Don’t Tell: The Series

by Paige, Violet

  I laughed. “You? That’s funny.”

  He shot me a look. “I’m just saying I don’t trust the guy.”

  “I get that. I don’t blame you.” We waited until Aiden arrived.

  “Good morning.” He closed the office door and took the only empty seat.

  “Hi, Aiden.” I smiled. He was my best friend’s boyfriend, or something like a boyfriend.

  Cole nodded in his direction.

  Aiden didn’t waste any time. He launched into the reason he was in the office. “I’ve done some thinking, and I’ve gotten some new information.”

  I leaned forward; the knots tightened. The little shit was going to back out of the deal.

  “Cole, I don’t think I can accept your deal.” Aiden sounded completely matter-of-fact.

  I closed my eyes. I should have known this would happen. It was all too good and perfect to be true. Things were coming together too smoothly. Cole had been right about Aiden all along.

  “What in the hell are you talking about? We shook on that deal.” Cole stood from his seat. Normally, I would jump up and try to calm him down. Try to protect Aiden’s handsome face from Cole’s fist, but not this time. He deserved whatever was headed his direction.

  “I know we did, but that deal’s not right.” Aiden showed no remorse.

  “Not right? You get more than fifty percent. How is that not right?” The vein on Cole’s neck was throbbing. Not a good sign.

  “Because I have a better deal for you.”

  I sat up in my chair. “What do you mean? What could possibly be better than what Cole offered you?”

  He looked at both of us. “Like I said, I’ve done some thinking. I think there’s a better business move here that we could all benefit from. I made a few calls yesterday and this morning. I have a new offer for you.”

  Cole stood motionless. “Go on.”

  “What if we go into this as fifty-fifty partners? We could update the motel and turn the rooms into condos, add a second story like mini apartments and sell them to the snowbird demographic Kaitlyn has started drawing here. We could make some big money on the real estate end and still keep the land rights for the management side of things.”

  I knew I was capable of speaking, but right then, I didn’t know how to make my mouth work. Aiden had completely shocked me.

  “Why are you offering this?” Cole questioned him.

  “It’s a better deal. We can make more money in the long term, along with the upfront cash.” He raised his eyebrows. “So, what do you say? Want to go into business together?”

  “You’ve got to have an angle.” Cole’s eyes were boring holes in Aiden’s head. The way his knuckles were turning white, I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t still punch him.

  Aiden shook his head side to side. “My angle is business. This is the best deal for all of us. No lawsuit. No demolition. No one loses his or her job. You can run the amenity and HOA side of things if you want, and Kaitlyn can still be in charge of marketing. She can get into a whole new realm of condo real estate. I don’t do much with day-to-day operations. I’ll be more like a silent partner.” He stroked the side of his jawline. I noticed the five o’clock shadow was back. “Or, if you want to do something else and want to be silent partners like me, we can hire someone to do the managing part and sit back and watch the money roll in.”

  “This is for real?” Cole stepped back to his chair and sat. I realized I no longer had to worry about him decking him.

  “One hundred percent.” Aiden looked nervous.

  “Kaitlyn and I need to talk about it.” It was Cole’s first response that wasn’t a question.

  Aiden stood to leave. “Understandable. Give me a call soon.” He opened the door and turned to face us. “By the way, I dropped the lawsuit this morning. So, whatever you decide, I want you to know that. I’m not playing an angle.” He adjusted his sunglasses and walked out the door, closing it tightly behind him.

  “Wait!” I jumped from my chair and chased after him, leaving Cole in the office.

  Aiden turned in front of his convertible. “What’s up, girl?”

  “Is this for real? You’re not trying to lure us into some kind of trap?”

  He slid his sunglasses off his face and I could see the pain in his eyes, combined with something else. Regret.

  “Kaitlyn, I told you why it was so important for me to tear down the Dunes, but I’ve decided that might not be the best thing for me. I know it’s not the best thing for you. It’s not a trap. I’m moving in a new direction.”

  “I-I heard what Lisa said to you at the reception.” I hadn’t planned on confessing. “I’m sorry, Aiden.”

  “What do you have to be sorry about?”

  “I’m sorry all this happened to you. Your parents obviously had a complicated relationship and they let it interfere with you. It’s not fair.” My hands slipped from my hips.

  “Sweetheart, I learned a long time ago that almost nothing in life is fair.” He put the shades back on his face. “Maybe this is my way of balancing some of that out.” He smiled and pulled open the car door.

  “You think the three of us could go into business together? You and Cole actually working together?” It sort of seemed absurd, especially after the way the last two months had played out.

  “I can do business with anyone.” He cranked the engine. “The rest is up to you and Cole. Besides, I’m the silent partner, remember? Think about it, then call me.” He threw the car in reverse and raced onto Gulf Boulevard.

  I walked back into the office, not entirely sure I had more answers than before I chased after Aiden. The only sound was the humming of the air conditioner in the window. Lately, it had started this thing where it would sputter every five minutes then resume its normal rhythm of blowing cool air into the office. I was waiting for it to give out on me one of these days. It couldn’t last forever.

  I pushed the door until it closed.

  I looked at Cole, wanting him to speak. I wanted him to say something. Anything. He could curse, yell, throw the paperweight. Anything that told me he was processing what had happened with Aiden.

  “What happened out there?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing really. I wanted Aiden to look me in the eye and tell me this isn’t some kind of scheme.”

  “And did he?”

  “I think so.” I leaned against the door.

  “What do you want to do, darlin’?” His eyes were calm and steady. He drifted toward me.

  “Me? The Dunes is yours. And Aiden is your—” I didn’t think uncle was the appropriate word right now even if it was the biological truth.

  He walked toward me and took my hands in his. His fingers were warm and rough as he threaded them through mine. I thought I could feel his pulse.

  “We are in this together now. Should I take the deal?” His crystal blue eyes darted back and forth. “Do you trust him enough to go into business with him?”

  Everything was happening so fast. I knew the deal was a good one, if Aiden could be trusted. Although, in the last few days, I felt like the tide was turning with him. Mary Ellen was convinced he wasn’t a bad guy. She was ready to commit to a relationship with him one hundred percent. We couldn’t ignore he had dropped the lawsuit this morning. That was a huge olive branch. Something about his demeanor outside was different. He was softer and more relaxed. I liked this side of Aiden.

  I took a deep breath. “I think you should do it.”

  “All right.”

  “That’s it?” I asked. Surely, there had to be more to this discussion. I knew Cole wasn’t a man of many words, but there was a lot to sort through. Such as our role at the Dunes, and those grad school plans we had just started discussing. Was he really going to answer all these questions with an ‘all right’?

  I searched his eyes for doubts, but I didn’t see any. He was staring at me with the kind of certainty that rocked me to the core. For a moment, I couldn’t find my breath.

  “I t
old you this the other night. As long as you are happy and you’re here, I’m happy. I can’t do any of it without you. I don’t want to. We are in this together. I love you, Kaitlyn.” My name rolled off his tongue and I threw my arms around his neck.

  “Together.” I smiled before he kissed me. His lips moved across mine with sweet pressure, lingering as I breathed in. “I love you too, Cole.”

  “If it’s too much, you tell me. You don’t have to do any of it. I’m not asking you to work with Aiden.”

  “I know you aren’t, but I don’t know how I feel about letting someone else run the office. I kind of love it.” The thought of handing over all the books to someone else was nauseating. I didn’t know the first thing about running a condo association, but I could learn. I would learn.

  He laughed. “I know what you mean. It’s a pain in the ass, but it’s home.”

  “Exactly.”

  He had said the words that I had been defining ever since I drove that truck over the Padre bridge. “Cole?” I looked into his piercing eyes.

  “Yeah, baby.” He tugged me closer, his thumbs hooking through my belt loops.

  “This is home. I want you to know I want our baby to grow up here. I want our family to live here.”

  He lifted me around his waist, and I wrapped myself around him, letting my ankles lock against his lower back. His lips met mine and I kissed him soft and slowly, reveling in how we were meant to fit this way. This is what together meant. We had moved past summer, past the awkward adjustments, past injuries, past the jealousies, past the doubts, past the questions. All I knew as Cole’s kisses took me under with heat and passion was that all my tomorrows were going to be his tomorrows. We were building a life. A family.

  Cole was home.

  Don’t Promise

  1

  Kaitlyn

  I zipped the side of my suitcase and sat beside it on the bed. There were nervous jitters, and then there was what I was experiencing.

  Cole walked into the room and I stared at him. His arms strained against his shirt. For a quick second my nerves melted as I watched him cross the floor toward me. His eyes tinted with desire as they dropped toward my breasts. I took a heavy breath. This man did things to me I couldn’t explain. Things he had been doing since I was sixteen.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  I tapped the side of my carry-on. “I’ve learned my lesson. All the presents are going with us on the plane. I’m not taking any chances with everyone’s gifts.”

  They were packed tightly in my bag, wrapped in layers of bubble wrap. My boots were also tucked inside. They were the most special gift Cole had given me and I wasn’t about to check those with my regular luggage. He had officially christened me as a Texas resident with those boots.

  His hand slid to my stomach. “I meant are you ready to tell your family when we get there.”

  I sighed. “Oh. That. We’re going to tell them? Do we have to?”

  The bed bowed as he sat next to me. He brushed the hair from my neck, kissing it. His body was warm. I loved every hard muscular inch of it.

  “We decided a long time ago.” He palmed my belly. “I wish they already knew you were pregnant.”

  I smiled, running my hand over his. “Christmas seems like the perfect time. Ryan is less likely to punch you again. And my parents are always so happy at the holidays.”

  Cole chuckled. “Baby, I know you think there’s a way to soften the blow, but the fact is I knocked you up. I don’t know that there is enough tinsel to distract them from how this happened. Ryan’s still my best friend, and you’re still his little sister.”

  I leaned into his shoulder. “They’re going to freak out, aren’t they?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then maybe we should have our first Christmas here as a family.” I’d thrown the idea out a few times as a joke, but right now it seemed like the best solution.

  My parents were conservative. They tried to pretend Cole and I didn’t live together. It didn’t matter we had been together seven months. They put on blinders.

  “Kaitlyn, if anyone has anything to worry about, it’s me. Come on. Grayson’s bags are already in the car. I don’t want to rush at the airport. And he’s two—he’s going to want to stop ten times on the way.”

  At certain times the Marine in Cole surfaced, even though he had left the Corps almost two years ago. He was never late. He had a saying, something about being punctual was the same as being late. I couldn’t disagree more.

  We rose to our feet, but not before he crushed his mouth against mine. I reached on my toes, wrapping my hands around his neck. His tongue flicked against mine and a small whimper escaped through my lips.

  “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” he growled.

  I blushed, loving how he adored my pregnant body. My hormones were on over-drive. If he wasn’t so set on getting to the terminal early, I’d step out of my sweater and jeans and show him how much I loved him.

  The sunlight from the window caught my ring. The diamond threw rainbows on the wall. “My parents will understand why I want to wait for the wedding. Tell me that’s the right decision,” I pleaded. I clung to his neck as if I could draw the strength I needed from him.

  And I could. For the last several months Cole had supported me through everything. He was seven years older. And I’d been in love with him since I was a teenager.

  He kissed me again. “You’re having my baby. Of course they’ll understand. You are the bride. If you want to wait until next fall, then that’s what we’re going to do. No one blames you for not wanting to have a holiday wedding. I sure as hell don’t.”

  I sighed. “Good because I want to do all the Christmas things with you. And Grayson.” It was Grayson’s first Christmas without his mother. She was in London at a poetry immersion school. “We can go to the pageant at church and make cookies. There’s the neighborhood luminaries and we have to go to Winter Village.” The nerves started to fade.

  Cole chuckled. “I’ve spent Christmas with your family before.”

  I pinched my lips together to make them extra pouty. “I know, but not like this. Not as mine.”

  “Yours?” His eyebrows rose. “I thought it was the other way around.” He gripped my ass hard and I squealed.

  “Do that again,” I purred.

  He brought his mouth over mine and I inhaled the kiss. I thought he might devour me. Kiss me until I was breathless. I lost my balance with these kinds of kisses.

  “This Christmas is going to be different, darlin’.”

  I nodded. “We’re starting our own family. Our own traditions. Together. What are some of the things you used to do? The years Ryan didn’t bring you home with him?” I pressed.

  Cole took a slight step backward and rubbed the scruff on his jaw.

  “I didn’t grow up like you did with parents who decorated and did the whole tree thing. I had Pops. Christmas was small with my grandfather.”

  “And he didn’t put up a tree?” I asked.

  I couldn’t imagine Cole growing up like that. I hadn’t thought about whether Christmas was a painful time of year for him either. Maybe he would rather skip the whole thing. But I knew for Grayson’s sake he wouldn’t do that. He wanted his son to have Christmas.

  “We had a tree, but it was one of those table-top ones and it’s not like I had a fireplace, so there wasn’t a chance Santa was going to visit.”

  My jaw dropped. “What? Are you telling me Santa Claus did not visit you when you lived with Pops?”

  He stood and reached for my suitcase. “Let’s get this loaded in the car. We can talk about Santa later.”

  I wasn’t quite ready to walk out of the bedroom. Grayson was on the couch watching cartoons.

  “Do you remember anything about Christmas with your parents? Did they believe in Santa?” I couldn’t drop this. It was a revelation about Cole’s past that was bigger than almost anything else he had told me. I stood rooted by the bed, praying his pa
rents had enlisted Santa’s help every year. That Cole knew there was something magical about Christmas.

  “I was eight. I don’t remember much about those early Christmases. But, yes Santa visited. I had a stocking, and we had a tree. All that traditional stuff. I’ve got pictures around here somewhere.” His crystal blue eyes looked misty, but I knew Cole wasn’t going to crack reminiscing about his childhood holidays. He always glossed over the topic.

  “I want you to have that again.” I pulled on his arm, holding him back in our bedroom.

  “It’s not about me anymore.” He shook his head. “It’s about Grayson and our baby. They will have the perfect Christmas. I don’t worry about what I need.”

  I bit my lip. I wasn’t going to argue with him about Santa or how sad I was that the holidays didn’t lift him up like they did me. We’d have time when we got to my parents’ house. We needed to get away from the palm trees and the tropical beach weather in South Padre. It would feel more like Christmas once we made it to North Carolina.

  I followed him along the narrow hallway. We had so much ahead of us. Planning the perfect Christmas was only part of the equation. We had to break the news of my pregnancy and engagement to my family. I wanted to skip that part of the trip, but I promised Cole I would tell them the news.

  I checked the ticket times and made sure I had everything in my purse and Grayson’s travel bag one more time. I looked up from the counter.

  “Grayson, it’s time to go,” I called.

  He hopped off the couch and walked over sluggishly. I frowned. He had been excited about flying on the plane.

  As soon as his tiny bare feet reached the kitchen I had a sickening feeling. They were pink.

  I knelt to the floor and touched the back of my hand to his forehead. His cheeks were bright red. There were dark circles under his eyes.

  “Buddy, are you feeling all right?” I asked softly.

  He was burning up. I didn’t need a digital reading to verify what I already knew.

  Cole strolled in with the last bag. “Got it. Let’s get on the road. I don’t want to hit traffic on the way to the airport.”