Seaside Hearts (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers, Book 2) Contemporary Romance (22 page)

LATER THAT NIGHT Pete, Jenna, Sky, and Joey sat on a blanket on the beach. The bay lapped at the shore, bringing a gentle breeze across the hibachi with each lick of the waves. Stars peppered the sky like glimmers of hope, and Pete couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt so settled.

“I still can’t get over everything that happened today.” Sky wore a hoodie over her tank top, and as she drew her knees up to her chest, her skirt billowed around her bare feet. She rested her head on her knees and sighed.

“I’m sorry, Sky. I should have told you sooner, but—”

“Don’t, Pete. Even if you should have, you never would have. You’d protect me until I was a hundred years old if I didn’t speak up. I appreciate you taking care of me. I really do.” Sky smiled at Jenna and petted Joey. “But now you can focus on Jenna.”

Jenna and Sky had bonded over a pint of ice cream while Pete called each of his brothers and gave them the good news. By the time he was done with the phone calls, Jenna and Sky were laughing like best friends—and the ice cream container was empty.

“He always focuses on me.” Jenna leaned over and kissed Pete; then she turned back to Sky. “But if you think he’ll stop taking care of you, I think you’re sorely mistaken. One thing I’ve learned about Pete is that his love knows no confines, and once it finds you, it never lets go.”

“Yeah, I guess it could be worse,” Sky teased.

“Hey. I’m sitting right here.” Pete reached behind Jenna and playfully pushed his sister’s shoulder. “I’ll damn well protect both of you as much as I please, so shut the hell up and pass me that pack.”

Sky handed him a black backpack. He loaded up two sticks with marshmallows and handed one to Sky. Joey sniffed at the sweets.

“Hey, what about mine?” Jenna wrinkled her brow.

“That’s what I’m here for, remember?” Pete began cooking Jenna’s marshmallow. So little time had passed since their first date, and it felt like a lifetime. “Sixty-seven seconds on each side, five inches from the fire, twenty seconds with the tip of the marshmallow aimed directly at the flames. I’ve got this, my little marshmallow princess.” He smiled at Jenna.

“Wow, that’s quite a process.” Sky ate her marshmallow without cooking it. She licked her fingers. “Best thing ever. Besides ice cream, that is.” She rose to her feet. “I’m going to go inside and settle in for the night. I guess I’ll see you two in the morning?”

You two
. It was a given, and one that Pete was ready to solidify. “Take Joey with you. I don’t want you to be alone.”

“Oh my God. Are you going to do this all the time?”

“What do you think?” He nodded at Joey.

“Fine. Come on, Joey.” Sky patted her leg, and Joey trotted along beside her.

“See you in the morning, sis.” Pete blindly fished around in the backpack, watching Sky and Joey walk inside the house. He knew he was overprotective, but he also knew he wasn’t about to change, and he was okay with that. Annoying his sister was a small price to pay for peace of mind.

“Here you are, princess.” He handed Jenna her marshmallow. “There are very few times in a woman’s life when she can don a tiara.” He gently placed a plastic tiara on Jenna’s head and moved a few strands of her hair over the band. “When you’re royalty, of course, but we might be waiting a while for that one. When you’re five years old and it’s your birthday, if you’re lucky, and when you are the marshmallow princess and your prince presents you with golden-brown marshmallows. Not golden, not brown, but golden brown.”

Jenna touched the tiara and smiled. “You got me a tiara?”

“I would have bought you diamonds if they sold them in the novelty section of Stop & Shop. Every marshmallow princess deserves a tiara.”

“That’s almost as romantic as the rock you gave me on our first date.” She pulled him down beside her.

Pete waited for her to finish eating the marshmallow, and then he put her finger in his mouth and sucked the sticky sweetness from it.

“Mm. I like where this is headed.” Jenna leaned forward and kissed him again, a passionate kiss that tasted of sugar and love.

Pete lowered her to her back and lay beside her, drawing one thigh over her legs. He caressed her cheek with his thumb.

“Today marks the first night in two years that I won’t have to worry about my cell phone going off in the middle of the night and having to race out to check on my father.” He paused, letting the weight of that settle into his own mind. When he’d taken his father to the rehab center, Neil had given him a condescending look and followed it up with one of the tightest hugs they’d ever shared. That look cut Pete to his core, and the hug shored him up again. “And it marks the first night of the rest of our lives. Jenna, I don’t want to just consider moving in together. I want your face to be the first thing I see in the morning, and I want you safe in my arms when you fall asleep at night. It took us a long time to come together. Let’s not wait any longer.”

“I have to give notice at my work and let my landlord know I’m moving out, and get all my stuff. I can’t just leave the school hanging.”

He knew this, of course. He’d never expect Jenna to be irresponsible. He touched his forehead to hers. “I don’t mean to rush you, but what are you waiting for?”

Jenna laughed and pushed him onto his back. She climbed him like a mountain, her legs straddling his waist. “I was waiting for you to do more than ask me if I’d
consider
it. I thought that might take another five years.”

Pete wrapped an arm around her waist, and in one swift move he rolled her onto her back and pinned her to the blanket beneath him.

“Jenna Ward, will you move in with me? Now? This second?”

She laughed. “No.”

He dropped his head to her shoulder. “You’re killing me here.”

“If you think I’m getting up from beneath you to move stuff into your house, you’re totally wrong.”

He lifted his head and saw the tease in her eyes.

“Yes, I’ll move in with you, but I’m not missing one second of making out in the moonlight with my hunky hero. So moving will have to wait.”

“Baby, we might never get you moved in.” He sealed his lips over hers and disappeared into luscious Jenna.

GONE WERE THE hot afternoons of summer, replaced with the crisp coming of fall. It was the end of September, and Jenna had moved in with Pete three weeks earlier. The school where she’d worked in Rhode Island had thrown her a lovely farewell luncheon, and her landlord was able to find a new tenant quickly and relieved Jenna of the last two months that remained on her lease. Her mother had been excited about Jenna and Pete’s news. She’d come full circle and was more like the mother Jenna had always known. Jenna would miss her today, but her mother and her new boyfriend, Carlos, were on a cruise to the Bahamas, and Jenna was happy that her mother had settled down and seemed happy again.

Pete’s father had done well at rehab and he’d been home for almost a week. Sky was living with him now and running the hardware store until he was ready to go back full-time. He’d spent the last few afternoons helping Pete put the final coat of antifouling paint on the bottom of the schooner. Today they were taking it out for the first trip on the open water, and all their friends returned to the Cape to celebrate with them.

Jenna leaned against Pete’s kitchen counter, watching Leanna pull a tray of warm muffins from the oven. The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and felt like home with Leanna and Bella tooling around as they waited for Amy, Jamie, and Tony to arrive. After a summer of not seeing the guys, they were all excited to spend the afternoon together. Amy was over the moon. She’d talked Jenna’s ear off on the phone last night, gushing about seeing Tony again, and Pete was excited to show off his handiwork to the men of Seaside. Unfortunately, Kurt was in New York for the weekend meeting with his editor, Caden had to work, and Evan was working at his part-time job.

Jenna’s stomach got all fluttery when Pete walked into the kitchen looking sinfully sexy wearing nothing but his favorite pair of Levi’s. Bella and Leanna called Jenna’s reactions to Pete, and his to her, their
honeymoon stage
, but as far as she could tell, Bella and Leanna were still in that stage, too, with Caden and Kurt, and she hoped it never ended for any of them.

Pete folded her in his arms and kissed her.

“Hey, you have guests here,” Leanna teased.

“Sorry, Leanna, but I don’t think Jenna would approve of me kissing you, too.” He kissed Jenna again. “Hey, babe. I noticed that you made your way through my drawers, and I appreciate it, but where can I find my white tank tops?”

She hooked her finger in the waist of his jeans and raised her brows. “I love making my way through your drawers.”

Pete pressed his hips to hers. “You have free rein to my drawers anytime you want it,” he said against her lips before stealing another kiss. “Tank top?”

“On the closet shelves, with the rest of your white shirts. You had too many whites for the drawer, so I took over a shelf.”

“Your house will never be the same,” Bella said.

“I knew what I was getting into,” Pete said. “And
our
house has never felt more like home.”

Our house
. Jenna hugged him tightly and shot a cheesy grin in Bella’s direction. She watched Pete walk away, embarrassed when a dreamy sigh—the kind Amy was known for—escaped her lips.

“Careful, swoongirl. You’re going to burn a hole in the man, looking at him like that. I can hardly believe that all three of us are living at the Cape now. You and Pete will still stay at Seaside during the summers, right?”

“Of course. We’ll live here the rest of the year. The same way you and Leanna have done with Caden and Kurt.”

“Good. Now we need to work on Amy. And you know, if Amy and Tony ever do get together, we’ll have to find a woman for Jamie, too. He’s too great to be without a woman.” Bella reached for one of Leanna’s muffins, and Leanna swatted her hand. “You’re so testy.”

“I want there to be enough for everyone,” Leanna said. “And you always pick at the tops and leave the rest.”

“First we have to get Jamie away from his computer. Good luck with that,” Jenna said.

Leanna turned to set the hot pad on the table, and Bella snuck a muffin. Without turning around, Leanna said, “I saw that.”

Bella laughed. “Hey, they’re here!”

They hurried out the door in one mass, pushing past one another on the way to greet Amy, Tony, and Jamie. It was a chilly morning and, as if they’d compared notes before dressing, the girls wore hoodies and jeans, and the men wore jeans and T-shirts. It might set women back fifty years, but Jenna secretly loved that men could brave the cold while women needed warmth.

Pete walked outside in his tank and jeans as Jamie hugged Jenna.

“Hands off my woman,” Pete said with a smile.

“I believe that’s,
hands off my princess
.” Jenna touched her tiara, because who wouldn’t wear one if she had one?

Pete embraced Jamie. “Great to see you, man.”

“It was a long summer, but the new project is off the ground with a great management staff in place, so I’m on track to spend more than just weekends here next summer.” Jamie pulled Bella into his arms. “I missed everyone.”

Pete went to greet Tony, who was still hugging Amy. Jenna gently touched Pete’s hand.

“Give them a sec,” she whispered.

“They’re just friends, Jenna,” Pete reminded her.

“So were we.” She smiled up at him, and he draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close.

“What’s with all the touchy-feely stuff?” Pete’s father and Sky had taken a walk together on the beach, and judging by their smiles, it had done them both a world of good. Joey trotted along beside them. Joey and Pete’s father were as close as Pete and the lovable pup.

Pete’s father had looked relaxed in the days since he’d come home, and now his eyes had a sparkle in them that Jenna hadn’t seen when they’d visited him in rehab. He had a long road ahead, but he was working closely with his counselor to ensure his transition into living a sober life went as smoothly as possible. Pete, Jenna, and Sky attended weekly meetings for families of alcoholics to learn how to support him in ways that would make sobriety easier for him, and it had brought all three of them closer together.

Sky smiled at Pete, and Jenna saw a silent message of something positive pass between them. Pete had told Jenna that Sky had grown up over the past six weeks. The hardware store customers loved her, and although Pete visited her daily and helped her with shelving supplies and handling the books, she was already putting her own touches on the shop with plants on the counter and in the window and colorful knickknacks that should look totally out of place in a hardware store but somehow warmed it instead. Pete must have told Jenna a hundred times in the last few weeks how proud of Sky he was, and Sky seemed to flourish with his praise.

“Mr. Lacroux, how was Florida?” Jamie asked.

Jenna had kept Pete’s secret about his father’s rehab. He hadn’t asked her to, but she’d known it was the right thing to do. Even friends could make a mistake and let something slip out in the wrong company.

Pete’s father slung an arm over Pete’s shoulder. “It wasn’t what I expected. You know, helping my cousin care for his wife and all. It was touch and go for a while, but they pulled through and were even stronger than they’d been before the whole nightmare arose.”

“Glad to hear it.” Jamie held a hand out to Sky. “We’ve never officially met. I’m Jamie Reed.”

“Oh gosh.” Jenna ran over to Sky. “I’m sorry. It feels like you guys all know each other. Sky, this is Jamie, and the guy glued to Amy is Tony.” Jenna hoped that the endless hug was a sign of more to come for Amy and Tony.

Tony set Amy on the ground and they joined the group.

“Hi. Pete’s talked about you guys forever. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Sky crossed her arms over her long-sleeved cotton shirt. She looked like she’d walked out of a summer clothing magazine with her long skirt, sandals, and layers of bangles on her thin wrists. “I’m going to grab a sweater.” She headed for her car, and both Tony and Jamie watched her walk away.

Amy swatted Tony. “She’s too young for you.”

“
Pfft
. What’s age but a number?” Tony bumped her with his elbow and winked.

Amy rolled her eyes.

They took two cars over to the marina. The boat looked picture perfect in the water with a bright red ribbon running along the railing. It had leaked for the first few days until the wood swelled into place. Jenna had fretted over the leaks, imagining the boat sinking while they were at sea, but both Pete and his father had assured her that minor leaks were normal in older wooden boats that had been out of the water as long as his had.

She stood on the deck of the schooner, watching Pete and his father talk on the dock. Pete’s head kicked back with a loud laugh, and his father’s shoulders moved up and down with a chuckle.

“I missed your whole courtship.” Jamie leaned on the railing beside Jenna.

“No, you didn’t. Pete still courts me every day.” She smiled at Jamie as their other friends gathered around them.

“I’d say you’re a pretty lucky lady, then, Jenna.” Jamie glanced at Sky, talking with Amy and Bella. “At least now Bella and Amy can stop sneaking into your cottage to break things.”

“Yeah, as much as I’d like to bonk them on their heads for turning off my hot water, I can’t.”

“And the dishwasher last summer. And the roof the summer before…”

Jenna’s jaw dropped open. “What? Are you shitting me?”

“Nope. They’ve been working their magic for years.” Jamie laughed.

Jenna narrowed her eyes and glared at Bella. “Nope. I still can’t be mad at them. They deserve medals for not giving up on us.”

Jamie draped an arm over her shoulder. “You know better than that. Seaside friends never give up.”

“Jesus, Jamie. Get your own girl already.” Pete’s smile told Jenna he was kidding. He knew how close she and her friends were, but she also knew that Pete had at least one jealous bone in his body, though he hid it fairly well most of the time. She didn’t mind, as she felt the same pangs of jealousy when other women ogled her man.

“Ready to christen this baby?” Pete asked. He helped his father onto the deck of the boat and stepped on behind him.

“I thought we already did that,” Jenna whispered.

Pete patted her butt and leaned in for a kiss. “How about we name it, then?”

Pete hadn’t even revealed the name of the boat to Jenna yet, and she was dying to know what name he and his father had chosen. His brothers had come to visit the day his father came home from rehab, and even after hours of brotherly pressure, Pete hadn’t caved.

His father came to Jenna’s side and placed his hand on her elbow. “Son, can I have a moment with you and Jenna before we do this?”

“Sure, Pop.” Pete said something to the others and followed Jenna and his father to the far end of the boat.

Jenna had gotten close to Neil over the past few weeks, and she saw Pete in many of his mannerisms—the way he ran his hand through his hair when he sighed, the dichotomy of his soft tone to his masculine breadth when they were having a private conversation, and maybe the most striking of all, his protective nature toward his family. The last one struck her, because he seemed to have forgotten that one when he was drinking. Luckily, Pete had a long memory, and he’d never given up on his father finding it once again.

“I have spent six weeks trying to figure out what I wanted to say to you,” his father began. “At first, I was pretty pissed at you, Pete, and at you, Jenna. I figured that Pete’s demand for me to go into rehab was because of you.”

Oh shit
.

“Pop, please.” Pete reached for Jenna.

His father drew in a breath and set a serious stare on Pete. “Peter, I’m going to have my say, so settle down and have a little faith, will you?”

Pete tightened his arm around Jenna’s waist.

“
Into rehab
. I can say that now without feeling like I want to choke someone.” He smiled at them. “When you lose someone you love, you have two choices. Handle it like a man, or run like hell from the pain. I ran. Straight into the bottle. Pete, I know I put you through the type of hell that no son should ever have to experience, and God only knows how, but you managed to keep our family together, and you never gave up on me.” He slid his gaze to Jenna. “I know now that it was your relationship with Jenna that finally pushed you to give me that ultimatum.”

Jenna swallowed hard, unsure of what was coming next.

He continued and held Pete’s stare. “And I’m damn glad she did.” He turned a soft gaze to Jenna. “Jenna, I owe you my life as much as I owe it to Pete, and in the end, to Sky, too.”

Pete had told Jenna that when Sky and Pete were working together one morning at the hardware store, Pete had come across his father’s stash of alcohol. He hadn’t even realized he’d had one there at the store, but he wasn’t surprised. By then he’d read the books Jenna had bought at the book sale and he’d spent time with his father’s therapist and learned of the many ways alcoholics hide their drinking. Finding a box marked
varnish
full of bottles of alcohol was par for the course. Pete, Jenna, and Sky had scoured every inch of the store after that. Turned it upside down and cleaned out every hateful reminder of the two years that nearly ruined their family. Sky had gone through every emotion in the book—anger, sadness, guilt—and finally settled on not taking apart what she felt, but honoring each of those feelings until she came back to her normal self. She spent most evenings with Pete and Jenna, talking through her feelings, which had been good for all of them. She and Pete had become even closer right before Jenna’s eyes.

“I didn’t do anything other than fall in love with Pete. It was his efforts that made the difference.” Jenna smiled up at Pete and he kissed her forehead.

“No, Pop’s right. It was my love for you that made the difference. You were my eye-opener, Jenna.”

“And you were mine, Peter,” his father said. “I guess I just wanted to take a moment to say that I love you both, and, Peter, your mother would be proud of you for standing up to an old, stubborn goat like me.” He embraced Peter, then extended that embrace to Jenna.