DEAN’S CHEST FELT full to near bursting. He didn’t think it was possible to fall deeper in love with Emery than he already had, but the combination of her determination to connect with his fuckhead father and her desire to see him cherish the people who should matter most solidified what he’d already known. While he and Emery might be as different as day and night on some levels, the very foundations of their beliefs were perfectly aligned. Family and love came before all else.
He rubbed his beard along her cheek, enjoying the feel of her shuddering against him. He was glad he hadn’t shaved it off this summer. He still remembered the night they were FaceTiming and she’d begged him to keep it, the way her eyes had turned sultry. It boggled his mind that a person could be so deep in denial about emotions so strong they had practically reached through the phone and gobbled him up.
“I’ll never become him, Em,” he assured her. “I’ll never put anything ahead of you, and I’ll never treat people poorly. I need you to know that.”
“I know. You care too much. Besides, you’re the most loyal man I know.”
“Thank you, but that’s not why.” He held her closer, swaying to the music as he spoke into her ear, wanting her to hear every word. “It’s because I’m falling for you, Emery, and I could never hurt the person I value most.”
She gazed up at him, looking deeply into his eyes, as if the answers to the questions in hers lingered there.
He smiled and touched his lips to hers. “From the very first day I saw you wrapped up in that big red ribbon, positive energy radiating off of you brighter than the sun, and you opened that beautiful mouth of yours and sassed me all night long, I was a goner.”
“Dean,” she said with watery, surprised eyes.
“I don’t want you to get freaked out and run away. I just need you to know that I’m all in, Emery. I want you in my life.”
“I’m all in, too,” she said joyfully, rendering him momentarily speechless. “I am, Dean. I know I’m not experienced at relationships, and I’ll probably still screw things up a bunch of times, but not in the really bad ways, like cheating or anything. Just in doing-dumb-things-without-thinking ways.”
Remembering the night of the bonfire and the way she’d decided to change her clothes in the bathroom instead of on the beach, he said, “We all do things without thinking sometimes, but I have faith in us. If either of us stumbles, we’ll be there to help each other find our footing.”
She pressed her body to his with the biggest grin he’d ever seen and said, “You have to at least pretend to dance, or everyone’s going to look at us.”
He hadn’t realized he’d stopped. “I want to remember you just like this for the rest of my life,” he said without moving. “Right here, in this dress, telling me you’re falling for me.”
As couples danced around them and the darkness peered in through the windows, he didn’t want to waste another second in this stuffy ballroom. All he wanted was to be alone with the woman he adored. “What do you say we get out of here? Go for a walk on the beach where it’s not so stuffy?”
“That sounds wonderful. Right after you dance with your mom.” She pointed to his mother, who was sitting at the table watching them with an appreciative smile. His father stood across the room talking with two of his partners. “She deserves to have a happy night, too.”
She gave him a chaste kiss and said, “I’m going to the ladies’ room. Don’t find a new girlfriend while I’m gone.”
He tugged her against him again, feeling happier than he could ever remember being. “No one could ever replace you. Do you know where it is? You have to go out of the ballroom and down the hall. Want me to walk you there?”
“No. I want you to dance with your mom. I know where it is. I saw it on our way in.”
“Okay. Don’t take too long.” Despite her fancy dress and the formalness of the event, he gave her ass a pat, and she walked away smiling.
Dean approached his mother and extended his hand. “May I have this dance?”
“Thank you.” His mother placed her delicate hand in his.
She moved gracefully in his arms. “I forgot how well you danced.”
“I used to go dancing quite often with your father,” she said, smiling.
“Before Grandpa died.”
“Yes, but I still remember it like it was yesterday.” She was quiet for a moment before saying, “I like Emery. She’s got spunk.”
“That she does.”
“You look at her like you can’t breathe without her,” she said with the intuitive tone he remembered from his youth.
“Do I?” He knew he did, but this wasn’t a conversation he’d been prepared for, even if he liked knowing she’d noticed.
“She’s good for you. I can tell.” She glanced at his serious-faced father, who was still deep in conversation with the two other men. “But she’ll try your father’s patience, and we all know he’ll try hers.” Bringing her attention back to Dean, her expression turned serious. “Don’t let that dissuade you. Follow your heart, baby. It’ll never lead you astray.”
He couldn’t imagine letting his father dissuade him from anything, other than further confirming that he did not belong in the medical field.
After their dance, two of his mother’s closest friends, Elsa Longhorn and Aimee LaRue, the wives of his father’s business partners, appeared by her side.
“Dean, it’s so wonderful to see you,” Elsa said.
He hugged her briefly. Elsa had always been good to him, and unlike his father, she understood that he and Diana were simply not meant to be together.
“It’s nice to see you, too.” Having practically grown up with these women, Dean also embraced Aimee. “You ladies look beautiful tonight.”
“You are a charmer,” Elsa said. “And Diana tells me your date is as lovely in person as she looks.”
Dean looked in the direction of the ladies’ room, missing Emery already. “She is. Thank you. How is Diana?”
“She’s doing well,” Elsa said thoughtfully. “She had to leave early. Harvey, her new boyfriend, is an up-and-coming obstetrician, and you know how that goes. When the babies are ready to enter the world, they’ll wait for nothing.”
The women spirited away his mother, who left him with a kiss, a pat on the cheek, and a promise to call him in the coming days. Dean gazed out the windows into the darkness. He was glad his mother had close friends, and he wondered if she was happy.
He caught sight of his father’s reflection in the glass as he stepped up beside him. The muscles in Dean’s neck pulled tight as he turned to face the man who had once left their family, and had returned a loving, attentive father. He wondered where that man had gone. As he studied his father’s face, noticing crevices etched across his forehead, the loosened jowls that came with age, and his ever-sharp blue eyes, Dean wished he knew what had changed when he’d gone away to college and they’d lost his grandfather. How many stars had to have misaligned for his father to have turned into a bitter, angry man—the very reflection of Dean’s grandfather, whom his father more often than not had abhorred.
“I think tonight’s event has gone well, don’t you?” His father sipped his drink and slid one hand into his trouser pocket, his steady gaze holding Dean’s.
Dean nodded, struggling to quell the familiar battle waging inside of him. He wanted to walk away and never look back as badly as he wanted to tell his father exactly what he really thought of him. But respect and loyalty went a long way, and normally Dean was careful not to do or say anything that could cause a rift big enough to hurt his mother. Jett had taken care of that all on his own. But tonight Dean had been chewing on the way his father had mistreated Emery, and he wasn’t about to let that go.
“I do think the event has gone rather well. But in the future, please treat Emery with the same level of respect you expect from others.”
His father’s glass stopped halfway to his mouth. He lowered it slowly, his brows lifting slightly. “You su
re you want to do this now?”
Dean drew his shoulders back. “It seems appropriate, given that you practically laughed at her career. She’s a brilliant, kind woman, and more importantly, she’s my girlfriend.”
A long, drawn-out sigh left his father’s lips. He glanced out the window, the extended silence clawing at Dean’s nerves. His fingers curled and flexed as his father slowly brought his attention back to him.
“You’re a Masters, son,” he said evenly. “For generations, the Masters men have not only been doctors, but we’ve been leaders in our fields. Don’t you think it’s about time to put this resort business on the back burner and get serious about your career? You’ve had a solid break after tinkering with trauma nursing. It’s time to get in the trenches and make a difference in this world.”
“If making a difference, in your mind, also means treating people the way you do, then I want no part of it.” He stepped closer, his tone deathly calm. “And for the record, my years spent as a trauma nurse were not only every bit as intense and important as your career, but they proved to me that while you can shut off your emotions, I cannot. The people I watched die were someone’s relatives. They mattered to them, and the moment they were on my table, they mattered to me.”
His father gave a half-cocked smile. “I forgot that you were too weak to handle trauma nursing. But there are other types of medicine—”
“Stop,” Dean interrupted. “I’m thirty-two years old, not a child you can direct as you see fit or demean at your will. There are many types of weaknesses, and the ability to connect with humans is not one of them. You used to know how to do that. The resort, working with men I respect and love like brothers, and nurturing life through nature makes me happy and proud. It’s a shame you don’t appreciate the value in those things, but I’m not going to waste any more of my breath trying to convince you otherwise.”
His father seemed to mull that over with a lingering sip of his drink. “Fair enough. Then let’s talk about your personal life. Diana is still unmarried.”
“Christ, Dad. Are you really going to try to pawn that poor woman off on me again?”
“She’s good for you, son. She’ll never try your patience or speak against you.” His father looked out the window again and said, “This woman, Emery, is clearly intelligent, but she’s a distraction, a—”
Dean grabbed his father’s arm, turning him forcefully so he had no choice but to look him in the eyes. With his heart slamming inside his chest and his teeth clenched tight, he seethed, “It’s one thing to push me toward a profession I don’t want, but don’t you ever—ever—talk about the woman I love that way.” He dropped his father’s arm. “I’m done with this. Whatever this is between us.” He stalked away, and his eyes connected with Emery’s. His heart lurched as she turned and bolted toward the exit.
Chapter Twenty-Two
EMERY’S HEART THUNDERED against her ribs so hard it hurt. She pressed her hand to the center of her chest and burst out of the ballroom door, struggling to drag air into her lungs. She didn’t know exactly what type of argument she’d come upon when she’d seen Dean clutching his father’s arm, but hearing Dean profess his love for her in one breath and threaten his father in the next had knocked the wind out of her.
She broke into a jog when she hit the lobby.
“Emery, wait!” Dean caught her by the waist, but she twisted away and continued running toward the exit. “Em, please, slow down.”
“I can’t!” She was shaking all over as she stormed out of the resort. The crisp night air stung her cheeks as she ran down the steps.
Tears blurred her vision, slowing her down enough for Dean to tug her against him so hard she smacked into his chest, and her tears broke free. He was shaking too, his chest expanding against hers with each harsh inhalation.
“Goddamn it, Emery. Stop!” He held her at arm’s length, an immovable force trapping her in place. “I’m done with him. You’ll never have to deal with him again. He’s an arrogant, infuriating ass.”
“And he’s your father,” she cried. “You’ve spent years trying to keep peace within your family because of Jett, and now—” She gasped, trying to regain control of her emotions. “You love me? Oh God, Dean! You love me!” Her heart soared, and just as quickly, it tore right down the middle. “And you threatened your father because of me? I don’t want to be the thing that tears you away from your family! You shouldn’t love me!” Sobs racked her body and she twisted away from him before he could see she didn’t mean it, but his grip was too tight and he yanked her back.
She pushed at his chest, her mind whirring like a hurricane. Don’t let me go, she tried to say, but all that came out was “Don’t—” before another sob stole her voice.
“Don’t what Emery?” he seethed. “Don’t feel what I already feel?”
She turned her face away, slamming her eyes closed to try to stop the flow of tears, but the river continued, her heart crumbling to pieces. He jerked her toward him again, his free hand pressing to her back so firmly she could hardly breathe.
“That’s not going to fucking happen,” he said through gritted teeth. “Do you hear me? You are not the cause of any of this. Don’t you see that? It’s him, Emery.”
“Because he wants to see you with someone like Diana?” She swiped at her tears, inhaling sharply. “I met her! She’s lovely”—sob, sob—“and nice”—gasp—“and totally wrong for you!” She couldn’t stop the words from coming out. “I’m sorry, but of course she bored you to oblivion. She’s…vanilla.”
A soft laugh fell from Dean’s lips.
“Don’t laugh at me!” Why am I yelling? “She’s not right for you, but I liked her, and she’s coming to my yoga class tomorrow morning!”
He framed her face with his rough hands and gazed into her teary eyes. “You’re incredible, do you know that?”
She shook her head, struggling to regain control, then nodded. “I am pretty incredible.”
He laughed, drawing a half laugh, half cry from her.
“My father was in there spouting bullshit about being with a woman who won’t get under my skin, and you meet my ex, and instead of getting jealous, like any other woman would, you make friends with her? I want you under my skin, Emery. I want you to speak your mind, even when it’s not what someone else wants to hear. I want you at any cost.”
Her mind spun, and she was still too upset and confused to speak rationally. “I know that!” she snapped. “I want you, too, and I want you to want me! But your father hates me.”
Fresh tears spilled from her eyes, the sting of the truth too much to bear. She turned away, but he pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head. He smelled familiar and safe, and her fingers curled naturally into the fabric of his sport coat. She didn’t try to push away, because the truth was, the only person she wanted to run to was Dean.
“I’m not letting you go,” he said adamantly. “I love you, and I’m not going to let you sabotage our happiness.”
Oh God. How could something feel so good and hurt so bad at the same time? “I want you to love me,” she managed. “But I can’t be the thing that drives you and your father farther apart. How could I ever live with myself if I made things harder for you? It’ll break my heart every time I think about it.”
“The only thing that would make things hard for me would be if you push me away. Don’t do it, doll,” he warned. “Don’t ruin what we have.”
“I’m trying to save your family so you don’t end up resenting me. That’s what you do when you care about someone, isn’t it? You step back and make yourself miserable so they can be happy?”
He put space between them, still holding her with a death grip, his confused eyes boring into her. “No, Emery. It’s not. When you love someone, you never let them go. You do everything within your power to help them be the best person they can, to achieve their dreams, and to get through nights like tonight. But you don’t run away. You don’t become a martyr. Love isn’t
easy, Emery, but we will be worth it.”
“I told you I didn’t know how to do this! I don’t even know what’s right or wrong anymore.” She threw her arms up, tears flooding her eyes. “I’m pretty sure this goddamn pain in my chest is my heart exploding because by being myself…” She closed her eyes as the truth stabbed her again. She was trembling all over, and vaguely aware of other couples watching them as they came and went from the resort. She tried to lower her voice and said, “By being myself, I’ve caused even more trouble between you and your dad.”
He grabbed her wrist, stepping closer, and said, “Stop right there. This has been coming for a long time.”
“This what? This fight?” She crossed her arms. “I knew I’d screw us up!”
He shook his head and gathered her in his arms again. “No,” he said gently. “Putting an end to my father’s wrath.”
He brushed his lips over hers, the slow, intimate touch taking her by surprise.
“And you and I coming together was also long overdue,” he said firmly. “I love you, and I want you back in my house. In our house. Our bed, Em. You know you love me, and you know you want this—us—just as much as I do.”
She buried her face in his shirt, unsure of what she should do or say. She loved him so much she was ready to walk away just to keep from hurting him more. But walking away would hurt them both.
He lifted her chin as he’d done so many times before and gazed lovingly into her eyes. “You deserve me, and I deserve you. Don’t let my father make you think otherwise.”
“I know we deserve each other. I’m pretty great, and you’re beyond amazing. But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with coming between you and your father.”
Bayside Passions (Bayside Summers Book 2) Page 25