Man Find (Bergen Brothers Book 3)

by Krista Sandor

  Cadence furrowed her brow. “Official certificate?”

  “Yeah, for its authenticity. These timepieces are passed down from generation to generation, some going back to the eighteen hundreds, and they won’t issue another certificate. It truly is a one-of-a-kind family heirloom.”

  Cam crossed his arms. “Why don’t you keep it, Bren? Or Jas, he could take it.”

  Cadence smiled up at him. “Now, hold on. You should look at it before you decide you don’t want it.”

  If it were anyone other than her, he’d tell them to fuck off.

  But it was her. His Daisy.

  He released a tight breath. “Okay, let’s have a look.”

  But the day they’d picked up his father’s watch was as fresh in his memory now as it was then, and he didn’t need her to lift the glossy lid to know what was inside. A Patek Philippe watch with a platinum band, blue face with a small dial for the phases of the moon. He and his father had spoken with the watchmaker and witnessed the painstakingly precise work that went into creating the legendary timepieces.

  Cadence opened the box and gasped. “It’s beautiful.”

  She wasn’t wrong. The watch looked as exquisite today as it had all those years ago.

  She handed the box to Bren and gently removed the watch from its secure perch. “Let’s try it on,” she coaxed.

  “I don’t…” he began.

  “One, two, three, Camden Bergen. Eyes on me!” Cadence said, holding his gaze.

  He froze. Jesus! His brother was right! That teacher talk was Jedi level mind control.

  “Hand, please,” she said sweetly.

  He raised his right hand.

  She cocked her head to the side. “You’re a lefty?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That explains a lot,” she said, biting back a grin.

  Now it was his turn to cock his head to the side, but before he could protest her lefty comment, she stepped back and nodded.

  “It suits you.”

  He looked down at his father’s timepiece. It fit like a glove. It was loose when he’d tried it on his sixteen-year-old wrist. He was gangly back then. It was another six months before he started to fill out like his brothers. He nearly smiled remembering the day he’d tried the watch on, and it had fit.

  This watch will be yours one day, Cam. And you’ll pass it on to one of your children. We’ll all be connected through time and space.

  He’d been so proud after his father had told him that. Proud to be a Bergen. Proud to be the son of a man as kind and as giving as his father. Now, all he felt was shame. And children? Jesus, he’d never trust himself with the life of a child. He couldn’t.

  “You should keep it, Camden.”

  He glanced up and the overwhelming urge to come clean and tell her he was Mountain Mac welled up inside him like a river a breath away from cresting. Maybe he could be worthy of her? Maybe, with her by his side, there was a chance he could be a better man.

  His mouth had gone dry. “Cadence, I’m—”

  Beep! Beep!

  What the hell?

  Cadence broke their connection and waved to someone over his shoulder. “Hold that thought.”

  He watched as Abby and Cadence walked over to a BMW parked in front of Bren’s Mercedes. The tinted front window rolled down to reveal a smiling woman in the passenger seat as a little boy with golden hair climbed out of the back seat and stood next to Cadence on the sidewalk.

  Cam stared at the boy as Abby and Cadence spoke to the woman.

  He turned to his brother. “Who’s the kid?”

  “That’s Cadence’s son, Bodhi. He’s great. He spent some time with us up at the cottage. I took him out on the slopes. He skis like you—no fear and all speed.”

  “Her son?”

  The bottom dropped, and Cam clutched the railing, his resolve draining. His heart hardening.

  C and B did not stand for Camden Bergen—but Cadence and Bodhi.

  He was a goddamn fool.

  Mountain Daisy had a child, and that changed everything.

  7

  Cadence

  “There was a piñata, and we went swimming in their very own private swimming pool, and we roasted s’mores in their backyard.”

  “Slow down, Bodhi. Did you remember to bring Mr. Cuddles home?” Cadence asked, taking her son’s backpack as the Boyd’s car set off down the street.

  Bodhi had left his beloved bear all over Denver. It was a miracle they still had him.

  “I remembered him, Mom! I made a little note for myself like you make all your notes,” he answered, pulling a scrap of paper from his pocket and holding it up for her to see.

  Abby patted Bodhi’s shoulder. “Hi, Bodhi!”

  “Hey, Miss Quinn!” he said with a wide toothy grin.

  The boy looked around. “And Brennen!” he called, jumping into Abby’s fiancé’s arms.

  Brennen tossed him into the air, then set him down. “Hey, little man!”

  Cadence swallowed hard as the sweetest kind of sorrow washed over her. Aaron used to play with Bodhi just like that when he was a toddler. She released a shaky breath. It would be easy to fall apart, but she pasted on a smile.

  She’d gotten good at soldiering on. At acting like she had it all under control. Pretending the role of the do-it-all single working mom was enough—because it had to be.

  “Who’s that?” Bodhi asked and pointed toward the house.

  “That’s my brother, Camden,” Brennen answered.

  Bodhi’s eyes went wide as if someone just told him he’d won ice cream for life. “You have another brother?”

  “Yep, Cam, come over and meet Bodhi.”

  Cadence turned to find Camden with his back to her, one foot on the porch step leading to the rental unit. The hard muscles in his back tensed under his T-shirt as the man froze.

  “Did you hear, Mom? Brennen has another brother!”

  That was the understatement of the year.

  She nodded, her pasted smile in place. Not only did Brennen have another brother, but that brother was also their neighbor who, only hours ago, had her pinned against the shower wall. She grazed her fingertips across her cheek where he’d touched her so tenderly, and all her worries had disappeared. The broken showerhead. The to-do list that was a mile long. Her dwindling bank account. Her fears. Her broken heart. They all melted away when she was lost in his steel-blue gaze.

  Camden joined them in the front yard, looking a shade paler. They could be friends, right? They were going to be neighbors, coworkers at the Bergen Adventure Summer Camp, and now, they’d agreed—well, she’d agreed for them—to help with Abby and Brennen’s wedding. It made sense—and it was only for the summer. He’d made that much clear in the Bergens’ backyard.

  Still, when she was with him in the shower under the warm spray of water, her body wasn’t contemplating a platonic friendship. His hands gripping her hips. His body pressed to hers. Her lips, tingling with the desire to be kissed. Whatever that was, it wasn’t friendship.

  She smiled at him. But there was no warmth in Camden’s eyes. The man who’d burst into her house to save her from squirrels had disappeared. Jaw set. Posture rigid. He stuffed his hands into his pockets.

  Could it be the watch or memories of his parents?

  But her sixth sense told her his change in mood wasn’t due to his unease with his family. And it wasn’t like she couldn’t relate. The other day, she’d found one of Aaron’s old T-shirts in a box, and it had hit her hard. His smell. His laugh. It all came rushing back.

  But the hard glint in Camden’s eyes wasn’t there when she’d slid the watch onto his wrist.

  There was something else that crushed the hopeful glint in his eyes.

  Bodhi didn’t seem too concerned with the brooding giant standing next to Brennen.

  “How tall are you?” her son asked, assessing Camden as one would evaluate the height of a skyscraper.

  “About six five,” Camden answered.


  “Did your mom make you eat lots of vegetables?”

  The hint of a smile pulled at the corner of Camden’s mouth. “Yeah.”

  “Bananas?” her son continued.

  “Yep.”

  “Oatmeal?”

  “All of the above,” Camden said, sharing a look with Brennen.

  Bodhi turned to her with a serious expression. “See, Mom! That’s what’s going to happen to me if you keep making me eat vegetables and oatmeal and bananas. I’ll turn into a giant like Camden.”

  “Hey! What about me?” Brennen asked. “I’m pretty tall.”

  Bodhi scrunched up his face. “Not tall like him.”

  “I’ll have you know, he’s my little brother,” Brennen said, feigning outrage.

  “Not anymore,” Bodhi replied with a certainty only bestowed on individuals who weren’t quite tall enough to ride the big coasters at the amusement park.

  The adults chuckled, and she glanced at Camden—only to find him watching her. The warmth was back in his expression for a fraction of a second before he resurrected his stony facade.

  “Brennen, I’m going to ride my bike without the training wheels,” Bodhi said, moving on to a new topic. “Want to come with us to the park and watch?”

  Brennen checked his watch, then shared a look with Abby.

  Abby bent down and put her hand on Bodhi’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, B. Brennen and I have to go.”

  “Abby’s right, little man. We have to leave now to meet with some really cool volunteers who help blind people ski.”

  “Wow!” Bodhi said, eyes wide.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.” Brennen glanced up at his brother. “But I’m sure Cam would go with you. He’s really good at riding bikes.”

  “Better than you?” Bodhi asked.

  Brennen cocked his head to the side. “Maybe.”

  Camden shook his head.

  “Better than Jasper?” Bodhi pressed.

  Brennen’s expression grew serious. “Absolutely.” He turned to Camden. “We do need to head out. Can you help me get your mountain bike out of the car?”

  “Can I help, too?” Bodhi asked.

  “Sure,” Brennen said, taking Bodhi’s hand as the men headed to the Mercedes.

  “How are things with Camden?” Abby asked, lowering her voice. “You guys looked…”

  Cadence frowned. “What?”

  “In sync. He seemed ready to chuck that watch in the garbage before you stepped in.”

  “I didn’t step in.”

  Abby raised an eyebrow. “You busted out one, two three. Eyes on me.”

  Cadence sighed and watched as Camden lifted the bike out of the back of the car. “I don’t get him, Abby. I’m hoping we can be friends or at least act civil toward one another.”

  “I think it’ll be good having him here,” Abby replied.

  Cadence leaned into her friend. “Good to have a brooding bobble-headed Bergen next door?”

  “Good that you won’t be alone,” Abby said with a sympathetic grin.

  Cadence closed her eyes and pictured Camden, dripping wet, his thumb caressing her cheek, then crossed her arms. She had to put a stop to thoughts like that. Between the guilt over her feelings for a man she’d met online and wanting to honor the commitment she’d made to her deceased husband, adding in a crush on the brooding Bergen just wasn’t in the cards—at least, that’s what her head said. Her body, and maybe even her heart, were still in that shower.

  “It’s just for the summer,” she said, trying to sound indifferent.

  “Then I’m glad you’ll have someone close by for the summer. Plus, I may have you guys on hot glue gun duty to make the wedding favors,” Abby added.

  Cadence reared back. “Abby, you’re marrying a billionaire with a B. All you’d have to do is drop the Bergen name, and you’d have vendors throwing themselves at you.”

  Abby hooked their arms together. “I want to do a little something myself. And you know I love my glue sticks. I’m all about the glue.”

  Cadence chuckled and rested her head on Abby’s shoulder.

  “Abby Rose, we better hit the road,” Brennen called.

  “We’ll talk soon,” Abby said with a hug, then joined Brennen at their car.

  She and Bodhi waved as the Mercedes pulled out, then glanced around the yard and didn’t see the brooding Bergen.

  “Wait, Camden!” Bodhi called.

  The man had already made it to his porch—again!

  Bodhi ran to him. “Will you come to the park with us? Mom said we could take off my training wheels, and I could try riding without them.”

  Cadence joined them and put a hand on her son’s shoulder. “Honey, Camden might be busy.”

  Doing what, she had no idea, but she’d never seen a man retreat so quickly.

  “But, Mom, you still get nervous when we ride bikes, and if Camden’s really good—maybe better than Brennen—he could help us.”

  The breath caught in her throat, and she pasted on her plastic grin. “Why would you say that?”

  He pointed between his eyebrows. “You get a line right here when we’re about to ride bikes.”

  “No, I don’t!”

  “It’s there right now,” Bodhi answered.

  She touched her forehead. Hello, premature frown lines.

  Her son looked up at the stoic giant. “Please, Camden. Will you come with us to Baxter Park?”

  He nodded. “Okay, for a little bit.”

  Bodhi jumped with a hoot of excitement. “I’ll get my bike,” he said and set out for the little shed on the side of the house.

  “Here.” She handed Bodhi his backpack. “Set this on the porch, and don’t forget your helmet.”

  And then it was quiet. She and Camden stood there, neither saying a word, before she broke the muted stalemate.

  She glanced at his mountain bike, leaning against the side of his porch. “It’s easier if we walk and just let Bodhi ride. The training wheels slow him down, and once they come off, I usually run alongside him. He’s still a little wobbly.”

  “I know,” Camden answered.

  “How would you know?”

  “Experience. I spent my childhood summers in the Bergen Adventure Camp. When I was old enough, I became a high school counselor. I taught tons of kids how to ride a bike up until the summer before…” he trailed off.

  “Before what?”

  He shook his head. “It’s not important.”

  But the sadness in his eyes contradicted his statement.

  “I’ve got the wrench for you, Mom,” Bodhi called from his bike, pumping his little legs with the socket wrench clutched in his hand.

  The squeak and rattle of the training wheels came to a stop, and she took the tool from her son.

  She held it up. “It’s to remove the—”

  “Training wheels,” Camden finished.

  “Yeah, I guess you already know that.”

  Her Bergen bobblehead nodded.

  This may be the longest summer of her life.

  “Can we go?” Bodhi asked.

  Cadence glanced up the street. No cars. “Okay, but remember to stop and look before you cross over to the park.”

  “Got it, Mom!”

  Bodhi set off, and she and Camden followed behind. Luckily, they only lived a block away from the park.

  “I didn’t know mountain biking still made you nervous.”

  He speaks.

  She glanced up at Camden. “Why would you know that?”

  “I mean, your son mentioned it.”

  “It still does a bit, but I’m getting better. A friend’s helping me with that,” she answered.

  She wasn’t about to get into the past with a man who seemed to be ruled by his.

  “A friend?” he asked.

  She smiled, thinking of Mountain Mac.

  “Just someone I met online.”

  He tensed.

  “I know what you’re thinking. It sounds creepy—the whole, meeting
someone online—but it’s not. We met on a mountain biking forum. And it’s not like we’ve shared any personal information. I don’t even know where he lives or what his real name is. He’s just…”

  “Just what?” Camden coaxed.

  Cadence smiled. She couldn’t help herself. “Kind.”

  “And you know it’s a guy?”

  She shrugged. “I think so, but it’s never come up.”

  This was the most talkative he’d been all day, and why the heck was she telling him—this brooding giant who couldn’t wait to get away from her—about Mountain Mac?

  “How does he help you?” Camden asked, cutting into her thoughts.

  She watched as Bodhi looked both ways then crossed the street. “It started with the basics: what type of bike to get and all the necessary gear. But then, it changed.”

  “And now you’re friends, that’s it?”

  She glanced at him. “What do you mean ‘that’s it’?”

  “Forget it,” he said, hands in his pockets, head down.

  “Mom!” Bodhi called, waving to her next to one of the willows lining Smith Lake.

  She walked over to her son with Camden a half a step behind her, crouched down and started to loosen the bolt on the training wheels.

  “I can get those off for you,” Camden offered.

  “I got it,” she said. She’d lost count of how many times they’d taken off—and then put right back on—the training wheels.

  “I’m going to do it, Camden! I’m going to ride around the whole lake,” Bodhi said.

  The brooding bobblehead nodded.

  “Just take it nice and—” she began, setting the training wheels and wrench next to the tree when Bodhi took off.

  “I’m a race car!” the boy shouted, tearing down the paved path.

  She shot up and started running. “Slow down, B! Wait for me!”

  He didn’t. Building speed, he cruised down the slight incline. He was fine on the straightaways. It was the turns that got him.

  “The curve, Bodhi! Slow down for the—”

  “I got him.”

  Camden’s long legs consumed the pavement as he sprinted down the path and passed her.

  Her heart jumped into her throat. With the curve in sight, Bodhi’s little shoulders twisted, overcorrecting. He bumped off the path and tore through the grass.