Drawn To You: A Beyond The Cove Novel

by Quinn, Jaclyn

  Jake yawned. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. “We’re getting up!”

  “Finally!” the boys yelled in unison.

  “At least they sound happier this morning.” Eli exhaled and rolled back so his head was on his pillow as uneasiness creased his brow. “I felt so helpless last night. They were so upset.”

  Jake kissed Eli’s forehead then threw the covers off them both. “I know, but I think we did the right thing going to the cemetery yesterday. I’m not sure it’ll ever get easier to bring them there. It’s not the most comfortable place to be for anyone, never mind two kids. Now, we can have a quiet Christmas at home, just the four of us.” Jake stood up and stretched then grabbed a pair of track pants and a sweatshirt off the hook on the door. When he turned around he saw Eli, staring off into space, with a worried look in his yes. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  Eli swung his legs off the bed as he sat up. He gripped the nape of his neck and released a heavy sigh. “I, uh…I got you all a present, but after yesterday, I’m not sure it was the best idea.”

  Jake sat next to Eli on the bed. “We’ll love anything you got us.”

  “Maybe it should wait. It’s not here anyway. I’ll show you guys in a few months or…” his voice softened, “never.”

  “Where is it? I’m guessing it has something to do with Kevin and Maggie?”

  Eli sighed. “On the boardwalk. Look, let’s just forget it. It’s not important. I have plenty of other things to give you guys.” He stood up and got dressed in pajama pants and a sweatshirt then opened their door. “Come on. The boys are waiting.”

  “Eli…” What the hell could he have gotten that could be so bad?

  “I’ll get the coffee going.” He left the room effectively ending the conversation.

  “Okay,” Jake said to himself. “That was weird.” He made his way downstairs and found the boys sitting on the floor in front of the tree, inspecting the presents.

  As promised, the aroma of coffee filled the air. Jake took a seat on the couch as they waited for Eli. Slowly, Eli walked into the room, carrying a tray with four mugs on it. He set it down on the coffee table then handed one to Jake. “Coffee.” Then he turned his head. “Boys, I made you hot chocolate.”

  “With marshmallows?” Dylan asked.

  “Pfft,” Eli looked at Dylan like he was crazy. “Of course. You can’t have hot chocolate without marshmallows.”

  Nick picked up a present. “Can we start, Uncle J?”

  “Yeah. Do you want to start handing them out?”

  Nick thought for a moment. “Well, Mom and Dad used to make sure we all had one first.”

  “Then we’d open them together,” Dylan added.

  “It’s like a…tradition.” Nick looked down at the present in his hands and shrugged.

  “Then we’ll keep with tradition,” Jake assured them. “Everyone gets a present to start with.” His nephews smiled and crawled over to the tree. Nick handed one to Eli while Dylan found one for Jake. Then they each found one of their own. “Everybody ready?” When Jake got nods from everyone, he yelled, “Go!”

  Wrapping paper flew as they tore into their presents. Jake and Eli both watched as Dylan pulled the T-shirt out of the box. He held it up to look at it and cracked up. “This is so cool!” Jake had drawn the kid Fart-Man, complete with mask and cape blowing in the, well, wind.

  “That’s an around-the-house-weekend shirt,” Jake clarified. “You can’t wear that to school, deal?”

  Dylan shot up off the floor and tackle-hugged Jake on the couch. “Deal!” Then he pulled back and tackled Eli.

  It didn’t take them long to plow through the pile of presents. Nick and Dylan just about busted their eardrums when they opened the boogie boards Jake and Eli had gotten them. They were better quality than the cheap ones Jake had taught them to use over the summer.

  Jake had gotten Eli the tattoo machine he’d been eyeing for months, and when Eli thanked him, he leaned in, whispering, “I’ll properly thank you later.”

  Hell, yeah.

  “Okay, breakfast first then stockings.” Eli stood up and stretched his arms over his head. “I’ll get everything ready.”

  Shit. He’s really not gonna give us the present he’d gotten?

  As soon as Eli was in the kitchen, Jake called the boys over to him in a hushed voice. “Okay,” he leaned back on the couch, looking to make sure Eli was still in the kitchen, “Eli got us another gift, but he’s worried to give it to us.”

  Dylan looked confused. “Why?”

  “He won’t tell me what it is, but I think it has to do with…” Jake’s voice trailed off as he looked at both Nick and Dylan. They were in a much better place today than they were last night, but was it too soon?

  “Mom and Dad?” Nick finished for him.

  Jake nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Are you up for that? You can say no.”

  Both boys looked at each other and Dylan shrugged his shoulders. Nick spoke up first. “Yesterday was really hard, but today, I don’t know…” Nick looked back at his brother, like he was searching for a way to say what he was feeling.

  “Today what?” When neither boy answered, Jake said, “Today’s been a pretty good day so far.” Nick and Dylan both nodded their heads. “We’re allowed to have those. Your parents would want us to be happy, especially on Christmas.”

  Nick thought for a minute, then hesitantly continued, “It’s been a really good day. Maybe whatever Eli got us will make it feel like Mom and Dad are a part of it.”

  “When did you get to be so smart?” Jake teased, but the relief he felt at hearing Nick’s mature words was immense. “So, you’re good? We’d have to leave the house, but I say we just throw our winter coats over our PJs, yeah?”

  Dylan and Nick readily agreed and raced each other to the front door. Jake followed behind, grabbing his and Eli’s coats before walking into the kitchen. “Hey.” When Eli looked up, Jake tossed him his coat. “Put that on. We’re going for a ride.”

  Eli looked at him skeptically. “To where?”

  “The boardwalk.”

  “Jake…”

  Jake walked up to Eli and kissed him. “We’re okay. The boys know it has to do with Kevin and Maggie.” He grabbed Eli’s hand and dragged him toward the door. “Come on. Show us our Christmas present.”

  They drove in silence. Halfway there, Jake grabbed Eli’s hand and laced their fingers together. The boardwalk was desolate in winter. They were apparently the only people crazy enough to go there in the cold, and on Christmas day, no less. Jake parked the car and he and the boys followed a nervous Eli past the boarded up snack stand and the booth that sold beach badges.

  When Eli stopped and stared out at the water, Jake was worried he’d changed his mind. He went and stood on one side of Eli while the boys stood on his other side. “I just thought,” Eli offered after a moment of silence, “that maybe this could be a place for you to remember all the happy things. A place to go to think about them, I guess. One of your favorite places to be.” He looked over at Jake, his green eyes so vulnerable yet filled with so much love at the same time. Eli turned away from the water, and Jake and the boys followed his gaze.

  It took him a second, but Jake saw it about the same time as the boys did. All three of them walked over to the dark green, wooden bench and read the plaque attached to the center of the top board.

  “Eli…” Jake stared in awe as he read the gold plaque over and over again.

  In Loving Memory of

  Kevin and Maggie Novak.

  Dylan ran his hand over the metal. “That’s so cool.”

  “Every time we use our new boogie boards we can come sit here. Right, Uncle J?” Nick looked up at him, and Jake nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.

  He reached out and pulled Eli against his side, wrapping an arm around his neck while he kissed his temple. “Thank you. This is amazing.”

  Eli’s shoulders sagged in relief. “You’re welcome.”

  Nick sa
t on the middle of the bench, and Jake and Eli followed suit on either side of him. There wasn’t enough room for Dylan, so Jake yanked him down on his lap. They sat in silence, looking out at the ocean, taking in the serenity of the location and the new meaning it held.

  “Can we maybe go home now?” Dylan’s teeth were chattering. “I’m freezing my butt blaster off.”

  Jake and Eli looked at each other before they started laughing. “Yeah, kid. Let’s go home.”

  As they stood up, Jake grabbed Eli’s hand, and they all walked to the car. They were going home…to their home…as a family.

  It wasn’t the direction they’d ever expected their lives to go in. They were drawn together by loss but somehow, through that loss, they found their new normal.

  They’re my home now, Kevin.

  I finally have all of it.

  One year later…

  “Antler ring toss! Just what I always wanted!” Zach yelled out. “How’d you guys know?” he asked Nick and Dylan as he tore into the box with exaggerated enthusiasm.

  “Well, Eli always says you act like you’re five, so…” Dylan said matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulders. Eli choked on his coffee while the rest of the room erupted in laughter. A proud smile grew on Dylan’s face when he realized he was the cause.

  Zach arched an eyebrow and looked at Eli. “Paybacks. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

  Eli put his hand on Jake’s thigh and settled back on the couch while the boys sat in front of them on the floor. His parents’ living room was packed with Taylors and Novaks and was in total disarray. Just how Christmas should be.

  Zach tossed one of the blow-up antlers to Jake. “Let’s see what ya got.” Zach put his game face on, his eyes narrowed, as he strapped the antlers to his head—and Eli just about lost it.

  He turned his head to Jake and barked out a laugh seeing the inflated antlers on top of Jake’s head. Jake tilted his chin at Zach, his eyes challenging. “Bring it.”

  “Ugh. Why’d you ever let them become friends, Eli?” Savannah complained jokingly.

  Eli just laughed, but in the back of his mind, he was so damn happy about how his family had reached out to Jake and the boys over the last year. Slowly, Eli watched Jake’s walls come down as they all healed. It hadn’t been easy at times, but they were getting through it day by day. Jake’s parents hadn’t bothered to try and see the kids in the past year. They would have failed if they’d even tried. Jake, Nick, and Dylan were much better without them in their lives.

  But Eli’s parents, along with Nina and Stan, had seamlessly stepped into the roles of surrogate grandparents. They even treated Jake like a son, which took him some time to get used to. Seeing how comfortable Jake and the kids were as they sat here, in Eli’s parents’ home, was unbelievable. And the fact that Zach and Jake had become genuine friends, well— “Ow!” Eli griped, as the plastic ring bounced off his nose and fell in his lap. Why did I let them become friends?

  Jake snorted out a laugh while Zach unapologetically said, “You’re in the line of fire, little brother.”

  “Uncle J? Can we now?” Dylan asked impatiently. For what, Eli had no idea.

  Jake looked up at Zach. “Time out. The boys and I are gonna give Eli his last gift now.” He took the antlers off his head and tossed them on the table next to him.

  Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and Jonah yelled out, “Ma! Get in here!” She ran in from the kitchen, a towel in her hands, and sat on the arm of the chair Eli’s dad was in.

  “What’s going on?” Eli squirmed on the couch next to Jake, his whole family looking at him with goofy smiles full of anticipation. “Seriously, you’re all acting weird.”

  “Nick, you wanna grab the box from under the tree?” Nick nodded and reached over, pulling a box from way back under the tree. Eli hadn’t even noticed there was one left. Jake’s leg that was pressed up against Eli’s started bouncing and he wiped his hand on his jeans.

  Damn, he’s really nervous.

  Nick handed Eli a present the size of a shirt box. Eli looked around the room one more time before Dylan whined, “Open it already.”

  “Okay, okay.” He tore the brightly colored paper off the box and handed it to Nick to put in the garbage bag next to him. Carefully, he lifted lid and inside was a note:

  Your mission, should you choose to accept…all of it.

  Eli chuckled and arched an eyebrow at the boys. “Should I be scared? You’re not going to challenge me to a bug eating contest or something, are you?”

  “Just keep going,” Nick urged impatiently. “Lift the tissue paper.”

  Eli lifted the thin tissue to find…more papers. Forms, actually. He read the top of the first form. Guardianship? His watery eyes shot up as he looked at the boys then turned his head to Jake. Jake bit his bottom lip, his brows furrowed, and that knee was bouncing rapidly. “Are you serious?”

  “We talked about it a lot, right guys?” Jake asked the boys. His eyes met Eli’s again. “You already take care of them in every way that counts. The only thing that’s missing is the legal stuff.”

  “Can I…? I mean, we’re not married. Will they let me…?” Eli was a ball of emotions and confusion, still trying to process what was happening.

  “We can make it all legal, you know…if you want,” Jake replied, clearly riddled with doubt and insecurity. “I want that. We want that. You, me, the boys…forever.”

  “Yeah, and then we can call you Uncle Eli once you guys get married,” Dylan added, as usual, easily saying the words Jake and Eli seemed to dance around.

  Eli wiped at his eyes and leaned over to Jake, giving him a soft kiss, and Jake’s tense body relaxed.

  “Well?” Nick stared at Eli with hope in his eyes.

  Eli looked at Dylan and Nick; two kids who, through horrific circumstances, had become two of the most important people in his life. His gaze shifted to Jake; the man who had become…everything. The answer was so incredibly clear.

  “Mission accepted.”

  He barely had the words out when cheers rang out around the room, and Eli found himself in a Novak pile-on. He laughed as the boys leapt off the couch and happy-danced in the middle of the living room, with everyone looking on and laughing.

  “There will be a private initiation later on tonight,” Jake whispered in Eli’s ear.

  Eli chuckled and placed a hand on Jake’s cheek. “I love you.”

  Jake leaned in and brushed his lips over Eli’s. “I love you too.”

  I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive family. Thank you for believing in me!

  Thank you to my betas: Gilda Cordeiro, Annabella Michaels, Jenn Gibson, Morningstar Ashley, Michael Bailey, and Luna David. I struggled with the subject matter of this book, constantly doubting myself along the way. You all helped me through that fear, and I can’t thank you enough. You’re an invaluable part of my team, but most importantly, you are amazing friends!

  Cate Ashwood, you’re stuck with me!! You continue to make covers that absolutely blow me away, and you have so much patience!! Thank you for always listening to all the ideas I have in my head. I know they can get overwhelming! You always manage to make a cover that’s exactly what I had envisioned.

  Thank you Allison Holzapfel, my beta/proofreader. You help me catch the little things that could so easily be overlooked. Thank you!

  Thank you Terri, my editor, for all the time you put into making this book the best and as polished as it could be.

  Luna David, you always go above and beyond to make sure my book is visually how I want it to be. Thank you!

  Thank you for reading Drawn to You. This is the first book in the Beyond the Cove series. Stay tuned for new releases coming your way in the near future! Zachariah’s an impatient Taylor man. He’ll want his story told soon!

  Reviews are always appreciated!

  I’d love to hear from you! You can find me on my Facebook Profile, in my Facebook Group, on Instagram, and Twitter

&n
bsp; Haven’s Cove Series

  Hard To Let Go, Book 1

  Owen Richards lives a quiet life in his small hometown of Haven’s Cove. He has a rewarding life consisting of three very supportive—not to mention feisty—women, and a successful bakery that he owns and absolutely loves. Yet, Owen can’t seem to shake this emptiness inside or the intense feeling that something is missing. A sudden encounter with a man from his past, one he despises, turns his entire world upside down. When Owen finds himself attracted to that sexy man, he questions everything, including his sanity. After all, only an incredibly disturbed person would find that he can’t stop thinking about his high school bully.

  Brody Walker never expected to return to Haven’s Cove. He’s made a life for himself in Boston, where he can truly be the person he was always meant to be. But an unexpected call has Brody facing all the demons he’d left behind so long ago. Now, he’s faced with not only a difficult goodbye, but one long overdue apology to a man who is no longer that lanky kid from high school. The challenge is to convince the guy he’s changed—and also prove he’s worth taking a chance on.

  When passions ignite truths are exposed, changing the beliefs these men have held on to for years. Faced with the knowledge that things aren’t always what they seem, will they choose to hold on to the incredible thing they’ve found…or is it easier to give in to the fear and let go?

  Haven’s Cove Series

  Hard To Get, Book 2

  Gabe D’Angelo has it all. Designer clothes, luxury cars, a cool confidence most would envy, and a never-ending supply of money—and men. When he arrived in Haven’s Cove to be there for his best friend, he never imagined he’d end up extending his stay indefinitely. Small town living isn’t so bad after all, and the views are magnificent—especially the view of a sexy, rugged blond. But when that mysterious, brooding man refuses all Gabe’s advances, he is forced to take a step back and truly look at the person he’s become.