown. Or family could use it for vacations or visits if any of them ever moved away. 

I take another sip of my tea and kick my feet up on the patio ledge. Just as I open my book to read, Oren comes running around the side of the house. 

“Mommy, mommy! Come see!” He calls out with a huge smile on his face. 

Oren is the older of our two sons. He’s four and Oakley is two. We’ve talked about the possibility of having another child someday. Chase loves having so many siblings to depend on that he wants his kids to grow up with that as well. But I’m not sure it’s what I want. 

I love my boys, and I wouldn’t mind having more kids. But I hated being pregnant. Pregnancy did not agree with. 

Some women talk about how amazing being pregnant is. I hated every second of it. My pregnancies were hard from the moment of conception. The morning sickness was more like all day sickness and lasted for most of my pregnancy. I swelled up like a balloon ready to pop at any moment. My headaches were severe, and every joint in my body ached. It was not a good time. 

Thankfully, the symptoms faded within days of my boys being born. Everything that came after the birth was wonderful. I love being a mom, but hate what is required to get there. 

Because of that, Chase isn’t pushing me to have another one. He simply voiced his desire and said it was up to me. He’ll accept my decision either way. I’m still thinking about it. 

After setting my tea down, I drop my feet back on the patio and open my arms to Oren as he runs into them. Lifting him up on my lap, I hug him close. “What is it bubby?”

“It’s a surprise,” he says with so much joy in his tone.

“What’s a surprise?”

Before Oren can answer, Chase walks into view with Oakley in his arms. 

“You’ll have to come with us to find out.” Chase winks and gives me that smoldering smile that always melts my insides. 

Pushing to my feet, I hitch Oren onto my hip and step off the patio. As soon as my feet hit the grass, Oren wiggles until I set him down. He’s never been one to stay in my arms. He’s a ball of energy and loves to run free and play hard. 

Chase wraps his free arm around me and pulls me in close for a kiss. “Happy anniversary, babe.”

I smile. “How many times are you going to tell me that today?”

He shrugs. “As many times as I want. This is the day you made me the happiest man alive, and I don’t want to waste a minute of it celebrating with you.”

I cup his cheek and pull his lips to mine. “It’s a good thing I love celebrating with you then.”

“Yes it is.” He takes the kiss deeper but only for a moment. It’s not like we can do much with the boys still up. “Come. Present time.”

“Present? But you already gave me a present.” I furrow my brows, making him chuckle.

“Don’t give me your Grumps face. That was just one of your presents.”

“But it’s a really great present.” And it is. I’ve been wanting to get a new spinning wheel for years. My old one still works but the treadle was damaged when we moved into our house. 

Chase’s smile grows. “Glad you like it so much, but that’s not all you’re getting this year.”

He and the boys lead me around the house toward the standalone garage we’d built alongside it. It’s where they’ve spent most of their evenings for the past couple of months. 

“Did you guys make me something?” I look up at Chase and all he does is shrug.

Oren runs ahead of us and opens the side door. I haven’t stepped inside the garage in months. It’s where Chase keeps all his yard tools and equipment. It’s also where he has a small woodworking station where he and the boys play with small projects. 

I gasp when I see inside. Stepping out of Chase’s hold, I spin around the open room. Everything inside has changed. Instead of a dirty garage filled with tools, the space has been transformed into an art studio. 

The walls are covered with hooks and shelves designed to hold my yarn and paint supplies. My old spinning wheel is in one corner and a painting station has been set up next to the large window facing the lake.  

“Oh my God. How? Where’s all your stuff?” I spin around to face my husband with tears in my eyes and a huge smile on my face. 

“Temporarily relocated to the other garage. It’s a little tight with the cars, but I’ll build a new space for my stuff later. Also …” He pauses as he walks toward the window. “I plan on putting in French doors for you on this wall that leads to a patio. That way you can paint outside if you want. I didn’t think I could get that done without you discovering our plan. The boys and I wanted to keep it a surprise.”

“Oh, I am most definitely surprised.” I rush to him and wrap my arms around his waist. With Oakley still in his arms, I can’t wrap my arms around his neck like I want to. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

“Baby, I just want to make you happy. And I thought this would do it.”

I look up at him, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I am happy. I’ve been happy since the day you walked into my life.”

Just as I press up to kiss him, Oren runs into us and wraps his little arms around our legs. “Mommy! Will you teach me to paint like you? Then I can be like you and Daddy.”

I look down at my son, and grin. “I’d love to.”

“Can we start now?” he asks with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. 

“How about tomorrow?” I look up at Chase and grin. “It’s getting late, and it’ll be bedtime soon.”

He pouts but doesn’t object. “Okay. Can we go play inside now?”

“Right after you get cleaned up for bed,” Chase says. Then he leans close to my ear and whispers. “So I can give Mommy one last present before the day is over.”

My insides warm because I know exactly what he’s talking about. I also know an early night in bed with him will be my favorite present of all.

This man is all mine, and I’m damn lucky to have him.

What to Read Next?

Truck Up: An Enemies Sister, Forbidden Love Small Town Romance

Christian Mutter is the kind of man my parents warned me to stay away from—a bad boy, trouble, a lost cause. Many would argue we’re not compatible. Yet somehow, we are exactly what the other needs.

To most, I appear to have the perfect life: loving parents, protective brothers, a growing small business, and great friends. I even have the perfect smile to prove they’re right.

But my life is anything but perfect.

I harbor secrets. Deep, dark secrets that could devastate my family.

Secrets I’ve only shared with one other person—a rival, an enemy, a Mutter.

I’m Amelia Koch and I’ve been secretly dating the town bad boy and member of my family’s rival, Christian Mutter, for almost two years.

As hard as that news will be on my family, it’s the other secrets that I share with Christian that might hurt them the most.

My family wants me to marry my brother’s best friend, Badger. A man I can’t stand. A man that gives me the creeps. A man that tried to hurt me.

Christian saved me from that man when my family was too blind to see Badger for what he really is. But that won’t make our relationship any easier for them to accept. They only see Christian’s last name.

I won’t be able to keep my relationship with Christian a secret for much longer. Because I’m now tied to him forever.

But our relationship status isn’t the worst of our problems. My family is going to lose it when they find out that I’m also carrying his child.

Author’s Note: This is Christian and Amelia’s story. A forbidden love, brothers’ enemy, touch her and perish, surprise pregnancy, grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, bad boy, good girl, emotional, angst filled, small-town romance between a hot, brooding mechanic who seems to create trouble simply by breathing and an exhausted people pleaser who’s finally ready to fight for her own happiness even if it means losing everything she loves.