She was so close to climaxing. Gage only had to look at her to make her wet, and his wild kisses had intensified her desire for him.
The tension in her spine built and then fanned out across her back until it arrowed down to her core, where her orgasm crashed over her like a six-foot wave.
She called out his name, her body vibrating with the intensity of it. While her body still pulsed, Gage rolled them over and then she was riding him. Her head went back, and his hands on her hips guided her movements. Within seconds another orgasm built and exploded inside of her, and this time Gage called out her name as he reached his own release.
Charlotte collapsed on top of him, exhausted in a most pleasurable way, their ragged breathing the only sound in the room.
“It’s safe to say the bed is comfortable,” Gage said against her neck. The vibration from his voice sent another wave of sensations through her.
“I think you chose well. And, yes, it’s much better to be on a solid mattress than one filled with air.”
Gage shifted their positions so that they were lying on their sides face-to-face. She reached out and brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead. “Apart from the business deal troubling you, is there anything else you want to tell me?”
He closed his eyes, and she wondered if he was going to avoid answering her question. But when he opened his eyes, she could read the confusion and sadness in them. Her body stilled, waiting to hear what he had to say.
“I read some more letters.”
That wasn’t what she’d been expecting him to say at all.
“And what did they say?”
“Enough for me to think the letters weren’t written by my parents. Well, Dad wrote them, of course, but who he wrote them to wasn’t Mom.”
She propped her head up on her elbow, scooting a little closer to Gage so that their legs rested together. She had a feeling he needed to know she was there for him. “Why do you say that?”
“Because the last letter I read, my dad addressed it to ‘my sweet, darling Nora.’”
“And that’s not your mum’s name?”
“No, Mom’s name was Denise, and whenever Dad talked about her, he always referred to her as Denise. Never anything else. Certainly not Nora.”
She could understand why finding the letters and discovering they weren’t correspondence between his parents bothered Gage. Perhaps he’d taken to heart what she’d said the first night when they read a couple of the letters, that it was his chance to follow the romance between his parents. Now it seemed it wasn’t.
Maybe her parents’ story was worth sharing with Gage.
“Both of my parents had serious relationships before they found each other. But they both said that the moment their eyes locked, they knew no one else mattered to them. Maybe this Nora was an earlier relationship, and then when Jack met your mum, everything made sense and this Nora didn’t matter anymore.”
“You know I wish I could believe that.”
“Why can’t you?”
“Because Dad saved the letters. Whoever he was writing to, he loved her enough not to destroy them at the end of the relationship. You could see it in every word he wrote how much he cared. And whoever he wrote to, this Nora, she felt the same way.”
“So I take it, this is the reason for our trip down here. Have you told your brothers anything about the letters yet?”
“You’re right. Coming here, in part, was to see Gavin and Gray, but also I remembered what you said about spending weekends here. It seemed like a good habit to get into, and showing my brothers the letters was a bonus.”
Little by little she was falling for Gage. The fact that he remembered their conversation about what she’d do if she kept the house—making it a weekend getaway—the man was as romantic as he claimed his father had been in the letters.
Charlotte leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. “You really are the best, Gage Cooper.”
CHAPTER 22
Lunchtime on Saturday at the Silver Spurs was busy. Gage hadn’t wanted to tell his brothers about the letters in the middle of a crowded bar, but it looked like he had no choice. They weren’t in any position to entertain again at the house. After they’d arrived the previous evening, they’d spent the whole night in bed. He smiled at the memory of the jelly sandwiches he and Charlotte had had for dinner. That was all that had been in the fridge and the freezer.
“Do you have the letters?” Charlotte asked as they waited at the table for the others to arrive.
“In the car.”
“Hopefully Gavin and Grayson will be able to help us solve the mystery of Nora.”
“Yeah. I hope they’ll be able to shed some light on it. I don’t think there was anyone in town called Nora when we were growing up.”
“It could’ve been someone before you were born. But you won’t have long to wait.” Charlotte inclined her head to the door. “Everyone’s here.”
Gage took a deep breath as his brothers and Macy walked toward them. He reached for Charlotte’s hand. He liked touching her.
“Hey,” he said as his brothers sat down. He noted Macy sat on the other side of Charlotte, giving her a hug before reaching over to squeeze his arm in greeting.
“Hey, bro, Charlotte,” Grayson said. “Another weekend in Sweet Ridge. Soon you’ll be moving down here.”
Gage laughed at how close Grayson matched Charlotte’s ideal plan—if she didn’t sell the house to him. He hated to be the one to deny her dream, but the surveyor’s report had come in just before they’d left for Sweet Ridge. He’d only glanced at it briefly, but from what he’d seen, there was more oil than he’d thought sitting underground on the land, just waiting for him to extract it. That oil would bring an influx of cash into his company that would help it remain in the black for a very long time. He knew he’d dodged a bullet on the way down when she asked him what he was worried about and how he fumbled over his words. He thought for sure she was going to push the issue. Relief washed over him when she had decided not to pursue the subject any further.
He figured he would pay her triple the true value of the land, and she’d be able to buy another property where she could build her dream vacation house. He knew that he might not be a part of that new property, but he would get over it. It wasn’t like he was in love with Charlotte. But the thought of not waking up with her … of ruining her dream because he wanted to drill the land … he didn’t like how that made him feel. But he also didn’t want to give up on his own dream.
“Geez, Gage, are you daydreaming? I’ve never known you to be so vague. What’s going on, man?”
Gage turned to Gavin. He had to admit he’d zoned out the moment his brothers had arrived. He physically shook his head to try to get some focus.
“Sorry, it’s good to see you.”
“Yeah, you, too. Are you sure everything is okay? How are you and Charlotte getting on? Must be difficult to be married to someone you barely know.”
Gage glanced over to where Charlotte, Macy, and Grayson were chatting among themselves. He smiled. She really fit well into his life. “You’d think,” he said to Gavin. “But I can honestly say that Charlotte is one of the better things in my life. I look forward to coming home to her. She was away for one night this week, and the condo seemed so quiet and lonely without her. I didn’t like it.”
But that could be his future when he took possession of the land.
Gavin slapped him on the back. “Oh man, you’ve got it bad.”
Gage knew exactly what Gavin was talking about, but there was no way he was really in love with Charlotte. He cared. But no, it wasn’t love.
“Whatever.” A change of subject was needed. He didn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of his relationship with Charlotte. “Hey, Gray, I’ve got something to tell you and Gavin.”
“You’ve finally decided oil is not for you, so you’re going to come work at the plant and make a career out of peeling avocados again.”
Gage laughed, remembering the summer he’d helped out at the factory. After one day of unsuccessfully peeling more avocados than successfully, Dad had dragged him over to the packing line, where Gage hoisted more boxes of guacamole into the back of a truck for delivery than he cared to remember. The only good thing about that summer was that lifting those boxes had built up his arm muscles and his abs, so he returned to school with a body the girls went crazy over and he enjoyed his best-ever high school football season. He ran more yards and got more catches than the other running backs on his team. As far as he knew, he still held the record at Sweet Ridge High. It had been that season that he had caught the eyes of many college football scouts. He’d had offers coming at him left, right, and center. But then he’d fucked it all up, because the people he thought were his friends turned out to be guys who were threatened by his talent and wanted him off the team. They’d gotten their wish, and he’d gotten his father’s disappointment.
“Earth to Gage. Earth to Gage. Sheesh, Charlotte, what are you doing to this poor guy?” It was Grayson who commented this time.
Charlotte touched his face. “You okay, Cowboy?”
What that fuck was wrong with him, bringing up all these old memories best forgotten and acting like a loony flying away with the fairies every two minutes?
He turned his face and kissed Charlotte on the fleshy part of her palm. Her eyes widened in reaction. He sent her his you-me-bed-later look. “Yeah, I’m fine, Red. And Guac Olé’s avocados are safe from my hands.”
“Just as well,” joked Gray. “I don’t need any reason for my new partner to question my methods come September first. But you also had your best football season after that summer, if I recall.”
“Football?” asked Charlotte. “That’s right, Macy mentioned you’d played. How come you’ve never told me about it?”
“Long story.”
He withstood Charlotte’s questioning look. From the corner of his eye, he could see Grayson fidgeting. He should after opening that can of worms with his comment.
Gage wanted to call out Grayson for his comment, but he needed to stop avoiding what he really wanted to talk about with his brothers.
“So, the key Dad left me unlocked that box I found.”
“What was inside?” Macy asked, leaning forward, an excited look on her face.
“Did you get a clue or an answer to what Dad’s note meant?” Gavin asked.
“Or maybe an explanation from dear old Dad as to why he didn’t give me all the shares to the company like he promised?” This from Grayson.
“I found a bunch of letters. No. And no.” At the look of exasperation on his brothers’ and Macy’s faces, he decided to elaborate. “From what I can see, there is no explanation for Dad’s actions with regard to the contents of his will or an answer to the note. The box contained love letters between Dad and some woman. I thought at first they were between Dad and Mom, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Gavin.
Before he could answer, Meg, the Silver Spurs’ head waitress, came up to the table. “Y’all want to order? You’ve been sitting here for ages and, well, it is a place of business, not a park bench.”
They placed their orders, and when Meg walked away. Gage answered the question Gavin had asked before they were interrupted. “The first couple of letters, Dad addressed them to ‘my darling, sweet girl,’ which is why I thought they were to Mom. But her responses seemed a little out of character from what Mom was like. In the letters she was very unsure of herself.”
“I may have been just nine when she died, but she always seemed so full of life, and there was no way she was shy or unsure,” Gavin commented.
“As I said, at first I thought it was Mom,” Gage said. “But then I read a few more letters and came across one Dad addressed to ‘my darling, sweet Nora.’ I didn’t read any more after that one. I wanted to talk to you to see if the name rings a bell with either one of you. Did Dad ever call Mom ‘Nora’?” Gage felt like he was grasping at straws.
“I don’t think he did,” Gavin responded. “Although I remember there was one time, toward the end of his cancer treatment, when he was in a lot of pain. The nurse gave him his shot and he muttered something. I asked him to repeat it and he said, ‘Tell her I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Nora.’”
“You’re shitting me. Now you’re remembering this, Gavin?”
Gavin rolled his eyes. “Geez, Gage. I was dealing every day with Dad wasting away in front of me. I can’t always remember everything we said or did.”
Guilt assailed Gage. He’d been so busy running his business and going from rig to rig, only making the odd trip down to Sweet Ridge to see Dad, while Gavin cared for him every single day—even moving into the house with Dad. It was too late now to do anything to help, but it was never too late to say what Gavin’s actions meant to him.
“Gavin, I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t think I’ve said it, but thank you for what you did for Dad. I know it can’t have been easy, and, well, I’m an ass for not having done more. I should’ve come down more often. Looked after Dad sometimes so you could go out and have a dinner or go on a date.”
Gavin nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Thanks, bro. It’s fine. Dad enjoyed your visits.”
The words seemed hollow to Gage, like Gavin was just saying them to appease him. The guilt he’d thought he’d conquered about all the times he’d let his dad and family down reared its ugly head again.
“It’s still not enough. I should’ve done more.”
“Stop it, Gage,” Gavin commanded. “I don’t think you failed me or Dad. So don’t take on guilt when you don’t need to.”
Gage nodded. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his brother.
“Thanks, Gavin.”
“You’re a good person, Gage Cooper.” He shivered as Charlotte whispered the words in his ear. “Don’t forget that.”
He turned his head and kissed her, softly and sweetly. She responded to him straightaway, her nails digging into his thighs. His body stirred to life. He could never get enough of her. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers and whispered, “I don’t know about being a good person, but I try.”
Gage waited for his brothers and Macy to give him a hard time when he turned his attention back to them, but all that greeted him was Gavin and Macy looking at them with a goofy grin on their faces. Grayson stared in the opposite direction, clearly letting him know that their public display of affection had embarrassed him.
He cleared his throat and tried to remember what had been happening before he kissed Charlotte.
Grayson saved him. “So it seems Dad might have been in love with someone before he and Mom got together? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Seems that way.”
“Okay, so what’s the issue, then?” Grayson asked. “Doesn’t it always happen? You fall in love. Fall out of love. Fall in love. Fall out of love. The circle of life and all that stuff.” Grayson lifted his drink to his lips.
Gage muffled a groan when Charlotte elbowed him in his ribs. She had a smug I-told-you-so look on her face. He chuckled. “Yes, it’s possible that this Nora could’ve been a former love of Dad’s. But why would he keep all the letters if it was a love affair gone wrong? And why hide them away in a house he never visited?”
Grayson shrugged. “How should I know? Maybe he wanted to forget the love affair.”
“No,” Macy interjected. “You’re wrong, Grayson. If you want to forget a love affair, you don’t keep letters as mementos. You burn them or rip them up. Gage, did you say you had the letters she wrote to Jack as well as the ones he wrote to her?”
“Yeah. If I were a betting man, I’d say all the letters they wrote to each other are in the box.”
Macy tapped her chin as she contemplated what he’d told her. “Why did Jack have all the letters, I wonder?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “No idea.”
“Gavin, you said Jack mentioned
Nora’s name once when he was in pain. Was that the only time he mentioned it?” Charlotte asked the question he’d been about to ask.
“Well,” Gavin started but stopped when Meg arrived at their table with their food. Her timing was impeccable at interrupting at the exact right moment. Gage drummed his fingers on the table. The moment Meg left their earshot, he leaned forward.
“You were saying, Gavin?”
“No, Dad didn’t mention her again, but”—he looked over at Macy—“babe, do you remember when we cleaned out the drawers in Dad’s desk in his home office, and we found that business card from a hotel in Houston—it had the name Nora written on the back, didn’t it? It was tucked right at the back of the drawer.”
Another thing Gavin was remembering after the fact. Gage couldn’t believe his brother could be so vague. But then again, sometimes the littlest things you think wouldn’t mean anything, were actually the most important.
“You’re right,” Macy said. “It was hard for Gavin to go through Jack’s things,” she explained to the brothers. “It’s not surprising we didn’t remember or make the connection straightaway.”
Another thought hit Gage, one he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of until now. “What about those photos you found in the safe-deposit box, Gavin? You know, the ones with Dad and that woman. Do you suppose she could be Nora?”
“No idea,” Gavin said.
“Maybe,” Grayson responded.
As if by an unspoken agreement everyone turned their attention to their meals, and the conversation changed to subjects that had nothing to do with letters or hotel business cards or Dad’s former love affairs.
Gage had to admit, he was a little relieved. He didn’t know whether there were any answers in the letters about what went wrong with the love affair, but right now he didn’t want to read any more of them.
Out of sight, out of mind could’ve been his dad’s reason for hiding the box in the attic. Gage couldn’t help but agree with his father if that was the case.
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