While Derek and Trent talked with Griffin about the resort, Shelley imagined what it would be like to sit at the Rockwells’ dinner table every week, catching up with people who cared.
But she already knew what it would be like: simply amazing.
All of them were so excited about her move, and with Griffin’s lovely toast, Shelley felt like she was already part of the family. She had a pang of longing over the difference between Quinn’s warm and inclusive family and her cold, distant parents. But instead of wallowing in what she didn’t have, she silently reveled in the way it felt to be with the Rockwells.
And, best of all, with the man she loved.
IT HAD BEEN a long time since Quinn had spent such a relaxing and fun evening with his family. While he always enjoyed their time together, he was usually rushing to get back to work, or taking business calls and juggling the two. He was glad Shelley had asked him about his phone before they joined the others, because for the first time in his adult life he’d felt completely untethered and was able to enjoy his family without the distraction of work.
As they drove away from his parents’ house, he thought about what his mother had said when she’d pulled him aside before dinner.
Remember why Eloise walked away from your grandfather’s marriage proposal?
He’d heard the story enough times to remember it clearly. Chandler had always been a workaholic, even as a young man, and Eloise had refused to play second fiddle to any man’s business.
His mother had gently reminded him how much Quinn had hated seeing Grandma Caroline treated like she was third best to both Chandler’s workload and Eloise, the woman who had turned down his grandfather’s proposal. But it was what his mother added next that had his gut twisting into knots.
Work isn’t everything, honey. You’ve made it, and we’re all very proud of you. Maybe now it’s time to let your heart have a turn at living.
And even though he’d been worried that he was too much like his grandfather, wasn’t it true that his parents had been the ones who’d taught him how to love—not Chandler? He could definitely make this work. It might not be easy to balance all the different parts of his life, but he’d never backed down from a challenge and he wouldn’t back down now.
Especially not when a future with Shelley was on the line.
“Thank you for taking me home with you tonight.”
Shelley’s voice brought him back to the present. She sat in the passenger seat looking more beautiful than ever. Everything about her seemed brighter tonight, from the happiness in her eyes to her smile. Even the way she held his hand felt warmer, better than before—and before had been damn good.
He wanted to keep making her happy and was really glad he’d planned a surprise for her.
“It wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun without you. But was my family overwhelming? I know we can be a rowdy bunch.”
“Are you kidding? They’re great! I’ve spent my whole life wishing for a family like yours. I can’t imagine how you and Trent and Derek moved away. Your family is so full of love and support. They’re warm and wonderful, and…I know I’m gushing, but I can’t help it.”
“I love when you gush.” He turned onto the street and made a sharp right onto a narrow dirt road that led up into the woods.
“Where are we going?” Shelley peered into the darkness. “Is this even a road?”
“Sort of.” He parked the car and went to the trunk, shouldered two duffel bags he’d packed before picking up Shelley, and helped her from the car.
“Is this the part where you kill me and bury my body?” she teased as they followed a dark trail deeper into the woods.
“Only if it’s really possible to love someone to death. But even then, I’d give you a proper burial,” he teased right back. “These are my old stomping grounds,” he said as he snaked his arm around her waist and led her up a big hill. “My brothers and Sierra and I used to run around these woods like wild banshees. We’d build forts and chase each other around.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“There are so many places like this that I haven’t even thought of for years. Tonight, Shell, this is all for you.”
He let go of her hand and bent down in the dark to fiddle with something. A few seconds later, strings of white lights illuminated an enormous tree trunk that grew up from the ground at a slight angle.
The trunk bloomed wide, horizontal to the ground, like a giant hand, palm up, with gnarled branches like long, thick fingers that reached up toward the sky. Lights followed the thick trunk, guiding a path up roughly built steps that led to a platform in the palm of the tree.
There, in the center of the platform, was a tree house—just like the one she’d told Quinn she’d always dreamed of having as a little girl.
Chapter Twenty-four
“QUINN…” SHELLEY WHISPERED into the night. “I’ve never seen anything like this! It’s amazing.”
This was no ordinary tree house. It was built with plywood walls that had been whitewashed. A hole was cut as a window, and there were shadows cast inside from what she imagined were more lights. A railing of tangled branches bound together with rope surrounded the structure.
He pulled her in close. “Welcome to your night in a tree house. One item off your bucket list.”
Shelley swallowed against the lump thickening in her throat as he continued speaking.
“I can’t promise to be with you every day, but I hope to make the days—and the nights—we’re together ones that you’ll never forget.”
He sealed his lips over hers, and Shelley melted against him, wishing he’d never leave but knowing it was inevitable. They’d discussed a long-distance relationship and had agreed to it. So even though she couldn’t imagine a day without him, loving Quinn meant loving all of him.
Shelley was a strong woman. She knew she could do anything. She’d never needed a man, not for one stinking thing.
But as Quinn pulled her in even closer to him and deepened the kiss—his heart beating fast against hers—she finally realized that when you loved someone, need had nothing to do with the ache of wanting that person with you every minute of the day.
QUINN LAY BESIDE Shelley on the blankets in the love nest he’d created just for them, complete with pillows and a bottle of wine.
“I can’t believe you went to all this trouble to decorate your childhood tree house for me,” Shelley said. “How old were you when you built it? And whose idea was it? Derek, since he’s so into building things?”
“I was thirteen, but it was actually my mom’s idea. We were tearing around the house with way too much energy, so she not only suggested that we try to build a tree house, but she brought us to this tree, too.” Quinn smiled as he remembered the sunny April morning they’d followed their parents and traipsed through the woods. “She called this Inspiration Point, because she said it looked like a giant hand that held all our dreams. When we had a problem to work out or we were just out of sorts, she’d say, Head up to Inspiration Point. You’ll sort it out.” Quinn looked around the small room, taking in each of the boards they’d pounded together with hammers and old nails. “She was right. I came up here a lot over the years. This is where I slept the night before I left for college. This is where I made the decision to leave the island and start my business in Annapolis. It was like my big goodbye to the island.” And now, he thought, he was here with Shelley...about to say goodbye again. Knowing it was going to be only a week or two before he was back on the island didn’t make it any easier to go.
“I still can’t imagine ever wanting to leave. You have so much here. Don’t you ever miss it?” He could tell she wasn’t asking to try to convince him to stay, but because she was truly curious. “I think I’d miss it, and I’ve only been here a few days.”
“The island has that effect on a lot of people,” he agreed. “I see it in Trent’s eyes now that we’re back, actually. It might not have been his initial choice to come back here, bu
t now that he’s been back a little while, I can tell he’s fully committed to being here again. Excited about it, actually. Whereas Derek can’t wait for the handcuffs to come off so that he can leave again. Then again, Derek has never been the kind of guy who’s ever been happy settling down in one place.”
When Shelley settled her hand over his after he said the word handcuffs, and her eyes went serious, Quinn easily guessed that she must be thinking about how vehement he had been about leaving when they’d first met.
“You’re a careful thinker, Quinn, and this has all happened so fast. The speed of our relationship doesn’t faze me, but I can’t help wondering if in your mind you’re still processing it. Us.” She rubbed her thumb across his palm. “I just want you to know that I get it, because I never saw you coming, either. After all,” she said with a laugh, “this was supposed to be my solo honeymoon. I never expected to meet you in the cove at midnight and fall head over heels in love with you, practically at first sight.”
Not for the first time—or, he was certain, the last—Quinn wondered what he’d done to deserve her. He’d never met a woman who understood his need to overthink things. Nor had he ever met one who was so honest in every moment, even when honesty wasn’t the easiest path.
Most women, he knew, would either be giving him an ultimatum about staying on the island or they’d be offering to move to Annapolis with him. But as much as Shelley loved him—and he knew without one single doubt that she loved him as much as he loved her—she had way too much self-respect to ever give up her own dreams to follow a man. Especially not when she’d been searching her whole life for a place that felt like home, and there was no doubt that Rockwell Island was that place.
He’d known she belonged here from the moment he’d seen her in the cove that first night. She’d bonded with the elements, both tangible and intangible, and had become one with the island in the same way most of his family was. And the truth was, seeing the island through her eyes had him also now feeling the pull of the bay, the draw of the close-knit residents, and the love and support that his family doled out effortlessly and consistently.
But more than anything, he knew he’d be drawn back to the island again and again by Shelley. “You make me want so much,” he told her as he laid her gently on her back and kissed the ridge of her shoulder. “You make me think about my future in such a different way than I ever have before.” He kissed a heated path down her arm. “You make me feel like the island is home again, when it hasn’t been that way for a very long time.” He pressed a kiss to the pulse point at her neck, then licked out against her deliciously soft skin. “And tonight, when you talked about having kids, you made me realize how great that would be...and that I want to be there for my kids the same way my parents were there for me.”
“You’re a loving, caring son and brother, Quinn,” she said softly, her breath hitching from his mouth playing over her skin. “So I know you’re going to be a protective, loving father one day, too.”
He lifted his head to look into her eyes. “You have so much faith in me, don’t you?”
Because even though he now wanted all these new things, he also still needed to figure out how to balance this powerful love he felt with his crazy schedule and propensity to overwork. He wanted to be there for her when she needed him and not let her down by canceling trips to see her at the last minute because of a meeting about the resort or an issue at the shipyard.
“Always,” she said against his lips before pressing a kiss to them. “I’ll always have faith in you. Just like I know you’ll always have faith in me.”
“How did I get so lucky to find you, Shell? You’re sweet, you’re beautiful, and you’re mine.”
“Yours,” she agreed in a whisper as he ran his hands over her, from her shoulders to her waist and then over her hips. “Love me, Quinn.”
“Always,” he said as he untied her halter top and drew down her dress, loving how she always vibrated with pure pleasure as he ran his mouth and hands over her. He stroked, caressed, teased, and tempted until she was writhing beneath him and tearing his clothes off.
He gazed into her beautiful eyes, hazy with desire. “Do you know how much I love you? Your heart. Your honesty. Your passion.”
“Show me how much, Quinn. And let me show you, too.”
He wanted desperately to be a generous lover, to make this night more memorable than any other. But when she began to kiss and touch him the same way he’d been touching her, he knew if he had any hope of pleasuring her, he had to get control of his desires...and fast.
Lacing their fingers together, he brought her hands to the sides of her hips and held them there as he took her in another needful kiss before slowly licking and nipping and kissing his way down from her mouth to the swell of her breasts, then down over her rib cage and past her belly button. By the time he scraped his teeth lightly over one hip bone, she was lifting her hips closer to his mouth and he was beyond desperate to taste her.
Finally, he brought his mouth to the center of her arousal, teasing her with his tongue as she panted out his name. She tasted sweet as honey, and the sexy moans escaping from her lips as he let one of her hands go to slide his between her legs made it even harder for him to hold back. Within seconds of thrusting his fingers deep inside of her, her inner muscles clenched, pulsing as she rode the wave of her climax.
He didn’t let her come back down to earth before moving back up her body and taking her in a greedy kiss. Her mouth was warm and sweet as she met every stroke of his tongue with an eager slick of her own. Watching her come was the most erotic, sensual experience of his life, and he wanted to do it again and again and again. Shelley had come into his life from out of the blue and turned everything he thought he knew upside down, and every kiss, every soft sigh she gave him was a gift. Ones he’d treasure forever.
He sheathed himself and came down over her, lacing their fingers together again and holding them beside her head as he said, “I love you, Shell. So damn much.”
“Oh God, Quinn...” She closed her eyes as he brought them as close as two people could be, then opened them again to gaze up at him in wonder as she whispered, “I love you, too.”
Their hips moved in exquisite harmony as her breasts brushed against his chest and her hips rocked off the blankets. His hands were shaking with need as he explored the soft lines of her ribs, her waist, and the swell of her hips, where he held on tight. Wrapping her legs around his waist, he couldn't wait one more second to angle her hips and drive in deeper. So deep that they both groaned at the soul searing pleasure of it.
He could feel her heart beating hard against his, her damp skin sliding against his as she took him inside again and again, her breath sobbing out as he greedily ran his tongue, his teeth, his lips over her soft skin, from the wild pulse beating in her throat to the swell of her breasts. He felt her shudder, felt her clench hot and perfect against him, and he needed to give her even more. Needed to give her everything, every last part of him, with nothing held back—just the same way she was giving herself to him.
From their very first kiss out on the sand with the stars shining above them, with every smile, every laugh, every single breath, he’d been helplessly falling deeper and deeper in love with her.
And every single day he would be thankful that he’d come back to the island and found Shelley in his cove. His girl. His love.
“Oh God…” She closed her eyes again.
“Look at me, sweetheart. Let me see you come apart for me.”
And when her eyes fluttered open and their gazes connected for a split second and she let him see all the way into her very soul, for a few blissful moments Quinn was able to forget his past and stop worrying about his future.
Everything he needed, everything he wanted, was right here in Shelley’s arms.
Chapter Twenty-five
LATE THE NEXT morning, Shelley turned the key in the lock of the cottage she’d just signed papers to rent for the next two years.
“This is it,” she said to Quinn as they stood together on the front porch. “My new beginning officially starts now.”
She pushed the door open and inhaled the scent of furniture polish—and the huge vase of flowers she knew Quinn must have put inside the cottage for her to welcome her to her new home.
She laughed with delighted surprised as he lifted her into his arms and carried her over the threshold with a beaming smile.
“I’m so proud of you, Shell. You saw what you wanted and you went for it. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it a million more. You’re a remarkable woman.” He kissed her again before her toes touched the hardwood floor.
She crossed the room and opened the doors to the balcony. Fresh sea air brought the sheer curtains to life.
He moved behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and nibbled on the curve of her neck. “What do you say we christen every single room?”
After enjoying such a romantic evening at the tree house, Quinn had spent an hour and a half this morning catching up on phone calls he’d missed while Shelley had made a to-do list for moving her café. They’d had breakfast with his parents at Sierra’s restaurant, stopped by Quinn’s suite to pick up work he had to take care of for his partner, and then met the real estate agent.
She’d planned to unpack right away...but making love with Quinn in every room was the perfect way to celebrate what was already one of the best mornings of her life.
She turned toward the man who had appeared the first night she’d set foot on the island and had effortlessly wound his way into her heart. He’d accepted her for who she was, supported what surely looked like a whim, and had given her the best week of her entire life.
She hadn’t even been looking for a boyfriend. Who knew she would find love here on Rockwell Island?
Every ounce of her believed in Quinn’s love for her, and as much as she knew he worried about hurting her, she also knew he’d always do everything in his power to keep it from happening.
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