Beach Reads Boxed Set

by Marie Force

  “Which was nice of you, and I appreciate it, but can you begin to understand how it felt to have someone I don’t know at all fill in the blanks for me?”

  “I’m sorry about that. Jerry and I had agreed this would be a social dinner with no business. I didn’t think it would come up.”

  “Were you ever going to tell me that you went there for an interview?”

  “I was planning to tell you about it on the way home, after I declined their offer.”

  “I’m having a hard time understanding why you had the interview in the first place if you didn’t want the job.”

  “Like I said earlier, it goes back to what I was doing when my father died.”

  “What were you doing?”

  “Interviewing with companies just like Jerry’s, places with lots of opportunities and offices around the world.”

  In the span of one second, I watch as she puts it all together. “So you’ve been counting down the days until Sierra graduates so you can get back to what you were doing before your dad died?”

  “Not the whole time.”

  “Oh my God, Garrett.” She bends in half as if in pain, rocking back and forth. “All these years… How could you not tell me you wanted to be somewhere else? What did you think I would say?”

  “It’s not like that, Lo. I was only exploring my options.”

  “What about your clients here? People like Blake and Honey who depend on you? What were you going to say to them on your way out of town?”

  “I would’ve provided for them and my employees. But it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m not going anywhere. I want something different now.” I reach for her hand, which is freezing, so I rub it between both of mine. “Why did you leave me in Austin?”

  “I was shocked by what Monica told me. I just needed to get out of there.”

  “Without me?”

  “I didn’t know what to think. Why hadn’t you told me about the interview? Were you planning to spring a move on me without a care about my life or my business? Do I even know the guy I was engaged to?”

  “Past tense? Seriously, Lauren?”

  “I don’t know!” She pulls her hand free of my grasp and gets up to pace. “I don’t understand any of this. How could I not know that you’re so unhappy here? Even before this.” She waves her hand between us. “We were together all the time, and I never had any idea that you were dying to be somewhere else.”

  “I wasn’t. Not all the time.”

  “But most of the time. This is the reason why you never allowed yourself to have a relationship with anyone, because you were planning to leave. It’s why you were so fond of tourists, isn’t it? You were always planning your great escape.”

  “Everything is different now. Because of you and us.”

  “You want me to believe that you’re prepared to abandon your life plan of more than six years after one week with me?”

  “I’m in love with you. I want a life with you. I want that more than I’ve ever wanted anything else.”

  “So you say now. What about in a year or two or three when the excitement wears off and real life sets in and you start to feel unfulfilled?”

  I get up and go to her, putting my arms around her rigid body. “If I have you in my life and in my bed, I’ll never be unfulfilled. Don’t you get it, Lauren? I wanted all that because my life was so empty, and now it’s full to overflowing because of you. Loving you, being in love with you, has changed everything. The only thing I want now is you. I don’t care where we are or where we live or what else happens as long as I have you.”

  I tug her closer, nuzzling her neck and breathing in the scent that’s so uniquely Lauren. “I love you. I want you. I choose you. I didn’t tell you about the interview because I wanted you to have a stress-free getaway. I never wanted you to know that I ever thought about being anywhere but here with you. I just wanted to get you away from here for a few days so you could relax after what happened with Wayne. I’m sorry you were hurt by something I failed to do. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

  Slowly, she begins to yield to me, her body molding to mine in tiny increments.

  “That’s it, baby. Come to me. Hold on to me. I’ll never let you go.” I feel dampness against my face and draw back to look down at her. I die inside at the sight of her tears, knowing I caused them.

  “C-could I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “Did it ever occur to you that I might be willing to move to Austin if you got a job there that you’re excited about?”

  I stare down at her, stunned by the question. “No. That never occurred to me. I know how hard you’ve worked to build Bloomsbury and how much you love your friends and your life here. I’d never ask you to give any of that up for me.”

  “What if I was willing to do that for you if it’s what would make you happy?”

  “I don’t need it, Lo. I have a wonderful, thriving business here with clients who rely on me as well as a woman I love and want to marry. My mom is here. My siblings are around at various times during the year. And my friends are here. While I was busy running my father’s business, I found a life that works for me. The headhunter and the interview were leftover relics from an old dream. One that died a long time ago without me realizing it.”

  “I want to believe everything you’re saying, but I’m afraid.”

  “Tell me why.”

  “I’d never want to hold you back from being everything you ever dreamed of being. Someday you’d resent me for that.”

  “You’re not holding me back. Your love gave me the courage to trade one dream for an even better one. What would I do in Austin without you? I wouldn’t last a month if I couldn’t see your gorgeous face and kiss your sweet lips every day. You’ve got me completely addicted to you.”

  “You’re one thousand percent sure this is what you want?”

  “I’m one hundred million percent sure.” Tipping my head to the side, I bring my lips down on hers, sliding them back and forth until I feel her yield to me, the breath escaping from her in an unsteady hitch. “I love you with my whole heart and soul, Lauren, and I have since the day Bruce the Dick made you cry. Tell me you still love me.”

  “I do. Of course, I do.”

  “Where’s your ring?”

  “In my purse.”

  “Go get it.” Even though I never want to let her go, I release her so she can cross the room to the counter where she left her purse. She returns to me with the ring in hand and holds it up for me to see.

  I take it from her and slide it back on her finger where it belongs. “Promise you’ll never run away from me again. No matter what, run to me, not away.”

  “I promise.”

  “And I promise to never again give you reason to want to run.” I wrap my arms around her and lift her into my embrace, carrying her to bed as the sun begins to peek through the blinds. Thank God we’re both off on Sundays, or I’d have to miss work again to spend the day with my fiancée. The greatest thrill of my life is making love to her with no secrets left between us, and our future together laid out before us like a dream come true.

  Epilogue

  “Who decided that babies have to wear frilly dresses to be christened?” Blake asks, curling his lip with distaste at the lacy outfit his son is currently wearing. “My son does not wear dresses. Even to church.”

  “It was Gran’s,” Honey says, pacifying him with a smile. “I’m going to change him now that we’re home.”

  “Thank God. I need a beer. Who’s in?”

  Matt, Jace, Brock and I follow him to the bar that’s been set up in the dining room for the party to celebrate Wyatt’s christening. Lauren and I are his godparents, which turned out to be far more thrilling than I would’ve expected before I stood up in church and promised to be an important person in his new life.

  Because Matt’s arms are full of a squirming baby Grace, I open his beer and hand it to him.

  “Thanks, pal,” he says.<
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  Honey comes into the dining room with Wyatt changed into a cute red polo shirt and khaki shorts and hands him to his father.

  “Now that’s more like it, my little man. I won’t let Mommy do anything like that to you again. Don’t worry.”

  “You are far too macho for your own good, Blake Dempsey,” Honey says over her shoulder as she heads for the kitchen.

  “I’m with you,” Jace says. “The dress was a little much.”

  In two months, he’s become part of our tribe and has completely transformed Blake’s business with his construction management expertise. Not to mention the significant chemistry we’ve witnessed between him and Scarlett, which neither of them is talking about—not to us anyway.

  “The christening gown has been in Gran’s family for generations,” Blake says with a long-suffering sigh. “It was important to Honey that he wear it, but I’m glad to see him out of it, too.”

  “He’s cute no matter what he wears,” I say with godfatherly pride.

  “Isn’t he?” Blake beams at his son with what can only be called unfettered joy. Honey and the baby have made him so damned happy.

  We enjoy a feast of barbecue and all the fixings to celebrate Wyatt’s baptism. Lauren sits beside me, her leg snug against mine while my hand rests on her thigh. I can’t sit this close to her and not touch her. In the last few months, we’ve sold my house and moved me into hers. She was more attached to hers than I was to mine, so it was a no-brainer for me. Whatever she wants. In fact, if she had any idea how enslaved I am to her, I’d be in even bigger trouble than I already am where she’s concerned.

  Ironically, since I took the option of leaving town off the table, my business has grown even more, thanks in large part to Jerry Dutton, who convinced me to consult for him on an informal basis. That takes me to Austin about once a month to do work I truly enjoy with a man who’s become a friend. Funny how life works itself out, isn’t it?

  More than anything, my relationship with Lauren has made my life complete in ways I never could’ve imagined. Knowing she belongs to me and I belong to her is really and truly the only thing I need to be happy.

  Sometimes I’m still amazed at how falling in love with her completely changed my life and gave me a whole new set of dreams that are way better than anything I could’ve hoped for if left to my own devices. Together we’re a thousand times more than we were on our own.

  We’re getting married in the spring at the Paisano, but that’ll be a formality. We’re already married in all the ways that matter most, and I can’t wait for the forever I get to spend with her. We’ve even asked Blake to build one of the new houses in his development for us. Oh, and another great part of my new life? I take weekends off now so I can spend every possible minute with Lauren.

  Life is good and getting better all the time—and it’s all because of the girl I fell in love with in sixth grade.

  Kindle Unlimited Readers! Check out my Gansett Island Series, which begins with Maid for Love, and my Quantum Series, which begins with Virtuous.

  Turn the page for a look at chapter 1 of Maid for Love!

  Chapter 1

  Madeline Chester retrieved her nine-month-old son Thomas from his crib and checked her watch. She was due at the hotel for the morning housekeeping shift in fifteen minutes. After a diaper change, she handed Thomas his bottle, grateful he could now hold it himself.

  He let out a squeal of delight that drew a smile from Maddie.

  “You like that, huh, buddy?”

  His pudgy legs bounced about on either side of her hips, and she tightened her hold on him while attempting to tame his soft blond hair. She grabbed the diaper bag, the tote she took to work, retrieved her lunch from the refrigerator and headed out the door. Across the yard, she entered her sister’s house through the screen door on the back deck.

  “Morning,” she called out.

  “In here,” Tiffany said from the living room, where she sat amid three babies and a variety of toys. One of the babies was her daughter, Ashleigh, born just a month before Thomas. The other two Tiffany cared for as part of her in-home daycare business.

  Maddie kissed Thomas, whispered that she loved him and plopped him down on the mat with the others. “I’m running late as usual.”

  “Go ahead. We’re fine.”

  “I’ll be back by three.”

  “See you then.”

  Tiffany watched Thomas for free during the day in exchange for Maddie taking over the daycare from three to six, while Tiffany taught dance classes in her studio under the apartment Maddie rented from Tiff and her husband Jim. The delicate balancing act left Maddie worn out at the end of every long day.

  She jumped on her bulky old bike and set off for McCarthy’s Gansett Inn on the other side of the island. Checking her watch one more time, she groaned when she saw how close she was cutting it.

  From his vantage point in the ferry’s wheelhouse, Mac McCarthy watched the bluffs on the island’s north coast come into view and felt the vise around his chest tighten. Just the sight of the island where he grew up made Mac feel confined.

  “Never gets old, does it?” Mac’s childhood best friend, Captain Joe Cantrell, owned and operated Gansett’s thriving ferry business.

  “What’s that?” Mac asked.

  “The first view of the island. Always gives me a thrill to see it appear out of the fog.”

  “Even after all the times you’ve seen it?”

  “I still love it.”

  Mac studied his old friend. Time had worn some lines into the corners of Joe’s hazel eyes, and his sandy hair was now shot through with streaks of gray that hadn’t been there on Mac’s last trip home.

  “You ever wish you’d done something else?” Mac asked. “Gone out in the world a bit?”

  Joe took a long drag off his trademark clove cigarette and flicked the ashes out the open doorway. “Go where? Do what?”

  “Those things are gonna kill you,” Mac said, nodding to the cigarette.

  “No faster than working twenty hours a day is gonna kill you.”

  “Touché,” Mac said with a chuckle.

  “Are you planning to tell mama bear about your night in the hospital?”

  “Hell no! She’d freak out all over me. That’s the last thing I need.”

  Joe laughed. “What’s it worth to ya?”

  Mac shot him what he hoped was a menacing scowl. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “So what happened?”

  “The doctors said it was an anxiety attack—too little sleep, too much work, too much stress. They ordered me to take at least a month off to recover.”

  “How’d your partners take that news?”

  “Not so well. We’re busier than hell, but they’ll handle it until I get back.” Mac and his partners owned a company that reconfigured Miami office space for new tenants.

  “And your girlfriend? Roseanne, right?”

  “My ex-girlfriend. We decided to cool it for a while. And then I got the email from my mother about my dad selling McCarthy’s. . . I told my mom I’d help him fix the place up a bit.”

  “I still can’t believe that.”

  Mac shrugged. “He can’t work forever, and none of us want to deal with it.”

  “How’s your sister doing? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

  Despite the nonchalant question, Mac knew there was nothing nonchalant about his friend’s feelings for Janey. “Still carrying that torch?”

  Joe shrugged. “I’ve yet to meet anyone I like better.”

  “She and David are engaged, man. Might be time to move on.”

  “Maybe.” He flashed the grin that had made him popular with the girls in high school—not that he’d noticed after he gave his young heart to Janey McCarthy. “She’s not married yet.”

  “Joe—”

  “I’m not going to show up at the wedding in a gorilla suit and cart her off or anything.”

  Mac studied the expression on his friend’s face: staged i
ndifference mixed with wistfulness. “That sounds a little too well planned.”

  “No worries, I don’t own a gorilla suit. I am thinking about getting a dog, though.”

  Mac laughed at that because Janey worked for the island’s veterinarian.

  Joe steered the 110-foot ferry past the breakwater to the island’s South Harbor port.

  Mac watched the town of Gansett come into view—the bustling port, the white landmark Beachcomber Hotel with its clock tower and turrets, the Victorian Portside Inn, the strip of boutiques and T-shirt shops, the South Harbor Diner, Mario’s Pizzeria and Ice Cream Parlor where Mac stole his first kiss from Nicki Peterson in eighth grade.

  His overriding memory of growing up there was plotting his escape. Once he finally managed to leave, he’d never looked back except for occasional visits to his parents. Every time he came home, he counted the minutes until he could leave again. This would be his longest stay since he turned eighteen and left for college. Mac wondered how long it would take before he was chomping to leave again.

  Salt air, diesel fuel and rotting seaweed—the aromas of home—filled Mac’s senses and turned his stomach. He hated the smell of rotting seaweed.

  “Come on back with me,” Joe said.

  At the ferry’s stern, Mac watched as Joe used a combination of engine power and bow thrusters to efficiently turn the ferry in the tightest imaginable space and back it into its berth. “You make that look so damned easy.”

  “It is easy—especially when you’ve done it a thousand or two times.”

  Once the ferry was docked, they stood at the rail and watched the throngs of trucks, cars and tourists disembark from the day’s first boat to Gansett.

  “I still spend Friday and Saturday nights on the island during the summer,” Joe said as Mac gathered up his stuff. “Come on by the Beachcomber if you feel like grabbing a brew or two.”

  “I’ll do that.” Mac shook Joe’s hand. “It’s good to see you, man.”