I looked at my watch on the nightstand. It was ten o’clock. But I could have easily slept for another hour or two. I got dressed and walked out of the dark bedroom. The blinds were drawn, so it had been like a cave in there. Just the way I liked it. I was thankful Bailey had let me sleep in.
“Hey.” She saw me and came right over, kissing my cheek. “Do you want some coffee?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I sat down at the table and she handed me a cup. “Thank you.”
“I’m really sorry about crashing here last night.” Penny was at the stove.
“It’s okay.” Baily was rubbing my shoulders. If she kept it up, Penny would have to leave.
“I’m making breakfast for everyone. Carter, do you like waffles?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Here.” Penny put a plate in front of me. “You get the first bite.”
The table was set, and there was a bottle of syrup in front of me.
“Try it,” Penny said, hovering beside me.
I picked up my fork and cut into the first waffle. It was crunchy and looked burnt. But I took a bite and chewed my way through the breading. They weren’t the worst I’d ever eaten. But they were pretty bad.
“Do you like them?” Penny stared me down, her bright blue eyes wide with hope.
And what was I gonna tell the poor girl? That they were the worst waffles I’d ever tasted?
“Yeah, they’re good.” I spit it into a napkin when she turned away. “Real good.”
“Great.” She stirred the batter. “I’ll make some more.”
Bailey walked around the table and caught my eye. She mouthed the words, thank you.
I smiled because I knew I’d made her happy. I’d do anything to make her happy.
“Penny, why don’t you let me help you with that?” Bailey asked.
Someone banged on the front door. It startled everyone.
“Are you expecting someone?” I asked.
“No.” Bailey looked at Penny. “Not on a Saturday morning.”
Penny walked to the door and looked out the peephole. “It’s Daddy.”
“What the hell? I told him you were leaving after breakfast,” Bailey said. “He can’t wait one hour?”
Holy hell was right. My heart was pounding. I wanted to run so I could get the hell out of dodge.
“Penny,” his voice boomed. “I need to talk to you please.”
“What do I do?” Penny freaked.
“I’ll get the door,” Bailey said.
“Thank you.” Penny sprinted to the guest room and shut the door. Not a bad idea.
Before I could do the same, Bailey opened up and Benjamin Lewis came inside.
“Hey, Daddy.” She kissed his cheek and gave him a hug.
“Where is your sister?” he asked.
“You just get right to the point, don’t you?”
“She left the house last night without even telling us. Your mother was worried sick.”
“But she was fine. She was here with me. You know I’ll take care of her.”
He was wearing a business suit. On Saturday morning. I wanted to fall right through the floor.
“That’s beside the point.” He turned so his back was to me. “She should have called.”
“Penny is eighteen. She’s about to start college. You need to stop treating her like a child.”
I didn’t want to be here in the middle of a heated discussion between the richest man in town and the woman I loved. I knew I would meet him one day. I’d have to. But not like this.
Mr. Lewis sighed and looked around. And that’s when his eyes landed on me.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Hi.” I cleared my throat. “I mean, hello sir.” I stood up and knocked my entire cup of coffee over.
Kill me. Kill me now.
Bailey rushed to my side with a towel. When I stood up, she curled her arm around me.
“Daddy, this is Carter Boudreaux. He’s a very successful, hard-working entrepreneur.”
It sounded like she was trying to get me a job.
“Hi.” He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
I shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lewis.”
“Call me Ben. So what kind of business are you in?”
“Umm...” My mouth went dry. I’d seen his face in magazines and on the news. Now here he was, in the flesh. “Well, I...” My mind went blank. And he was staring right at me.
“Carter owns a restaurant,” Bailey said. When he asked, she told him which one.
“I’m impressed. I have a brother-in-law in the restaurant industry. Very hard work.”
“Yes.” It was all I could manage to say. I felt like an idiot. A total, complete idiot.
“Yeah, Daddy. I’ve already told him all about Uncle Austin.”
“Well, where is your sister hiding?” Ben asked.
Bailey giggled. “Penny! You can come out now!”
But Penny stayed in the guest room.
“She thinks I’m mad at her,” Ben said.
“Aren’t you?” Bailey asked.
He sighed.
“Just go back there and talk to her. Please. Before she moves in with me.”
That put him in gear. He turned back to me. “It was nice to meet you, Carter.”
“You too, Mr. Lewis. I mean, Ben.”
He left and it felt like the weight was off my shoulders.
“I’m sorry about that.” Bailey rubbed my back. “I had no idea he was just gonna show up.”
“Does he do that a lot?” I asked.
“Never. It’s just because Penny ran away without asking permission first.”
“Oh,” I laughed at her joke.
“Thank you for staying. I know how intimidating he is, but he means well.”
I nodded. “It’s okay. I have a father, too.”
She kissed me and wrapped her arms around the back of my neck. It was nice.
That morning, it dawned on me that all of this was worth it, if it meant I got to have her.
“Am I interrupting something?”
We broke apart and found a blonde woman standing in the doorway.
“Mom.” Bailey went to give her a hug. “I guess I forgot to shut the door.”
“Hi there.” She came over and held her hand out. “You must be Carter.”
I looked at Bailey then shook her mother’s hand. “Yeah. But how did you know?”
“Bailey has told me all about you. I’ve been wondering when I’d get the chance to finally meet you.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Lewis.”
“Claire’s fine.”
“Mom, sit down.” Bailey pulled out a chair. “Want some coffee?”
“No, thank you. I’ve already had some this morning.”
Bailey took a seat and pulled me down beside her. “So how are things at home?”
“You know your father. And you know your sister. I told him not to come here.”
Bailey looked just like her mother. Except for the eyes. Now I knew what she would look like in twenty years.
“Why has he been so overprotective lately?” Bailey asked. “I mean, more than normal.”
“I think it’s because Penny is going off to college. We’ve never been empty nesters before.”
“So what? This is his way of handling it?” Bailey took a sip of green tea.
“I think so. But I’m not worried about it. Your father just wants to feel like he’s still a part of her life. You know how it is when you move away from home. Things change.”
“They sure do,” I agreed.
“So you’re a chef, right?” Claire asked.
“Well, he owns and manages a restaurant. But he’s a great cook, too.”
“You know, we should really introduce him to Austin.”
“I know,” Bailey said. “I keep saying that.”
For some reason, I had a feeling that I might get along with whoever they kept talking about.
&
nbsp; Penny came out of the guest room with her duffel bag. Ben was right behind her.
“Did you two make up?” Claire asked.
“Yes,” Ben replied.
“Thanks for letting me stay with you.” Penny hugged Bailey.
“You’re welcome, sis. Anytime.”
“It was nice meeting you.” Penny shook my hand.
“You, too. Take care.”
Bailey gave her parents a hug and led them to the door. But Claire turned back. “We go to the Hamptons every year for July Fourth. It’s sort of a family tradition. You should come.”
“Oh, I already told him about it,” Penny said. “You’re still coming, right?”
I looked at Bailey. There was that sparkle in her eye. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Cool.” Penny walked out the door with Claire behind her. But Ben stayed.
“That’s good.” He turned to Bailey and whispered, “I’m glad you found someone.”
Once they were all gone, Bailey shut the door and locked it. “Ugh, my family.”
“They’re not so bad.”
“I planned on you meeting them at some point. But not with them all barging in at the same time.”
“It’s okay.” I pulled her into my arms. “Really.”
She looked over my shoulder at the burnt waffles Penny left on the stove. “I’m sorry you had to eat that. But I didn’t have the heart to tell her. She’s really trying. She just hasn’t learned it all yet.”
I grabbed her hips and pulled her closer. “It’s okay.”
“I’ll make us something to eat. I know you must be starving.”
“Why don’t we go out?” I suggested. “We’ve been cooped up in here for too long.”
“That sounds good.” She kissed my lips. “You pick the place. My treat.”
“No.” I traced her curves with my hands. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Well, I need some way to reward you for dealing with all that. You could’ve run out the door.”
“I thought about it,” I said.
“What?”
“I’m just teasin’.”
“You better be.” She grabbed my arms and kissed me. It was so nice to have the place to ourselves again.
“I can think of another way you can reward me,” I whispered in her ear.
She pushed against my chest and leaned back, searching my eyes with worry.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I need to tell you something.”
Chapter 12
Carter
I was really nervous. You’d think I was a college kid in the middle of finals week.
But I had no idea what she had to tell me. And that was scary as hell.
We walked to the café around the corner for breakfast. Despite the heat, there was a nice breeze in the air. And she didn’t seem to have a problem with me holding her hand. So that was a good sign.
The first time we’d eaten here, Bailey had run from me at the gym. I had the same fear now. That she was about to put distance between us again. But I had no room to talk. I’d been the first to push her away.
“How is your omelet?” I asked. Because I couldn’t stand the tension.
“Good. I’ve never gotten it before. It has turkey bacon in it.”
“That sounds good.” I put my napkin down and looked at her. “What’s going on, Bailey?”
“What do you mean?” She looked me in the eye for the first time since we’d left her apartment.
“You said you had something to tell me. I’m worried.”
She finished a cup of green tea and bit her lip.
“I hope I didn’t say the wrong thing. This morning? Last night?”
“It’s not you.” She pushed her plate back, even though she wasn’t finished with it. “It’s me.”
I gritted my teeth and swallowed, feeling a lump in my throat. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“No!” She grabbed my hand across the table and squeezed. “I’m kind of worried you might though.”
“What?” I threaded my fingers through hers. “Are you crazy?”
She chewed on her lip and looked away, like she was struggling to get the words out.
“Just tell me. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”
“Well, last night we almost...” She looked around to make sure no one could hear her.
“Made love?” I whispered.
“Yeah. And I really wanted to but everything with Penny and my dad...”
“Yeah, I know.” I held her gaze. “What is it?”
“I was thinking about it this morning, and I’m kind of glad we weren’t able to.”
“Oh,” I frowned. “Really? Why?”
I felt so rejected. Was she that repulsed by the thought of having sex with me?
She blinked more than normal as I saw her lower lip begin to tremble.
“Bailey, what’s wrong? Did I do something?”
“No.” She held on to my hand. “You didn’t do anything.”
“Well, please tell me what’s going on. I’m going crazy over here.”
She looked into my eyes, as dear and sweet as she’d ever been. That was the first time I thought about marrying her.
“If we made love...” She glanced away and then made herself look me in the eye. “It would mean so much to me. And I want to make sure that...” Tears were streaming down her face. “Well, I want to be sure that... God, I’m saying this all wrong. It probably doesn’t make any sense. I just—”
“I think I understand what you’re trying to say.”
“You do?” she crooned.
“Yeah.” I held both her hands at the table. “We don’t have to rush this. Whenever you’re ready, all you have to do is ask. Until then...”
“You’re not mad?” she asked.
“If you’re not ready, then I’m not either.” I wanted us to be on the same page.
“It’s just that last night—I don’t want you to think I’m some tease.”
“I don’t. Look, I want to be with you. But I want you to be ready. I don’t want you to be having all these second thoughts.” I rubbed the back of her hand. “You think just because I’m a guy... it would mean a lot to me too.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” I got out of my chair and knelt down in front of her. “Bailey, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
She had tears running down her chin. So I wiped them away and pulled her into my arms.
“I’m sorry I’m so upset,” she said.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid to tell me things.”
“I was scared of losing you.”
“Look at me.” I lifted her face in my hands. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed incredibly tight. I didn’t want to let her go.
“Are you sure you want to go to the Hamptons next weekend?” she asked.
“Will you be there?”
She dried her eyes. “Of course.”
“Then yes.”
She sighed in relief and ran her hands over my face. “I have to warn you though.”
“Warn me about what?”
“My family. They’re kind of a handful.”
I touched her cheek and smiled. “Isn’t everybody’s?”
JULY FOURTH LANDED on a Friday. So we got up at the crack of dawn to drive to the Hamptons. I always closed the restaurant on national holidays. And Bailey held the same practice at her store.
I was happy to have a long weekend with her, since we were working all the time. Usually, we had to pencil each other in here and there. Or sacrifice sleep to make time to spend together.
So it was nice to have a three-day weekend to relax. The old Carter never would have been away from work for more than two days in a row. But being with Bailey had made me a new man.
We drove out of the city to meet up with everyone. Bailey gave me directions to the subdivision where her parents lived. W
hen we pulled up to the gated entrance, I felt a wave of nerves come over me.
“This is where your folks live?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she chimed. “I grew up here.”
Bailey smiled at the mansion. I felt so intimidated. But she couldn’t help who her father was.
“Don’t worry about all that other stuff I said.” She touched my arm. “They’re going to love you.”
I forced a smile and drove on, parking by the water fountain. There were five other cars here at least. It made me nervous. But if I really wanted to be with Bailey, I had to prove to her that I could handle anything tossed my way.
“Bailey!” A little blonde girl came running out of the house. She looked about eight or nine.
“Hey, cutie!” Bailey met her at the bottom of the steps. And the girl jumped into her arms. “Oh my goodness. You’re getting so big.” Bailey kissed her on the cheek. “Are you ready for the beach?”
“Yep.” The little girl nodded, putting her head on Bailey’s shoulder.
“This is Savannah,” Bailey said. “Savannah, this is Carter.”
“Hi.” I waved at Savannah, but she buried her face in Bailey’s neck.
“She’s shy,” Bailey whispered. “And probably a little cranky, too.”
Savannah got down and ran back inside.
“Is she...”
“My cousin,” she replied.
“Oh.” I nodded. “Okay.”
“Let’s get this show on the road!” A blonde guy walked out with a bag slung over his shoulder. He wore sunglasses and a sleeveless t-shirt. And he froze once he saw us. “Well, look who it is.”
“Hey, Josh.” Bailey gave him a hug. “How have you been?”
“Fine.” He looked at me. “Who is this?”
“Carter Boudreaux.” She rubbed my back. “My boyfriend.”
“Oh.” He lifted his sunglasses. “Hey man. Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, you too.” This wasn’t so bad.
He walked over to a silver Jeep and opened the trunk.
“See,” Bailey whispered. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Penny emerged next. “Oh, thank God you’re here! Will you help me? I don’t know what to wear.”
Bailey hesitated, turning to me.
“It’s okay.” I kissed her temple. “Go on. I’ll be fine.”
She kissed me on the lips and followed Penny into the house. I stood on the front steps and looked around. This was one of the nicest places I’d ever been. And I’d been to some pretty nice places.
An Agreement (Summer in New York Book 3) Page 12
