by Violet Paige
“Now that you’ve seen it, why don’t you leave?” Just being this close to Branch set me on edge.
I had seen that look in his eye before. The one that gleamed when he stumbled upon a party that was like a free night in Vegas. Branch in Vegas was a scary thing. I never thought he would be here tonight. If I could have done anything to prevent this from happening, I would have. Why didn’t I predict this party would draw him in like a moth to a flame?
“Whoa. You sound a little hostile. Still upset about the breakup?” He leaned over to whisper in my ear.
I stepped back. “No. I’m not upset about the stupid breakup. Why would you even say that? I’m upset about you. Where’s your date?” Branch looked surprisingly unattended.
“About that. I totally meant what I said about keeping my options open. They are wide open.” He winked.
“Eww. Are you implying what I think you are?”
Everything about this made me feel sick. I spent over a year of my life with a complete douchebag.
He touched the side of my arm. “Were you this hot when we were dating?” His smile widened. “I might have ended things too soon.” His hand moved from my shoulder to twirl my hair through his fingers. “I kind of like that new haircut on you and your boobs look awesome in that dress.” He paused. “I think I miss you, babe.”
I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I stood, stunned as Branch continued. “Want to get a drink? Maybe try out the Waves Oasis. It’s got to be better than this place.” He cast a look toward the two rows of rooms. “You’ve still got a room there.”
My stomach flipped and I repressed a gag. I wanted to punch that smile off his face, but, I promised Cole I would only use my self-defense skills in times of real self-defense, which I hoped meant never.
“First of all, there is nowhere better than the Dunes.” I was feeling overprotective of the motel I had worked so hard to make bright and shiny. “And second, you were right to end it. I should have broken up with you a long time ago, but I was so used to doing everything you wanted, I just started going through the motions. I’m the one responsible for it dragging out until it met a slow pathetic death. You’re an asshole. You’ve always been an asshole. And you aren’t welcome here.”
His eyes flashed a wounded look and I thought I might have gone too far. It never occurred to me I could hurt Branch. A slap to the face might have been kinder.
He hung his head. “Yeah, I was right. There’s nothing for me here.” He stepped back on to the wooden platform, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked toward the party.
“Branch, wait. I didn’t—”
But, two strides into chasing down my ex and screaming his name across the boardwalk, I saw Cole staring at me from the pool deck. Shit. Shit. Shit.
31
Cole
I wasn’t sure what I saw. Kaitlyn was yelling at some guy in a fucking pink shirt. I balled my fists at my side and marched over. I felt the vein in the side of my neck bulge. If he hurt her, I’d kill him.
“Are you ok?” I was only half looking at her. The guy wasn’t so far down the beach I couldn’t reach him.
“Yes. Yes. I’m good. That was…”
“You knew him?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It was Branch.” She lowered her eyes. “My ex.”
The jealousy caught me off guard. Now I really wanted to beat his face into the sand.
“What the fuck is he doing here, Kaitlyn?”
Her eyes flared. “I didn’t invite him.”
“Why is he here?”
She looked around. “Everyone is here. We invited the entire island.”
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t know what to say. I was a jealous dick.
“I don’t like the bastard.”
“I told him to go. I don’t want him here. You know that?” She searched my face.
I looked into her green eyes. “Yeah. I know it.”
Her hand slipped into mine. “I think we need to talk.”
“Yeah. We do.”
I’d put it off. Threw the inevitable into a compartment where I didn’t have to face things. But it was bound to catch up to us. Kaitlyn’s vacation was over. I had to establish normal for Grayson and I had to make sure the custody was legally sealed in case Amber changed her mind.
We couldn’t ignore it any longer. Seeing Kaitlyn with that asshole snapped me back to reality. What the hell was I doing?
We walked away from the luau, toward the cove on the beach. Lisa was at the house with Grayson. It wasn’t a great place to talk this through. I stopped to grab a blanket from the outside cubby at the bottom of the deck.
We reached the dunes and I spread it out. Kaitlyn sat.
“I-I need to tell you something.” I could tell she was nervous.
“All right. You go first then.”
“Ryan’s going to be home the day after tomorrow.”
I lowered my eyes to the sand. “I know.”
“You what?”
“He emailed me this week. A few times actually. I got one this morning from him.” I had been running around getting all this shit ready. I didn’t have time to tell her. And there wasn’t going to be a good time.
She blinked. “So you know I have to go back for his homecoming?”
I nodded. “Yeah. You do.”
“But I think you should come too. He’ll want to see you and it’s our chance to explain everything.”
I shook my head. “Not this time.”
“What do you mean? You have to go.”
“The man is coming home from over a year in the desert. He doesn’t know how long he’ll be home. I’m not dumping this on my best friend. He doesn’t deserve it.”
“Deserve it? Our relationship isn’t a punishment to Ryan.”
“I know that, Kaitlyn. But it’s not news he wants to hear. He’s never going to want to hear it. And I have no idea what he’s been through on this tour. What if he can’t handle it? I’ve seen stronger men crumble over there. It’s dangerous to put this out there.”
The wind howled through the cove. “What are you saying? You think I should just go?”
“No. I don’t want you to go. I need you.” I closed my eyes. “I want you. I want you here with me.” I sighed. “But it doesn’t mean I get what I want. You need to see your brother.”
I saw the tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. She might as well have punched me. I never wanted to make her cry. I was supposed to protect her. Keep her safe. Never hurt her.
“I don’t want to lie to my family. I’ve waited ten years for you Cole Thomas. Ten years. And now you’re saying we had a good run? I should just let this go?”
“It’s not what I want. I want you.”
“But you have me.” The first tear rolled down her cheek.
“And you’ll always have me.”
“But?” With that one look she shredded my heart.
“What do you want me to say, Kaitlyn? That I want something I can’t have anymore? It’s killing me? Letting you get on a plane tomorrow is going to be fucking horrible.”
“Then don’t. Come with me. We’ll take Grayson. My mother will love it. She’ll love him. And Ryan has support. He’ll figure this out. My brother is too stubborn to do anything but stay strong. He sounds fine. My mom says he’s fine. We can all do this.” She crawled into my lap.
“Cole, you’ve spent the last two years sacrificing everything in your life for other people. For Pops. For Grayson. And now for Ryan. Don’t you think you deserve to come first? Don’t you deserve happiness?”
I huffed. “I don’t think about it.”
She rubbed the side of my cheek. “I love you. I love you Cole Thomas. And if you’re saying you don’t want this anymore. You’re done with us, I’ll get up and walk. I swear I can do it. I’ve done it before.” Her eyes were hard. “But if you love me, and you’re pushing me away to sacrifice this for one more person, I’m staying here. And we’re figuring this out.”
“Kaitlyn,” I warned.
“I’m serious. I love you. And I love Grayson. And I love Ryan. They don’t have be mutually exclusive. I can love all three of you.”
God, where had she been all these years? This girl who had turned into an incredible woman. Her heart was capable of only seeing the good in people. She could love unconditionally. She had taken on the world this week and she never protested.
“I love you.”
She smiled. “Really?”
“I love you.” My hands wound around her back. “So I guess that means we’re going to tell Ryan.”
She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Thank God. Because I can’t leave without you.”
I pressed my forehead to hers. “I know, baby.”
I felt as if we were getting ready to enter a hurricane, but I couldn’t let her go. And I wouldn’t.
32
Kaitlyn
There were probably better ways to do this, but I held Cole’s hand as we stood on my parents’ front porch. He looked at me.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded. Grayson was asleep on Cole’s shoulder. The flight from Texas had worn him out.
It was a scrambled mess to leave the Dunes, especially at the height of vacationers, but Lance had stepped up. Lisa offered to take a few morning shifts and her sister could watch Tassels.
Hank had a repairman on call if there were any emergencies. Once Cole made the decision, he was all in. No matter what, we were doing this together.
My chest prickled. I exhaled. “Ok.”
I knocked as I pushed the door opened. “Mom? Dad?” I called. “We’re here.”
I heard my dad’s heavy footsteps in the hallway before he entered the foyer.
“Sweetheart.” His eyes dropped from my face to our clutched hands. “Cole?”
“Sir.” He reached forward to shake my dad’s hand. “Good to see you.”
I bit my lip. This was round one. “Dad, where’s mom?”
“Working on potato salad. What’s going on?” I realized he was speaking softer because of Grayson.
“I’d rather do this as few times as possible,” I explained.
Cole squeezed my shoulder and followed me to the kitchen.
“Honey.” My mom rounded the kitchen island and hugged me. “And Cole.” She beamed. “It’s been too long. I’m so glad Kaitlyn tracked you down. And look how cute Grayson is. I can’t wait to hug him.”
I blushed.
“Janet.” My dad’s voice was stern.
“What?” She looked at us.
“Cole and I wanted to talk to you about something.” He was still clutching Grayson. I knew if he tried to put him down he’d wake up.
“I’ll just keep stirring the potato salad. We have about two hours before we need to leave for the base. Ryan is in the air now. Go on, tell me what’s happening.”
“Mom, please stop worrying about the potato salad and look at us.”
My dad folded his arms.
Cole slipped a strong arm around me and I watched my mom’s mouth drop.
“We came here together. Cole and me,” I started my explanation. “We’re together.”
My parents were speechless.
Cole cleared his throat. “We realize it could make everyone uncomfortable to start.”
My dad peered at Cole. “You’re like a second son to us. There’s a big age difference between you two. And you have a son. With a woman you didn’t marry.”
“Dad,” I hushed. I didn’t need Grayson to hear any of this. I looked at Cole. “Why don’t you see if he’ll go down in the guest room.”
He nodded and walked out of the kitchen.
My mom dropped the spoon. “I love Cole,” she whispered. “But what are you doing, Kaitlyn? He’s way too old for you. And his life is complicated. He’s a father. A father.”
“I know exactly how complicated it is. And I just want you to support us. You’ll get used to it. And Grayson is adorable. I already love him too.”
My dad shook his head. “You’re too young to raise a child. And it’s Cole. He’s practically a brother.”
Cole walked back in the room. “I left the door cracked, but he’s out. The airplane was too exciting.” He cracked a smile.
Did my parents see what I did? Couldn’t they see what I loved about him? I knew there was a toddler in the picture. I knew Cole was a man whore before. I knew everything about his life. And I loved him.
“I’d like to talk to Ryan myself,” Cole explained. “It’s best if I break it to him.”
My mom sighed. “This? This is what we’re dealing with today?”
“Mom, come on. It’s going to be ok.”
She threw her hands in the air. “All right. I have to work on this dinner.”
I looked at Cole. That was our cue to get out of the kitchen. But we had made it over the first hurdle. Only one more and we could coast home.
33
Cole
He’d been home four hours. I had ridden with the Sinclaires to the base. It was an eerie feeling being in the hanger, watching the guys unload from the jet.
Part of me wanted to run over and grab gear and toss it on the flatbed truck. I wanted one of those uniforms instead of the T-shirt I was wearing.
But holding Grayson’s hand I knew I had done the right thing. And with legal papers waiting to be signed when I got back to Texas, it was the best fucking decision I’d made. My son needed me.
I thanked God there were still men like Ryan who would fight the fight while I raised my son.
Ryan was outside on the patio. Kaitlyn and her mom were washing dishes in the kitchen. Mr. Sinclaire had pulled out some of Ryan’s toys from the attic and was racing Matchbox cars with Grayson.
This was my chance.
I poured two glasses of bourbon and walked outside, handing one to my best friend.
“Thanks, brother.” He grinned. “You know how good this tastes?”
I nodded. “Sure do. There’s no good liquor in the desert.”
We stood in silence for a minute.
“How’s Texas? The motel?”
It was a good place to start. “Actually turning around for the first time in two years. I think I’m going to be able to make it work.”
“And you seriously don’t want to sell it to one of those beach developers?”
I laughed. “Can you imagine what Pop would do?”
Ryan chuckled. “I see your point.” He sipped the bourbon. “I’m glad it’s working out for you. And I’m glad you’re here. Can’t believe you brought the kid too.”
“After this week I’m going to have full custody. Amber leaves for London at the end of the summer. I didn’t want to start full-time parenting by leaving him behind. And he loved the plane.”
“Maybe he’ll be a pilot. Please don’t let him join the Air Force.”
“Corps all the way.” I grinned, slapping him on the back.
“Good.”
The big homecoming party was tomorrow. We decided Ryan needed to know ahead of time. We couldn’t ask Kaitlyn’s parents to keep our secret.
“Listen, man. I’ve got to tell you something.”
Ryan turned to face me. His skin was unusually tan. “Don’t tell me you knocked up another girl.”
I grimaced. “No, but there’s a girl.”
He raised his eyebrows. “A serious girl? Does she know about Grayson?”
I nodded. “She does. And Amber. And the Dunes. She knows everything.”
He tilted his head. “She knows all your baggage and she’s still around?”
“I don’t think there’s anyone else like her. She’s amazing. And gorgeous. She accepts all of it.”
“Don’t tell me she gives you blow jobs every day too. Because I haven’t fucked a girl in a year.”
I wasn’t going there. “I was going to say, and she still loves me.”
He blinked. “Love? Shit. I have missed a lot. Never thought Cole Thomas would say that.”
Ryan looked at me. “What is it?”
“The girl is Kaitlyn.”
I should have known it was coming. I should have braced myself or even ducked. But the punch was fast and furious.
Ryan slugged me, knocking me on my ass.
He stood over me. “Mother fucker. You did not just tell me you’re fucking my sister.”
I rubbed my jaw.
“I love your sister, asshole.”
“Ryan!” Kaitlyn ran outside. She leaned down to help me, but I shrugged her off and stood on my own.
“Are you ok, Cole?”
“I’m fine.” I turned to Ryan who looked like he could throw a second punch. “Man, it’s not like the past. This is different.”
He stared at Kaitlyn. “Him? You want to be with him?”
She nodded. “Please don’t be mad. And please stop punching him.”
“I can’t fucking believe this.” He spun in a circle on the patio.
I looked through the glass as the Sinclaires ushered Grayson into another room.
“I love your sister. And I know how it sounds. I’m a dick. But I love her. And this is what we want. You know I’ll take care of her. I’ll keep her safe. I swear to you. I swear on my life I won’t let her get hurt.
“We hope you can accept it eventually. Not tonight, but one day. You’ll stop hating my guts and wanting to beat the hell out of me.”
Kaitlyn looked at him. “Please, Ryan.”
He sighed. “Damn it.”
He extended his hand toward me.
I took it.
And I knew from then on we were going to be ok.
34
Kaitlyn
Grayson slept on my lap as we flew home. Home. I couldn’t believe Texas was going to be my new home. Cole wore earbuds and watched a movie. No surprise it was a military one.
I ran my hands through Grayson’s hair. It was starting to get long on the ends. But it was cute and shaggy.
