Searching For Love – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

by Melissa Foster

  She couldn’t stop grinning. “What is that? When did you put it there?”

  As she went up on her knees and snagged the envelope, he said, “I was going to tape it to the outside of the window after you fell asleep last night, but I was afraid Bandit might bark and wake you up, so I had to do it this way. Open it.”

  Her pulse quickened as she tore open the envelope and withdrew two legal documents for Two Treasure Hunters, One Ship, LLC, a deep-ocean exploration and shipwreck recovery business. One document named Zev and Carly as the sole members of the company; the other appointed the LLC as the substitute custodian for the Pride.

  Her gaze shot to his. “Zev…? What is this?”

  “I want to add you as an owner of my company. I opened it years ago, but I’m the sole member right now.”

  “You named your company Two Treasure Hunters, One Ship?” Holy cow.

  “What else would I call it?” he asked with a grin. “Adding you would make it our company. That is, if you want to be my partner. I wanted to make you the substitute custodian of the Pride to alleviate any concerns you might have about my commitment to our relationship. But I also wanted to protect you legally, and this is the best way to do it. I’m not going anywhere, babe, and I hope this proves it to you.”

  “Are you serious?” She sat back on her heels, her emotions reeling. “You want to be my business partner? What does this mean? I don’t have money to invest…”

  “I don’t want your money, Carly, and make no mistake, I want to be much more than your business partner. But I know you need time to believe in me before you’re ready for that. This is a start, a promise that what’s mine is yours, including the Pride. You don’t have to do anything other than sign the papers in the presence of a notary, making you part of the business. I’ll never take a penny of your money. But, babe, you’re smarter than I am, and I wouldn’t ask you to be my business partner if I didn’t want you to be my partner in every sense. I would love to teach you about the custodial process and all that’s involved with the business so you understand the commitment. I’m taking care of insurance, making sure you’re not risking anything…except maybe your heart,” he said with that devastating smile that did her in. “And if this is too much, or too overwhelming, just say the word.”

  Emotions clogged her throat, but she pushed past them to say, “Oh, it’s definitely overwhelming, but…You’re really serious? What about Randi and Ford?”

  He took the papers from her hands and put them on the nightstand. “They work for me, Carly. They’re my dive partners, not my business partners.”

  “But you’ve been working with them for years.”

  He guided her down to her back and moved over her, gazing into her eyes as he said, “And I’ve been in love with you since I was seven years old. What do you want, Carly?”

  You! I want you! Her heart couldn’t take any more. “I know you’re committed to us. I don’t have doubts about that, and I want this so badly. But I don’t know how I can be a supportive, contributing partner if I’m two thousand miles away. I just need a little time to get comfortable with the logistics before I can say yes. This is big, Zevy. This is your life’s work. This is your everything.”

  He was quiet for a moment, and her mind raced, wondering if he thought she was talking about them or his business offer. But then he shifted, aligning their bodies as he cradled her face between his hands, and in his eyes, she saw that she was wrong.

  That ship wasn’t his everything.

  She was.

  “You’re right, Carly. The Pride is my life’s work.”

  Oh no. Had she misread him? Was she only seeing what she wanted to see?

  “Before the wedding it had been my everything, but only because it had been our everything, and it was my life’s work because I didn’t know I’d have a shot at us.” He brushed his lips over hers and said, “You’re my world, Carly, my one true love, and you always have been. You don’t have to be a legal part of the company, but you’ll always be part of me.”

  His mouth came coaxingly down over hers, kissing her thoroughly as their bodies joined together, obliterating the shock of his offer and allowing her to think more clearly.

  She knew what she wanted. What she’d always wanted.

  And he was lying above her, loving her like she was the most precious thing on earth.

  WHEN CARLY WAS in his arms, Zev truly believed the strength of their love would pull him through their time apart. But after making slow, passionate love, after holding each other in the shower hoping they could stop time if they held on tight enough, after sitting outside as their breakfasts got cold because knowing he was leaving made everything taste wrong, Zev realized he was in denial. He tossed his backpack on the seat of Beau’s truck, and Bandit looked up at him accusatorially. He was sure the dog was wondering what the hell made him think leaving was a good idea.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Zev said to Bandit as they headed back up the walk.

  Carly was sitting on the stairs to the deck putting on a brave face. Every step felt like quicksand weighing him down, sucking him under, far too reminiscent of when he’d left Pleasant Hill all those years ago. Back then he’d been so fucking scared taking off into the world without anyone to lean on but himself, he’d poured all of those emotions into forcing himself to focus on the next mile, the next country, the next adventure, which had all seemed more like a jail sentence. He’d made a life of moving around, no attachments, no goodbyes. He’d gone wherever the wind had taken him because he’d thought he’d lost Carly forever, and if she wasn’t waiting for him, then who the hell cared what was?

  Carly rose to her feet as he neared the deck, a forced smile sliding into place on her beautiful face. “Guess this is it,” she said far too cheerily. “Back to the kitchen for me and the sea for you.”

  They’d been readying themselves for this moment, but there was no hiding the longing in her eyes or the sadness wafting off her like a gale-force wind as she reluctantly pushed him to leave. The trouble was, he no longer wanted to be carried by the wind. He wanted to be her wind, to sweep her up and carry her with him.

  “Let’s not do that,” he said, taking her hand.

  She lifted her chin, her lower lip trembling as she said, “Do what?”

  He gathered her in his arms and buried his face in her neck, breathing her in. “Pretend this doesn’t hurt. You’re not alone in this, Carls.”

  “It’s too hard,” she choked out, burrowing closer.

  He felt her trembling and put one hand on the back of her head, his other arm around her middle, and squeezed his eyes tightly closed, willing his strength to become hers. “Nothing is too hard for us. Life is our highway, baby. We walked through our darkened doors. Our blues can’t haunt us anymore.”

  She made a half-laughing, half-crying sound. He pressed his lips to her cheek, wishing he had the magic words to take her pain away. Hell, he wished he could take his own pain away, too. He drew back, gazing into her glassy eyes, and his chest constricted. He needed to find a way to get her into a better place before he left so she wasn’t a wreck when he was gone.

  “You’re going to make a killing at the festival, and with any luck I’ll find something amazing this week.” He kissed her softly and said, “We’ll talk every night. The time will fly by—you’ll see.”

  She nodded, blinking rapidly, struggling to keep her tears at bay, which made it that much harder for him to keep his own emotions in check. He framed her face between his hands, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks. He hated not knowing when he’d be with her again, but he had to be strong for her.

  “I love you, Carls. Always have, always will.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes. “I know. I love you, too,” she said just above a whisper. “But you have to leave.”

  “Sick of me already?”

  She shook her head. “But if you don’t leave now, I might drag you inside, tie you to my bed, and never let you go.”

&nbs
p; “Baby, that is not the way to get me to leave.” He pulled out his phone, put one arm around her, touching the side of his head to hers, and said, “Last-time-we or remember- when pic?”

  “How about if we call this one until next time?”

  “Sounds perfect.” He took the picture, and then he took another while kissing her cheek, then another kissing her lips. Bandit went paws-up on his legs, and they took a picture with him, too. Zev pocketed his phone and embraced Carly one last time. “Love you, baby.”

  “I love you so much, Zevy. But please leave,” she said, fanning her teary eyes. “Get out of here before I cry a river and you need a boat to get away.”

  How could he leave when she was on the verge of breaking down? “Don’t cry, babe. We’ve got our second chance.”

  “I know,” she said, shoving him toward the truck with shaky hands. “But go, please, just go.”

  Bandit jumped into the truck, and as Zev followed him in, he tried to get Carly to smile, saying, “A guy could get a complex being pushed away like this.” She waved him off, crossing her arms, jaw tight, the edges of her lips drawn down. He blew her a kiss through the open window and said, “See you soon, beautiful. I love you.”

  He pulled away slowly, watching her in the rearview mirror as the truck crawled down the street. Her arms hung limply by her sides, as if her heart were shredding into a million razor-sharp pieces, too. Her shoulders slumped, knotting up his insides even more. She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders heaving, and he felt like he was destroying them all over again.

  Fuck. This.

  He slammed on the brakes, threw the truck into park, and flew out the door, leaving it wide open in the middle of the road as he sprinted toward her with Bandit on his heels. She dropped her hands, revealing red-rimmed eyes as he wrapped her in his arms, lifting her feet off the ground, and kissed her. Her salty tears slipped between their lips, making him teary-eyed, too.

  “I just got you back,” he said between urgent kisses. “How can I leave you?”

  She choked out, “You have to.”

  “Baby…” Kiss. Kiss. “Not like this…” Kiss. Kiss.

  “I want you to stay.” She drew back, tears streaming down her cheeks, and said, “But you have to go, Zevy. You have a crew waiting for you. I’ll be fine.” She swiped at her tears as he set her feet on the ground, but they kept coming. “I’m sorry for crying. It’s not fair.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Don’t ever be sorry for loving me enough to be sad. This is killing me, too.” He embraced her again, wishing he could take her with him, wishing he could stay, wishing he’d never left all those years ago. Carly’s words came back to him. If Tory’s death taught me one thing, it was the importance of spending time with the people I love.

  He drew back and said, “Come with me. Take a chance, another leap of faith. Let’s do this together like we were meant to.” He’d get down on his knees and beg if it kept them together. But his plea only brought more tears.

  “I can’t,” she said. “You know I can’t just pick up and leave.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. It wasn’t fair of me to ask. Goddamn it, Carly. I can’t leave you. I’ll put everything off for a while,” he said anxiously, having no idea if that was even possible since he had to finish the legal paperwork tomorrow.

  She made a sorrowful, defeated sound and said, “You can’t do that, and that wouldn’t make it any easier to say—”

  He silenced her with a hard press of his lips. “Don’t say it, babe. We don’t say that word.” He touched his forehead to hers, the crushing sensation in his chest making it hard to breathe. “I promised not to hurt you, and look at us.”

  “But we’re not hurting; we’re just sad. There’s a big difference.” She looked down at Bandit, sitting beside them with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Her gaze moved to the truck. A smile lifted her lips, despite her tears, as she brought her eyes back to his and said, “You left Beau’s truck in the middle of the road and ran up here like my own personal superhero.”

  “I bet I’d look cute in a cape and tights.” Their levity didn’t make leaving any easier.

  “You look even better naked,” she said just above a whisper. She inhaled deeply, straightened her spine, and put a hand on his chest. “I love you, Zevy. Now get the heck out of here before I lose it again.”

  He hauled her into another long, passionate kiss, leaving her a little hazy-eyed, which he adored. He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it, and took a step toward the truck, still holding on as he said, “You sure? Last chance to tie me to your bed.”

  Her musical laughter lightened the pain in his chest as their fingers slipped apart, and that beautiful sound followed him all the way back to the inn.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  BEAU AND CHAR were coming out the front door of the inn as Zev pulled down the driveway. The second he opened his door, Bandit leapt over his lap and sprinted across the grass, nearly tackling Beau. Beau dropped to his knees to love up his dog as Zev climbed out of the truck.

  “Beau thought you ran off with his buddy,” Charlotte said, looking refreshed and cute in gray shorts, one of Beau’s short-sleeved button-downs tied above her belly button, and a pair of knee-high bright red rubber boots.

  “That little thief? He’s a good dog, but way too sneaky for me.” Zev embraced her and said, “How was your honeymoon?”

  Charlotte clasped her hands under her chin and lifted her shoulders, smiling brightly. “It was better than a fairy tale! Beau planned a ton of fun outings and romantic dinners and dancing. I showed him all the places my grandfather used to take me, and we visited a real castle. I have bunches of pictures. It couldn’t have been more perfect. But I hear you had a pretty magical time yourself.”

  “Congrats on the vessel being arrested,” Beau said as he pushed to his feet, looking even happier than he had at his wedding, which Zev hadn’t thought possible. He ran an assessing eye over Zev, and as he pulled him into a manly embrace, he said, “You look different. It’s good to see you, man. Thanks for watching Bandit and the Chickendales.”

  “I think we need to have a little talk about that animal-watching arrangement. I heard all about Char’s matchmaking plan.” Zev eyed Beau and said, “And I hear you were in on it.”

  Charlotte put her arms around Beau, his big body dwarfing her petite frame. “Don’t blame Beau. It was all my idea. He just agreed to go along with it. But in his defense, that’s what a good husband does.”

  “Thanks, babe.” Beau stood up a little taller, grinning like a proud peacock. “If you’re looking for an apology, Zev, the best I can do is to say I probably shouldn’t have blindsided you.”

  “I can’t say I like you doing shit behind my back, but, man, I owe you both heaps of gratitude.”

  “Yay!” Charlotte hugged Zev. “I’m so happy! I want all the details. I’m sure it’s a book in the making.”

  Zev chuckled. As an erotic romance novelist, Charlotte was always looking for new story lines. “Sorry, Char, but you’re not getting details from me.”

  “Then I guess I’ll have to pump Carly for information. Where is she, anyway? I thought she’d be here to say goodbye to you.”

  “She had to go to the chocolate shop to get ready for the festival.” Zev wondered how Carly was holding up. He was tempted to text and ask her for a selfie to see if she was still crying, but he worried that would just make it harder for both of them.

  “He doesn’t do goodbyes, remember?” Beau reminded Char.

  “That’s right. I forgot about that.” Charlotte turned a serious expression to Zev and said, “But you said goodbye to her, right? You’re not just sneaking out of town?”

  Zev bristled, although it was a fair question given their history. “I’m not sneaking off, Char, and I didn’t sneak off last time. I said goodbye. That’s why I never say it anymore. I’ll never hurt Carly like that again.”

  “You’d better not, or I’ll sic my hu
sband on you.” She tucked her long dark hair behind her ear and said, “I’m just kidding. I did my research before putting this whole scheme into action. From what your brothers and Jilly said, Carly really is your forever love. Everyone agreed that you would never hurt her again, or we wouldn’t have tried to reunite the two of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to see my Chickendales. I’ve missed them so much.” She kissed Beau, said, “Toodles, lover boy,” to Zev, and as she ran toward the woods, she twirled around, yelled, “Come on, Bandit!” and skipped down the path, singing at the top of her lungs.

  Beau watched her disappear into the woods with a goofy grin on his face.

  “She’s something else,” Zev said.

  “And she’s all mine. I’m one lucky son of a bitch,” Beau said. “Actually, it sounds like you and I are both pretty damn lucky. What time is your flight?”

  “Nine. Jack’s picking me up at the airstrip. I’ve got all my stuff in your truck.” He looked at his watch and said, “We’ve got about twenty minutes before we have to leave.”

  Beau slung an arm over Zev’s shoulder and said, “Good. Just enough time to catch up.” They went around to the back of the inn and sat on the patio. “You doing okay?”

  “Yeah, man. I’m good. You? Married life treating you okay? Was your honeymoon everything you’d hoped?”

  Beau’s face brightened. “There are no words to describe what it’s like to wake up to that woman every day, much less spend time in a place that brings her so much joy. I’m afraid to talk about how happy I am, you know?”

  “I know.”

  “Of course you do. You and I were in the trenches of hell together when Tory died.”

  “No kidding.”

  “We were both pretty fucked up. Char saved me from my self-imposed penance for not being sober the night Tory called.”

  “I’d give anything not to have dragged you to that party.”