Summer Lovin'

by Carly Phillips

  “So just how did you come to these momentous conclusions?” he asked.

  She sensed the seriousness in his question and settled herself beside him on the big desk. “That’s probably the easiest answer I can give. I realized I was faced with losing you forever and that scared me a hell of a lot more than overcoming my fears.”

  “What are you saying?”

  Although they sat side by side and though they were more relaxed with each other than before, something very important was missing and Zoe knew that move was also up to her.

  Reaching out, she placed her hand over his, making that connection for the first time today. “I love you, Ryan.”

  “Zoe—”

  She placed a finger over his lips to silence him and felt the electric zing straight down to her toes. “I’m not finished yet.” And she wasn’t, since words of love weren’t nearly enough to make up for not returning those words after he’d uttered them, and for leaving him in the first place.

  She licked her lips, dry from nervousness. “I love you, but that’s not all. And after all you’ve said and done, it’s certainly not enough, I know.”

  His gaze met and held hers.

  “I want to be with you and I’m willing to move to Boston to make that happen, assuming you want the same thing, that is. You see? I’ve learned my lessons well and I’m willing to compromise.” She laughed nervously, and was perilously close to passing out on the spot.

  “You are, huh?”

  She swallowed hard and waited, but he remained silent for too long. “It won’t work, will it?” she finally asked.

  He shook his head. “I can’t see that it will.”

  Again silence surrounded them.

  The pit in her stomach grew wider, her disappointment profound. “I guess I can understand, considering how I jerked you around. You said you loved me and I didn’t say anything back, and whether it’s an ego thing or you just can’t trust in what I say or feel, I get why it won’t work anymore.”

  Zoe knew she was rambling, but she didn’t think she could stand the pain that would fill her once she allowed herself to think.

  “I really don’t think you understand.” He spoke in a gentle, compassionate voice and she hated that he was trying to let her down easy.

  She stepped backward. “I need to be going.” Pivoting, she started toward the door, unable to leave her hurt and mortification behind fast enough.

  “Wait.”

  She turned in time to see him jump off the desk and dart around her, blocking her exit.

  “If you’re leaving, you really don’t understand and I need to explain,” he said with what sounded like panic in his tone.

  Confusion along with anticipation took hold inside her. “You’re damn right I don’t understand.”

  “But you will.” His expression softened before her eyes. “I’m trying to say that it won’t work because you can’t be in Boston if I’m going to move to Ocean Isle.”

  She blinked and shook her head, certain she’d heard him wrong. “You’re going to what?” she asked.

  He grasped her hand and pulled her toward a chair. She willingly let him lead her. Once she was seated, he knelt beside her. “I’m going to move to Ocean Isle.”

  Her head spun and she was glad she wasn’t standing. “Ryan,” she said, completely overwhelmed.

  “You need to know a few things. First, I was planning to drive down and see your parents this weekend.”

  She tipped her head to one side. “Why?”

  His bigger hand covered hers. “Because I needed them to know I’m not going to take Sam away and I wanted to tell them in person.”

  She opened her mouth then closed it again. “I’m…I’m floored. Confused. What’s going on?”

  He didn’t respond immediately and she sensed him searching for a way to explain.

  “Even though my parents have come a long way and are willing to work hard at being a different kind of family, in my heart I believe Sam’s best interest and ultimate happiness lie with your family. Not mine.”

  His heartfelt words along with the magnitude of the gesture reached out to Zoe. The man already owned her heart, but now he had the key to it, as well.

  Still, knowing how Ryan felt about his sister, about Sam, and about blood ties, she couldn’t let him make such a huge sacrifice and she shook her head hard. “No. You should—”

  “Be her uncle. My parents should be her grandparents. We’ll all be a part of her life, but she deserves a real family that understands her.” His smile grew wider as he said, “Your parents provide everything she needs much better than we ever could.”

  “I don’t know what to say except thank you.” A tear rolled down Zoe’s face and she wiped the moisture away with the back of her hand. “You’re an incredible man, Ryan Baldwin.”

  Amazingly, he flushed.

  She realized that they were still unresolved and she pushed on with a question. “So you were going to move to Jersey to be closer to Sam?”

  “No. I was going to talk to your parents and work out a schedule for weekends and holiday visits.” He inhaled deeply. “And then you showed up here first, saying everything I dreamed about, but never thought I’d hear.” His voice was gruff and deep.

  Zoe glanced down, ashamed of the pain she’d caused him while she’d searched her own heart and soul. “I wish I could have come around sooner.”

  “Then you wouldn’t be you.” He nudged her chin up with his hand and looked into her eyes. “And I love you, too,” he said.

  Warmth filled her heart replacing most of the fear that had lodged in her chest. “Are you sure I didn’t wait too long?” she asked him, still uncertain.

  Ryan shook his head. He’d probably have waited forever for her, but thank God it hadn’t come to that. “All I wanted to hear was that you loved me. Offering to uproot your life for me was an added bonus.”

  She’d provided him with the proof he hadn’t realized he needed. Proof that Zoe had come to terms with her fear of losing herself in their intense relationship—which he intended to turn into an intense marriage as soon as humanly possible.

  “You deserve someone who’s willing to compromise as much as you already have. I can do that for you now. I can do that for us.” She smiled the sexy smile he adored.

  “Compromise is nice, but you don’t have to. Since Sam’s already going to live in New Jersey, don’t you think it makes more sense for us to live there?”

  “What about your law firm?”

  He shrugged. Although he couldn’t say he’d thoroughly thought this move through, he was able to improvise based on certain helpful facts. “I can already practice in New York since I’m licensed there. And if it makes sense, I can always take the New Jersey bar exam.”

  “You’d do that for me?” she asked, green eyes wide with wonder and gratitude.

  Despite that the thought of Continuing Legal Education classes and bar exams made him shudder, he assured her, anyway, “I’d do that for us.”

  She responded with a quick kiss.

  “Don’t you realize that I’ve never been as happy as I am when I’m with you? You and your wacky family,” he said, laughing. “I just have one prerequisite.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “Do you think you can move out of your parents’ house now? I’m not sure I could live with my in-laws and stay sane.”

  “In-laws?” Her voice cracked as she said the word.

  He nodded. “That is what I want them to be.”

  “Are you asking me to—”

  “Marry me, Zoe.” He hoped it helped that he was already on bended knee.

  “Yes!” She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, knocking him to the floor. Her body snuggled into his, the fit perfect and right.

  Since driving her to the airport over two weeks ago, he’d been holding his breath. Now he was breathing easy and damn it felt good. She felt good.

  She straddled him with her knees, her flirty skirt hi
ked high, only a thin scrap of lace covering her underneath. She kissed him senseless, her tongue tangling with his, her hands in his hair, tugging on his scalp, without ever coming up for air.

  “Mr. Baldwin—” Nadine said, stepping into his office. “Oh my gosh! I knocked, but…Oh my gosh!” she said again and started to back out of the room.

  “Hold my calls,” he said as she quickly slammed the door shut behind her.

  He glanced at Zoe.

  Her cheeks were a deep red, but she laughed aloud. “The look on Nadine’s face was priceless,” Zoe said.

  “She won’t forget to knock loudly anytime soon, that’s for sure.” Ryan grinned, happier than he ever remembered being and he had the woman lying on top of him to thank. “Know what I want to do now?” he asked her.

  “What would that be?”

  His hips jerked upward, making his plan perfectly clear. And in case Zoe wasn’t sure what he meant, Ryan leaned up and whispered his intentions in her ear.

  Epilogue

  “WHEN YOU SAID YOU WANTED to make little Baldwin babies, I didn’t think you meant right that minute!” Zoe whispered as she covered her still-flat stomach with her hand.

  Once she’d left Ryan in Boston, she’d gone off the pill because of a series of headaches she’d attributed to the birth control. In reality, it had been nerves, stress, and stupidity for leaving Ryan that had caused the pain. Regardless, she’d completely forgotten about birth control after he’d proposed. It was that intense, passionate, Mediterranean blood of hers, she thought, with pleasure this time.

  “I didn’t hear you complaining,” Ryan replied. “In fact I distinctly remember you screaming with pleasure. If I hadn’t covered your mouth with mine, Nadine would have come running back in and then where would we be?”

  Zoe chuckled.

  “Shh!” Ari glanced over her shoulder and reprimanded them in her most professorial tone. “We’re in church and the wedding’s supposed to start any minute.”

  They were all at Connor’s wedding to his fiancée, Maria, two people who’d worked hard to come to this point in their lives. Zoe still recalled how they’d fought their feelings at first. And look how well things had worked out for them, too.

  Zoe grinned, but, duly chastised by her twin, she settled down. Her hand remained on her stomach while Ryan placed his warm palm over hers.

  Seconds later, Maria and Connor’s wedding processional began. Sam, dressed in a gorgeous burgundy dress, walked down the aisle looking older than her fourteen years.

  Ryan sucked in a breath and Zoe knew he was seeing shades of his sister in his beautiful niece. But he could rest easy knowing Sam would have a happier life than Faith had had.

  Next came Joe, Maria’s son, followed by Connor, the groom. A glowing Maria walked down the aisle with Quinn by her side.

  The lump in Zoe’s throat grew larger as she remembered her own wedding a few weeks ago. As intimate a family affair as she could manage by Costas standards, the day had been filled with magic moments.

  Including the spectacle caught on video camera, when Spank the monkey had attempted to dance with Ryan’s mother. After both Vivian and Grandma Edna turned her down, Spank mooned them both. Zoe still cringed at the memory. It had taken Zoe a long time to calm the monkey down while Ryan had seen to his grandmother with the smelling salts she kept on her at all times.

  Zoe held in laughter, then cried happy tears as Maria and Connor said I do. Later that afternoon, after the reception at Paradeisos, the couple left on their honeymoon.

  Ryan glanced at Zoe and she couldn’t mistake the love in his eyes. “Want to tell Ari and Quinn?” he asked, like the proud, expectant father he was.

  They’d kept the news of her pregnancy quiet up until now, not wanting to spoil the wedding. But after today’s trip to the doctor, no way could she remain silent any longer. “I didn’t want to upstage the bride and groom, but now that they’re gone—”

  “I thought Maria and Connor would never leave,” Ari said, coming up to Zoe, dragging Quinn along with her.

  “Hey,” Quinn said to Ryan who shook the other man’s hand.

  Zoe couldn’t help but notice that the hard-edged ex-cop had developed a grudging respect for Ryan, especially since he’d let the Costases’ adoption of Sam go through.

  “We have news,” Ari said, excitedly.

  “So do we.” Zoe laughed. “You first.”

  “No you,” Ari said.

  Zoe shook her head. “No you.”

  Quinn rolled his eyes. “Women,” he muttered.

  “We’re having twins,” both Quinn and Ryan said at the exact same time and loudly enough to be heard over the music, chatter and the sisters’ bickering.

  All the talking in the room seemed to come to a halt.

  “Our babies are having babies!” Elena said, her voice cracking.

  She strode forward with Nicholas, their gazes encompassing both daughters. Elena kissed first Zoe’s cheek, then Ari’s, then repeated the gesture kissing Ari first and next Zoe again.

  “Aah, that Costas sperm is potent!” Nicholas slapped each man on the back.

  “Don’t you think someone ought to explain the facts of life to him?” Ryan asked.

  Zoe laughed. “And ruin the moment where he takes all the credit?”

  Quinn shook his head. “Unbelievable,” he said, but his joy and pride were evident.

  As Zoe glanced around the diner where she’d practically grown up, she took in the faces of the people she loved most and decided at that moment, she was the luckiest woman on the face of the earth.

  ISBN: 1-55254-529-6

  SUMMER LOVIN’

  Copyright © 2006 by Karen Drogin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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  About the Author

  Carly Phillips started her writing career with the Harlequin Temptation line in 1999 with Brazen and she's never strayed far from home! Carly has since published more than 15 books and hit the New York Times bestseller list with her famous "Reading with Ripa" pick, the first romance ever chosen for a nationally televised book club, The Bachelor, and its sequel, The Playboy.

  Carly lives in Purchase, New York, with her husband, two daughters and frisky soft-coated Wheaten terrier, who acts like their third child. When she's not spending time with her family, Carly is busy writing, promoting and playing online! To learn more about this quickly rising star of romance, you can write her at: P.O. Box 483, Purchase, NY 10577.

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