Ready To Love Again

by Annalyse Knight

  “That makes sense,” Katie said. “I felt a little of that possessiveness while Shawn was gone. It hurt to think that another woman was trying to weasel her way into my child’s heart. I’d say I’m a pretty rational adult, but it still ticked me off. I’m surprised Liz handled the situation as well as she did. I wish I could say the same for myself.”

  Chase bumped her arm with his. “What happened?” A low growl came from her chest, and Chase chuckled. “I take it Mama Bear came out to play.”

  She scowled at him but then replaced her frown with a small smile. Katie proceeded to tell him about her talk with Shawn on the phone and her subsequent conversation with Victor’s girlfriend. He chuckled at the feisty jibe she’d given Elena about Victor’s infidelity and found himself marveling at her strength. She’d endured six weeks without her son and put her foot down when Victor wasn’t living up to his parental responsibilities.

  When they reached her car, Katie smiled up at him. “Thank you for a nice evening. Shawn and I enjoyed it very much.”

  Chase felt a strong desire to pull her into his arms. The intensity between them crackled in the air. Katie broke eye contact when Shawn interrupted and asked for the car keys.

  Now that Shawn was home, Chase could start to plan ways they could spend more time together. “Maybe next time we take the boat out, you and Shawn could come along?”

  “Maybe,” Katie responded.

  Chase felt a big, stupid grin take over. It wasn’t a flat-out refusal, and it gave him hope. Without overthinking, he pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She melted into his embrace, and her fingers closed around his shirt, clutching him to her.

  “I missed you,” he whispered into her hair, unable to stop the words from tumbling from his lips.

  Katie pulled away and looked into his eyes. A spark of hope twinkled within the depths before she pushed up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

  “Good night, Chase.”

  His fingers caressed her arm, and then he stepped away before he could do something to ruin the moment. “Good night, Katie.”

  Chapter 21

  “Shawn! Stop chasing Buddy around the house.” Katie groaned and rolled out of bed. Pulling open the door to her bedroom, she found Shawn lying on Buddy in the middle of the hallway, his mischievous grin in place. Any irritation she had about being woken by the sounds of wrestling melted when he turned his smile on her.

  “Do you want to take this little romp to the beach?” she asked.

  Shawn’s eyes lit up, and he jumped off Buddy and ran to his room. Katie reached down to scratch Buddy between the ears before she turned into the bathroom. She pulled her hair back into a sloppy ponytail, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Opting to take a shower when she returned home, she threw on a lightweight sundress and grabbed the sunscreen and beach towels.

  When she walked into the kitchen, she saw that Shawn had slapped together two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She quirked a brow at the mess he made all over the counter.

  “We can have a picnic on the beach,” he said.

  Katie chuckled at his enthusiasm. “That sounds fantastic.”

  It was a beautiful summer day. The temperature was in the eighties, and a light breeze blew off the ocean. While they made their way down the beach, Shawn threw the ball for Buddy, his leash dragging wildly behind him. The delighted dog chased the ball into the water and then ran around them at full speed. Katie laughed, loving the feel of the sand between her toes and the sound of her son’s carefree giggles.

  When she’d known that her divorce was unavoidable, everything had seemed so gloomy, as if her life would never be the same. The heavy burden of being the sole provider had scared the heck out of her. It was only after they had moved and she’d gained control of her own life that she saw how freeing it was. Katie now knew that even though obstacles were thrown in their path, she and Shawn could overcome them.

  She glanced up in time to see Buddy barreling toward a small figure on the beach. It looked like a child, and Katie worried his enthusiasm might frighten the poor thing. Katie let out a long whistle, and Buddy stopped to look over at her, his ears perked up. She whistled again, but he didn’t budge. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she made her way over to him. When Buddy noticed she was closing the distance, he dashed over to the child on the beach and ran around her in circles. She had on a bright pink hat, and Katie could hear her giggling while Buddy trampled the sand castle she had built.

  The girl wrapped her arms around Buddy, and the dog calmed down. Shawn ran over and dropped to sit down beside them. It wasn’t until Katie got closer that she realized it was Liz. She looked around the beach but didn’t see Chase or Tony.

  Liz was too young to be out on the beach by herself, and Katie found her irritation build when she realized Chase was nowhere around. Shawn picked up her toys to help rebuild what Buddy had destroyed, and they began to dig in the sand together.

  “Good morning, Liz,” Katie said when she moved closer. Liz turned and waved with a genuine smile. “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

  Liz pointed out to the ocean. “Dad and Tony are surfing.”

  Katie squinted and noticed several surfers sitting on their boards, waiting for the perfect wave. They were too far out to make out Chase and Tony. She plopped down next to Liz and continued to stare, trying to see if she could spot them.

  “What are you guys doing today?” Liz asked.

  “We brought Buddy to the beach. He was cooped up at the house while I was in New Mexico,” Shawn said.

  Over the previous week, Shawn had rarely brought up his New Mexico trip. Katie surmised that he’d enjoyed the last two weeks with his father, but she wasn’t sure if Victor had made up for the four weeks Shawn had been left with Elena. She just hoped Victor hadn’t messed things up with his son beyond repair.

  Katie watched while Shawn and Liz chatted and worked together to rebuild the Buddy demolition. She caught herself looking out at the surfers once or twice, hoping to catch a glimpse of Chase. After a while, Tony came in to shore, his surfboard tucked under his arm.

  “Dad said you guys were on the beach.” He laid his surfboard in the sand, then sat next to Katie and peeled off the top half of his wetsuit.

  “Which one’s your dad?” Katie asked, looking back out over the waves. Tony’s head popped up, and he scanned the horizon until he pointed at a surfer who had stood up and was riding a wave in.

  “That’s Dad. He likes to be on the outside. He says he’s too old to compete for the waves with the other guys.”

  Katie watched Chase bounce across the waves and then cut back, flipping his board over the top of the wave. He gently sank back into the water and proceeded to paddle back out.

  “Show off.” There was a hint of awe in Tony’s voice that made Katie want to laugh. She continued to watch Chase line up with another wave. His movements were graceful while he slid through the rolling surf. When the swell died off, he sank back down onto his board and began to make his way to shore.

  She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the powerful strength of his strokes while he glided over the ocean waves. When a smaller swell pushed him the rest of the way onto shore, he stood and picked up his board. Shaking his head, he ran his fingers through his hair and jogged over, a huge smile on his face.

  “Hey,” Chase said in greeting.

  Shawn jumped up and ran over to him. “That was so cool. I want to learn how to surf, too.”

  He looked over at Katie before answering, and she looked wide-eyed back at him, shaking her head. Chase chuckled and ruffled Shawn’s hair. “We’ll have to work on your mom first.”

  Shawn looked over at his mother with pleading eyes, but she wouldn’t give in. She wasn’t quite ready to have her baby out on the ocean with only a surfboard for protection since her love of the ocean didn’t blind her to its dangers. Chase gave Katie a small smile, and she felt a familiar thrill run through her body.

  W
hen Chase unzipped his wetsuit and pushed it down to his waist, Katie averted her eyes before he caught her staring. The temptation to check out his naked torso was too much, so she gave in, sneaking glances when she thought he wasn’t looking.

  He was as toned as she remembered. The water from his hair dripped across his chest and vanished into the trail of curls leading down from his navel and into his wetsuit, which clung low on his hips. With a sigh, she wondered what surfers wore underneath their tight neoprene suits. She heard a small chuckle, and her eyes snapped to his. Chase gave her a teasing grin and ran a hand through his wet hair.

  Katie glanced down at the sandcastle, which was almost finished, and tried to hide her embarrassment. Glancing up when little droplets of water landed on her legs, she laughed to see Chase shaking his head above them, getting them wet.

  “Daddy!” Liz smiled, despite her complaint.

  “What?”

  Katie piped up. “You got us all wet.”

  “Are you going to melt?” he asked with a playful twinkle in his eye. “C’mon, Katie. You need to learn the ocean is your friend.”

  The next thing she knew, he’d scooped her up in his arms. Katie yelped and grabbed at her dress, thankful that his arms pinned it down so she wouldn’t flash everyone on the beach.

  “Put me down, Chase O’Donnell.” Her demand came out with a laugh and was not at all threatening.

  Chase strode toward the breaking surf. Although she kicked her legs, he clamped his arm tighter around her struggling limbs and continued toward the water. Katie could hear the kids giggling, and she pinched Chase’s chest above his nipple—hard. He winced at her attack but crushed her closer until he’d trapped her hands between their bodies.

  “That wasn’t very nice,” he said with a growl in her ear.

  Katie felt her heart rate pick up when his low voice caressed her ear. She almost forgot to fight back until he made a sudden dropping motion, making her cling to his neck with a squeal. Chase chuckled, and his arms tightened around her back. She could feel the water from his body soaking into the front of her dress.

  When his feet hit the water, her eyes widened. He might actually drop her into the ocean.

  “Don’t you dare drop me,” she said when he continued to wade farther out.

  With a devilish smirk was in place, he looked down at her. Katie knew, despite trying to be stern and commanding, the stupid grin plastered on her face gave her away.

  Chase taunted her. “Or what?”

  “Or . . . or I’ll . . . I’ll . . . I don’t know!” she wailed. “I’ll be pretty ticked off is what.”

  “So you don’t want to go swimming?”

  Katie frowned at him. “What do you think?”

  He chuckled, but then his face turned serious. “Then come to dinner.”

  It took her a moment to catch up. “What?”

  “Come to dinner. We’re having a barbecue at the house. My parents flew in last night from Italy, and Gina and Daniel will be there.”

  Katie didn’t know what to say, but she wanted so badly to say yes. “So if I don’t agree to come to dinner, you’ll drop me in the ocean?”

  When he shifted his weight, his hair sent little water droplets raining down on her. “If you don’t say yes, I’m going to dive straight into the next wave and take you into that fifty-five-degree water, head first.”

  “Well, I guess you give me little choice.”

  His lips parted, and she was dazzled for a moment by his heart-stopping smile. Chase gave her one more squeeze before walking backward out of the surf. Just when Katie began to relax, a blur of golden fur caught her eye, and Chase’s grip tightened around her legs. Buddy tripped up his footing at the exact time that a wave receded, and although Chase tried to catch himself, he was knocked off balance. Katie had one thought before they tumbled to the ground—Damn dog!

  They were a tangle of limbs as she sprawled across Chase’s firm chest. Pushing up onto her elbows, she looked down at him. His eyes were shut tight, and his hands gripped her hips. It looked as though he was in pain.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He groaned. “Yes, I just hurt my pride.”

  Looking down, Katie noticed the edge of her sundress was wet, but other than that, Chase had saved her from getting soaked. She’d started to sit up when she was doused in the most frigid water she’d ever been subjected to. Katie pitched forward, and Chase’s arms wrapped around her while the water washed over them and then swept away.

  Sputtering and gasping, Katie rearranged her dress, which had ridden up to her waist, and pushed back her dripping hair. The children’s laughter could be heard, and Chase’s shoulders shook with mirth, which only annoyed her further.

  “Look what you did,” Katie said, but her scolding only made him laugh harder.

  She tried to contain her smile, but it was impossible. Even though she knew she’d be miserable until she got out of her wet clothes, she couldn’t find it in herself to stay annoyed. Hopping up before another wave had a chance to drown them, Katie slapped Chase’s shoulder and shivered all the way back to where the children sat.

  Grabbing a blanket she’d brought, Katie wrapped it around herself before anyone could notice how see-through her dress had become.

  “I’m so sorry,” Chase said as he followed her and grabbed a towel. “I had no intention to get you wet. It was an accident. Please say you’ll still come to dinner?”

  “We’ll still come, but I’m going to have to go home now and change into dry clothes.”

  “Come home with us, and Gina can find something for you to wear,” he said.

  Katie looked back toward the car, and the idea of a long hike in wet clothing wasn’t appealing. His house was only a quarter of the way down the beach, so she nodded in agreement.

  “All right, but you’ll have to take me to my car afterward.”

  He nodded, and his boyish grin made her smile through her chattering teeth. Chase toweled off his hair, then his chest, before he turned to the children. “Let’s go, guys. Nona and Papa will be at the house any minute.”

  While the kids raced ahead, Katie and Chase casually strolled after them. “I’m a little nervous at the prospect of meeting your parents.” Katie said to fill the silence.

  “Don’t worry. They’ll love you.”

  “When you talked about them in the past, you made them sound like they’re almost too perfect. I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

  “Then let me taint the image a bit.” His grin was contagious, and Katie smiled despite her nervousness.

  “My mother’s a horrible cheat at cards. Gina learned from the best, so don’t ever try to play poker with her—she’ll clean you out. When I was still in high school, Mom was caught cheating at the country club bridge game. She was banned from playing any card games for a year.”

  Katie erupted with an unrestrained giggle when he went into the full details of his mother’s absolute denial that she’d done anything wrong.

  “She could have sweet-talked her way out of it, but she decided to get dramatic and ‘declare her innocence,’ ” he said with air quotes. “In the process, the cards fell out of her sleeve.” He laughed along with Katie and shook his head. “Then there’s my father. He has a penchant for flirting. Don’t get me wrong—he loves my mother and is completely faithful, but his comments have gotten him into trouble on occasion. He’s not selective about with whom or where he flirts, so don’t take offense if he says something.”

  By the time they reached the house, Katie was laughing so hard her sides hurt. Buddy was still soaked, so they left him outside on the patio while Chase ran in to get him a bowl of water.

  “You can take a shower in my bathroom, and I’ll see what I can come up with for you to wear.”

  Katie followed him up the stairs to his room while the kids ran into Tony’s room to play a game. Chase grabbed a couple of towels and his robe and set them on the bathroom counter for her.

  “Is there
anything else you need?” he asked. Katie shook her head, feeling a little awkward about being in his personal space. He lingered for a moment but then left, muttering that he’d be in his room if she needed anything.

  She took her time washing the sand out of her hair, enjoying the masculine smell of his soap and feeling a little bit nostalgic. With a reluctant sigh, she climbed out, squeezing water from her dripping locks, and slipped Chase’s robe over her shoulders. Katie was struck with another wave of longing when the fragrance of his cologne wafted around her. She had forgotten how good Chase always smelled. Closing her eyes, she brought the collar of his robe to her nose and inhaled.

  A vision of Chase hovering above her danced across her mind, his broad shoulders flexing with the weight of his upper body while he leaned down to kiss her. Remembering her earlier resolve, her eyes snapped open, and she shook the memory away.

  Katie leaned against the counter, wondering if she should stop fighting the attraction she felt toward Chase. She could see Liz welcomed her now, and the relationship between father and children was healthier and happier. It was obvious that Chase still wanted Katie in his life from the way he looked at her. The love had never waned in her own heart, either. If anything, her feelings had grown stronger since she broke up with him. A future without him would be dismal and unfulfilling.

  Katie wrapped the robe tighter before opening the door to his room. When she found it empty, she slipped downstairs to see what had distracted him from finding her something to wear. The kids were giggling in the living room. When she rounded the corner, Katie almost ran into an attractive gentleman, who was holding Tony upside down and tickling him. Sitting on the couch was a beautiful woman with jet-black hair, who laughed while she watched the scene unfold.

  Hands gripped Katie’s shoulders, and she let out a squeak that drew the attention of the room’s occupants. The woman’s smile was radiant when she stood and walked over, her elegant arm extended in greeting.