Palmetto Passion: A Sweet Small Town Family Romance (The Bradford Brothers Book 1)

by Christina Benjamin

  When I looked back up at Rowan, his face softened. “That’s the plan, Dad.”

  William Bradford turned toward me with a wide smile on his face. He stepped forward, and though I thought he was coming in for a hug, he took both of my hands and shook them. “Then, Tess Taylor, I like you very much.”

  Everyone laughed and I got the feeling that was about as tender as the Bradford patriarch got.

  “Welcome to the family, Tess,” William said with a content smile.

  “There’s actually something else that I wanted to tell you all,” Rowan said hesitantly, glancing around at the curious eyes peering over at him now.

  “Not only am I staying, but I think I'm ready to get back to medicine. I think I'm going to open a small family practice.”

  “Since when?” William asked, as Eleanor gave a faint squeal of delight.

  Rowan turned back toward me, squeezing my hand. “Since I remembered how resilient the heart is.”

  Epilogue

  Rowan

  Delicate music began to play as we all took our seats on the day of Ivy and Brooks’ wedding.

  The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. The sun was warm, the breeze gentle and the scent of flowers from the beautiful canopy and arched trellis at the front of the aisle was subtle and sweet.

  Brooks took his place at the front and center, fidgeting as he tugged at his tailored suit. The minister patted his shoulder and grinned. My soon-to-be brother in law rubbed his palms together, eyes continually stealing away toward the long, petal-covered runner where Ivy will soon emerge. He bounced on his heels just slightly, looking like if Ivy didn't hurry, he was going to rush down there and collect her himself. He looked so entirely overjoyed to be getting married today that it made my own heart skip a beat.

  My mother leaned over, resting her hand on mine. “That Tess is a treasure,” she whispered with a smile. “I can't believe you managed to snag a sweet girl like that. You better not let her go.”

  “I don’t plan on it.” I grinned back, glancing over toward where Tess was making sure that all her masterpieces were precisely in order.

  She was a woman after my own heart, the kind that couldn’t stay idle for long. It was her ambitious nature and determined resolve that spurred my own decision to rejoin the workforce.

  A figure caught my eye as he took his seat across the aisle. A wide grin spread across my face as I recognized Gerald the groundskeeper. He gave me a kind nod and I offered him a respectful salute.

  I owed that man everything. Had I never pretended to be Gerald, Tess and I might not be where we are now. I’d never been so thankful for the kind-natured groundskeeper in my life. I would forever be in his debt, which he assured me would be fully paid just as soon as my family practice was up and running. I promised him and his large family free care for life!

  My mother giggled, drawing my attention as she reached for my father’s hand as he settled in his seat. Shooting me a furtive glance, he said, “I'm glad you’re staying here in Bradford Cove, son.”

  He looked into my eyes for a moment before shifting his gaze away. I knew it was hard for him to speak what was in his heart. He and I shared that trait. But we’d made a lot of progress lately. Maybe it was the whimsy of this romantic day that had everyone in the mood to mend fences. Whatever it was, I found myself grateful that I could smile back at my father with an open heart.

  “Me too,” I answered honestly.

  “I understand now that you were just following your own dreams and that I may have pushed you a little too hard to follow a path you weren’t meant for. I'm sorry,” he admitted.

  Gently, I patted his arm, offering him a smile. “It’s in the past. I’ve learned lately that what happened in the past doesn’t have to define the present.”

  My father’s keen eyes softened slightly as he gave a faint nod. “That’s sound advice, son.” He smiled to himself, shaking his head at some inside joke.

  “What?” I asked, curious.

  “I guess I hadn't realized you’d gotten so wise. I feel like I blinked, and all of my children are grown and far away.”

  “Not all of us,” I promised. “Not far away at least.”

  He nodded. “I guess, if I had it all to do over again, I would’ve worked less and spent more time getting to know you all. It’s my one true regret.”

  “The good news is we have the time now,” I winked, earning a rare, genuine smile from William Bradford.

  “Damn right,” he whispered, making my mother blush and me laugh.

  There was a sudden flutter as Tess returned to her seat beside me. Our eyes locked as I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, brushing back her hair. She nestled into me, skimming the flower canopy over our heads one more time.

  “It’s beautiful,” I promised her.

  She stole a kiss, our fingers interlacing as the music changed. We all turned in our seats, as Ivy appeared at the end of the aisle.

  While everyone else gasped at Ivy, stunning in her floor length gown that had miraculously shown up in time, I couldn’t help but steal another look at Brooks.

  His shoulders straightened as he stared at his beautiful bride swathed in a gossamer veil that made her look like she was floating. Her bouquet, which Tess had spent hours crafting, rested delicately in Ivy’s hands. But perhaps the most beautiful thing of all was the glowing smile Ivy wore as she beamed at her groom.

  I chuckled softly, almost feeling sorry for Brooks. He looked like he was going to collapse to his knees there at the altar just from the sight of his bride.

  Somehow, he managed to remain standing, but by the time Ivy reached him, a single tear had drifted down his cheek. Ivy reached up and brushed it away. Brooks took her hand, pressing a kiss against the back of her palm. Even from behind her veil, I could tell Ivy was blushing.

  This snapshot of their love was so beautiful and tender it was impossible not to imagine what my own special day would look like.

  My eyes snuck a glance at Tess’s lovely face. She was captivated by the ceremony, her eyes wide with delight. I gave her a faint squeeze and her fingers again laced with mine, making my heart beat just a little faster.

  Would it be me and Tess at the end of an aisle someday? It was easy to imagine gazing at her with the promise of a loving future in my heart. My heart filled with hope that I might one day be that lucky.

  I could only pray that she and I would know the joy that my sister and her new husband were sharing with us today. In my heart, I felt confident it would be the case.

  With Tess by my side, I knew every day that we spend together in Bradford Cove would be a magical one filled with possibility.

  Bradford Cove had always been the place I’d come from, my history, my past. But Tess was my future and somehow she’d helped me finally find my way home.

  Epilogue

  Tess

  “Ivy,” Brooks said slowly, staring down at a small card he gripped in his shaking fingers. It was covered in hasty writing, half of it crossed out and rewritten. “I’ve been working on these vows probably since the day I met you, but no words have ever seemed just right.”

  Ivy gazed at him, her veil now flowing over her back instead of covering her face. She smiled; her eyes locked only on his face.

  Brooks gulped and abruptly threw aside the card with his vows and focused on his bride instead. “So I'm just going to tell you how I feel. I'm not going to try and make it pretty or perfect, I'm just going to be honest.”

  Ivy nodded and Brooks reached over to take her hand, their fingers tightly intertwining.

  “You are everything to me, Ivy. You have been since we were kids and I was chasing you around the playground. On my seventh birthday, the wish I made when I blew out the candles was that someday I would marry you and now here we are. Dreams do come true. I know it because I'm living one. Every day with you is better than the last. You make me happier than I ever thought possible. It’s you and me, babe. Forever.”

  He grinned
at her, both their eyes watering. Even the minister had to dab away a tear. Nearby, Eleanor Bradford was openly sobbing with joy into William’s lapel. William kept his chin lifted but his eyes were as soft as warm butter. His jaw was gritted to keep himself from shedding a tear.

  My own eyes were damp as my gaze drifted toward Rowan, who I found was already looking at me. We grinned at one another for a long moment, taking in the beauty and intimacy of this gorgeous wedding. In a setting like this, it was impossible not to think of the future—one I might share with the amazing man sitting next to me. My heart raced as my mind ran away with me and the ‘someday’ I dreamed of for us.

  I wiped my eyes and shyly looked away from Rowan, wondering if he could possibly be thinking about the same things, too.

  “And do you, Ivy, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” the minister asked as another beautiful, balmy breeze floated through the canopy of flowers.

  The crystal strands glimmered under the sun’s golden rays, sending a rainbow of light over Ivy and Brooks where they stood hopelessly lost in each other’s eyes. It was like no one else existed but them; the rest of us completely faded into the background.

  There was such stark adoration in their faces that it almost made me blush to watch such an intimate moment. This wasn’t the first wedding I’d been to, but it was the first where the two newlyweds look so fiercely in love.

  “Um, Ivy?” the minister pressed, clearing his throat as he glanced at Brooks for help, but the young man was utterly absorbed in staring at his bride.

  Eventually, the minister gave up and tapped Ivy on the shoulder.

  The beautiful bride gave a faint jump and looked around. “What?” she murmured, distractedly.

  The minister smiled. “You have a very important question to answer.”

  “Oh. Yes!” Ivy exclaimed, making us all laugh. “Yes, Brooks! I do!”

  Brooks’ face burst into a glowing grin and he pulled Ivy against him, pressing an eager kiss to her lips which she enthusiastically entertained.

  The minister laughed and shook his head. “Not yet, you two!” he teased, making everyone else in the audience burst into laughter again. “Brooks, do you take Ivy—”

  “I do!” Brooks proclaimed, cutting off the minister and hauling Ivy back into his arms.

  He dipped her, capturing yet another tender kiss as everyone in the audience leapt to their feet, joyfully clapping and cheering for the happy couple.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife!” the minister announced, throwing his arms up in the air in celebration.

  As Ivy and Brooks danced happily down the aisle, the rest of us trailed after them toward the reception. Rowan took my hand pulling me aside. We slowly halted as everyone around us continued to the reception until it was just him and I standing under the canopy of flowers in front of the altar.

  He pulled me against him, his arms around my waist as my own arms looped around his neck. We stood there, gazing at each other as the wind blew around us, carrying the nearby sounds of the wedding party. Music began to play as Ivy and Brooks started their first dance together as newlyweds.

  Rowan and I swayed in place, alone but together. I kissed him once before resting my head on his chest. I listened to his heartbeat, which quickened as his hands stroked over my back.

  This heart of his, though it may be bruised and battered, it was mine to cherish from this moment on—and I would treasure it forever.

  I knew he would treasure mine as well. In my core I just had this reassuring feeling that as long as we were together, we would always have someone there to protect each other’s hearts.

  I tipped my head up to smile at Rowan. His eyes glimmered, seeming to know just what I was thinking.

  “I can’t wait for tomorrow,” I whispered.

  Rowan chuckled and kissed my forehead. “What’s tomorrow?”

  I grinned, leaning up on my tiptoes to steal another kiss. “It’s just one more day with you.”

  He laughed again, squeezing me as we rocked to the distant music from the reception.

  Rowan’s head rested atop my own and I closed my eyes, savoring this feeling.

  “You are something else, Tess Taylor,” he murmured, making my heart flutter. “I can’t believe I get to hold you in my arms. I'm a lucky man.”

  “We’re both lucky,” I whispered back, “because we found each other.”

  “Amen,” he said softly before claiming my lips with a delicious kiss.

  I sighed into him, a feeling of completeness washing over me, because I knew that as long as Rowan and I were together, all of our tomorrows would be beautiful—because they would be spent together.

  - BOOK 2 -

  Saltwater Sweetheart (Colton’s Story)

  Chapter 1 - COLTON

  “Are you here?” Rowan asked.

  I swallowed hard. I shouldn’t have picked up the phone. I wasn’t ready for this.

  As if sensing my distress, my oldest brother spoke softly. “I know this won’t be easy on you, but I’m here if you need me.”

  “Thanks, Rowan,” I managed.

  “And Cole?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m glad you’re home.”

  I disconnected, not able to bring myself to say the obligatory, me too.

  Because I wasn’t really sure how I felt about all of this.

  A balmy spring breeze blew across the grounds, causing lazy ripples to rock the boat I’d tethered to the nearby dock. I gazed out over the water, watching as yellow rays shimmered and danced across the white crests in the distance.

  Everything about Bradford Cove was picturesque and yet I couldn’t help but feel unsettled about being back here after so many years.

  The inlet behind my childhood home called to me—though calling the Bradford Estate just a home made it sound like some cozy little cottage rather than the majestic, sprawling manor that it was.

  I shook my head, wondering why I’d thought I could handle this. I felt just as I had when I left this place—like I didn’t belong.

  I supposed that’s why I couldn’t bring myself to leave the boathouse. It’d always been the place I retreated to when I needed to clear my head or sort out my thoughts. I’d always been a thinker, as my mother liked to say. Perhaps that’s why I enjoyed the solitude of life aboard my sailboat, where there was nothing but ocean between me and my thoughts.

  Sailing it back here had certainly given me a lot of time for thinking.

  To say it was strange to be back in South Carolina was an understatement. It'd been seven years since I’d seen these shores, yet it felt like it was only days ago that I’d charged onto my boat, my head whirling and heart broken. My eyes had been focused out to the sea, beyond the inlet. Beyond Bradford Cove. I hadn’t known where I was going, only that I had to get away from this place and that I was adamant about never coming back.

  But still, here I was, right back where I started; my heart still as broken as the day I left.

  Did that make me masochistic? Or just stupid?

  When a sigh escaped my lips, I watched another gust rustle through the cove. At the simple thought of my rapid departure from this place, my heart wrenched in my chest, and I had to slap a hand over top of it to stop the painful pulsing.

  How the hell did it still hurt like this?

  It’d been years since I last saw my beautiful blonde ballerina, and still even the faintest memory of my history with Charlie Kincaid made my heart feel like it was shattering all over again.

  It was unreal, what that woman did to me.

  That was probably what I was dreading the most about being back in South Carolina. It meant having to face Charlie again.

  What was I thinking, getting involved with my little sister’s best friend? Of course that was going to end in devastation.

  “You’re an idiot, Cole,” I muttered to no one in particular.

  I knew any pain I would suffer at this homecoming would undoubtedly be my own fault . . .
because I’d known better.

  This is precisely why dating your sister’s best friend is off-limits.

  As my mind wandered, I left the boathouse feeling claustrophobic. There suddenly wasn’t enough room for me and all my memories of Charlie in there. But I wasn’t ready to face my family just yet. Instead, I took a seat on the perfectly manicured lawn, letting one of my legs stretch out in front of me on the grassy bank. I dug my fingers deep into the soil as if the blades of grass could somehow root me to this place that I no longer belonged.

  Coming home was the right thing to do. I knew that . . . but I hated how much it hurt.

  It was my little sister's wedding that brought me back home again. There was no way I’d miss it. Ivy meant way too much to me. I’d come home to celebrate and support her.

  Just because I’d never be happy didn’t mean I couldn’t find a way to celebrate my sister’s happiness, did it? It sort of felt that way. But I didn’t want to be that guy.

  I couldn’t deny that I’d mentally run through a list of excuses, trying to find one that would’ve let me skip the wedding, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that to Ivy. Not after secretly falling in love with her best friend. No . . . this mess was my fault and I needed to deal with it myself.

  I’d never let Ivy hear a whisper of my feelings for Charlie. It would’ve devastated her to know I’d broken my promise. I’d kept this secret for most of my life. A few more days wouldn’t kill me—I hoped.

  I picked up a smooth rock, feeling the weight of the stone against my fingers. I stroked my thumb against the worn edge and then chucked it at the water. It skipped once, twice, three times before sinking beneath the still blue surface with a satisfying plunk.

  For a moment I stared at the spot where the rock disappeared, contemplating the fact that the ripples on the surface had vanished so quickly. No one would ever know that a rock had just breached the surface. My relationship with Charlie was kind of like that. When it was over, it just disappeared because so few people were aware of its existence.