Tangled Up in You

by Samantha Chase

  And he held her until the sun came up.

  Chapter 7

  “Mom! Mom! We’re gonna be late! We have to go!”

  Teagan put her hair up in a ponytail and checked her reflection in the mirror for the tenth time—and it was barely nine in the morning. Today was the Fourth of July, and that meant a day full of family-friendly activities.

  And she was in the mood for zero of them.

  Bobby was due to pick them up in a few minutes, and she knew if she could just get her head in the game, she’d be fine. But right now her stomach was in knots, and if she had her way, she’d crawl back under the blankets and cancel the whole thing.

  Lunch with her parents a few days ago had been fine. Even great. They both seemed genuinely thrilled that she and Bobby were dating and had offered to keep Lucas for the entire weekend of Riley’s concert.

  Something Bobby had smiled about like a kid on Christmas morning.

  Seeing her parents at the parade wasn’t going to be a big deal. It was the rest of the family she was dreading.

  After they had gotten home from her parents’ place, they had decided the cat was officially out of the bag. They were a couple and they weren’t going to hide it. Which meant that today’s festivities would be spent with just about every Shaughnessy family member she knew. Including her less than thrilled and most vocal cousin, Quinn.

  “Why couldn’t it have rained today?” she murmured, smoothing a hand over her hair one more time.

  Dressed casually in a pair of denim shorts and white tank top, Teagan’s addition of a red hair band made her feel at least a little festive and patriotic. When she walked into the living room, she was glad to see Lucas wearing the clothes she’d put out for him, including the T-shirt with the American flag. He was running around talking about all the things he wanted to do while they were out: see the parade, eat hot dogs, swim in somebody’s pool, and watch a really cool fireworks show.

  His words, not hers.

  It wasn’t as if this was the first time they were celebrating the Fourth. They’d lived near the army base his entire life, so there was always a big celebration. For some reason, though, this year was big for him, so she tried to hide her own nerves and foul mood and pasted a smile on her face.

  The knock at the door startled them both and Lucas beat her to answering it.

  “It’s Bobby! It’s Bobby! It’s Bobby!” he cried, running to pull the door open.

  “Hey, buddy,” Bobby said, walking in and high-fiving her son. “You ready for an awesome day?”

  “Uh-huh!” Lucas cried, jumping up and down.

  And he hasn’t even had any sugar yet, she thought, already feeling exhausted.

  While she patiently waited for her turn to say hello, Teagan studied Bobby. Khaki shorts, white T-shirt that hugged him like a second skin, and his hair askew as usual—it all had her itching to just walk over and wrap herself around him.

  She wouldn’t, but she wanted to.

  Lucas had seen her and Bobby kiss goodbye and he questioned her on it, something she hadn’t been completely prepared for. But after explaining how she and Bobby liked one another and would be going out on dates, he’d simply said, “Oh, okay,” and that was the end of it. But then again, how much did a five-year-old really understand about dating?

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  Teagan was ready to melt into an impossible puddle at the nickname.

  “Hey, yourself,” she said, leaning in for the kiss he was ready to give her. It was short and sweet and left her groaning softly.

  “I know,” he replied, for her ears only. When he stepped back, he clapped his hands together and looked over at Lucas. “Okay, is the cooler packed?”

  “Yup!”

  “Lots of bottles of water?”

  “Yup!”

  “Fruit?”

  “Yup!”

  “Good job!” Then he looked around and said, “You got a hat to wear to help keep the sun out of your eyes?”

  “I got the new one Meema got me!” he said excitedly, running into his room to get it.

  Once he was out of sight, Bobby turned to her and smiled. “So he’s a little excited.”

  She laughed. “Just a wee bit. I don’t know why this is such a big deal to him, but it is. And as exhausting as it is, I’m glad he’s looking forward to it.”

  “It’s going to be great. My folks have already got our spot blocked off in front of Anna’s pub and there’s plenty of room for all of us. Which is close to thirty people, so…”

  “I have to tell you, it still feels weird to be going places with such a large group. It’s been just me and my parents for so long, and then Lucas. It’s overwhelming to wrap my brain around thirty people going from point A to point B together all day.”

  Leaning in, he kissed her on the head. “You’ll get used to it.” Looking toward the kitchen, he asked, “Is the cooler really all packed?”

  She nodded. “And I have a tote bag filled with some other stuff—sunscreen, some granola bars, a hat for me, and a change of clothes for Lucas, including a bathing suit.”

  “You’re not bringing one for yourself?” he asked, and there was a glint in his eyes that told her he was really hoping she was.

  “I hadn’t planned on it,” she said, going to grab the bag. In her bedroom, she let out a small shriek when Bobby grabbed her waist. She spun in his arms. “What in the world?” But she was laughing too.

  “Bring a bathing suit. Preferably a bikini,” he said, his voice low and sexy. When he talked to her like that, it made her tingle all over.

  “Sadly, I don’t even own a bikini.”

  “We need to do something about that.”

  Swatting him away playfully, she picked up the bag, which he immediately took from her hands. “I got it. And I’ll go grab the cooler and put it in the truck.”

  “Wait, I thought we were taking my car? We need Lucas’s booster seat.” She saw the instant he remembered that. “My keys are on the entryway table.”

  “Okay,” he called over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. He was smiling, but she knew he would have preferred to drive his truck around today rather than her practical little Camry.

  Teagan was taking a last look around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything when something crashed to the ground in the hall. Running out of her room, she heard Bobby curse and saw the contents of the cooler spilled all over the kitchen floor. Lucas appeared from his room, staring. Considering the tension she could practically feel emanating off of Bobby, she thought it best to distract her son.

  “Lucas, do Mommy a favor and go grab your soccer ball from the yard. We’ll bring it with us so you can play later, okay?” He readily agreed. That would take him several minutes, because he’d play with the ball on his way back.

  Cautiously, she walked over to Bobby and crouched down to help him pick up the ice, food, and drinks.

  “Just—don’t, okay?” he snapped. “I got it.”

  “It’s not a big deal. I’m only—”

  “I said I got it!”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to try to comfort him, but she knew her words wouldn’t do much good right now. He was angry and embarrassed, and as much as she hoped it was simply a case of the lid not being on tight, it wasn’t that kind of cooler. The handle was still attached, and nothing looked broken. So that only left one thing—he’d lost his grip. He hadn’t seemed to have any issues with his arm in a while, but maybe he just wasn’t telling her about it.

  Standing, she walked over to the freezer and grabbed the ice tray. Luckily, there was enough so she could replenish most of what was now all over the kitchen floor. Next she grabbed some towels and a mop and cleaned up the water. They silently worked side by side until the cooler was repacked and the floor was dry. Bobby walked out without saying a word, and lu
ckily Lucas walked in after everything was put away.

  “You ready?” she asked, forcing a smile.

  He nodded, but she could tell he sensed something was wrong. Together they walked to the door. Bobby had the car started and was sitting in the driver’s seat looking seriously uncomfortable. She was almost afraid to approach him. The last thing she wanted today was for things to be tense between the two of them. She was already on edge about hanging out with everyone and facing Quinn’s judgment. And who knew what other surprises were waiting for them on Main Street in the form of Bobby’s former fan club.

  Lucas ran outside and climbed into the car, and she smiled when Bobby turned and talked to him. Good. At least he wasn’t taking his bad mood out on Lucas.

  Grabbing her purse, she locked the door and walked out to join them.

  Neither spoke while they were on the road, though at one point Teagan startled when Bobby reached over and took her hand. He was watching the road, and she took a moment to simply enjoy watching him in return.

  Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad. Granted, it wasn’t off to the best start, but it could get better. Right? Rather than obsessing on it, she sat back and relaxed and decided she was ready to face whatever else came their way.

  * * *

  What the hell else could go wrong?

  Seriously. Bobby scanned the crowd and wondered why he’d thought any of this would be a good idea. If it weren’t for Teagan and Lucas, he would be heading straight back to Myrtle Beach right now. Damn hand.

  Even now, as they were walking down the street, he could barely feel Teagan’s hand in his and that was freaking him out. But he kept his game-face on. No one was going to know there was a problem, and he wasn’t going to ruin anyone’s day.

  Even though his day completely sucked right now.

  At the pub, their tables were already almost completely filled. Besides his parents, Anna and Quinn were there with the kids, as well as Ian and Martha Shaughnessy. Teagan’s parents were sitting beside Ian, and as he got closer he spotted Aidan, Zoe, and their kids.

  “Hey! You made it!” his mother called out when she spotted them walking up. She hugged him and then Teagan and Lucas in turn.

  He knew he smiled and shook hands with everyone, but it was all kind of a blur. The feeling in his hand wasn’t coming back as quickly as it normally did. Without being obvious about it, he tried flexing his fingers and making a fist—without much success. “Excuse me,” he murmured to no one in particular as he turned and walked into the pub.

  “Bobby?”

  He was almost to the men’s room when he heard his father call his name. Hanging his head, he stopped and waited.

  “Everything okay?”

  What could he possibly say? This wasn’t the time or place for some kind of heated, frustrated discussion, but how could he lie?

  Looking up, Bobby simply shook his head.

  As if sensing his son’s pain, Jack led Bobby back to Anna’s office and closed the door behind them. “Okay, what’s going on?”

  Bobby held up his arm and shook his head again, words failing him.

  His father understood. “Are you in pain?”

  “No.”

  “Well, that’s something, I suppose. What happened?”

  Bobby relayed the story about the cooler dropping out of his hands and how he still didn’t have much feeling back. “Normally, if I flex my hand a couple of times, it gets better, but his time it’s not.”

  “And you’re freaking out.”

  He nodded.

  “What do you need to do? Call your doctor? Your physical therapist?”

  “I don’t even know. It’s never happened like this before, and on top of that, it’s a holiday.” He growled with frustration as he raked his good hand through his hair. “This is so not what I needed today!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This is the first time Teagan and I are out together with everyone, and I already feel like all eyes are on us. We had a disastrous first date Friday night. We ran into three different women I used to date—including Bree—and it was awful. So now I’m on my guard, in case anyone else approaches me in hopes of…well, you know.”

  His father smirked.

  “And on top of that, I have to wonder when Quinn is gonna pounce. I can’t focus on shit because all I can think about is my hand. I swear, I can’t catch a damn break! All I wanted was to make this a great day for Lucas and Teagan and—as usual—I’ve messed it up.”

  Rather than offer sympathy, his father laughed softly.

  “Seriously? I’m practically pouring out my heart here and you’re laughing?”

  His father instantly sobered. “You’re right. That wasn’t very nice of me.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” Hell, he was on the verge of pouting.

  “I apologize,” Jack said as he leaned on the corner of his daughter’s desk, sighing. “Tell me what you need.”

  “That’s just it, Dad. I don’t know.”

  “Can I make a suggestion?”

  “Of course.”

  “Go back out there, sit with your beautiful girlfriend and her adorable son, and enjoy the parade.”

  “Dad, that’s really not going to help anything.”

  Jack shrugged. “I disagree.”

  Rolling his eyes, Bobby glanced toward the office door. He should go back out there. Teagan was probably looking for him and wondering where he’d snuck off to.

  “And might I say that I think you’re finally doing the right thing.”

  His head snapped around as he looked at his father in confusion. “Excuse me?”

  Jack explained, “For years your mother and I used to say you were too good-looking for your own good. You’ve had girls chasing after you since you were five and you never even had to try. You always got the girl.”

  While Bobby had no idea where this was going, he had to admit, he was curious.

  “You never got serious with any of them, and you seemed content to play the field. To be honest, there was part of me that was impressed.” He chuckled. “Your mother, on the other hand, couldn’t wait for you to calm down. Maybe think about settling down.”

  Ah, now he was getting it.

  “I know this relationship with Teagan is new, but I hope you realize how different she is. How special. We don’t really know her that well, but we know enough,” he went on. “So if I’m wrong and you’re just killing time, then don’t lead her on. But if you’re serious, and you plan on turning this into something meaningful, then don’t hide from her. If you’re struggling, you need to tell her. If you’re hurting, tell her. Nothing kills a relationship faster than lack of communication. Don’t make that mistake.”

  “I don’t want to ruin her day,” he admitted quietly.

  “Believe it or not, you’re well on your way to doing that by simply being in here while she’s out there.”

  Dammit, he was right.

  Pushing off of the desk, Jack clapped a hand on Bobby’s shoulder and offered him a small smile. “C’mon. No one’s expecting you to be perfect, but we are expecting you to put on a smile and have a good time today. Okay?”

  Unable to help himself, he smiled in return. “Okay, Dad. Thanks.”

  They walked back outside together and rejoined their group. Bobby immediately went over to where Teagan was talking to his sister. Both women looked at him quizzically, although Teagan’s face showed a little more sympathy. His sister had a very knowing—and disapproving—expression.

  “Sorry,” he said, mostly to Teagan. “My hand still isn’t cooperating and…I kind of freaked out. I didn’t mean to take my mood out on anyone.”

  She surprised him by taking his hand in hers, tugging him close, and kissing him right there in front of everyone. He knew it wasn’t likely, but it felt as though everyone around them h
ad stopped talking. Or maybe it was just that he was focusing so fully on the woman who had turned his world upside down. When he lifted his head, he smiled at her. “I hope that means I’m forgiven.”

  She moved in close and hugged him. “Nothing to forgive. But thank you for sharing with me.”

  When she looked up at him that way, he wanted to promise he’d share everything with her. She had a way of making everything feel better. Making it all feel right. He caressed her cheek and was already trying to come up with a way to have some time alone with her when his sister cleared her throat. Loudly.

  They both turned and looked at her.

  “So I’m just supposed to stand here and watch this while no one explains what’s going on, is that it?” Anna said defensively.

  But he knew his sister. She was all bark and no bite, and more than likely was playing at being outraged when she was really pleased.

  With his arm around Teagan’s waist, he said, “Yup. That’s exactly what we’re saying. Mainly because it’s none of your business.”

  Teagan laughed, Anna gasped, and he had to fight to keep a straight face.

  “Oh…um, okay. Sure. I mean I just thought…” Anna stammered. Bobby put her out of her misery and gave her a playful punch on the arm.

  “Just kidding.” Laughing, he went on, “I met Teagan at Ian’s house after everyone got back from the cruise and—”

  “Oh my gosh! It’s been going on since then and no one told me?” she cried, which only made Bobby and Teagan laugh harder.

  “Not quite,” Teagan replied after a minute. “Let’s just say we were both interested after that meeting. But it wasn’t until after the sink incident that we started talking about…possibilities.” She smiled up at him. “It was the night of Brian’s birthday party that we finally decided to give this a try.”