Seaside Dreams (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers, Book One) Contemporary Romance (5 page)

She walked over to the mantel and took down a picture of him and Evan. It was taken at Evan’s sixth birthday party, and it was one of Caden’s favorite photos. Evan’s eyes were wide and his gap-toothed grin was so innocent. The image still tugged at Caden’s heartstrings. His hair was long and curly around his sweet little-boy face.

He moved behind Bella and looked over her shoulder. “Good times.”

“I’m glad he met some kids today.”

“Yeah. Me too. It’s a weird feeling to let him go off by himself with a new crowd, but he’s going to be fifteen soon, and if I parent him too much, he’ll be an outcast. Too little will open the door to delinquency.”

“At least you care,” she said. “There are a lot of parents who don’t. They leave the kids to video games and the Internet and never even check in on them. It’s nice that you spend time together.”

“It’s nice for me. Sometimes I feel like I’m forcing myself on him.”

She smiled, like she completely understood. “That’s what being a teenager is all about. They’re confused as hell, so it’s only natural for their parents to be confused, too. I say, give them rope. Tug them in when they need it, and give ’em more rope when they earn it. If they don’t hang themselves, you’ve done well. If they do, then you probably still did well, but you missed a hint of trouble along the way.”

She set the frame back on the mantel and looked at the others. When she continued, her tone was serious but cushioned with compassion.

“What’s most important is that if you did miss something, you don’t leave him hanging until his eyes pop out and he can’t find his way back. You lift him up by the bootstraps and kick him in the ass—figuratively, not literally. Walk with him down a better path. Give him the tools he needs and the understanding to become a better person. Teach yourself to become a better parent; then you both move forward together. A little bruised, a little embarrassed, but whole.” She shrugged as if she hadn’t just said something that made his world spin.

You’re amazing
. How could a woman who had never been a parent know so much about raising children? “You’re wise and beautiful. That’s a lethal combination.” He felt himself opening up to Bella in so many ways, and after keeping those parts of himself closed off for so long, he wondered if she could feel it, too.

“That’s kind of why I’m working on this work-study project for the high school.”

He made a mental note about her needing to skirt around compliments and tried again to see if he’d read her discomfort correctly.

“Because you’re wise and beautiful?” he teased.

Her cheeks flushed. “Because idle hands lead to trouble, and a lot of parents don’t have the income to send their kids to college. So the more kids I can help gain experience in trades, or secure jobs for after graduation, the better chance they’ll have at a meaningful future. Whether that’s through more schooling that the companies subsidize, or through stronger self-esteem and pride in what they accomplish…” She shrugged. “The path they take doesn’t matter, as long as they get there.”

“Your passion for helping kids makes you even more beautiful.” He couldn’t keep the compliment to himself. It was true, and he wanted her to know that. He knew he was pushing, maybe a little too hard, given her wrinkled brow, but he wanted to find out what had caused her to disbelieve compliments, and he wanted to ease the hurt of whatever it was. He moved a little closer, and heat flared in her eyes. She shifted them away and picked up another frame.

She studied the picture of him and George, arm in arm, dressed in their uniforms. It was taken the week before he was killed. George was a stocky man with skin as dark as night and piercing coal-black eyes that could make a criminal wet his pants or a woman melt, depending on the look he slayed them with. He had a laugh that rumbled from deep in his gut, and he was the best goddamn friend a man could have.

“Was this your partner?”

Was
. Caden’s throat thickened. “Mm-hm. George.”

Her eyes remained on the photo, but she wrapped one arm around Caden’s waist and hugged him close. She stayed there for a beat, with her cheek pressed to his chest and her eyes on the man who had meant so much to him. In that silence, he realized how much he longed to share the pieces of himself that he’d kept bottled up for too long.

The feel of her body against him remained as she moved away and scanned the other photos.

“Are these your parents?” Bella pointed to the picture of his parents, each holding one of four-year-old Evan’s hands.

“Yeah. They live in Boston.” He made a point of taking Evan back every two or three weeks to visit his parents, and they were due to make another trip soon.

“They must really miss him.”

Bella was an interesting mix of brazenness and tenderness, and when she gazed up at him with eyes full of compassion, he felt another emotion that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. The urge to climb into a woman’s inner circle and allow her into his. He took a step closer and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“They do miss him, and I think he misses them, too.” Caden missed this—talking to a woman about things that mattered. Wanting to share them with her and wanting to know more about her and her life. Was she running from someone painful in her past? If so, who was important enough for her to box herself off like she was trying so hard to do? Or was her decision to move as simple as she’d said—a life change she wanted to make? He was no stranger to running from pain. Hell, he’d done it for years. He’d run from the pain of Caty leaving, not so much for him, but for Evan, but he’d had Evan to love and nurture and fill those empty spaces that could have eaten him alive. What did Bella do with all those empty spots she was walling off, and why did he want to be the glue that held her together?

She dropped her eyes, and he felt her shift her weight back on her heels, distancing herself again. Her fingers skimmed his waist, giving him more contradictory signals. One moment she seemed interested in him, and the next, he could practically see her zipping herself into her own private bubble. She ran her tongue along her lower lip and lifted a sensual gaze to his face. He was too damn drawn to her to stop himself from covering her mouth with his.

Holy Christ
. She tasted sweet and hot and too good for just one quick kiss. His hands slid around her waist to her back, and he pressed her soft curves against him. Lord, he was already hard. Just as he worried that he should pull away, she slipped her hands beneath his shirt and pressed them flat against his back, holding them chest to chest. He deepened the kiss, swollen with desire and aching for more. A sexy, needful moan slipped from her lungs to his, intensifying his desire. He slid his hand beneath her thin dress and cupped the sweet curve of her ass. She rocked her hips into his. Sweet Jesus, they were on the same damn page. He followed her cue and slid his fingers beneath her bikini bottom. He hadn’t made out like this in years, and he wasn’t thinking, or pushing. He was just going with it. Like everything else with Bella, it felt natural, and he didn’t care why. Some things were just meant to be.

His fingertips skimmed her damp center, and he just about lost it. With the next thrust of his tongue, she opened her legs. Good Lord, there was no misinterpreting that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. As she deepened the kiss, he slid his fingers inside her, taunting her—and himself. She moaned again—how he loved that deep, sensual sound—and she spread her legs wider, giving him better access and driving him out of his ever-loving mind. She fisted her hands against his back as he stroked her velvety heat. He couldn’t keep himself from tangling his other hand in her hair and tugging her head back, exposing her supple neck for him to taste, suck, ravish. Her skin was sweet and salty, her center warm and wet as he went deeper and took her over the edge. His name sailed off her lips in a hot breath as she clawed at his back. He took her in another greedy kiss and felt her body vibrating against his as they breathed air into each other’s lungs, then drew apart in need of more.

He pressed her head to his chest, his fingers still buried deep, until she had the last of her pleasure, and a gratified sigh escaped her lips. Only then did he slide them out. She looked up at him with a sated smile, and he kissed her again, slowly and tenderly, this time. Her hand ran up his thigh, and she stroked him through his shorts. He laced his fingers with hers and brought them to his lips, gazing into her confused eyes.

He shook his head.

“But…”

“Bella, I really like you, but…I can’t.” The truth came easily. Unfortunately, the pain did, too. “I’m sorry.”

She pulled away and looked down at his erection, then met his gaze again with an arched brow. “I could…” She licked her lips.

He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I’m sure you could.”
And it would be fucking amazing
. “I don’t take intimacy lightly, and you don’t believe in commitment.” He looked at the photographs on the mantel. He’d never been overly impetuous, but after Caty took off and Evan had been left without a mother, the ramifications of his feelings and his actions were driven home. He’d become even more careful with both. He drew Bella close again and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have...”
But good Lord did I want to
. He felt his resolve soften at the sight of her flushed cheeks and the desire that lingered in her eyes. He gritted his teeth against the lust that burned within him. “I couldn’t help myself. You totally got to me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So, are you like a fetish guy? Make a girl come, then pleasure yourself later?”

The comment was so harsh that he had to shake his head to move past it. Christ, she hadn’t even heard the part about commitment. “A fetish…Have you been with guys like that?” The thought turned his stomach.

“No, but...”

“No,” he said too harshly. He took a step back. “I’m not a fetish guy. I’m not a make-the-girl-come-and…Jesus, Bella.”

“Well, what am I supposed to think?” Her voice hitched, and he realized it wasn’t anger that drove her harsh reaction. It was pain, or embarrassment, or maybe both.

She was right. What the hell was she supposed to think? He closed the gap between them, his chest tight with guilt.

“What should you think? I don’t know. Maybe that I’m a guy with a teenager who knows that sex has ramifications, or a man who’s incredibly attracted to you but doesn’t want to be the guy you sleep with and then walk away from.” He paced the floor, feeling guilty for touching her and hungry for more of her. One big confused mix of emotions. “I’m sorry. It’s been a very long time since I’ve felt like this, and I don’t really know how to handle it.”

She looked away. “Can I use your bathroom?”

Way to avoid the situation
.

“Of course.” He showed her to the bathroom and went to wash up. When he returned, she was looking out the window at the garden in his backyard. He wrapped his arms around her waist and felt her body stiffen.
Damn it
. He loosened his grip and took a step back. She clutched his forearm, holding his arms around her.

She turned to face him and pressed her hands to his chest. “I’m sorry for my bitchy reaction. I was just…I’m in a weird place right now.”

“Then we make a great pair.” He kissed her forehead.

“Still want to go to the beach?”

She sounded as confused by their connection as he was. “Let me get my suit on, and I promise to try to keep my hands off of you for the rest of the day.”

Her voice trailed him into the bedroom. “Way to squash a girl’s hopes in one sentence.”

Christ
. Could he get any more confused?

“I THINK YOU’RE overreacting.” Jenna sat on the floor at the edge of Bella’s closet, organizing her sandals and flip-flops while Bella dried her hair. “How would you feel right now if you had slept with him this afternoon? My bet is not great.”

Bella turned the hair dryer off and sat on the bed. “I don’t know. I only know that when he stopped, I wished he hadn’t, and when he said that stuff about me not committing, I wanted to run away.”

“Which you did—into the bathroom.” Jenna sat beside Bella and rested her head on Bella’s shoulder. “Why do you have to classify things? Why can’t you just do what you feel and forget commitment or not committing altogether?”

“Why do I classify…? Jenna, you just organized my sandals alphabetically by color. Alabaster, blue, green…” Bella jumped up and planted her hands on her hips. “Because that’s what I have to do right now to make sure I stick to my guns until my life is in order. But it’s not easy, because being with Caden feels totally different from all the other guys I’ve dated combined. More
real
. When we’re together, things feel right, like we’re not just talking about bullshit or putting on our best faces to make a good impression. It’s like we skipped all that.”

“Because he is real, Bell.” Jenna smoothed a wrinkle in the edge of Bella’s dress. “You invited him to our barbeque tonight, so yeah, he’s a living, breathing guy.”

They were having a community barbeque, and despite her desire for no commitments and her confusion over the other day, Bella was excited that Caden and Evan were joining them. She went to the mirror and smoothed her yellow spaghetti-strap sundress, glancing over her shoulder at her butt.

“Don’t worry. You look hot,” Jenna assured her.

“Lotta good that does me.” Bella dragged Jenna into the kitchen, took a bucket of frozen margaritas out of the freezer, and filled two glasses. “Anyway, you’re right. It’s a good thing we didn’t end up doing it. It makes it easier to stick to my plan. No boyfriend will make it easier for me to think more clearly when I’m making my decisions about work.”
Liar, liar
.

“You know I see right through that bullshit, right?” Jenna crossed her arms, jutted her hip out, and gave her the don’t-even-try-to-avoid-the-truth stare she’d perfected in middle school
.

“It sounded good though, didn’t it?” Bella arched a brow. “I almost bought it.”

Jenna took a drink of her margarita, and ice spilled down her chin and slid between her breasts. “Damn.” She watched it disappear into her cleavage. “That feels better.”

“You’re a freak.” Bella threw her a dish towel. “Won’t that stain your Good-Times Barbie outfit?”

Jenna had on a short, black sleeveless top and a tan miniskirt. “That’s clever, Good-Times Barbie.” She wiped her chest with the towel. “What did you want me to do? Fish it out?” She laughed. “Anyway, technically speaking, you could have banged him without a commitment. You’d have stuck to your plan better if you had done the deed and then said goodbye.”

Bella took out a head of lettuce and began chopping it on a thick wooden cutting board. “You’re doing a great job of making me feel like shit.”

“Don’t you get it? You invited him and Evan to our barbeque. You
are
seeing him again. If you had slept with him, then, according to your plan, you’d have left it at that. See?” Jenna stole a piece of lettuce and popped it into her mouth.

“Okay, so you have a point. You’re not as much of a bitch as I thought you were.” Bella tossed the lettuce into a bowl and cut up tomatoes and cucumbers. “I’m not abandoning my plan.”
At least I don’t think I am.
“We had such a nice day at the flea market and the beach—”

“And his living room. Don’t forget his living room.”

“Shut up.” She tossed a piece of cucumber at Jenna and it stuck to her cleavage.

Jenna snagged it and tossed it in the sink.

“I like him, Jenna. He’s sweet with Evan, and he puts Evan’s needs ahead of his own, which I think is very admirable.”

“Careful,” Jenna said in a singsong voice. “That sounds a lot like,
I like him, Jenna, and I hope this leads to a commitment.
”

Bella carried the salad outside. “God, I hate you when you’re right.”

“Hey, Bell,” Jamie, the friend Kurt had stayed home with instead of going to the bonfire, yelled from the quad. “We moved your table and Leanna’s. Tony’s bringing extra chairs.” Jamie’s grandmother, Vera, spent summers at Seaside, and Jamie drove in from Boston most weekends to spend time with her.

“You stole my table before you hugged me hello? Get over here, you pest.” Bella set the salad bowl on the table and opened her arms.

“Good to see you, gorgeous.” Jamie kissed her cheek. The quietest of their group, Jamie, like Tony, was like a brother to Bella. He was soft-spoken and kind, and in all the years they’d known each other, he had never led her astray. She trusted him completely, as did half the world. Jamie had developed a search engine that was second only to Google. “Did I hear that you had a date that lasted all day?”

She shot a look at Jenna.

Jenna held her hands up in surrender. “You know I can’t lie.”

“It wasn’t a date.”
Was it?
No. She’d been clear about that at the bonfire, but that was before his living room—and before she invited him to the barbeque, which seemed very dateish to her.
Don’t admit it. If you don’t say it out loud, it’s not a date
. “He’s coming tonight. You’ll like him. He’s a cop, so you can tell him about all the naughty things I do.”

“And send him running for the hills? No way. I almost forgot. Leanna and Kurt aren’t going to be here tonight. Leanna had a big rush order come in, and she said she needed to work late and get up early.”

“Is that why she wasn’t at the flea market?”

“Yeah. She got the order early this morning.”

“I wish I had known. We could have helped her.”

“She knows. I offered, too, but two of her employees are coming in for the evening, and Kurt’s on a deadline. She said they’d make it next time.” Jamie headed for his cottage. “I’m gonna get the steaks and see how Gram’s doing.”

An hour later, the smell of sizzling steaks filled the evening air. Vera and Jamie sat with Amy and Jenna, chatting about their afternoons. There was a fire in the fire pit and citronella candles at the center of each table. Jenna had made a fresh bean salad, and Leanna had left them two loaves of homemade bread with two jars of strawberry-apricot and apricot-lime jelly and a jar of her newest flavor, watermelon jam. Amy had made chocolate chip brownies for dessert, and Bella had already snuck one while no one was looking.

Bella joined Tony by the grill. He had hair the color of sand after a rain, interspersed with streaks of sun-kissed blond, and he wore it long and shaggy on top, shorter in the back. Not only was Tony a world-class surfer, but he was also a popular motivational speaker. Despite his fame, he wasn’t full of pomp and circumstance. He was easy to talk to and a good friend to all of them.

Bella inhaled deeply. “That smells amazing.”

“What can I say? My meat is sweet.” Tony lifted his thick brows and flashed a mischievous smile.

Bella poked him in the ribs. “Pig.”

“You left yourself wide open for that one. Where’s your date?” He looked at his watch. “Dinner’s going to be ready in a few minutes.”

“He’s not my date, and I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” Bella wasn’t about to admit that she was wondering the same thing.

“Okay, well, I hear not-your-date has a son. That’s new for you.” He grabbed a plate and loaded it up with steak.

“New? He’s not my date, so there’s nothing new to consider.”
Except maybe that my nerves have been tingling with anticipation for the past two hours
. She caught Amy stealing a glance at Tony and thought what she was feeling must be similar to what Amy felt when she waited for Tony to arrive—even though the man acted completely oblivious to her crush.

“Hey, Ames,” Tony yelled. “Can you grab the mayo from my place? I forgot it.”

“Sure.” Amy looked adorable in her white halter dress and sandals.

Tony’s eyes followed her across the lawn.

“Not-your-Amy looks pretty cute tonight, doesn’t she?” Bella teased. She was sure that one day Tony would see Amy for the adorably, sweet, smart, fun woman that she was and would be unable to resist her. A little nudge in that direction every now and then wasn’t a bad thing.

“She always looks cute.” Tony handed her the plate of steak and piled chicken onto another one. He leaned in close and whispered, “Your not-my-date is here.”

She turned to greet Caden, and the sight of him in his dark linen pants, white, short-sleeve button-down shirt, and provocative smile weakened her knees.

Not-my-date is smoking hot
.

CADEN CAUGHT HIMSELF sizing up the man standing beside Bella as he and Evan crossed the lawn. He lowered a hand to her hip and kissed her cheek, silently staking claim to her.

“You look gorgeous.”

The heat in her eyes flared between them, and he realized that there was no need to stake claim to Bella. One look at her eyes, and he was sure the world could see how she felt about him as clearly as he could. He held a hand out to the muscular dude in the board shorts.

“Hi. I’m Caden Grant, and this is my son, Evan.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Tony Black, or if it’s easier to remember, the guy in the blue cottage.” He nodded to the blue cottage behind him. “Here. Let me take that.” He reached for the dish of pasta salad that Caden carried in his other hand. “Come on, Evan. I’ll introduce you around.” Tony and Evan headed toward the others.

“I’m glad you made it,” Bella said.

“Sorry we’re a little late. Evan got home later than he expected.” Evan hadn’t called to tell him he was going to be late, and though Caden wrote it off as Evan wanting to seem cool in front of his new friends, he had given Evan a long talk about the importance of checking in. Evan took it well, and by the time they left for the barbeque, he seemed in good spirits again.

“That’s okay. Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Caden touched her arm. “Can we just talk for one minute first?”

“Sure. What’s up?” She said it so flippantly that he realized she must have been just as nervous as he was.

“I’ve been thinking about what happened earlier today.”

Bella waved her hand dismissively. “Forget it. It’s no big deal.”

“It might not be a big deal to you, but it was to me. I just want you to know that I totally dig you, and I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

“First of all, no hurt on my end. Second, you totally dig me?” Her eyes widened with amusement. “Well, that’s good to know. I think you’re pretty far out, too.”

“
Christ
.” He shook his head. How did she joke so easily when what happened between them had eaten him up all afternoon?

She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the others. “Come on, hippie boy. I’ll introduce you around and we can eat.”

Dinner was delicious and conversation came easily. Caden was happy to see Evan enjoying himself. He had a million questions for Jamie, who was patient and, Caden noticed, didn’t speak to Evan as if he were just a kid. Evan was quite computer savvy, and the two were in a heated debate over the future of something technical that Caden couldn’t follow. Although he wasn’t as technically inclined as his son, he was pretty sure he wasn’t following their conversation because he was sidetracked by Bella. She laughed unabashedly, and she kept touching his leg, like they’d been together forever. He wondered if she did that with all of the guys she dated or, if like him, she felt something more between them.

“So, Bell, does Caden know about your rebellious side?” Tony’s devilish grin piqued his curiosity.

“Shh.” Amy swatted him on the arm. “We don’t want to make the man hightail it out of here.”

Bella looked up at Caden and nibbled on her lower lip. “I am a little bit of a rule breaker, but not with bad things. Just…”

Jenna got up to refill her wineglass and lined up the condiments while she was at it. “Just things like wanting to climb over the fence and get to the top of the South Wellfleet fire tower, you know, the one that’s about a mile from here and off-limits to residents. That kind of not-bad stuff.”

“Why the fire tower?” Caden asked.

“Because climbing a water tower is too scary.” Bella swirled her glass, then finished her wine.

She was flippant and coy, and Caden had never met anyone quite like her. He listened as they recanted stories of walking down to the tower throughout the years, trying to figure out a way over the barbed wire. He could envision Bella and her friends standing before the fence that surrounded the sixty-eight-foot tower, contemplating the options:
Over? Under? Through?

She leaned in to him. “Forget the fire tower. Let me tell you about Vera.”

“Are you trying to change the subject?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Of course, but really…Vera is a violinist, and she’s performed all over the world. I swear, once you hear her play, violin music will never sound the same again.”

“Oh, Bella, dear, don’t lie to the poor man.” Vera patted her short pixie cut. It framed her face in varying shades of silver with flecks of battleship gray at the roots. Her skin held the look of softness that came with age despite the fine lines and deep grooves.

“She’s gifted
and
modest,” Bella said.

“That’s kind of you, dear. But how about you go back to telling Caden about your playful ways while I share my little secret with Evan.” Vera turned her attention to Evan. “Evan, dear, did I hear correctly that you have an affinity for computers?”

Evan nodded. “Well, at my old school, I was in the technology club, and we were learning to program. So, yeah, I like them.”

Vera patted the chair beside her. “Why don’t you come sit here and I’ll tell you about Dr. Samuel Masterson, the man who created the first personal computer. I was seventeen, and he was fifty-six. He worked with my father.”

Evan moved quicker than Caden had seen him move in the last year, and he hung on to every word she said.