Risking the Crown

by Violet Paige

  “I just want it to be perfect.” Not only was this a peace summit dinner, but also our first official dinner party as a couple. There was a lot riding on this dinner.

  “Come here.” He motioned me toward the bedroom.

  I nestled into his chest as his arm wrapped around my shoulder. Everything felt calmer and safer like this with Cole. I inhaled his aftershave.

  “Thank you for trying to work something out for the Dunes, but I don’t want you to be disappointed tonight if Aiden shows his true colors.”

  I looked at him. “You don’t think there’s anything redeeming about him do you?”

  “Not a damn thing.” He closed the door behind him and walked onto the deck.

  “I hope you’re wrong. Is Grayson asleep?” I asked.

  “Yep. We read his new spaceship book three times.”

  I smiled. I had picked it up for him at the library. “I’ll go kiss him goodnight before they get here.”

  I walked down the hall. Suddenly, the walls felt like they were tilting. I reached out and grabbed for support.

  Holy shit. This pregnancy was starting to affect everything. I took a deep breath and looked behind me to make sure Cole hadn’t seen me almost fall.

  I just had to make it through dinner. Get Mary Ellen back to North Carolina. And then I could tell Cole about the baby.

  I took three more breaths before I could let go of the wall.

  I had prepared a pitcher of mojitos, the guacamole dip Cole liked so much, and had shrimp ready to go into a shrimp boil. I checked the clock. Only five more minutes until show time.

  I carried the mojito pitcher and the snacks to the deck. Cole was sprawled in one of the two lounge chairs.

  “Maybe I should go ahead and have one of those.” He looked at the glasses.

  He wasn’t the only one. I was nervous. I wished like hell I could drink. I poured and handed him one. “Here you go.”

  “Aren’t you having one?” he asked.

  “Oh yeah. Of course.” I poured a second one and turned from him so he couldn’t see I wasn’t actually drinking it.

  Two minutes later, I heard Mary Ellen’s laughter from the beach. I looked over the railing to see her tucked under Aiden’s arm. He whispered something in her ear. My chest tightened as they took the steps.

  “Hey, y’all.” I waved.

  Aiden grinned. “Thanks for the dinner invitation, Kaitlyn.” He handed me a bottle of wine. “This is for you.”

  “Aww, thank you.” I plastered on a smile. “I’ll put this in the fridge and be right back.”

  When I returned from the kitchen, Mary Ellen was pouring drinks for her and Aiden. If I didn’t know they had only met last night, I would have guessed they had been a couple for a while. They moved in sync with each other. Maybe there was something to the connection she said they had.

  Aiden crunched on a chip. “This guacamole is delicious.”

  “Thanks, I made it today. It’s Cole’s favorite.”

  “How’s the knee?” Aiden pointed to the leg still in a brace.

  I could tell Cole was reluctant to enter a conversation with him. “Getting better.”

  Mary Ellen threaded an arm through Aiden’s. “Aiden was telling me today about a trip he might take to North Carolina.”

  I knew I looked stunned. I quickly tried to rearrange my face. “Oh, wow. What kind of trip?”

  “I have some business with a boat builder in Charlotte. I was thinking I might make a detour through Chapel Hill while I’m there.”

  “That’s quite a detour.” I held on to the mojita I couldn’t drink.

  He grinned. “Isn’t life full of detours?”

  I wondered which one he was referring to. We were all on a massive detour as far as I was concerned. I was carrying one inside me.

  “Are you interested in boats, Aiden?” I leaned against the railing.

  “The business side of it. There are a lot of directions you can go with a boat business. This guy I have a meeting with is interested in diversifying. Right now he’s in high-powered fiberglass vessels.”

  Mary Ellen piped in. “Kaitlyn was a business major. She’s eventually going to get her MBA. Maybe you two could bounce some ideas around.”

  Cole’s poker face tonight was excellent. I was proud of him, but doubtful it would last.

  “Is that so?” Aiden strolled next to me. “You’re into business and Cole’s into fixing things?” He hid his smile behind his glass. I didn’t like what he was implying.

  “Actually, Cole was in an advanced engineering program when his grandfather became sick.” My stomach knotted. Introduce awkward. I tried to skip over the fact I had added Pops to the conversation. “We have a long-term plan with the Dune Scape and one for Cole to finish his master’s degree.”

  Aiden didn’t seem bothered by the fact I had mentioned his father. “Since you brought it up, what is that long-term plan? It obviously doesn’t involve raking in millions of dollars.”

  I hesitated long enough for Cole to take over. “Not everything’s about money. The Dunes can be a self-sustaining business. With Kaitlyn’s help, it’s getting there.”

  Aiden chuckled. “Considering your only guests right now are her best friend and your long-lost uncle, I’d say your prospects are dim.”

  “That’s not true.” I tightened my hold on the mojito. “I have a plan in place with a senior advertising company that’s going to appeal to the snowbirds. We’ll be booked all winter, and then of course there’s spring break and graduation. By summer, we’ll have families. It’s going to work.” I was defensive about the Dunes. I noticed Cole was smiling. “It’s a landmark on the island, and there is more value in that than a development contract.”

  “Sweetheart, that might be true. Let’s say you and the nephew here can make a business out of the place. You would still take that over two million dollars? Do you know what you can do in life with two million dollars?”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Aiden, I feel bad for you that you can’t see past all those dollar signs.” I placed my drink on the table. “I’m going to put the shrimp on. Dinner should be ready in ten minutes.”

  “Let me help you.” Cole struggled to stand from the lounge chair, not his most athletic moment.

  He followed me to the kitchen, sliding the door behind us. We left Aiden and Mary Ellen to enjoy the beginning of the sunset. I needed a minute away from them. And a tall glass of water. My mouth was dry. I didn’t want another dizzy spell to hit during the dinner.

  “Kaitlyn, hold on.”

  I had one hand on a four-pound bag of shrimp in the refrigerator. “What?”

  He caught my chin with his hand and crashed his mouth into mine. My lips moved against his, and I lost the grip on the shrimp. I didn’t care that our dinner was all over the floor. Cole’s hands coasted over my hips and along my sides. His tongue sent fire through my nerves. I breathed in the taste of him, only fueling the need I had to consume every part of him. God, I needed this.

  “I have never wanted you like I do right now.” His voice was pained. “What you said out there.”

  I quieted him with another kiss. I wanted to forget my ankles were bathed in seafood and that we had company on the deck. Some things don’t matter. I tugged on Cole’s neck, ready to take the kiss to the next level, when he groaned and seized at his leg.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” I looked at him full of regret for getting carried away.

  He shook his head. “Don’t ever apologize for kissing me like that. Ever.” He kissed my forehead. “We have to figure out a way around this leg. You are driving me crazy.”

  I laughed. “That we do. But first, I better get these suckers in the pot.” I bent to scoop the shrimp in a colander and rinse them in the sink before dumping them in the pot on the stove. I added a few slices of lemon, a beer, and an extra shake of bay seasoning. I set the timer for six minutes.

  “Dinner will be ready in a few.” I pulled down the only
serving platter we had from the top of the cabinet.

  “Think that’s enough time for me to take a cold shower?” Cole tilted his head.

  “Only if you think we can both fit, dry off, and get dressed before these shrimp are finished.”

  He shook his head. “Probably not.” He gripped the handles on the crutches and started for the door. “We’re really going to finish this dinner?”

  “Yes. We really are. And you’re doing great.”

  “You made it through my family’s awkward dinner when Ryan came home. You can do this.”

  “Don’t know how much longer I can put up with it.” He took a few lunges forward.

  I watched as he re-entered the deck and started small talk with Mary Ellen. I had to give him credit. He was trying harder than I had ever seen him. It made my heart melt.

  The rest of dinner was surprisingly calm. Mary Ellen and I told college stories. Our favorite was about a third roommate who tried to move into our dorm room our sophomore year even after all our stuff had been unpacked. That poor girl was homeless for a week before the housing department found a place to put her.

  When the last shrimp was peeled, Aiden stood and started loading bowls and plates into his arms.

  “You don’t have to do that.” I tried to match his table bussing.

  “You did the cooking. Mary Ellen and I can do the cleaning.” He smiled at her, and she immediately began to clear the table.

  She giggled. “You and Cole enjoy the deck. We’ll get these done in a flash.”

  I shrugged my shoulders and sat in my seat. I waited until they were inside before saying anything to Cole.

  “What do you think?” I whispered.

  He swirled the last bits of ice in his glass. “My opinion hasn’t changed, but I’m glad they are helping you with the dishes.” He smiled.

  “That’s not what I mean.” I turned to make sure they were still busy in the kitchen. “About them. What do you think about them?”

  “I don’t know. Mary Ellen’s a sweet girl. She obviously likes him, but I can’t tell if he’s for real or not.”

  I thought the same thing. Aiden said and did all the right things where Mary Ellen was concerned, but I still couldn’t figure out if he was legitimately interested in her or if he was a two-night stand kind of guy.

  I sighed. “At least we salvaged her last night in Padre.”

  Cole gripped my leg under the table. “You’re a good friend, Kaitlyn. She’s lucky you’re being so understanding.”

  The reality was I didn’t have much choice. I couldn’t lose my best friend.

  The sliding glass door opened, and Mary Ellen emerged on the deck with a plate of brownies. Aiden trailed behind her with ice cream, bowls, and spoons.

  He held them up. “We guessed this is dessert.”

  “Yep.” I had made the brownies as soon as I got home from work.

  He began scooping vanilla ice cream on top of the brownies as Mary Ellen placed one in each bowl. I sat as they served dessert to Cole and me. I kept the sigh to myself. This could all be so different if Aiden wasn’t hell-bent on the lawsuit. We could be a happy four-some, swapping jokes, enjoying cocktails and brownies, but instead we were all pretending that life was different from the layers of this moment.

  19

  Kaitlyn

  The next morning, I hugged Mary Ellen good-bye in the driveway. Aiden sat in his convertible, the engine running. I couldn’t believe I wasn’t the one taking her to the airport, but I also never imagined she would have hooked up with Cole’s enemy.

  “Thanks for letting me stay at the Dunes.” She pulled away from the hug.

  “Of course.” I wish it hadn’t been such a quick trip. “You can come visit anytime.”

  “Do you think you’ll be back home for Christmas?”

  My parents and I hadn’t talked about the holidays. Neither had Cole and I.

  “I don’t know yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as we figure it out.” I couldn’t bear to spend the holidays without my family, but I didn’t know what Cole thought about heading to North Carolina for Christmas. It would be our first Christmas together with Grayson, and I’d be four months pregnant.

  My stomach flipped.

  “Maybe I’ll be back sooner than you think.” She turned to smile at Aiden. He was fiddling with the radio.

  “Maybe.” I hoped she didn’t get hurt. Aiden had heartbreaker written all over him.

  “You’ll have to send me pictures from the wedding. You are going to rock that dress, and Sasha will be a beautiful bride.”

  I agreed. The wedding was going to be fun—the island event of the year, maybe the decade.

  “Ok, I’ll call you when I land in Raleigh.”

  “You better.” I smiled. “Fly safely.”

  I watched as Aiden backed out of the driveway and onto the road. In a few seconds, the car carrying my best friend was a speck in the distance.

  Cole balanced himself on the upper deck. “You ok?”

  I couldn’t meet his eyes. All the homesick feelings I had been keeping at arm’s distance hit me the minute Mary Ellen was gone.

  There was no way I could explain it to Cole without hurting his feelings.

  “I think I’m going to lie down for a few minutes.” I climbed the stairs to the house and walked to our seaside bedroom.

  It was hard to shake the feeling I had just cut the last connection to home.

  It seemed like everything that could go wrong the next few days did.

  Grayson had an earache and fever that kept all of us up at night. It wasn’t until the third day of antibiotics that he could sleep all night.

  It had been a week since my parents had heard from Ryan. He was back in the field and my mom was a wreck without some kind of communication. Cole tried to tell my parents it was normal. We were on the phone with them several times a day.

  There was never a good time to tell anyone I was pregnant. Everything about the timing was wrong.

  When I tried to fasten my shorts this morning, the button strained and I gave up, throwing myself on the bed. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to laugh.

  I grabbed a stretchy skirt and went to work.

  I had five reservations on the books. I looked at the spreadsheet I had made. I was determined to get the reservations in the computer and backed up on a server so we weren’t dependent on a spiral notebook.

  Work kept my mind off everything else that was falling apart.

  The snowbird ad was starting to pay off. I was worried at first when I didn’t have a single reservation after the first week that I had wasted my savings, but a few emails rolled in along with phone calls. Five reservations were a start.

  I sighed as I saw Aiden pull on the door handle and walk into the office. I wasn’t really in the mood for his list of complaints today. Would it be the parking lot striping or the exterior lightbulbs? It looked like he was holding the palm tree key chain.

  “Are you checking out?” We didn’t have a set date on our arrangement, but I was still surprised.

  “Headed to North Carolina for that boat building meeting. No sense in me taking up your best room.” He placed the palm tree on the desk.

  “Oh. Are you still planning on seeing Mary Ellen?”

  He smiled. “And what if I said yes?”

  Aiden was a tricky guy. Reading him was difficult. “I’d say give her a hug for me and have a good time in Chapel Hill.”

  “Hmm…all right, I’ll do that.”

  “So, you really like her?” I didn’t know if she would appreciate me butting in like this, but curiosity had taken hold.

  “What’s not to like? She’s cute, fun, and doesn’t get wrapped up in drama. I don’t see why we can’t keep things going like they are.”

  I expected him to walk out, but he sat in his usual spot. I could only guess so he could torture me.

  “Did you need something else?” I raised my eyebrows.

  He scratched his head.
“Yeah, see I can’t figure all this out.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  He paused. “I don’t get it. You. Cole. This shitty motel. The way everyone on the island loves it. What am I missing, Kaitlyn?”

  I cut the bullshit and the banter we usually carried out, and stripped it down to the truth. “It’s home, Aiden.”

  “This isn’t your home, and Cole is holding on to a place owned and run by a man who was dishonest with him his entire life. You’d think he’d want to burn it to the ground.”

  “Is this about Pops?” I asked carefully.

  “Depends on what you mean.”

  “Are you after the Dunes for revenge? Tell me that that is not what you want.” In my heart, it felt better if he was interested in the millions he could make.

  “I’m not after Cole.” He hung his head.

  “Then what? Why are you doing this? He’s just trying to do something good for his son. Can’t you see that?”

  “His son.” He paused. “Can you imagine what my childhood was like?” His piercing eyes were sharper than usual. “I saw my dad maybe a few times a year. Maybe. And the crazy thing is, I knew where he was. I knew there was another family. I knew he was raising his parentless grandson, and I knew the grandson and I were the same age. Do you know what that does to a boy?”

  I shook my head. I had known about Aiden’s existence for over a month and still hadn’t reconciled the Pops Cole told me about with the Pops who fathered Aiden. It didn’t seem like the same man could devote so much of his life to Cole, while Aiden was a secret.

  “After his wife died, he could have lived with us. I know he could have. He could have moved us here. My mother would have done anything to have that happen. So would I. What boy doesn’t want to live with his father? Play catch in the yard? See him in the stands at his ballgames? Who doesn’t want that?” I saw a slight mist cover his otherwise bright eyes. “But no, Dad said he couldn’t do that to Cole. He said he had responsibilities with his business, with the island, with his grandson. He broke our hearts.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” I felt terrible. “Did you ever talk to him about it?”