One thing I’d failed to account for, however, was the long drive we had because of flying into the regional airport as opposed to the private airport close to his home.
After I turned off on the wrong road and made us circle needlessly, we finally pulled down Shane’s road more than two hours after we landed. Sammi was doing her best to remain positive, but she was ticked, and I got it. After all, she only had a couple weeks left of summer vacation, and she planned on spending as much as possible on her horse.
I pulled our rental car in front of Shane’s home and his front doors opened. Grandma Esther came trundling out of the house, followed by Grandpa Fred, and finally, Shane.
My jaw nearly dropped open at the sight of him. He was even more gorgeous than I remembered. He’d rolled up the sleeves on his checkered flannel shirt and his jeans tugged in all the right places.
But as a friend, I shouldn’t be noticing any of that. Sammi jumped out of the car and ran to Grandma Esther and Grandpa Freddy.
Shane stood next to them while I climbed out of the rental car and grabbed my purse and made my way over. It was hard to explain how the tragedy that unfolded at Shane’s house brought everyone closer, yet I managed to find a way to take a step back.
Shane cocked his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. “It’s been a second.”
“It has.” I nodded, feeling all my worries come to the forefront.
“You look good.”
I stared at him and noticed the dark shadows under his eyes and guilt flooded through me.
“I wish I could say the same.” I smiled, and Shane laughed, rocking back on his heels.
“God, I’ve missed you, Dakota.”
Grandma Esther eyed me cautiously and rounded Sammi up as Grandpa Fred took Sammi’s bags out of the backseat.
“I’ve missed you too.” My breath caught.
“Then why?”
“Why what?”
He took a few steps closer. “Why pretend what we have doesn’t matter?”
His words hung heavy between us. “I never pretended it didn’t matter. I just recognized that we suddenly became two different people with two very different goals than when we first started dating.”
“Really?” Shane asked. “I don’t remember you asking what’s changed for me.”
Bitterness nipped at his words, and I quickly regretted my decision to come with Sammi.
“I know what’s changed, Shane. You lost your parents. You lost Cynthia.”
“And I lost you.” He dug his hands deep into his pockets. “But you’re still here.”
I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I can’t ask you to suddenly drop everything in your life and start raising Sammi with me, and that would be your only option.”
“You just don’t get it.” Shane narrowed the gap between us.
“Don’t get what?”
“Do you realize what the happiest day of my life has been since my family died?”
I shook my head as the words reverberated through the air.
“Having Sammi call me Uncle Shane.”
My heart twisted into a complicated mess.
“Do you know how happy that made me? It almost took the pain away from having you pretend that what we shared didn’t matter.”
“It matters, Shane. It’s just changed. That’s all.”
“So I’m in the friend category like everyone else?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Seems like it is to me.” He let out a huff and dug his fingers along his jaw. “Well, I hope my niece has a blast here. Make yourself at home.”
He turned away and stomped back into his home, and I never felt so alone in the world. I looked inside and saw Sammi being doted on by Grandpa Fred and Grandma Esther, while I made the one man who cared more in the world about others than anyone I’d ever met, doubt his decision to be open to love.
I reached into the backseat of the car and grabbed my bag and slammed the door shut.
I didn’t need to go to a therapist to know that grief affected us all differently, and I screwed up royally. I used it as an excuse to fall right back into my old patterns.
Sure. I sent Shane several obligatory checking-in-on-you texts, but the tone had changed between us.
Severely.
I’d made sure of it.
I slowly climbed the steps to his home and closed the front doors behind me. I heard Grandma Esther, Grandpa Fred, and Sammi in the kitchen, but I didn’t hear or see any sign of Shane. I looked down the hall leading to the downstairs bedrooms. I debated about where to go when I suddenly spotted Shane walking along the balcony.
“Shane?”
“Yeah?”
“Where should I sleep?” I hung my head in defeat. Of all the things I could have said…that was what I came up with? How about, I’m sorry or Will you forgive me?
“Wherever you want.” He leaned against the banister and looked down on me.
“Upstairs maybe?” I squeaked out.
“Sure. There are plenty of bedrooms.”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat, but what did I expect? I had shut him down numerous times. He was suffering. His loss was greater than anything I could imagine, and I chose to run away.
“Thanks,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat as I trudged up the stairs with my bags.
Shane took a couple steps toward me, but he didn’t offer to help.
I walked past him and took the first room I came to. There was an ivory bedspread and matching drapes. I put my suitcase on the chair and turned around to see Shane watching me.
“I never thought I’d be one of your throwaways.”
His words gutted me, and tears sprang to my eyes.
“Shane, I love you so much it hurts.”
He took a step into the bedroom. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either.” I sat on the bed and hung my head. “I got so wrapped up in Sammi and I didn’t know what to say or do to take your pain away.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to, Dakota.” He shook his head. “It’s not something any of us can move on from or even stay who we were and that includes you. Life changes people, but you don’t have to run from it.”
“My loss seems like nothing compared to you and Sammi. I mentally froze and resorted to my old tricks and for that I apologize.”
He sat next to me. “It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to miss Charles. You guys were a family. It might not have been a typical one, but I saw how much he depended on you. How much Sammi still depends on you.” He brought his hands to my neck and softly kneaded my muscles. “I understand your pain even if I don’t think you do.”
I closed my eyes and felt the tears begin to trickle down my cheeks. “I miss him so badly, Shane. His morning calls. His witty remarks about my dating life. His updates on Sammi. I feel selfish mourning an ex-boyfriend when you lost your sister and parents.”
“There isn’t a pecking order on grief, Dakota.”
I opened my eyes and drew a breath. “Why are you still single?”
“I didn’t think I was.” He put his hand over mine.
“Do you forgive me for these past couple of weeks?”
He smiled and nodded. “I have to be honest.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been so busy taking care of affairs that I didn’t let what you were doing affect me too much. I knew you’d have a change of heart.”
“Is that so?” My brow arched in surprise.
He shrugged. “Or at least that was what I told myself.”
“So we’re still going to try to do this long-distance relationship thing?”
“I never stopped.” He smiled and let out a deep breath.
“Does this mean I can move my luggage into your room?”
He laughed and threw his head back. “I’m glad that’s what you got out of our conversation.”
I chuckled and stood up. “Well?”
“You better be sleeping in our room.�
�
“Our room?”
He smirked. “I told you I’m not going anywhere, Dakota. And neither are you.”
“And I think that’s exactly what I need.”
“I know it is.” He stood and pulled my suitcase from the chair and walked out of the room.
“Well, I kind of have to go back to Fireweed eventually. Sammi’s school starts in a couple weeks.”
“Yeah. There’s that.” He grinned as I followed him down the hall to the bedroom. “Maybe I can come with you.”
“I’d love that.”
“Would you?”
I nodded. “But I’ll confess that my house is a tad crowded.”
A knock sounded at the door, and I saw Sammi standing at the door.
“Hey, Sammi.” I smiled and motioned for her to come in.
“Have you two made up?” she asked.
“I’d say so.” I glanced at Shane and he nodded. “I just had to recognize that sometimes love hurts.”
“It also makes the world a better place.” Sammi smiled and sat down on the bed. “Is it okay if I go for a ride before dinner? Grandpa Fred said I had to ask you.”
I exchanged a look with Shane and he nodded. “I don’t see why not.”
“Thanks, Uncle Shane.”
Sammi shot from the bed and gave him a hug.
“Okay. I’ll see you at dinner.” She started out the door and then turned to look at us. “My dad wouldn’t want you two to miss out on the chance to love one another because of his death. In fact, he’d be downright pissed if he thought Dakota was using his death as an excuse to jump ship again.”
My jaw dropped open.
“Is that so?” Shane asked amused with his niece.
“You can’t be sure of that.” I playfully scowled at her.
“Oh, yes I can.” She grinned. “He told me as much.”
“When?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Sammi turned around and skipped out of the bedroom.
“Should I be worried?” I whispered.
“Not in the least bit. Charles was a smart man.”
“With an even smarter daughter,” I added.
“And doesn’t that worry you?”
“It terrifies me, actually.”
“We are going to have our hand full for the next few years,” he mused, bringing me into his arms.
“We certainly are.”
“The good news is that it will give us plenty of practice for our own.” His eyes stayed on mine.
“Our own?”
“I read we should actually start practicing soon.”
“Is that so?”
His eyes locked on mine and pure delight shot through me as I imagined my life with Shane Parker, only this time I knew the only place I’d be running to would be his arms.
“Maybe we should start now.” He kissed me and then shut the door.
“Like right now?”
“I think we have an hour before dinner.” His smile only widened, and I realized I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with this man.
I might have spent most of my adult life ending relationships before they started and collecting a nice pile of male friends and wedding invites, but I knew that all ended tonight. Shane Parker was the man I’d been waiting for all of my life. There was a reason all the other men had become my friends over the years. We were never meant to be. No man had ever seen right through me before. Shane Parker was the first man to see me for who I was, not what I thought I should be. It was okay to love and it was even better to love Shane Parker.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Are you ready?” Shane asked, hauling me and Sammi through the muddy driveway.
“What if we say no?” Sammi teased.
“Then I’ll have to throw you over the cliff.”
“That wasn’t the answer I was expecting.” Sammi laughed and gripped my hand tighter.
The chilly sea breeze swept up from the cliff and turned my exposed fingers into icicles.
“How much further?” I asked.
“Okay.” Sammi sighed. “I know we’re at the church. That much we know, but why the secrets?”
“Except it’s not a church,” Shane corrected. “And what is it with you and Dakota and surprises?”
“I don’t like them. I’m a Type A personality,” Sammi explained.
Shane wouldn’t let either Sammi or I venture toward this end of the island for the last several months and neither of us knew exactly why.
“Okay.” Shane stopped walking and I nearly bumped into him.
“You do realize the level of trust we’re dealing with here, right?” I moved my frozen hand to the sleep mask I’d been forced to put on.
“I do.” Shane’s voice was beyond excited.
“Can I take off my mask?” Sammi asked, her teeth beginning to chatter.
It was the dead of winter and an ice-storm had slammed into Fireweed yesterday, but Shane was determined to go through with whatever he’d planned.
Shane gingerly spun me around and then Sammi. “Okay. Remove your masks, but don’t move.”
I did as instructed and was shocked. Genuinely shocked.
Instead of seeing the completed church, I saw a newly constructed stable and a big white bow stretched from one side of the entrance to the other.
“Are you serious?” Sammi asked, her voice cracking. “You did this for me?”
“I did this for us,” Shane said quietly.
I looked at Sammi and tears filled her eyes as her trembling hands reached up for her uncle. “I don’t deserve this.”
“You deserve more than this, Sammi. If Dakota and I could give you the world, we would.”
I stared at the stables, completely speechless, and wondered how I managed to find the most amazing man in the world.
“Okay. The surprises aren’t quite done. Turn the other way now.”
Sammi clutched my hand as we turned around to see the church. Only it wasn’t the church. The original stone structure was visible, but a sprawling home wrapped it all the way around and I didn’t know what to say.
“Do you like your new home?” Shane asked.
“Our new home?” I asked, knowing that this place had originally been a gift for his family. “But this was for your family.”
My heart swelled with love for Shane Parker. With everything he’d experienced and the loss he’d endured, he still had room for love, for us.
“You are my family.” Shane’s gaze rested on mine.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered as Sammi let go of my hand and began trudging through the field toward our new home. “I can’t believe it, actually. This design is breathtaking.”
“Do you see your glass?”
I nodded as Shane circled his arm around my waist and led me toward our home.
“It ended up with six bedrooms and five bathrooms.”
“That already sounds like it’s ten times bigger than my little place.”
Shane grimaced. “It very well might be.”
We walked up to the entrance and I was in awe. The stones had been cleaned and the addition matched beautifully with exposed timbers and cedar siding that blended effortlessly with the stone. I walked inside and the foyer of the church had been opened up into what was now the great room.
“I don’t know how you did this,” I said in amazement. “It doesn’t even look like the same place.”
“Doesn’t look like a church.”
“Not in the last bit.” I smiled. “Which will have Tess relieved because she’s still freaked out about this place.”
“That still cracks me up that she thought a ghost lit a candle.”
“Poor Tess.” I smiled and Shane pulled me into the great room.
I heard Sammi chatting to someone, and I realized she’d already FaceTimed her friends. “And check out my room.”
“Her room?” I asked Shane.
“I made it pretty obvious. You’ll see.”
As he led me through
the kitchen, I felt like I was in a dream of all dreams. Every part of this house was pure perfection.
“And now for upstairs.” He led me down the hall, showing me the bedrooms and I saw Sammi spread out on her plaid bedspread talking on her phone. Shane had gotten photos of her horse blown up in black and white and they were hanging on her walls.
“You really outdid yourself.”
“I tried.” He pushed open the doors to the master suite and words couldn’t even express how beautiful the space was. Large sliding glass doors stretching the width of the bedroom wall overlooked the rugged cliffs and picturesque Sound. “I wanted to make this home for us for years to come.”
“You’re so talented, Shane. I mean it.”
“Thank you.” He smiled. “But I have one more thing to show you.”
He led me out of the room and tapped on Sammi’s door. “Should we go check out the stable?”
Sammi hung up on her friend and quickly hopped up from her bed. “This is the coolest house I’ve ever been in.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Shane said, laughing. “My worst fear was that you’d hate it.”
“I don’t care where I live as long as you two are there.”
Sammi’s words melted me.
“We feel the same,” Shane said, leading us down the stairs and out the back door toward the stables.
We managed to trudge through the field much quicker now that we didn’t have on a sleeping mask.
As we got closer to the stables, I noticed a soft glow coming from inside.
“What’s going on?” I asked, and Sammi smiled, exchanging a curious look with Shane.
Sammi took off toward the stables and ducked under the white ribbon before reappearing. “You brought her. Oh, my gosh. Shane, you brought her.”
“You brought her horse?” I asked Shane and he nodded.
“Petunia wasn’t thrilled with the ride, but she’s happy she’s here.
“She’s not the only one happy to be here,” Grandma Esther called from the stables. I spotted Grandpa Fred standing behind her as more and more people began to sprinkle out of nowhere. Tess stood on her toes and waved at me, and I couldn’t help the dopey smile that I was sure I was wearing.
“I love you, Dakota.” Shane smiled.
Accidental Love on Meadow Cove Lane (Island County Series Book 10) Page 16