Finding Home Again (Catalina Cove)

by Brenda Jackson

  The older man shook his head, grinning. “When it came to doing things behind my and Debbie’s backs, you and Bryce failed each and every time.”

  Kaegan didn’t say anything, but he couldn’t help wondering if perhaps the Witherspoons knew all of his and Bryce’s secrets from the past. He always thought they were smarter than most parents.

  “And another thing,” Chester said, interrupting Kaegan’s thoughts. “Bryce is a lot like her mother. Sweet as pie just as long as you don’t cross her. When that happens she can be as hard as nails and stubborn as sin. Then you have to all but pour honey all over her to get her sweet again. You got your work cut out for you. Winning my daughter back won’t be easy. She can’t be rushed and she has to believe you’re sincere in everything you say and do.”

  The older man then looked at his watch. “I’ve said my piece. The rest is up to you, Kaegan.”

  Kaegan nodded. Yes, the rest was up to him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  BRYCE SAW JEREMY the moment he walked into the restaurant, and when he saw her, he smiled. She smiled back and he began strolling in her direction.

  The man was handsome, but he didn’t have those drop-dead gorgeous features that Kaegan possessed. Not that she should be comparing him to Kaegan.

  “Good seeing you again, Bryce,” Jeremy said when he reached her table and extended his hand out to her.

  “Good seeing you again, too, Jeremy,” she said, taking his hand and immediately noting she felt nothing. Not that warm, sensual feeling she was hoping for from his touch. “I’m glad you could join me.”

  “Thanks for the invitation.”

  “Hey, it’s the least I could do for your help that day,” she said.

  “I was glad to do it. Did you get that tire fixed?”

  “Yes, I did. At least, one of my brothers did. He took it in and got it repaired for me.”

  “You got siblings?” he asked her.

  “Yes. Two brothers, and you?”

  “One sister, and trust me, she’s a handful. In fact, she can be rather difficult at times.”

  “Older or younger?”

  “Younger, thank goodness. I couldn’t imagine how things would be if she was the older one. She’s twenty-five and still has a lot of growing up to do.”

  Bryce wondered what he meant by that, but decided not to ask him. She, on the other hand, always thought that her brothers were more mature than they should be. That was why it hadn’t come as a surprise to her or her parents when they’d married right out of high school. No need to say Ry and Duke had settled down since there was never a time they’d been unsettled. Her sisters-in-law were lucky women and they both knew it.

  At that moment the waitress appeared to take their order. “They have pretty good pastries here, if you’d like to order one in addition to the coffee,” Bryce said, smiling over at him. “Today it’s on me.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks, but I ate a big lunch. Tomorrow is the last day for my business seminar and the firm I work for always throws a big luncheon the day before.”

  “Sounds nice. What sort of work do you do?”

  “I’m an attorney. In addition to Shreveport, my firm also has offices in Baton Rouge, Houston and Phoenix.”

  “Sounds interesting.”

  “It is. I’m a multilicensed attorney in several states, so I travel quite a bit handling various court cases. What about you? From your business card I see you’re in real estate.”

  “Yes, and one of the things I intend to do is be multilicensed so I can sell property in several states. That’s the reason for the classes I’m taking. I take my exam next month. The instructor is covering a lot of material and I hope I will be able to remember it all.”

  “There’s no doubt in my mind that you will.”

  “Thanks.”

  For the next thirty minutes he told her about various cases he’d handled and trips abroad he’d taken. She told him about her parents’ café and how she spent her leisure time reading. Her life definitely seemed boring compared to his. He also told her his parents were deceased and his sister was his only relative.

  She glanced at her watch. “I need to get going if I want to make it to class on time. I enjoyed sharing coffee with you, Jeremy.”

  “And I with you. How about if we do it again sometime?”

  She smiled. “I’d like that.”

  He smiled, as well. “Good. How about if I call you in two weeks? I’ll be back in this area then.”

  “Sounds like a good plan.”

  His smile widened. “Great. It sounds like a good plan to me, too.”

  * * *

  “TELL ME ABOUT the dress you bought for the charity ball.”

  Bryce chuckled. I can do better,” she said, pulling her phone out of her purse. “I took a picture of it.”

  She pulled it up on her phone and showed it to Vashti. “It’s gorgeous, Bryce. I love it.”

  Vashti had invited Bryce to join her for lunch at Shelby by the Sea. It was a beautiful day and the breeze from the ocean felt divine. They were enjoying apple cider and grilled turkey sandwiches on the gazebo. “Thanks. I knew I wanted it when I walked into that store in New Orleans.”

  “And you’re still not bringing a date?”

  “No.”

  “Why didn’t you invite that guy you’ve met for coffee? He sounds nice and I would love to meet him.”

  “We’ve only met for coffee that one time, although we’re supposed to meet again when he comes back through in a couple of weeks. Jeremy is nice but I’m not ready to take our relationship beyond the occasional coffee meeting.”

  “Oh.”

  What she hadn’t told Vashti was that although Jeremy was handsome, intelligent and a good conversationalist, he hadn’t done anything for her. She had felt nothing. Not even a twinge of an attraction.

  Bryce glanced over at Vashti. “I ran into Marcel this week while in New Orleans.”

  Vashti lifted an eyebrow. “The one who dumped you for his ex?”

  Bryce frowned. “Well, dang, Vash, do you have to sound so brutal?”

  Vashti grinned. “I was just repeating what you told me.”

  Bryce knew Vashti was right. That was what she’d told her. “His ex-wife still had her hooks in him, but I didn’t know it at the time. Now they’ve remarried and have two kids. In fact, he said she’s expecting their third.”

  “You talked to him?”

  “Yes. I have no problem doing so. I am so over him. I honestly doubt I was ever into him.” She glanced over at Vashti. “You don’t know how lucky you are. You go to bed with a husband at night and get the real thing, Vash. I depend on my dreams to keep me sane. My very hot dreams. I haven’t had sex in almost four years. Do you know how hard that is for me?”

  Vashti nodded. “I can imagine.”

  “That’s why when I see Kaegan sometimes I get hot, remembering how things used to be between us. Isn’t that awful considering what he thought about me?”

  “All of us have wants and desires that are often hard for us to control, Bryce. With that said, I invited you here today for a reason. I have something to tell you.”

  Bryce looked at her expectantly. “What?”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “OMG!” Bryce excitedly got up, went around the table and gave Vashti a huge hug. “I am so happy for you. When did you find out?”

  “This morning. I took an at-home pregnancy test, but Sawyer claims it was a waste of time and money because he already knew.”

  “Have you told the girls yet?”

  “Not yet. They’re flying in this weekend for the charity ball. Reid requested their presence since he’s being honored there for all his charitable contributions.”

  “Well, this calls for a celebration. No wonder you suggested apple cider instead of win
e today. You are living your dream, kiddo. You always wanted four kids. I am so happy for you.”

  “Thanks, and more than anything, Bryce, I want you to start living your dream, as well.” And with a mischievous gleam in her eye, Vashti added, “Even those hot ones you say you’re having.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  BRYCE GLANCED AROUND the ballroom. The decorating committee had done a fantastic job in making the entire room look festive. Suddenly, she felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. She looked beyond where Vashti and Ashley were sitting and saw Kaegan. He had entered the ballroom flanked by Sawyer and Ray.

  Curious as to what she was staring at, Vashti turned and smiled. “I don’t believe it.”

  Bryce bit down on her bottom lip. Neither did she. Kaegan was the last person she’d expected to see here tonight. In all the years he’d lived in the cove, she’d never known him to attend one of these types of functions. It wasn’t that he was antisocial, per se; it was that he just didn’t feel comfortable with certain crowds of people.

  She couldn’t help it when her gaze singled him out and roamed over him from head to toe. He was wearing a dark suit and his hair was flowing around his shoulders. He didn’t just look handsome—he looked dashing. It seemed as if all eyes were on the three men who together were cotton-candy extraordinaire. But it was quite obvious that Ray had his eyes directed on Ashley, Sawyer had his on Vashti...and, heaven help her, Kaegan’s gaze was directly on her.

  Emotions were at war within her. A part of her couldn’t help the sensations flowing through her. Sensations only he could stimulate. That fact had been proved time and time again with other men she’d dated. None could arouse her the way Kaegan could. Over the years, even those she’d thought were top contenders had failed miserably.

  She wanted to break eye contact but couldn’t, so she sat there transfixed under his stare as she watched his approach. He would be sitting at their table, which was a logical choice since he was close friends with Sawyer and Ray and he felt comfortable with them.

  She could easily go sit at the table with her parents, but why should she? She and Kaegan had no reason not to be cordial to each other. He had apologized for believing she had betrayed him, and she had accepted his apology. If nothing else, tonight would be the perfect place to show she had moved on and he wasn’t on her radar.

  Now she wished she had brought a date. At this point even the thought of Jeremy wasn’t a bad one after all. He had called two nights ago to let her know he would be back in New Orleans again next week and to confirm their date. This time he wanted to do dinner rather than just coffee.

  Unfortunately, her instructor had offered to give an extra instructional hour to the students to prepare them for the big exam in a few weeks. She told him that she couldn’t take the time for dinner, but could make time to meet for coffee. She promised a rain check on dinner. So they would be meeting for coffee again next week. Now a part of her wished she would have invited him here tonight. Too late to think of that now.

  “Look who we ran into in the parking lot,” Sawyer said, grinning. “I almost didn’t recognize him without his jeans, T-shirt and fisherman boots.”

  “And don’t forget the ponytail,” Ray said, grinning, as well.

  “Oh, yeah, the ponytail,” Sawyer said. “I think you clean up well, Kaegan.”

  “Thanks.” He then looked at them. “Good evening, Bryce, Ashley and Vashti. You ladies look nice.”

  “Thanks, Kaegan, for your compliment. You look nice tonight, as well,” she said, after Ashley and Vashti exchanged greetings with him.

  There—he’d given her a compliment and she’d given him one back. Maybe she’d be able to get through this night after all.

  * * *

  KAEGAN TRIED NOT to stare at Bryce, but found himself doing so anyway. Even now as he sat there sipping his beer, half listening to the conversation going on around him, he was staring at her on the dance floor. He’d known the exact moment some man had approached the table and asked her to dance. He hadn’t liked it one damn bit.

  “You know you can cut in, if you want,” Sawyer said in a low voice as he leaned over. “It’s perfectly legal and not against the law.”

  Kaegan shook his head. Leave it to Sawyer to look at everything as a matter of law and order. “I’m fine, Sawyer.”

  “Okay. It was just a suggestion.”

  He didn’t say anything. Instead he sat there and continued to stare at Bryce and the man dancing. Bryce didn’t look his way and maybe it was a good thing she didn’t. He knew he had no right to feel jealous or territorial. Hadn’t she said they weren’t even friends?

  More than once, he tried looking away and couldn’t do so. Instead his gaze was fixated on her. She was wearing a long red gown with the top and bottom covered in silver-covered sequins. And he thought now, as he’d always thought, that she was beautiful. Tonight, she had to be the sexiest woman he’d seen not just in a long time, but ever.

  When the song came to an end, she smiled at her dance partner and turned to walk off the floor. The man caught hold of her wrist to bring her back to him as the live band began playing another song. This one slow. Kaegan felt his hand grip the wineglass he was holding, and then suddenly, he set it on the table with a thump.

  When everyone looked over at him, he stood and said, “I think I’ll go dance.” He didn’t say with whom and figured they all knew. If they didn’t, they were about to find out.

  Ray then said, “I wondered how long it was going to take you to come to your senses.”

  Kaegan frowned. Come to his senses? Had Ray been out on his boat too damn long today? He had come to his senses. It was Bryce who’d accepted his apology with conditions. Mainly, they could not be friends. He was still trying to figure out just how that was supposed to work when they had the same circle of close acquaintances. Maybe it was time he asked her.

  When he reached Bryce, he tapped the man on the shoulder. The look he gave the man all but told him to haul ass. The man evidently got the message, because he nodded and walked off. Kaegan then drew Bryce into his arms.

  She didn’t say anything to him. Didn’t even look at him. He was fine with that for now. If she was stewing because of the change in dance partners, he would let her stew. She was in his arms now and for him that was what mattered. It was his arms wrapped around her. But he wanted to get closer to her. A decent close, but close nonetheless.

  “I don’t think Herbert liked you cutting in,” she finally said.

  He was about to tell her that he didn’t give a royal damn what the man named Herbert liked. Instead he asked, “What about you, Bryce? Do you have a problem with me cutting in?”

  When she looked into his eyes, he knew. She was struggling with emotions that she didn’t want to feel. Only a man who knew Bryce as well as he did would recognize that a war was raging inside of her, and he understood. It had been that way when he’d thought she had wronged him. Although he’d tried to eradicate his love for her from his heart, he’d never succeeded.

  There had been times when he’d looked at her and their gazes met, when he’d been close to her and they’d accidentally touched, that had let him know, even though he’d wished otherwise, that she was still in his blood. He figured it was the same way with her. She wanted to bar him from her life, her thoughts, her well-being, but doing so wouldn’t be easy. He regretted the emotional conflict she was going through, but it gave him hope. Reclaiming her love would be a process and he had to be patient because he was going for keeps. More specifically, he wanted forever.

  For a long moment he thought she wouldn’t answer, and then she said, “No, I don’t have a problem with you cutting in. I was getting tired of listening to him brag about all his achievements anyway.”

  “So he was trying to impress you?”

  “Yes. I guess that’s what he was trying to do.”

&nbs
p; He smiled because she’d said it with that but-I-really-didn’t-want-to-be-bothered attitude, one she could use on everyone else, except him. The slow, seductive melody filled the room and instinctively he pulled her closer to him. She, in turn, pressed her cheek against his hard chest. Glancing down, he saw that her eyes were closed as they slowly swayed to the music. He could feel every inch of her curvaceous body plastered to his. The way he was holding her seemed to make every square inch of her body touch every square inch of his. The full awareness of her in his arms this way charged him with a heated rush through all parts of his body.

  Resting his cheek against the crown of her head, he closed his eyes, as well, absorbing the music into his mind while holding the woman he knew he still loved close to his heart. Their movements were invigoratingly slow and stimulating to the point where he felt himself get aroused. There was no way she could not feel his erection pressing at the juncture of her thighs. Just like she had to know there was no way he couldn’t feel the hardened tips of her nipples pressed into his chest.

  It was quite obvious the sexual chemistry flowing between them was at a volatile point, which prompted him to give in to temptation and wrap his arms more securely around her. On the drive over he had wondered if she would dance with him because, more than anything, this was what he’d wanted. It was worth coming to an event he’d never been to before, one he’d shunned in the past. When he’d driven into the parking lot, just knowing she was in the building had made it worthwhile. When he realized the song was about to come to an end, he opened his eyes.

  “Did Sawyer show you the gifts out in the parking lot that Reid bought his granddaughters?” she asked, tilting her head back to look at him.

  He understood what she was doing. With the music about to come to an end, they needed to concentrate on unstimulated bodies. “Yes. I don’t know who was more excited about those new cars, the girls or Sawyer.”