by Jen Talty
It was a tough realization to accept because it meant she’d been lying to herself about her life for a long time. Not to mention she dragged her family and friends into the insanity.
“Then what?” Noah asked.
“I rushed into this engagement and wedding, and as Andy I continued to talk about our future, we found out we really want different things,” she said.
“What does that mean, exactly?” Morgan asked.
“I don’t think I need to elaborate on that.” She glared at her brother.
“When I’m out the kind of money that I am on a wedding that’s not going to happen and your brothers are asking their buddies to work double shifts so they can work on a surprise flash dance for you, I think we’re entitled to an answer.”
She took a fairly large sip of her alcoholic beverage. “In a nutshell, he wants me to try to be something I’m not.”
“And what’s that?” her mother asked, stroking her hair.
“He wanted me to give up nursing.”
Her father growled. “That would change who you are.”
She nodded. “I’m really sorry. I have some money saved up, so I want to help out with some of the bills.”
“I shouldn’t have brought up the cost.” Her father held up his hand. “Let me worry about that. I hope you plan on staying the rest of the week. If nothing else, we can have a nice extended family party on Saturday.”
“I’d like that,” she said, doing her best to keep the tears from burning her cheeks. “I think I’m going to go to bed.” As gracefully as she could, she rose, hugging her brothers before making her way to her father. “I’m really sorry, Dad. I should have told you sooner.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m just glad it’s all out in the open and we can move forward.”
Forward? She had no idea what that meant.
Or if it included Spencer, but tomorrow, she was going to find out.
Spencer sat on the bow of his boat and stared down the lake at Echo’s parents’ house. The family room and deck lights were still on, and he could see people milling about. It was a little after ten at night, and her father had sent him a text about ten minutes ago, asking if he could spare some time this evening.
He contemplated saying no, but then curiosity got the better of him.
A silhouette slinked through the yards, heading for Spencer’s boat.
“Thanks for meeting with me,” Stanley said.
“Anytime.” Spencer offered him a beer.
Stanley shook his head. “I’m still having some headaches. Besides, my wife is making me become a liquor or seltzer drinker only.”
“Probably a good idea, considering the amount of sugar in some other beverages.”
The boat rocked as Stanley climbed aboard. He sat on the bench in front of the center console. “You’ve done well for yourself, son. I know your father is quite proud of you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the kind words.”
“I have a question for you.”
“All right.” Spencer sat up a little taller, sitting cross-legged on the cushions.
“When you and Echo broke up the final time, when she actually left on her first assignment as a travel nurse, did you try to get her to stay?”
“Yes and no, but why are you asking me?”
“I’m just trying to understand a few things, and if you’ll humor me by letting me ask odd questions, I’ll explain in a bit.”
“I’ll do my best to answer honestly.”
“What does yes and no mean?”
Spencer let out a long breath. “More than asking her to stay, I wanted to do a long-distance relationship, sort of like we’d been doing when she went to college, but the last two years of that were difficult. She has a free spirit, and she needed to spread her wings. I wanted to give her the space to do that, but at the same time, I needed to be true to myself. I thought maybe if I let her go, she’d come back.”
“I think we all thought that of the two of you. I know she asked you to come with her, and you said no. I remember how upset she was over that. She sulked around the house and drove me and her mom nuts. But what did she say to you about that? How did she try to change your mind?”
“One of the things we talked about was the idea she’d only do the travel nurse thing for three to five years. The problem for me was I couldn’t find work in my chosen field with how much she’d be moving around; that’s why I wanted the long-distance. I don’t mind the two days on, four days off, so I could do that rotation as often as possible and go visit her, but at the time, I didn’t know that I could handle that schedule.”
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”
“It is,” Spencer said.
“It just seems to me and my wife, and frankly, your folks as well, that you should have never broken up. From what you’re telling me, that’s not a lot of conflict.”
“That’s not the reason we ended it,” Spencer said. “That’s why we chose to take some space. We were young, and we literally had spent our entire childhood together. We opted to see other people. It mucked things up pretty good, and we ended up saying things to each other that I think we both regretted but couldn’t be taken back.”
“I see.” Stanley ran his thumb and forefinger across his chin. “I guess I knew a lot of that, but I wanted to hear your take on it.”
“May I ask why?”
“I just learned tonight that my daughter called off her wedding.”
Spencer choked on his own breath.
“But I don’t believe her.”
“I’m not following,” Spencer said. “You think she’s still getting married?”
“Not to that jerk, but the story she gave us for the reason she called it off felt more like what happened to the two of you. I know my daughter, and I know when she’s keeping something from me. I just can’t figure out exactly what it is or why, and based on how much time Echo has been spending with you, I think you have the answers.”
Spencer had promised he wouldn’t tell anyone what happened, and he’d be an asshole if he broke that trust. “I’ve known you my entire life, and I have a lot of respect for you, but anything Echo has told me about her relationship with Andy was done in confidence. I can’t and I won’t repeat it.”
“I thought that might be your answer,” Stanley said. “Is there anything you can tell me that will help me make sure my little girl is going to be okay?”
The sound of shoes clicking on the dock caught Spencer’s attention.
“What the fuck, Spencer. Where do you come off?” Echo asked.
“Hello, kiddo,” Stanley said.
“Oh. Hi, Daddy. I didn’t see you there.”
“I figured by the language, but trust me, I’m the one who reached out to Spencer and told him that you and Andy broke up.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not what I’m talking about.” She stood by the bow, clenching her phone. “I need to talk to Spencer.”
Oh boy. While he couldn’t see her face that well, he could see her eyes by the light of the moon, and they were on fire.
“I guess that’s my cue to leave. Thanks for talking with me.”
Spencer shook her father’s hand before stepping from the boat. “Let’s go up to the house.”
“Fine,” she said, stomping off in front of him.
He was going to need another beer to get through this evening, and then he might sleep for a week. He unlocked his door and followed her inside. He set his cooler on the floor and pulled out two beers, handing her one. “So, what has you all hot and bothered under the collar?”
She closed the gap, poking him in the biceps. “You hired a fucking private investigator to spy on my fiancé, and that’s how you knew he was cheating on me. How could you?” She held up her phone, showing the report Tristan had sent him.
“Where’d you get that?” He rolled his neck before sitting down on the sofa and kicking off his flip-flops and stretching out his arm over the back of the couch.
&n
bsp; “Does it matter?”
“I suppose not,” he said.
“So, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“We’re you going to give this to me?” She stood in front of him, glaring at him as if she wanted to rip his head off and toss it in the lake. “Did you know about this before we had sex?”
“Yes. I planned on showing it to you. I was just looking for the right time.” He dropped his head back and closed his eyes. “But before you go flying off the handle more, sleeping with you had nothing to do with that report, or him, or anything other than you and me.”
“I’m not sure how I can believe that when you knew things about my life that I didn’t.”
He blinked, lowering his chin. “You came on to me. I said it would be a bad idea.”
“You didn’t stop me when I nudged.”
“You’re right,” he said. “What do you want from me?”
“I want to know why you did this?”
He might as well tell her the entire truth at this point. “Two reasons. First one was your brothers were going to hire one to find out more about Andy because they were concerned.”
“Noah,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s the one who gave this to me.”
“Well, I didn’t give him the report, so he must have gotten it from either Emma or Damien.”
“They know?” She fell back on the sofa and groaned. “I think I want to move to Timbuktu.”
He gave her knee a good squeeze. “They aren’t judging you. Far from it.”
“What’s the second reason?”
“After you told me what happened, and knowing about some of the things your father was putting together, I wanted to go after him so he could reimburse your dad. And that’s tied into the fact I care about you, and I thought I was doing something to help you.”
She let out a sarcastic chuckle. “I do need to find a way to pay back my dad. He’s telling me not to worry about it, but I can’t do that.”
“I’m sure he’ll be able to recover some of it.”
She stuffed her hand into her pocket and pulled out her engagement ring. “Andy told me to keep it or sell it, he didn’t care. Since I picked it out and put it on his card, I know what it’s worth. It will help my dad a little bit.”
“He won’t take your money, but I’m sure he’ll take the money from that,” Spencer said, taking the ring into his hands. He’d thought a lot about the kind of ring he wanted to buy Echo back in the day. It would be something simple and elegant, like this ring. “Are you really that mad at me for checking into Andy?”
“Yes, but because you didn’t tell me what you found as soon as the report came back to you. Not that I could have stopped the shitshow that happened when Andy showed up today, but I might have handled it differently.”
“Like how?”
“For starters, I wouldn’t have waited until after lunch to get my courage up to try to talk to my parents. I would have marched down to my house after your father caught us.”
“You don’t know that. As your father pointed out to me a few minutes ago, hindsight is perfect vision.”
“All right, I’ll give you that.”
“So, what now?”
She shifted, tucking her foot under her butt. “I’m not a full-time employee at the hospital I’m working at in Atlanta. I’m a swing shift nurse. And while I like it, I’m tired. These last few months have been exhausting, and I believe the traveling nurse gig has run its course.”
“You mentioned coming back here. Is that still on the table?”
“Do I have a reason to look for more permanent employment in New York? Lake George?”
He arched a brow. “How did we go from you scolding me to you asking me to be your boyfriend again?” Setting his beer down, he grabbed her leg and pulled her to his lap. “That is what you’re suggesting, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. I don’t know why I thought I could ever be without you. Life has just been a series of mishaps. About the only thing that has kept me sane is nursing.”
He kissed her nose. “That’s because being a nurse is who you are.”
“I totally understand why you couldn’t leave with me, and I should have been more—”
He pressed his finger over her plump lips. “That’s in the past. We’re getting a second chance. Let’s not fuck it up.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “I have two more months on my contract, and it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to just up and quit.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to. But I can do two days on and four days off, and I will fly to you.”
“You’d do that for me?”
He nodded. “And when you have a long weekend or something, you can come home.”
“Home,” she whispered. “My parents are going to flip.”
“We don’t have to tell them right away. I mean, we can at least wait until morning.”
She laughed. “Why Spencer Bryant, are you suggesting I spend the night?”
He stood, lifting her into his arms, then carried her into the bedroom and practically tossed her to the mattress.
The moon and the stars shined through the windows, highlighting every glorious curve of her clothed body.
She scooted to the headboard, lifting her shirt over her head, tossing it in his direction. She’d always been playful in bed, even when they were first exploring each other and learning what lovemaking was all about. She could be shy and at the very same time, a wild woman. She wasn’t opposed to trying things, but whenever she felt uncomfortable, she let him know.
No one since her, and there hadn’t been that many, had touched his mind, heart, or soul the way she had.
He managed to rid them of the rest of the clothing and gently kissed every inch of her naked body, making sure no part went without attention. Everything about Echo made him want to be a better man. A better lover. He wanted to give her whatever she desired. There was no woman better suited for him than Echo.
Kissing her midriff, he fondled her breasts, listening to her soft moans and feeling her fingers gently massage his scalp, coaxing him to go lower and bring her all the pleasure his tongue and fingers could offer. She’d never been selfish in her lovemaking, but she always allowed him to bring her to climax, more than once, before he took his own.
What a glorious day it had been when he found out how easy it was for her to have multiple orgasms. She’d learned to ride them for as long as she could, clenching them around him, intensifying his own.
“Oh, God,” she said with a moan, curling her fingers around his wrist. Her body bucked under his touch. “Spencer,” she whispered.
“You’re so beautiful.” He took her mouth in a hot, deep kiss while his fingers still stroked, keeping her climax on the edge, letting her spin out of control.
She pushed him, shoving him to his back. “You’re pretty sexy yourself.” She grabbed him, squeezing tight, stroking up and down his shaft with one hand, cupping him with the other.
His breath caught in his throat. He blinked, trying to focus, but the room spun. He piled her hair on top of her head and watched as she masterfully tortured him with her luscious lips. His toes curled, and he was on the verge of losing control.
“That’s enough,” he said.
“You always spoil my fun.”
He flipped her to her back, spread her legs, and thrust deep inside her with one powerful arch of his back.
“I take that back,” she said with wide eyes. She clutched his ass, encouraging him to do it again.
He rolled his hips in a slow and methodical motion. Bending over, he brought her nipple into his mouth and sucked hard. With every swish of his tongue, he pumped harder, deeper, and faster. He swelled inside her just as her body gave way to another outcry. He shivered, letting go of his release.
This was home.
She was home.
She was his world, and he was never going to give her up.
“I lov
e you,” he whispered. It had been a long time since he’d said those words to anyone. Actually, the last time had been to her.
She cupped his face, forcing his gaze to lock with hers. “Say that again.”
“I love you,” he said boldly. “I always have.”
“It’s always been you.” She brushed her lips over his in a soft and sweet kiss. “I love you, Spencer. I never stopped.”
An idea began to form in his mind. It was crazy. No. It was totally insane.
“Do you remember when we were nine and we decided we were going to run away and get married?” He rolled to the side, pulling the covers over their bodies and holding her tight. Now that he had her, he was never going to let her go.
She laughed. “I packed up my Barbie suitcase, and we walked all the way to the corner store where old man Blake picked us up and eventually talked us into going home.”
“Do you remember how he managed to talk us out of eloping?”
“Yeah. He told us how important it was to have family there on such an important day.”
“I loved you enough to let you go do your thing, and you loved me enough to let me stay,” he said. “Our love for one another is just as strong as it was back then, and both our families are here right now.”
She grabbed the covers and bolted to a sitting position. “What are you getting at?”
“Your father showed me the book you sent him for ideas. That wedding he put together wasn’t for you and what’s his name. It was meant for us.”
She cocked her head. “Are you suggesting we get married this weekend?”
“I know. A very lame proposal. But it makes sense.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
He reached up and wiped it away. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“I know, but it’s the sweetest thing ever.” She nodded. “Yes.”
“Yes? You’ll marry me this weekend?”
She nodded. “We need to go tell my father before he starts canceling things.”
“It’s eleven at night. It can wait until morning,” he said, pulling her back to his chest. “We’ll go over first thing.” And then he was going to have to go get her a proper ring.