“Izzie do you think you could help me choose?”
“Sure! Come on, Clay.”
“I’ll stay here.”
I widen my eyes; he definitely can’t stay on his own. “We’ll leave through the back gate,” I say, walking past them and collecting the box I threw by the front door.
They follow me without a question asked, and once Izzie has decided I should wear my black two piece and I’ve put the box containing the necklace in my nightstand, we’re ready and heading out the back gate.
Locking it behind me, I place the cardboard box in the recycle bin, pressing the button on the fob to open the car. I strap Izzie in, checking on Clay before pulling my cell out and putting the zip code in the navigation system built into the car.
“Ahhh!” Izzie shouts when we get to the end of the driveway. I jump in the seat, snapping my head around to check on her. “I’m so excited to go to Uncle Nate’s!”
I place my hand over my heart, willing it to slow down. She scared the life out of me.
“Chill out, Izzie. It’s not like you haven’t been before,” Clay says, his tone sarcastic.
I turn back around to look out of the windshield, seeing someone duck behind the corner of the house.
Could that have been them? Are they watching us?
“But it feels like it’s been fooooorrrrever!”
My eyes don’t move from the corner, willing whoever it was to come back around so I can see who it is.
“Amelia?”
“Huh?”
“What are you doing?”
I flick my gaze up to the rearview mirror, looking into Clay’s eyes. “I… nothing.” I smile. “Ready?”
He shrugs. “Sure.”
“Good, good.” I nod several times, feeling like one of the dogs you have in the back of the car window.
Turning left, I head toward Nate’s, following the directions being spoken to me. It tells me to take the next left after about fifteen minutes, and I frown because I don’t see a turning until the last minute.
The small private road is hidden; had the navigation not told me to turn I’d have never known it was here.
Both of the kids start getting excited, recognizing the road—well, Izzie was already excited, but even she squeals a little louder. My hands grip the steering wheel tighter, my nerves flowing through me like a rainstorm at the thought of being in Nate’s space.
The road finally opens up to a clearing and a gasp escapes me. The sun reflects off a giant glass house and I come to a stop, staring at it in awe. I don’t know what I expected his house to look like, but now I’m here, I know it’s all him. There’s green land as far as I can see.
A part of the glass moves and Nate appears, his hand coming up above his eyes to shield from the blaring sun. He waves me forward, but I can’t move as my gaze tracks the length of him. His cargo shorts encase his thighs and sit low on his hips, a soft-looking t-shirt stretching across his chest.
I haven’t seen him for a whole week: not since our first date.
Finally pushing my foot down on the gas pedal, I move the car forward, parking in front of a giant garage door. I haven’t even turned the engine off before the back door of the car opens and he’s reaching inside for a squirming Izzie.
“Uncle Nate! We’ve come to play.”
He picks her up, lifting her out of the car. “Hey, kiddiwinkle!”
He shuts the door as Clay and I get out at the same time. He hesitates, looking over at Nate and Izzie before moving toward me where I’m opening the trunk to get our bag out.
I frown at him, is he picking up on my paranoia? When Nate moves his attention to us, Clay smiles. “Hey, Uncle Nate.”
“Hey, bud. I thought we could have some fun in the lake today.”
“Sure,” Clay replies, still not moving from my side as I close the trunk.
Nate steps forward, Izzie still in his arms as he takes the tote bag from my hand and leans forward, placing a kiss on my cheek.
“Hey, beautiful,” he whispers in my ear before pulling back and walking toward his house. I stand still, shocked at what he called me, and when he turns back around, he smiles. “Well come on then, we all need to change.”
Izzie’s giggles surround us as they walk through the door, and when I step forward, Clay’s hand slips into mine. We walk toward the house, and I come to a stop as soon as we pass the threshold.
My eyes don’t know what to look at first in the large open room. My sandals slap off the wooden floor and I cringe, wondering if I should take them off. Clay’s hand releases mine and he walks ahead, through the middle of the room and past the living area to the left and through the sliding double doors.
Stepping farther inside, I close the front door behind me, slowly wandering past the cream sofa, my fingers trailing along the wooden table sitting in the center of the sofa and a loveseat. Stopping at the edge of the rug in front of the stone fireplace I pull my sandals off, closing my eyes as I step onto it, my feet sinking into it. It’s like walking on a cloud.
I can already imagine what it looks like burning real wood, the reflection of the fire flickering off the windows. The pads of my fingers whisper down my arm, almost able to feel the warmth.
Spinning in a slow circle, my curiosity gets the better of me when I take note of the hallway sitting on the other side of the room behind a reception table with a huge bouquet of fresh lilies presented in the center. Sandals dangling from my fingers, I make my way toward it, but when I see all the doors trailing off it, Izzie shouts out for me.
Eyes wide, I turn back around and head for the same double doors Clay went through and into a top-of-the-line kitchen. The wooden counters match the hardwood floors, a large wooden dining table sitting to the right, glass sliding doors behind it. You can tell it’s a well-used kitchen, the layout made for socializing, especially with the amount of chairs sitting around the table.
My gaze wanders through the sliding door, seeing Izzie already in her suit and Clay standing in his board shorts and a t-shirt.
Walking between the giant table and the island surrounded with stools, I head outside and over to the tote bag resting on a chair. Pulling out my bikini, I drop my sandals in the top of the bag.
“Where can I get changed?” I ask Nate who is now standing in only his board shorts. Dear God, those muscles are captivating.
“If you walk back through to the main room, there’s a hallway on your left and you can either change in the first door on the left or the one on the right.” He shrugs. “Totally up to you.”
“Okay,” I reply, turning back around and heading to the hallway I was going to snoop through.
Four doors sit on either side of the hallway with one at the end. I push through the first door on the left, coming into a modern, light bathroom. A large open shower takes up the lefthand wall, a huge vanity on the wall opposite, the mirror above it taking up most of the wall.
The door clicks shut behind me and I change as quickly as I can into my bikini, wishing I would have brought a cover-up with me. Cringing, I look around for a towel but can’t see anything hanging up and there’s no way I’m going to search for one.
He said we’re going to the lake anyway, so I may as well put my clothes back on over the top. Pulling my white tank back over my head, I push my legs through my linen shorts before tying the belt around my waist.
When I walk back outside, Nate, Clay, and Izzie are waiting for me, my sandals now hanging off the ends of Nate’s fingers, several towels draped over his other arm. He holds my sandals out to me and I take them gratefully, sliding my feet back into them.
With a cheeky grin on his face he says, “You guys stay here, I’ll be back in a minute,” and runs back through the house.
I move over to Izzie, pulling a hair tie off my wrist and putting her hair up, knowing if we’re going in the lake it’ll get wet and tangled if I don’t.
“I’m so excited!” she shouts when I move back a step. “Today’s going to be so
much fun!”
“It is,” I agree, my head whipping around at the sound of a small engine. When I see Nate driving a golf cart, I shake my head.
“Can I sit up front with you, Uncle Nate?” Izzie asks, running over to him when he comes to a stop, his eyes sparkling with as much excitement as Izzie is displaying.
“Sure you can!” He gets out and helps her into her seat, buckling her in before looking back at me. “Sorry, you’ve been demoted.”
“That’s alright.” I place my arm around Clay’s shoulders and steer him toward the back seats. “We don’t mind being chauffeur driven.” We sit down and I wink at Clay before shouting, “We’re ready, driver! Take us to the lake.”
Clay chuckles, his gray eyes lighting up. “Yeah!” he shouts to them. “Let’s get going!”
“As you wish!” Nate shouts and Izzie giggles next to him.
We’re pushed forward in our seats as Nate moves the cart, taking us through a trail in a small wooded area, past a wooden building on the left. He’s only driving for a couple of minutes before he breaks through the trees onto a large patch of grass.
He comes to a stop about thirty feet from the sand at the edge of the lake before jumping out and grabbing all of the towels off the seat behind him and helping Izzie down.
“Wow,” I say when me and Clay jump out of our seats.
The sparkling blue water in the lake is almost see-through, not the murky kind of water I imagined it would be.
“Can we go in?” Clay asks as Izzie runs down to the sand, pulling her own sandals off.
I look down at him. “Of course.” Taking his hand, we walk down to the sand, coming to a stop next to where Nate has placed the towels and is waiting for us.
“Who wants to race me to the floating dock?”
“Me!” Izzie and Clay shout at the same time.
Clay pulls off his t-shirt, throwing it on top of the towels and diving into the water along with Izzie, Nate not far behind them.
I watch them with a giant grin on my face, Izzie’s little arms working as fast as they can as she swims across the lake to the dock. Clay is ahead of her but when he turns his head back and sees how far behind she is, he slows down and lets her overtake him. Always taking care of his sister.
Bringing my hand above my eyes to shield them from the sun, I chuckle when Izzie struggles to get up onto the dock, but with a little help from Clay, she nearly makes it until Nate comes and picks her up like she weighs nothing at all and plants her on there.
Clay gets up next, sitting on the edge, his feet still in the water. When he looks back at me, waving his arm frantically, I do the same which causes Nate to swing his head around, a frown on his face when he spots me still at the edge of the water with my clothes on.
He cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Plenty of room on this dock for you, too!”
“I’m good here!” I call back.
He smirks at me before diving into the water and popping up a few meters away from the dock, heading toward me. I back away from the water as he climbs out, walking over to me with droplets of water cascading down his muscled chest and through the contours of his abs. “What’s wrong? Scared you’ll lose in a race?”
“Psshhh, no.” I may be scared, but it’s not because of losing a race. It’s the fact he’s going to see more skin than he’s ever seen before. He only saw me in a swimsuit top at the beach the day he taught me how to surf. My arms wrap around my stomach, hiding it because it feels like he can already see through the tank top.
“If you’re not in the water within the next ten seconds, I’m making you jump in from the diving dock.” He points over to a wooden tower halfway around the lake and my eyes widen. “Your choice.”
I gaze back up at him, trying to determine how serious he’s being. When I realize he’s not joking, I swallow against the sudden dryness in my throat. I can do this, I chant in my head over and over again as I slowly untie the belt around my shorts, pulling them down my legs.
He watches every movement I make, his hands flexing at his sides.
When I grip the edge of my tank top, his eyes meet mine briefly before focusing back on my hands as I slowly pull the top up and over my head.
I open my mouth to say something but the distraction is just what I need to go running into the water, diving in and swimming as fast as I can to the floating dock.
I get a couple of feet away from it when I feel something grip my ankle. I squeal, my head going under the water as I’m pulled down. Coming up to the surface spluttering, I push the wet hair out of my face, searching around me and finding Nate standing on the dock.
“Uncle Nate won!” Izzie shouts, holding her fists up in the air and doing a little dance in celebration. Traitor.
I puff out a breath. “You cheated!” I accuse, pointing at him.
He shrugs. “Prove it.”
“You… you… ugh!” I slap my hands against the water, splashing myself in the face. “You don’t play fair, mister!”
He rolls his eyes and bends down, putting out his hand. “Since you’re such a sore loser, I’ll help you up.”
I keep a pout on my face as I slowly reach forward, placing my hand softly in his. “You can’t be a loser if the person against you cheated.” He grunts in response, but when he starts to pull me up, I throw my weight backward, pulling him back into the water and quickly yanking myself up onto the dock, jumping up and down. “Who’s the loser now?”
He swipes a hand through his wet hair, dispelling water droplets before scrubbing at his face. I’m not sure which one of us is more affected: him with being thrown into the water, or me watching as his biceps tense from the movement, making my mouth water.
“You’re so not getting away with that!”
I jump back, hiding behind the kids as he lifts himself up onto the dock and steps forward, his arms outstretched. “No!” I squeal, my stomach dipping as I run around the kids and he chases after me.
“Go, Uncle Nate!” Izzie shouts, which is followed by Clay saying, “Run, Amelia!”
I run across the dock as far as I can go—which isn’t far at all—but he catches me around the waist from behind, lifting me up off the wooden surface.
“Nate,” I warn.
He buries his face into the crook of my neck. “Gotcha now.”
“Throw her in!” I try to pull myself out of his grip when Izzie says that, whipping around to see the giant grin on her face.
My gaze connects with Clay’s as he stalks behind Izzie, his hand coming up to his lips to signal I keep quiet. My eyes widen as he wraps his arms around her waist and throws her in.
“Aaaah!” Her arms flail in the air beside her before there’s a big splash as she hits the water. Clay dives in after her, swimming over to her when she breaks the surface and leaving only me and Nate on the dock, his arms banded around me still, the muscles under his wet skin tensing against my back.
“Let me go,” I say, although what I really want to say is “pull me closer.”
I feel his breath skating across my ear as he whispers, “Never,” before jumping in with me in tow.
We hit the water, and as we go under, he still doesn’t let me go. I feel safe: safer than I’ve ever felt in my life knowing he won’t let me go.
I spin in his arms as we break the surface, coughing and spluttering but with a giant smile on my face. His eyes swirl with laughter but also something else I’m sure I’m imagining, but when they dip to my lips, I know I saw it.
Clay and Izzie’s shouts and laughter can be heard near us, but if they weren’t here, I have no doubt he would press his lips against mine, that he would pull me even closer—if that’s even possible.
My hand flutters up and over his arm to his forehead as I swipe some of his hair back. “I want nothing more than to kiss you right now,” I confess.
His gaze flits between my eyes before he looks behind us as we both tread water. The kids are happily heading back toward the sand and he looks back
s at me. “Hold your breath on three.”
“Wh—”
“One, two, three.”
I do as he says, holding my breath and he pulls us down under the water. Both of our eyes are open and able to see each other through the clear blue water. His lips connect with mine in a soft, closed mouth kiss before he brings us back up, a smirk on his face.
I turn my head to check on the kids who are now sitting on the sand, Izzie with a towel wrapped around her shoulders.
“That was inventive,” I say, pulling back when his grip loosens on my waist.
“Just call me the dream maker,” he jokes cheesily.
“Chef and dream maker, huh?” I raise a brow but don’t give him the chance to answer as I slip under the water and start swimming back toward the sand, my arms stretching with each stroke.
He overtakes me just before we hit the shallow water, standing up first and heading over to where Clay and Izzie are. He grabs two towels, handing one to me when I walk up beside him.
“Thanks.”
Once I’m dry, I lay it down on the sand, sitting down and leaning back on my arms as I watch him move closer to the kids.
“Who wants to go canoeing?”
“Me!” both the kids shout at the same time, arms raised.
Nate turns toward me. “How about you?”
“I think I’ll sit here and watch,” I reply, relaxing back even more. “My tan needs a top up.” I smirk, but when his eyes trail over my body, I start to squirm.
“It looks fine to me, but as you wish.” He turns back to the kids. “Come on then, last one over to the boat shed is a rotten egg!”
They run ahead of him, their excited chatter surrounding them. I keep my eyes on them as they retrieve the canoes and head toward the water. He helps Izzie into the canoe before turning around and checking on Clay. He says something to him and then hops in behind Izzie.
I stare after them as they go farther onto the lake before lying down completely, closing my eyes and basking in the warmth of the sun hitting my skin.
I don’t know how long I lie there, but when a hand touches my shoulder, I startle, sitting up and nearly head-butting Nate.
Fighting Our Way Page 14