The sparkle in her eye was back. It was my job to make sure it never went away.
I WOKE UP AFTER TEN the next morning. The whole family had gone out to dinner the night before and then watched fireworks on the beach for hours. My ears were still ringing a little, but it was totally worth it. Bailey and I had shared a blanket. And a beer. And more than a few hugs and kisses.
Even though I’d been having a good time, I was anxious to get back to the city. I got along with her family really well. Most of them anyway. But I was used to having Bailey to myself.
I heard music next door and tried my best to ignore it. Josh was still asleep in the bed beside me. Shockingly, Parker had taken the futon last night, even though I’d already agreed to sleep there. He was gone now, so I assumed he must be an early riser. Not necessarily a bad thing.
“What is that?” Josh shot up in bed. His messy blonde hair looked like a cockatoo.
“I don’t know.” I shut my eyes, hugging the pillow. “But it’s too early.”
“Hey!” Josh banged on the wall. “Knock it off. We’re trying to sleep!”
I heard the girls giggling next door. They turned the music up. Loud enough for me to make out the song. I smiled despite my grogginess and put the pillow over my ears. It was pretty in your face.
They were blasting Cyndi Lauper on a Saturday morning. You know the song.
Josh knocked on the wall. “Turn it down! I don’t want to listen to that!”
Someone knocked back. So then Josh pounded his fist against the wall.
“If you don’t stop, I’m going to come in there and—”
“Yeah?” Penny stood in the open doorway. “And do what?”
I looked at the door. It was shut when we went to bed last night.
“Come on, Pen. Turn it down. Will ya?”
Penny stepped out of the way. Savannah was holding a pillow. And Penny had one behind her back.
“Let’s get him girls!” Penny shouted.
Just like that, Savannah charged and thwacked Josh in the head. Penny was right behind her, hitting him with a pillow of her own. Josh grabbed Savannah and tickled her until she squealed. Then he grabbed a pillow and they duked it out until feathers were flying in the room.
I saw Bailey standing in the doorway. She had a pillow in her arms and laughed at the chaos. As she walked over, I grabbed her and pulled her down on the bed beside me. She nuzzled my chest and wrapped her arms around me, sighing when I pulled the covers over her.
“I missed you last night,” she whispered.
I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I missed you, too.”
“Hey.” She touched my scruff. “Think fast.”
I braced myself as she started a pillow fight of our own. I grabbed my pillow and swatted at her waist. Even though we weren’t hurting each other, I didn’t have it in me to really hit a girl. So I let her win.
Josh chased Penny and Savannah out of the room. And then we had the place to ourselves.
“Victory is mine.” She straddled my waist and tossed her pillow on the bed. There was a glorious smile on her face. But the fire in her eyes quickly erased it. She leaned down and kissed my lips, soft and tender. I slipped my hand beneath her shirt and caressed her warm naked back. When she looked at me, I rolled over so she was beneath me, surprised and breathless, yet still gazing into my eyes.
Her lips parted. It felt like she had something to say. But maybe she was afraid to tell me.
“Carter?” She kept eye contact, wrapping her hand around my forearm. Like she was holding on to me.
“Yeah.” I trailed my nose across her cheek and hovered above her. “What is it?”
“I’ve been thinking,” was all she got out.
“Yeah.” I focused on her eyes. “About what?”
“Well.” She licked her lips. “I was wondering if—”
“Hey.” Josh knocked on the door. “Oh, sorry. Uncle Austin made pancakes for breakfast.”
“Okay,” Bailey said. “We’ll be right there.”
Josh left and Bailey got off the bed. I put on some clothes and ran my fingers through my hair. But she was lingering in the room, biting her fingernails. Something was bothering her. It worried me.
I took her hand so she’d stop biting. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She gave me a deer in the headlights look.
“You’re sure?” I cupped her cheek in my hand.
“Yeah.” She looked away.
“You don’t sound so sure.”
When she met my eyes again, I thought she was going to cry.
“Hey.” I sat down on the bed and pulled her into my lap. “You’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry.” She curled her hands at the nape of my neck. “It’s just that I was hoping we could talk. Privately. But with everyone coming in and out of the house, we keep getting interrupted.”
I held her face in my hands, caressing her cheeks. “You can always talk to me about anything.”
“I know that.” She gave me a hug and put her head on my chest. “I’m glad you’re here.”
I ran my fingers through her hair and rubbed her back. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
She smiled and gave me a light kiss. Then we went downstairs to join everyone else for breakfast. Austin’s pancakes were better than mine. Even though he’d let Penny cook some of them. She really was trying to improve, so I had to give her that. And it was pretty nice of Austin to help her out.
After breakfast, Bailey and I planned on spending the day on the beach. Everyone had to head back tomorrow, so it was our last full day of relaxation. She went upstairs to brush her teeth and change into her bathing suit. But when I came up a few minutes later, it sounded like all hell was breaking loose.
Bailey was in her room listening to music with the girls. But right next door, her brothers were going at it. I heard them cussing before I reached the top of the stairs. It sounded like the same old argument. Reignited from the car ride over yesterday. Exactly what had reignited it, I’ll never know.
“Hey.” I stood in the hallway with my hands in my pockets. It’s not like I was trying to break up the fight. I just thought a third person might dissolve some of the tension between them.
“Hey,” Josh said, averting his gaze.
“What do you want?” Parker growled.
“Just makin’ sure everything is okay,” I said.
“You stay out of this,” Parker said, jabbing his finger at me.
“Hey! Leave him out of it!” Josh shoved Parker in the shoulder. “He’s just being nice.”
Parker smoldered and shoved his brother back. I knew where this was headed. I’d been on the receiving end of it too many times to count. That’s why I decided to do something stupid—like jump between them just in time for Parker to hit me in the face instead of Josh.
The blow sent me staggering back. I hadn’t been punched in years, with the exception of Bailey’s jerk of a date in the restaurant. Parker was stronger than I imagined, sending me straight into a lamp. It sat on a nightstand between the two beds. At least, it had before it toppled to the ground and busted into pieces.
I touched my jaw while Josh helped me up. I felt slow and dizzy. There was something warm on my lip.
“Carter!” I heard the sweetest voice in the world say my name.
Bailey rushed in and sat me down on the bed, examining my face. “Oh my God! You’re bleeding!”
“I’m fine,” I said. My eyelids felt heavy. “It’s fine. Really.”
“No, it’s not.” She stood up with her hands on her hips. “What happened?”
Josh shook his head and raised his hands in innocence. But Bailey saw Parker shaking out his fist.
“What did you do to him?” She growled, shooting him a resentful glare.
“That wasn’t meant for him, okay?” Parker said. “He got in the way. It was an accident.”
Bailey sat down beside me. “Josh will you get him some ice, please?
”
“Yeah.” Josh left the room without giving Parker a second glance.
“What’s gotten into you?” Bailey asked. “You’re never like this.”
“I’m sorry.” He reached out to give her a hug.
“No.” She raised her hand and he sat down on the other bed. “Don’t touch me.”
Parker’s eyes widened. He looked shocked and hurt. But I was the one taking the brunt of everything.
“You have been the biggest asshole all weekend! And guess who’s been the only one to stick up for you? The one who’s been making excuses for you? Me!” She stood up and towered over him. “And this is how you repay me? By punching my boyfriend in the face? Well, I’ve had it with you!”
“Bailey, I—”
“Zip it! Okay? It’s my turn to talk.” She took a deep breath. “Carter is the best thing that has happened to me in years. You of all people should know that. You, of all people Parker, should know how hard this weekend has been for me. But I’m trying to make this work. I’m trying to find a way to be happy again.”
Parker bowed his head and gulped.
“Do you have any idea how important he is to me? How much he means to me?” She exhaled. “Now I have been there for you. And I’m sorry about Nicole. You have a right to be upset. But don’t take it out on him.” Her voice broke. “Because he means everything to me,” she sobbed, bursting into tears.
Parker stood up and hauled her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He was tearing up a little.
As I sat there with my head pounding, I had the uncanny feeling that I was missing something here.
“I just want you to be happy,” Parker said. “I’ve always wanted that for you.”
Her lower lip trembled as she gave him a chance to talk.
“Josh and I got into a fight. Carter was just trying to break it up. That’s the truth.”
She looked at me and I nodded. “Yeah, that’s what happened.”
Bailey sighed. “Whatever is going on with you and Josh, you need to fix it. All right?”
“Yes,” he said. “You’re right. And I’m sorry.” He hugged her close. “I want you to be happy.”
“I know you do,” she cried. “From now on, keep your hands off my man. Okay?”
He nodded, turning to me. “Carter, I really am sorry, man. That wasn’t meant for you.”
“It’s fine,” I waved it off. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you,” Parker said, sniffling as he dried his eyes.
Josh returned with an ice pack and handed it to Bailey.
“Let’s get some fresh air.” She held my hand as we walked out of the room. Sharon was standing in the hallway with her rolling suitcase. Todd was already going down the stairs with the rest of their luggage.
“Grandma, you’re not leaving are you?” Bailey asked.
“Todd and I are checking into a hotel. I’m too old for all this chaos. We’ll be right up the road.”
“Okay.” Bailey looked really sad as Sharon followed her husband. We saw them out and then lounged outside in the shade. Bailey took good care of me, cleaning up my face. I held the ice pack to my cheek as she ran her fingers through her hair. She was really stressed out. About everything.
“I was just trying to help,” I said. “I didn’t mean to—”
“You did nothing wrong.” She stared into my eyes. “Okay?”
I thought she was getting upset again, but she lay beside me with her head on my chest before I could say anything. I held her close with my free arm, wondering what was racing through her head. It felt like she was crying about more than just me getting punched in the face. I couldn’t figure it out.
“Whoa. What happened to you?” Austin took the seat beside us, sipping a bottle of water.
“Don’t ask,” Bailey mumbled against my chest. She fell asleep in my arms just like that. But I kept rubbing her back, wanting her to feel good and ultimately rest.
“Parker and Josh got into a fight. I stepped between them and—”
“Well, we’re just repeating history this summer. Aren’t we?” Austin laughed.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Hey darlin’,” Austin said when Amy walked up. He grabbed her and she squealed. Surprisingly, it wasn’t loud enough to wake Bailey. So Amy sat in his lap and looked at me, spotting the ice pack.
“What happened?” she asked.
I lowered my voice and told her, still running my fingers down Bailey’s back.
“Oh,” Amy said. “That sounds familiar.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Amy grinned at Austin. “Should we tell him?”
“Well, I don’t see why not.” Austin smiled. “You see, Carter. It was not too long ago that I was the Southern boy from out of town getting punched in the face by Mr. Lewis.”
“What?” I said.
“Same beach house, too,” Amy added. “Except it was in our room.”
“What happened?” I was really curious now.
“Amy was eighteen.” Austin looked at her. “And she couldn’t keep her hands off me.”
“Hey.” She swatted at his chest, watching him dreamily. “What he’s not telling you is that we’d just gotten married.”
“Secretly,” Austin said.
“So Ben thought Austin was a threat. But the truth is, I just wanted to spend the night with my husband.”
“Wait a minute. What?” I was shocked. “So you got married and no one knew?”
“That’s right,” Amy said.
“You didn’t tell anyone?” I asked.
“Nope,” Austin smiled.
“Why not?” I asked.
“My mother said I wasn’t allowed to see him anymore,” Amy said.
Austin adjusted his hands on her waist. “That’s when we flew to Vegas and got married.”
“You’re kidding me?” I raised my eyebrows. “You’ve got to be making this up.”
“We’re really not,” Amy said.
“What did everyone say when they found out?” I asked.
“Well, Ben punched me in the face,” Austin said. “And later, Sharon convinced me that we should get it annulled. She said Amy was too young, we hardly knew each other. I didn’t want to do it.”
“But then we missed each other like crazy,” Amy said. “And we both ended up in the hospital for different reasons. To make a long story short, he showed up at my apartment one day with his arm in a cast after his motorcycle accident. And he proposed.”
“With a ring this time,” Austin mentioned. “We’d been impatient and skipped all that before.”
“And I said yes,” Amy beamed.
“And she said yes,” Austin echoed. “We got married again. And we haven’t been apart since.”
“Wow,” I said. “I had no idea that’s how the two of you got together.”
“Yep.” Austin looked into Amy’s eyes and kissed her on the lips.
I stared at the ocean to give them some privacy until they got up and went for a walk on the beach. Bailey wiggled in my arms, leaving butterfly kisses on my chest. “I’ve never heard that story before,” she said.
“I thought you fell asleep.”
“Only for a few minutes,” she sighed. “I had no idea they had to go through all that to be together.” She sat up and leaned against me, watching them in the distance. “They really love each other. Don’t they?”
“Sure seems like it.” I caressed her arm. “Did you know your grandmother split them up?”
“No. No one ever told me about the annulment. I mean, it doesn’t really matter. They’re together now.” She folded her fingers through mine. “No wonder Uncle Austin runs every time he sees her.”
I looked into the house. “Did they leave already?”
“Yeah, Grandma can’t handle all the drama. I love her, but she’s difficult.”
I chuckled and swept my thumb against her cheek. “Does that mean the room upstairs is fre
e?”
“Yeah, but it’s right across the hall from Parker. He’s not my favorite person right now.”
I nodded, watching her bask in the sun. She had a golden glow. It looked good on her.
“How about the pull-out couch?” she suggested. “It’s downstairs.”
“I don’t care,” I shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”
“How bad does it hurt?” she asked, removing the ice pack.
“It’s okay.”
She kissed the tender spot where her brother had cold-cocked me. “How’s that?”
“Much better.” I held her in my arms as we lay in the sun. Right then, I knew I’d take a hundred punches just like it. Because Bailey was the kind of woman men crossed oceans and deserts for. Nothing had ever felt as good as being with her. But I didn’t know how to fully commit without scaring her away. Because she was the one that I wanted forever.
BAILEY HELPED ME MAKE up the pull out couch for the night. We stretched soft white sheets over the mattress while everyone else got ready for bed. She went upstairs to take a shower and I fell asleep. The make-shift bed was surprisingly comfortable, even though I was really worn out and a little sunburnt. Not to mention the ache in my face from the shiner Parker had planted on me. I knew for sure now that he didn’t like me.
“Hey,” a sweet voice whispered.
I woke up and scooted back on the mattress. Bailey sat down on the edge and looked at me. Her hair was damp from her shower, but she looked wide awake in the moonlight. There was a sliding glass door a few feet away that overlooked the beach. She stared through the glass and then looked back at me.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
She waited for me to get my shoes on and then we walked outside. The moon was full tonight, super round and bright. It was our last night in the Hamptons. And despite the tension with Parker, I was sad to go. Bailey seemed so comfortable here. Happy. Safe. She loved being surrounded by family.
Maybe a time would come when I would feel the same way.
She held my hand as we walked down the beach. Water splashed up on the shore, soaking her bare feet. I wondered what was going through her mind, because she hadn’t really said anything. I’d never known Bailey to be so quiet. But then she pointed at a spot near the sand dunes and we put a blanket on the ground.
An Agreement (Summer in New York Book 3) Page 15