Gabriella’s aunts had made sure they had enough flowers to create the feel of a magical beachside garden, transforming the beach cabana into a wedding haven. Trish looked gorgeous in her mother’s wedding gown and a pair of her mother’s diamond earrings, boasting an ear-to-ear smile. Cash and Siena had given her a blue lapis bracelet, and Lizzie had loaned her a diamond necklace that went perfectly with the earrings. The white garter Maggie had given her counted as something new. She had all the requisite items for a perfect bride.
“You’re only two words away from your happily ever after,” Addy said, easing in between Andrea and Sally as Gabriella’s cousin Marnie, the island’s best photographer, came bustling through the doors.
“You girls look like old pros.” Marnie stood back, admiring the girls in their varying colorful outfits and barefoot sandals. “Gorgeous. You could be on the cover of my next issue of Weddings Done Right.” Marnie traveled often for her wedding photography business, but she was in town for Gabriella’s wedding and had happily agreed to take Trish and Boone’s wedding photos.
“We’ve had a lot of practice lately,” Lizzie said. “I can’t wait for mine and Blue’s wedding.”
“Ohmygod!” Trish exclaimed. “I have the best idea!”
“Uh-oh,” Andrea said. “When my daughter gets that look, she’s scheming.”
Marnie moved around the group, capturing Trish’s excitement on film.
“Why don’t you and Blue get married now? With us?” Trish grabbed Lizzie’s hands. “Really. Our family’s all here!”
“That’s so sweet,” Lizzie said. “But…my family isn’t.”
“Ohmygod. I’m an idiot.” Trish pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry. Of course. I was just so swept up in becoming sisters-in-law with you, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Andrea patted Trish on the back. “We love your enthusiasm, baby girl. But Lizzie’s family definitely needs to be at her wedding. And besides, didn’t you hear Blue when he said they were getting married when her sister was on break from school over the holidays?”
“Uh-uh. I was too busy being proposed to.” Trish squealed. “Okay, the holidays it is! That’s not too far off, and we’ll help you get ready for the wedding of your dreams!”
Addy had never gotten particularly excited over weddings. But seeing Trish and Boone and Gabriella and Duke this weekend and knowing how happy they were brought a lump to her throat. She was excited for them to find their happy endings. She smiled to herself, thinking about the happy ending she wanted to give Jake tonight. Something a little extra special for the big brooding man who’d finally made her feel something. She’d make him feel something all right. Oh yeah, we’re definitely different. You girls are thinking of flowers and wedding dresses, and I can’t wait to get my man naked.
The room grew quiet, and Trish pinned Addy with a mischievous look. “Double wedding, Addy?”
“What?” Addy waved her hands, walking backward. “No, no, no. No wedding here. We’ve barely been together two days.”
The girls laughed.
Addy held her breath.
Marnie continued taking pictures.
Great. Did you capture that ohmygod look?
“Oh, honey,” Andrea said. “Time means nothing in matters of the heart. Why, I knew the moment I set eyes on Ned that he was the one for me.”
“Aw,” Maggie said. “I hope I find that one day.”
“The way Niko was checking you out earlier, I think you might be on your way,” Gabriella said, causing Maggie to blush.
Addy had noticed Niko checking out Maggie, and she’d seen the spark between them, too. It was hard to miss. Like the spark between me and Jake.
Andrea touched Addy’s hand. “Jake is just like Ned. More so than any of my other boys. Ned’s relaxed a bit with age, but when he was younger, he was obsessive, just like Jake. When Ned set his mind on something—or in my case, someone—nothing stood in his way. Until you, Jake’s only obsession was search and rescue. I wondered if anyone could pierce through his walls and get to his big, generous heart.”
“I think obsessed is a little strong,” Addy said. Jake’s voice rolled through her mind. You’re mine, Addy. Maybe his mother wasn’t so far off after all.
“You’re right. I don’t mean obsessed like a serial killer. I meant he’s single-minded. He knows what he wants and nothing will stop him from getting it.” Andrea glanced at Trish and winked. “All of our kids are determined—”
“And loyal,” Lizzie said, her eyes locked on Sally, who nodded in agreement.
“Yes. They are loyal,” Andrea said. “I’m proud of them all for growing up to be responsible, caring adults. It’s good to know we’ve done something right.”
“There’s no doubt that Jake’s a great guy, and I don’t mean to burst anyone’s bubble, but really,” Addy said. “We’ve hardly been together long enough to know if we like the same foods, much less want the same things out of life.” The words came out rough and uncomfortable. She felt like she already knew him better than she knew most people.
“You keep telling yourself that, honey,” Andrea said sweetly.
Addy wondered if she could see the panic blooming inside her with the realization that everyone else knew how close she and Jake had become when they were still figuring it out themselves.
“Girls?” Marnie said. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but if we don’t get the pictures soon, I’ll miss my boat back to the mainland, and I have to be in Chicago tonight.”
Boat? Addy’s mind reeled. She was leaving in a few hours. They’d been running around so much it had totally slipped her mind. There would be no awesome makeup sex, no waking up in Jake’s arms tomorrow morning. There would be no Jake for ten long days.
Andrea stepped closer. “Your heart has woken up, sweetheart, and love always wins. It’s stronger than anything. Even our sense of self-preservation.”
She hadn’t set out to sleep with Jake, much less be in a monogamous relationship. And now she couldn’t imagine going ten days without him.
TRISH AND BOONE exchanged their vows beneath the white and gold wedding canopy Blue had masterminded and Jake and his brothers had helped build. Addy’s eyes teared up when they’d said their vows, and she was adorable trying to hide it by fluttering her long lashes into the breeze. Jake hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her during the entire wedding ceremony, which had been almost as beautiful as she was. That was two hours ago, and now his brothers were deep in conversation about their fishing trip later that evening, and the girls were excited about having another girls’ night up on the bluff. But there would be no swooping in and kidnapping Addy tonight. She was leaving in a few hours, and Jake was doing all he could to not think about it.
Addy stood by the water’s edge with Gabriella and his mother, swinging her hips to the beat of the music. They’d just danced to five songs together, and he already missed the feel of her in his arms. The late-afternoon wind whipped her long dark hair across her back like a wild mane, pressing her short, sexy dress against her body, leaving nothing to the imagination. She’d been talking to his mother for a while now, and he wondered what his mother was telling her. Embarrassing stories of his childhood? Not likely. His mother tended to pull those out when she could get the most bang for her buck and see the blush rise on her children’s faces. Jake guessed they were talking about girl stuff. Clothes, shoes…That didn’t sit right either. Addy didn’t seem to get into those things the way he’d seen other women get giddy over them. What did she get giddy about? He laughed to himself. Addy didn’t do giddy. She did serious, sexy, seductive, and lately he’d been gifted peeks into her softer, vulnerable side. But if he knew his girl, and after months of watching her reactions and thinking about her, he was pretty sure he did, he knew how rare and special those glimpses were.
He felt his father’s presence before he appeared beside him. It had always been that way with them. His father had been the one to teach him how to hone his senses for se
arch and rescue, and as he got older, those skills overflowed to the other parts of his life.
“Hey, Dad. How’s it going?”
“I think I should be asking you that.” His father nodded in Addy’s direction. “She’s really gotten under your skin.”
“You could say that.” Jake and his father had a special bond. He’d spent his formative years trekking along in his father’s shadow, soaking up every ounce of knowledge his father was willing to share. They shared more than just a love of helping others and pushing themselves past their limits. Jake shared his father’s nearly fearless disposition. Facing nature’s elements, wild animals, harsh weather, or the unknown didn’t scare them. But failing a rescue mission did. That was one reason Jake lived an unencumbered life. He’d long ago separated his emotions from everything but family and search and rescue. He couldn’t afford to be distracted when there were lives depending on him. Watching Addy gather her hair over her shoulder, he knew he was facing the biggest distraction of all, and he was glad he’d taken two weeks off while she was traveling. That gave him time to get a handle on things.
“What’s your plan?” his father asked.
“Plan?” he asked. “About…?”
“Her trip. Come on, son. I know you pretty well.” His father’s lips tipped up. “Right about now you’re looking at her and either concocting a plan to ask her not to go, or you’re figuring out how to get her to let you go with her.”
“Already tried both.”
His father laughed and patted him on the back. “You’ve got no jurisdiction over her.”
“No shit.” Leave it to his father to liken this to search and rescue. In every rescue there was an AHJ, or Agency Having Jurisdiction, who oversaw the mission. Addy had made it crystal clear that he had no such authority over her.
“Give her space, Jake.”
Yeah, right.
“You were never good at backing off. You see a crisis and you tackle it. You’ve always faced things head-on, hated the unknown.”
“I face the unknown every time I set foot on a recovery mission. You know that. You do the same thing.” His father had worked in search and rescue his whole life and had eventually founded East Coast Search and Rescue. Now he claimed he was retired, but Jake didn’t think his father would ever truly retire. He still spent a good deal of time directing volunteers and overseeing training courses.
“Yes, we face it with this.” His father tapped his head. “But you’ve never faced it with this.” He tapped Jake’s chest, over his heart. “You protect that with everything you’ve got.”
Jake scoffed. “I never even thought about that particular organ before Addy. And now, I’m all fu—messed up.”
“Fucked up? Yeah, that sounds about right.”
Crossing his arms, Jake faced his father. “Why’s that?”
“It’s the nature of the beast. When the right woman comes around, she turns your world upside down.”
“Yeah? Well, I think it’s more than that. I suck at relationships, and I’m pretty sure I’ll screw this up.”
“How can you know? You’ve never tried a relationship.”
“Never wanted the distraction. And now that I found someone worth being distracted for, I feel totally unprepared. Me. Unprepared. Dad, I’ve been prepared for every single thing in my life since I was five years old. Overprepared.” He paused at the amusement in his father’s eyes. “What could possibly be funny about this?”
“You can’t prepare for love. It hits like a storm and blows everything to smithereens.” He touched Jake’s shoulder, turning him toward Addy. “She’s a smart girl, Jake. She’s tough, and from what Gabriella has told us, she took quite a risk going against her father’s wishes. She turned her back on everything her parents offered, determined to make it on her own. That’s not a woman who will bend to your will, son. And trust me, you wouldn’t be satisfied with a woman who would.”
Jake blew out a breath of frustration. “You know the dangers of camping alone.”
“Yes, and the idea of that little pixie out in the wilderness alone scares the daylights out of me. But you caging her in? That’s even more dangerous territory, Jake. Educate her. Be there for her if she calls for help. But this time, I think you need to take a page from Gage’s playbook. Step back and let her lead.”
Jake scoffed. “Gage? He’s been hanging on for years.”
His father shook his head. “He’s been in love for years. There’s a difference. Gage is a smart man. He might not blow through life like you do, but he knows when to step up and when to back down. Trust me on this. It’s time to step back. You cage that girl in and you’re liable to get bitten.”
Addy turned, and their eyes connected, igniting the very air between them.
“Tread carefully,” his father said before walking away.
Jake headed for Addy. She tilted her head in a thoughtful pose, watching him watch her. What are you thinking, sexy girl?
Every step brought more heat, a deeper need to have her in his arms. In his bed. In his life.
Step back. Let her lead.
He tried to wrap his mind around his father’s suggestion, but Jake wasn’t good at stepping back. He was a born leader. A fixer. The rescue guy who scaled the side of mountains to check every dangerous cave, even in the most treacherous conditions, because someone’s life was on the line.
No one’s life was on the line now, but he sure felt like it was.
Addy said something to Gabriella, her sexy smile doing funky things to his stomach again. Jesus. Would that shit ever settle down? She walked toward him, her hips swaying seductively, her dress swishing around her thighs, and her gorgeous eyes locked on him. Then she was in his arms, reaching up and circling his neck, causing his heart to swell.
“Hey there, big boy,” she said with heat in her eyes. “Looking for a date?”
How could he step back when the woman who had blown his mind before she’d ever agreed to go out with him was right there in his arms?
They moved seamlessly to the music, as if they’d been dancing together forever. “Only if it’s with you.” He leaned down for a kiss and she pressed her finger over his lips. “You’re kiss blocking me?”
“I’m slowing us down for one second, because the minute our lips touch, my brain goes in one of two directions—the gutter or out the door. And right now I have to focus or I’ll miss my boat.”
“There’s an easy way to fix that. Stay.”
Chapter Fifteen
OKAY, WAS ON the tip of Addy’s tongue. There was no place on earth she’d rather be than in Jake’s arms. She’d just admitted as much to Gabriella and his mother, but staying would mean putting off her plans for a day. Though it didn’t sound like much, it was to Addy. It was giving Jake power over her decisions.
“Jake,” she said softly, trying to figure out how to explain what she’d just explained to Gabriella—who had called her crazy—and his mother—who had called her strong—without sounding like she didn’t want to be with him. “You have to know I want to stay. I want to wake up in your arms tomorrow and watch the sunrise and smell the flowers you picked for me.”
Her eyes dampened, and she drew deep, willing herself to be strong. “I debated staying, but I can’t.”
He pulled back only a fraction of an inch, but she noticed. Boy did she notice.
“Won’t, Addy. There’s a difference.”
She sank back down on her heels. “Yes, you’re right. There is, and I’m sorry, but changing my plans is…” This was where she’d stumbled with Gabriella, and it was even harder trying to find the right words for Jake when he was looking at her like she was all he ever wanted. “I told you I wouldn’t change my plans when we first got together.”
“Things change,” he said a little softer. “Addy, it’s a day, not a week. I’m not asking to go with you or trying to keep you from going. I want one more night with you, and I really want to go over some general safety guidelines and make sure you know
what to do in case of an emergency. I can show you the things you may not have thought of, like what plants and snakes are poisonous and what knots to use for certain things, and—”
“Stop.” It was another knee-jerk reaction, but knowing that didn’t make it any easier to try to slip out from under its grip. “I appreciate your offer, but I told you I’ve done my research. I’m fully capable of preparing for a camping trip, and if I’m not, then I’ll deal with it when something goes wrong.” She had bought books on knots and basic camping skills, and although she hadn’t read them yet, she would have plenty of time to do so once she got situated on the mountain. She’d looked up the important things, like what to pack, what to expect, and what wild animals she might run in to. Besides that, she definitely knew how to sit by a campfire, heat up a bowl of soup, and sleep in a frigging tent.
“It’s not like there are lions, tigers, and bears up there,” she said to lighten the air. “I mean, there are black bears, but I’m not a berry, so I think I’m pretty safe. And yes, I know I could see a mountain lion, but it would be rare, so can we please not argue about this? You know I’m not going to give in.”
He pulled her against him, hugging her as he kissed the top of her head. Tension radiated from every inch of his body, but his touch was caring and tender, and the dichotomy shook her to her core. Her heart said stay, stay, stay, but her head fought tooth and nail against changing her plans. She’d already changed so much, and giving in would tell Jake he could get her to change her plans anytime, wouldn’t it? That was a little too close to home.
Tipping up her chin, she met his gaze, and her heart whispered stay again. How on earth could she stick to her guns when all she wanted was to stay right there in his arms? Was this how women lost themselves? Their independence? Was this how she’d turn into her mother? By first giving in to one small thing, then the next and the next, until the need for her problem-solving and decision-making skills were erased completely and she flitted through life letting him take care of everything? She shuddered at the thought.
Rescued by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders): Jake Ryder Page 16