Stolen Kisses

by Annie Rains

  “Mitsy?” Mr. Nelson asked, raising a bushy brow. His eyes were still steely toward Noah, which Noah guessed was due to the fact that he was dating the man’s only daughter. Noah didn’t blame him. Krista deserved someone who would treat her well. Noah was trying his damnedest to be that guy.

  “It’s the name he gave a tuna that keeps breaking his line,” Joey said on a laugh.

  It sounded rather silly sitting around with a bunch of Krista’s relatives. They stared at him, unamused.

  “Noah says Mitsy has a heart-shaped scar on her fin,” Joey added, not helping the situation.

  “She does.” Noah felt like he was sitting over a fire. He pulled at the neck of his sweater. He didn’t like sweaters, they were itchy, but he’d worn one today to fit in. And it wasn’t working.

  Krista’s hand reached below the table and squeezed his thigh.

  He took a deep breath. “It’s just a fish, but if she ever bites my line again, I’m taking her in. Even if I have to jump in and wrestle her with my bare hands.”

  To his relief, Mr. Nelson chuckled. “I’ve done that before. Unintentionally. The fish pulled me overboard and gave me a little ride before I let go of my pole.”

  Everyone at the table laughed lightly. Then the conversation moved off of Noah. Relieved, he reached down and joined hands with Krista. After dinner and then dessert, Noah sat in the living room with the other men while the women retreated to the kitchen under the pretense of cleaning.

  “So, Noah,” Mr. Nelson began, “you’re dating my daughter now.” Krista’s two uncles and three grown cousins all tuned in to the proceeding interrogation. Joey was plopped back in the recliner with his eyes closed. Noah would’ve thought he was pretending to sleep if not for the steady snore coming from his mouth and nose.

  “Yes, sir. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.”

  “Why’d it take you so long to ask her out?” Mr. Nelson asked.

  Noah shrugged. “The timing wasn’t right until now, I guess.”

  Those steely eyes of Krista’s father stayed on him. “I always counted on you to keep Krista from dating the kind of guys who’d use her and leave her heartbroken. You and Joey. Now I have to worry about whether you’ll do that.”

  Noah broke free of the man’s gaze and looked around the room. This was some form of torture somewhere. He was sure of it. “I’ll try not to, sir.”

  “There is no ‘try,’ son. Are your intentions toward my daughter honorable or not?”

  Joey opened his eyes. “Dad, I’ve already had this conversation with Noah. Let him be.”

  Mr. Nelson looked over. “Thought you were sleeping.”

  “Multitasking. Krista can take care of herself,” Joey continued.

  Mr. Nelson turned back to Noah. “You know, I got him started in that cab business so he could look after her and make sure no perverts were picking her up.”

  Joey sat up. “What? That’s why you helped me get the cab when you retired?”

  “It’s a good job. Didn’t want to see you wasting your life on a boat the way I did. That’s a hard life. But I see you’ve found your way back into a boat anyway.” Mr. Nelson’s gaze grew steely again.

  Noah swallowed. Not only was he dating the Nelsons only daughter, but evidently he’d pulled their only son into a life they’d tried to veer him away from. This didn’t bode well for his likability around here.

  “I’ve got fishing in my blood,” Joey remarked. “That’s your fault, Dad. Not Noah’s.”

  “Well, at least I captained my own boat. I was never second to anyone,” Mr. Nelson told Joey.

  Krista’s uncles and cousins were impossibly still and quiet. Geez, Noah knew that Krista’s father liked to speak his mind, but he’d never known it’d go this far. Krista had told him stories in school about her father scaring off her dates. Noah had thought she was joking to some extent, but he felt ready to bolt out the front door right about now.

  “I don’t consider him second on the Summerly,” Noah said. “We’re equal when we’re out there.”

  Mr. Nelson pointed a finger. “And the only reason you’re the captain is because the two above you are gone. One died and one quit.”

  He was right about that. Chris Watson had died in a boating accident last year, and afterward Jack had decided he was done with the career for good.

  “I didn’t think I was ready for the responsibility, but I’ve surprised even myself. Joey and I make a great crew.” Noah notched up his chin. He respected his elders, but he wasn’t going to let Mr. Nelson tear him down. “As for Krista, I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her, sir. This is a new path for us and I’m excited about exploring it.”

  Mr. Nelson’s eyebrows went up as if there were sexual innuendos there—and yeah, Noah felt a little guilty right now for having explored Krista’s body so thoroughly already.

  “If I break her heart, I have to answer to Krista, you, Joey, and myself. I’m not inclined to want to do that.”

  Mr. Nelson nodded. “As her father, I’m obligated to talk to any and all the guys she dates.”

  Noah’s shoulders relaxed. “She’s lucky to have that.”

  The older man shrugged. “Do you like football?”

  Honestly, Noah didn’t, but he would learn to love it if it took him off the hot seat right now. “Yes, sir.”

  “Great.” Mr. Nelson held up the remote and flicked on a large, wide-screen television. Noah relaxed into his seat and watched, eventually drifting off like Joey, waiting for the moment when he could take Krista back to his place and do all the things that Mr. Nelson didn’t want him to do to his daughter. Because he’d been a little gun-shy in the sexual arena since last week. It was Thanksgiving, though, a day to give thanks and appreciate the ones you love. And he planned on fully appreciating every inch of Krista just as soon as he got out of here.

  Chapter 19

  “I hear you ran the caregiver support group the other night,” Karen said, walking up to Krista the next day. Krista had gotten Thanksgiving Day off, but unlike a lot of other professions, she didn’t get to take a long weekend. Her patients needed her, and she’d just taken a mini vacation when she’d gone to the cabin with Noah.

  Krista swiveled in her chair to look up at the head nurse. “Yep. And I’ll be filling in again next week. I actually really enjoyed it.”

  Karen cocked her head. “That kind of thing seems like a good fit for you. You like inserting yourself into other people’s lives.” She didn’t say it in an insulting way, but it still made Krista’s spine stiffen just a touch.

  “I wouldn’t exactly call being a friend to others ‘inserting’ myself.”

  Karen waved a hand. “You know what I mean.”

  But Krista really didn’t. Karen had never said anything about Krista’s performance in filling in as head nurse during her own time off. She was set to retire in just three weeks. Krista wanted to know for sure if the position would go to her.

  “Things ran smoothly around here when you were with your family at the beach,” Krista said, broaching the subject herself.

  “So I hear. Good job, Krista. Although I wouldn’t have asked you to step in if I didn’t trust that you could run things.”

  There. That was a compliment, and it encouraged Krista to delve deeper.

  “I wasn’t intimidated by the job at all.” Which was only a tiny lie. Talking angry patients down was just a little intimidating. And the job itself had pulled away from patient care. The satisfaction she got from making sure her patients were comfortable and well cared for had gone down last week while she was busy handling staff needs and other head nurse business.

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Karen smiled. “Well, I’m off for today. I’ll see you Monday.” She hugged her clipboard close to her chest. “Only a few weeks left for me and I’ll be out of here for good.”

  Karen waved and headed toward the elevators. Was that how Krista would feel when it was time to retire from this place? Like sh
e was finally ridding herself of a ball and chain? The days could be hard here, but she loved this job. She loved helping patients. She’d do it forever if she could. Something twisted in her gut. She didn’t want to turn into Karen, not in the slightest.

  —

  After work, Krista ran home and dressed for Grace and Jack’s rehearsal dinner. Tomorrow was Grace and Jack’s wedding day! Krista couldn’t be happier or more excited for her friend. With the holidays, Krista had seen a lot of her friends and family, and introduced them all to herself and Noah as a couple. Even her father, who was a hard sell, had shaken Noah’s hand on Thanksgiving and pulled him in for a pat-the-back hug. Then he’d invited him to go fishing with him after the New Year. That was a small miracle in Krista’s mind.

  Krista parked at the local beach access and headed between the dunes, spotting Grace under a large tent. The wedding was taking place on the beach tomorrow afternoon. Both Grace and Jack loved the water and they wanted a simple wedding. Since it was fall, the flowers and dresses were cream and eggplant, but Krista decided it was much more romantic to describe the décor as wine-colored. Against the backdrop of sand and water, the whole event promised to be absolutely gorgeous.

  For the next hour, the wedding party ran through what would happen the following day, working out the kinks. When it was done, Krista joined hands with Noah and went for a walk along the water’s edge as the sun set in the sky.

  “It’s official. I’ll be house-watching for Jack and Grace while they’re on their honeymoon,” he said. “Which means I’ll finally have hot water.”

  Krista laughed, intertwining her arm with his as her bare feet squished in the cool sand. “Hopefully the repairman can get to your place sometime next week.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears. Then I can have you back in my bed every night and wake up to you every morning.”

  Krista’s heart skipped a beat. That sounded awfully committed to her. Whatever freak-out he’d had last week was over. “I’d like that.”

  “I ran into Adam and his mom at the store yesterday,” Noah said then.

  Krista looked up. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  “It slipped my mind, I guess. It’s been a busy week.”

  “It has,” she agreed.

  “I told the little guy that I’d take him fishing again in the next few weeks.”

  “Oh.” Worry like she’d experienced when he’d made a similar promise momentarily settled on her brow. “You know, if you tell a kid something, they’re going to hold you to it.”

  “Good. Because I was serious.

  “Why the frown? You don’t think I’ll keep my word?” he asked.

  Krista shrugged and offered up a smile. “You better,” she said teasingly, but she was serious. She’d survive if Noah broke her heart, probably, but Adam might not. He trusted Noah and crushing that childlike trust changed a kid. Adam’s own father had already crushed his spirit a hundred times in his short life.

  Noah stopped walking and looked at her. “I’ve taken him fishing twice because you asked me to. Now you’re acting like me taking him fishing again is a bad thing.”

  “No.” Krista shook her head. “It’s not. Those other two times were planned a few days in advance, though. We had a set date and I knew you’d be able to keep them. Having some unset date in the far future is a little different. I just want to make sure you do what you say you’ll do.”

  “Geez, Kris. Glad to see you think so highly of me,” he said, releasing her hand and turning to stare at the water.

  “I do think highly of you. But I also know you, Noah.” She ran a hand along his back. “Just forget I said anything, okay? I think it’s great that you’re keeping up with Adam.”

  Noah’s lips were grimly set. She was sorry she’d ruined his good mood. “It’s my fault you think that about me. I’ll just have to prove you wrong.” He glanced over and winked, his mood shifting as easily as the waves rolled toward the seafloor.

  “Oh.” She smiled as he took her hand again and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. “Okay. Well, let me know when you want to go fishing with him and I’ll make plans to come along, too.”

  “I wouldn’t want to go without you.” He pulled her to his side and she tried not to worry that he’d hurt Adam’s fragile emotions. She trusted Noah. Or she wanted to.

  After their walk, they returned to Noah’s houseboat and made love well into the night. Then Krista drove home so she would be able to wake early in the morning to meet the other women in the wedding party for hair and makeup.

  She struggled to fall asleep as she lay in bed, staring blankly at her bedroom ceiling. The reality of her situation had become as clear as water to her. She’d loved Noah before, but now she’d fallen so deep in love with him that she was ruined for any other relationship in her future. Noah had made so many changes of late, but had he changed his stance on marriage and children? Because that was still something she wanted one day. She wanted to be the bride instead of just the maid of honor. She wanted wedding parties, rehearsal dinners, and a honeymoon of her own. And she wanted that honeymoon to be in the Sawyer cabin. With Noah.

  This is foolish, Krista. If it were any other guy, she wouldn’t be having these thoughts so soon. The only reason she was now was because she knew Noah’s road had once been a dead end, and driving down a dead end led her away from the desires of her heart. But God, she loved being with him. When she was with him, there was nowhere in the world she’d rather be, dead end or not.

  Her alarm clock went off way too early the next morning. The morning fog lifted, however, as soon as she realized what day it was. Grace’s wedding day! And Krista was maid of honor. It was her duty to make sure every detail was perfect. Well, hers and the wedding planner’s.

  Krista slid her feet into a pair of slippers and hurried down the hall to go make and then guzzle a cup of coffee. Joey was already standing by the coffee maker. “You’re my hero,” Krista exclaimed, reaching for the full pot. She poured a mug, added in almond milk and sugar, and guzzled happily. Then she dashed off to the bathroom. An hour later, she pulled into the parking lot for Blushing Beauties, a fancy salon in town, and parked. She was the first one from the wedding party to arrive. She opened the bag she’d brought and set a see-through nylon bag at every hair station. Inside she’d filled the bags with mints and chocolate kisses and other sweet things to munch and snack on during the day. Abby was also bringing over some finger foods for people to have while they prettied up for the ceremony at two o’clock.

  “Aww,” Grace said, pulling her hands to her chest as she walked in. “You didn’t have to do this.”

  “I take my job as maid of honor very seriously.” Krista wrapped Grace in a hug. “Are you ready for your big day?”

  “Absolutely. I can’t wait to be Mrs. Jack Sawyer.”

  Shelby, the owner of the salon, walked in and hugged Grace, too. “The bride is always first on my list. If she’s not pretty, then no one is.” Shelby ushered Grace to a chair. Then Penny, another stylist at Blushing Beauties, motioned Krista toward a neighboring one. Pretty soon the entire salon was full of excited women and laughter. It was a nice occasion that Krista was thrilled to be a part of.

  “So,” Grace said, leaning over to whisper to Krista as they got their pedicures, “shall I try and toss the bouquet to you when I throw it over my shoulder at the reception?”

  “I don’t want you to rig the bouquet toss, but…” Krista thought about it. “I’d love to be next up the aisle.”

  “With Noah?”

  Krista grinned. “Who else?”

  “Just be ready to catch,” Grace advised. “Might have to battle my mom for it, though.”

  Krista laughed and looked over at Grace’s mother a few chairs down. “If it comes to it, your mom can have it.”

  “No. The last thing my mom needs is another husband. She’s fine,” Grace assured her. “You have to beat her to the punch. Got it? It’s your final duty as my maid of honor.”
/>
  Krista fanned out her polished toes. “Got it.”

  —

  “T-minus ten minutes,” Noah announced as he headed into the room where his brother Jack was waiting to get married. “Ready for me to drive you to the beach?”

  Jack took a deep breath, blew it out, and stood as if he were being marched to his executioner.

  “Whoa. What’s this about? Are you nervous, bro?” Noah asked.

  Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “Of course I’m nervous. I’m terrified.”

  “But Grace is awesome. You two are perfect together and—”

  Jack held up a hand. “I don’t have reservations about marrying Grace. I love Grace. It’s the crowd and the commotion.”

  Noah furrowed his brow. “Are you serious right now? You just had an open house for your new business and half the community was watching.”

  “Yeah, watching me cut a ribbon. That’s easy. But I wrote vows for Grace. I poured my heart into the words on this paper.” Jack tapped a folded piece of paper in his chest pocket. “What if I screw them up? This day is the day. The one that Grace will remember for the rest of our lives. What if what I wrote sucks, and people laugh?” Jack sat back down and leaned forward on his elbows, looking sick to his stomach.

  “Geez. Are you having a panic attack?”

  “Not quite, but I’m headed there.” Jack looked up and blew out a breath. “What do I do, man?”

  Noah’s gaze flicked all over the room as if the answer were somewhere hidden in the corners. “I don’t know. Think happy thoughts,” he finally said, returning his attention to his brother. “Forget about the other people. They don’t matter. Just think about Grace. She’s what today is about.”

  Jack inhaled deeply.

  Noah took that as a good sign. “Visualize Grace in her dress, waiting for you at the gazebo you’re getting married under.”

  Jack closed his eyes. For a moment, Noah was amazed that his older brother was actually taking his advice for once. “There’s no crowd in sight. Just you and Grace. Now, take out your paper, unfold it, and see yourself reading those words to Grace. See her smiling back at you. Maybe there’s even a happy tear in her eye,” Noah said, imagining it himself. He led his brother through the entire event, all the way to the point where the preacher pronounced them man and wife.