Love's Ride (McCallister's Paradise Book 4)

by Rhondeau, Chantel

Chelsea mumbled a quick thank you and hurried toward the door of the spa complex. Larissa had certainly given her plenty to think about. Foremost on her mind was whether Brad were truly ready to date or if he still had a thing for Janie Davis.

  * * *

  Whistling to himself as he rode the elevator to Chelsea’s fourth-floor apartment, Brad clutched the box of chocolates more tightly in his hands and his mouth became too dry to whistle. This dinner was a big step, at least for him. Chelsea probably didn’t think too much of it, not realizing the significance of him taking her to meet his parents. He couldn’t let himself get carried away.

  For Chelsea, this was nothing more than a second date. Nothing life-changing was about to happen. For him, it was an entirely different matter. His parents seemed to have a sixth sense about their children’s love lives. If they liked Chelsea and thought she was right for Brad, it would let him know that he should keep trying and not worry about being the boss or the differences in his attitude compared to hers.

  So far, his parents had only been wrong once, when they all but forced Quinn into marrying his first wife. After that disaster, they’d become more cautious, taking a less proactive approach to interfering in their children’s lives, but they still seemed to know when the right person came along. Brad sincerely hoped they’d look at Chelsea with him tonight and start their usual tricks, helping to plan dates and inviting Chelsea to more family functions.

  He stepped off the elevator and walked down the hallway to Chelsea’s apartment, sneaking a glance at his watch to make sure he wasn’t too early. After being late last weekend, he couldn’t let that happen again, but he also didn’t want to rush her. However, he was only a few minutes early, so he went ahead and knocked.

  After a few moments of silence on the other side of the door, it swung open. Chelsea had a crease of concern marring her otherwise beautiful face. She wore tight-fitting slacks and a lime green silk shirt with flowing sleeves, making her appear as though she might be able to fly.

  All Brad wanted to do was stare at her forever, but first he had to find her smile.

  “What’s wrong, Chels?”

  “Why did you ask me out?” she asked, wasting no time in cutting to the chase.

  Brad narrowed his eyebrows, perplexed by her frustration. “Because you’re beautiful and nice and I like you.”

  She took a step inside the room, shaking her head. “That’s not what I mean. Are you still in love with Janie?”

  “Janie?” Where the hell did that come from? “Are you talking about Janie Davis, Larissa’s friend?”

  She nodded.

  “Why would you think I was in love with her?”

  “She’s certainly a beautiful woman.” The wrinkles marring her face smoothed out some and she seemed more uncertain than angry. “Larissa said I’m the first person you’ve dated since breaking up with Janie. I think she meant to be friendly and say she was happy I’m accompanying you to dinner, but I don’t want to waste my time if you’re in love with someone else. I also have to wonder why you’d choose me after being with someone so different from me.”

  Brad blew out a tense breath and crossed the threshold, pulling the door shut behind him and setting the chocolates on the small desk inside the doorway. He gripped Chelsea’s cold hands in both of his, realizing she must have been nervous about this confrontation to be so agitated. That had to be a good sign for him. It meant she’d been looking forward to tonight even though he’d feared she wanted to cancel.

  “Chels, I never loved Janie. I dated her for two weeks, I think, more than a year ago. I’m not sure what Larissa meant by telling you about her. Maybe she didn’t know what to talk about but wanted to make you feel at ease about meeting everyone tonight. I’m certain she didn’t intend to upset you. There’s no reason to worry. There are no past loves of my life that I’m pining after. You’re the woman I want to take home to meet my family. You’re the woman I’d like to spend more time with.”

  She pouted slightly as she thought, her full red lips begging him to suck on them. “I felt like dinner went well the other day, but…” She paused and scarlet flared against her cheekbones.

  “Dinner did go well,” he agreed. “I wasn’t sure you thought so, but I had a great time.”

  “I was surprised when you left so fast.” Looking down at their hands, she avoided his eyes, seeming unsure and flustered. “I thought you’d want a goodnight kiss.”

  She felt insecure because he hadn’t kissed her? Well, hot damn!

  Brad chuckled and tugged her hands, pulling her close to his chest. She was enough shorter than him that when her hair swished around her face the silky strands rubbed against his chin, catching slightly in the evening stubble he hadn’t had time to shave.

  Pressing his lips against her forehead, Brad released one of her hands to caress her cheek and slide his hand down her neck.

  The passion he felt in being so close to her was echoed in the soft trembling of Chelsea’s body against his and the sweet, contented sigh she released.

  Wrapping both arms around her, Brad held her close to his heart, enjoying having her so near after spending several days apart. If only work would slow down and he could see her more often. He knew it was too sudden to be sure that he wanted things to work out with Chelsea, but holding her felt right. Since the moment she arrived on the island, Brad hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her, wishing he could call her his lady. Now he might have a chance.

  Chelsea’s arms circled him, and she rested her head on his shoulder. The soft puffs of breath coming from her mouth bathed his neck with their warmth, making him wish he were less of a gentleman.

  “You smell delicious,” she whispered, sniffing deeply. Her lips brushed his collarbone, setting his heart rate racing.

  If he didn’t stop this soon, the problem twitching to life in his pants could make a family dinner awkward. Kissing her forehead once more, Brad gently gripped her shoulders and pushed her away. Hopefully, less contact would keep his dick under control.

  “I wanted to kiss you, Chels, but you were so tense on the drive home. I thought you wanted to tell me you changed your mind about tonight, so I dropped you off as fast as I could. I guessed it would be harder for you to cancel a date over the phone. I get the feeling you’re the type of person who doesn’t break her word easily.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, that was never a consideration. I should have told you...” She chewed on her lower lip and took in a deep breath before continuing. “I’m terrified of cars.”

  She was afraid of his car? The woman became more complex every time she opened her mouth. However, the scattered pieces of Chelsea’s past started to fit together in Brad’s mind.

  “Is that what happened to your family? A car accident?” That was better than the alternative that her parents had beaten her but not by much.

  Blinking rapidly for a few seconds, she nodded. “I was four years old and still in a booster seat. My parents and brother never wore seatbelts. When the car skidded off the road, it rolled a few times. All three of them were gone before the ambulance came.”

  Her words came out in a quick rush, as though it was too painful to linger on them. One look at the anguish in her eyes and all thoughts of sex fled from Brad’s mind. All he wanted was to comfort her.

  Once again wrapping her in his embrace, he stroked her hair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

  “It’s okay.” Her voice sounded stronger than Brad had expected. “It happened a long time ago, but Grandma never drove a car again. I didn’t even try to get a license. I’ve used public transportation my whole life, feeling safer inside a bus than a small car.”

  “And my electric car is very, very small.”

  “Exactly. So next time you want to kiss me, just go for it and don’t let my weirdness worry you.”

  Brad chuckled and looked into her eyes, wondering if now would be too soon for that kiss.

  A slow smile crept across her face and
she stroked his lower lip with a gentle fingertip. “We’re going to be late to dinner if you start right now.”

  At least their thoughts were in sync. It was a relief to know he hadn’t somehow blown things after dinner. However, there was still the problem of the car.

  “My parents live on the west side of the beach, about ten miles away from the resort itself. It’s too far to walk. I’ll call and cancel. We can eat at The Pavilion instead.”

  “Not a chance. I’ll be okay.” She pulled away from him, tugging her blouse straight and turning to slip her feet into leather sandals that matched her slacks. “I trust you to keep me safe.” She grabbed her purse and then slipped her arm through his.

  Chapter 9

  When Brad opened her door and extended a hand to help her from the car, a sudden spasm of nerves cramped Chelsea’s stomach. She’d honestly been more worried about the car ride up until the point it was over, but now she had to wonder if she’d be good enough for John and Susan McCallister.

  It was absurd how quickly she’d gone from believing she wanted nothing to do with Brad to hoping his parents liked her. She still wasn’t sure dating her boss was a good thing, but she had started to relax about the grumpy part. Maybe when she’d seen Brad in the past and he looked upset and grouchy, she’d just caught him at an off time. So far, he was a gem. Fun to be around and after being held in his arms again, she definitely couldn’t wait until the end of the night when she received that first goodnight kiss.

  A grin broke out on Brad’s face and he rubbed the back of her hand with a soft touch. “Earth to Chelsea. Are you getting out of the car or should I stand here a while longer?”

  Heat rose up her neck to her cheeks, and Chelsea shook her head. “Sorry. I’m ready.”

  “You aren’t still worried about Janie, are you? My parents never expected that to go anywhere.” He pulled her to her feet but didn’t release her hand. “Besides Sydney and Sierra are in there right now telling everyone how great you are, so don’t let anything bother you. This dinner will be fun. Plus, you can help me read a story to Ryan.”

  She loved how into kids he was. Chelsea couldn’t remember what having a family was like. When he’d asked her at dinner about having children it had caught her off guard and then he changed the subject. However, the more she thought about it, the more she knew she wanted a big family and everything that went along with it. She’d figured for most of her life that her career would be what kept her going, never intending to try for a family. After two dates, Brad already had her wondering how sweet the alternative could be.

  “I’d really like that,” she said, leaning in close while he led the way up the stairs to a huge wrap-around porch surrounding a modest family home. “But Sierra told me Ryan is cruising now that he’s started walking. We might spend more time chasing him than reading.”

  He squeezed her hand. “That’ll be okay too as long as you’re with me.”

  A blossom of happiness expanded inside Chelsea’s chest, making her warm and contented. “I never knew I’d look forward to dinner with someone’s parents, but I think this is going to be okay.”

  “Hang on a sec. You’ve never had an orgasm, and you’ve never had dinner with a boyfriend’s parents?” Brad stopped walking, frowning. “Who did you date? The men in your past sound like pricks.”

  Before she could answer, the front door burst open and Sydney peered out. “Oh, good, you’re here. Hurry up. Sierra said she has some news and won’t tell us until you get inside.”

  Chelsea hid a smile behind her free hand, happy her friend would finally get to share her excitement with the family. Sierra had been looking forward to that.

  She stepped across the wooden porch, tugging Brad along. “We’d better hurry. It sounds like we’re the last to arrive.”

  Brad grunted in agreement, then led her inside. They passed an archway to a living room next to a set of stairs, but Brad marched to a short hallway that opened into a formal dining room. Crystal dishes, fine china, and cloth napkins covered a huge oak table. Various platters of food filled the middle portion.

  “They finally made it,” Sydney announced, taking her seat next to Matt. “I saved chairs over here.” She motioned to the two empty places next to her.

  Chelsea took the seat beside Sydney, relieved she wouldn’t have to sit on the end next to Brad’s youngest brother, whom she’d never talked to before.

  “Okay,” Sydney ordered, all but barking across the table to where Sierra and Parker sat with Quinn and Larissa. Ryan’s highchair took up the space nearest to Susan’s spot at one end of the table. “Everyone’s here. What did you want to tell us?”

  Parker kissed Sierra’s cheek. “You tell them, Red.”

  Nodding, she looked around the table, eyes sparkling with happiness. She winked at Chelsea. “I’ve been feeling sick a lot lately and went to the doctor.”

  “Sick?” Susan gasped, eyes wide with worry.

  “It’s nothing serious,” Sierra assured her quickly. “Well, it’s sort of serious. I’m three months pregnant!”

  Various utterances of surprise followed by happy congratulations flowed around the table.

  “That’s wonderful, kids. You’ve been trying for so long,” John McCallister said, streaks of silver in his black hair glinting in the light from the chandelier as he stood and rounded the table to hug both Sierra and Parker. Before returning to his chair, he stopped to rest a kiss on his wife’s forehead. “Looks like we’re going to get all those grandkids we’ve dreamed about, love.”

  Susan blinked back happy tears and nodded. “Now, to get these two settled down.” She jerked her chin toward Brad and Shane, then looked at Chelsea, searching her face as though appraising a horse at auction... or at least that’s how it made Chelsea feel. “Dr. Taylor, I know in all the excitement over Sierra and Parker’s pregnancy we didn’t give you a proper hello. It’s so good of you to come.”

  Bobbing her head in acknowledgment, Chelsea felt momentary panic flutter in her stomach and chest. John and Susan liked her well enough in her professional capacity, but having them judge her suitability to date their son was a different thing altogether. Brad was younger than she was and had lived less life. Would his parents think she was a cougar on the prowl, looking for tender, young flesh? Not that she was ancient, but there was a big gap between a thirty-year-old woman and a twenty-five-year-old man.

  “Are you enjoying island life, Dr. Taylor?” John asked as he returned to his chair.

  “Oh, I love it here,” Chelsea said, smiling so wide she knew it had to look forced. Why was she so nervous? “But please, everyone call me Chelsea. Only my patients call me Dr. Taylor.”

  John nodded. “Before you arrived, Sydney was saying you’re something of an adventurer. She said you want to live entirely off the grid for a few weeks to see if you can survive. That sounds intense.”

  “I don’t know if I’d call myself an adventurer,” she admitted. “I’m trying to do more, though. Most of my life I’ve been afraid to try new things. Doing a survivalist challenge would let me prove to myself that I could handle it.”

  Brad winked. “I think you could handle anything you put your mind to.”

  John turned his attention to Matt. “And how is the Adventure Palace coming along? Are your people happy on the island as well?”

  The conversation drifted to the kid-friendly place’s construction, and the focus left Chelsea, much to her relief. As they discussed business around the island, everyone grabbed covered dishes and piled various things onto their plates. It must be Italian night because lasagna, spaghetti, and breadsticks came out of the containers nearest her. When she tried to take a small serving of something, Brad would take the serving spoon from her to load more on. As she handed stuff to Sydney, Brad passed salad and green beans from the other side. The food overloaded her plate before Brad ran out of dishes to give her.

  “This smells delicious,” she said vaguely, not sure who had cooked since Brad said his mom
fixed pot roasts or ham.

  “Thanks,” Susan replied. “I don’t usually do so much for one night, but Shane came over and we cooked together. I wish some of my other kids had caught my love for cooking, but at least he did.”

  Shane leaned forward, grinning at Chelsea past Brad. “Everything is made from scratch, including the pasta. If you could talk my brother into letting me get a new blender, I’d make even better pesto sauces. I learned a lot of delicious recipes in culinary school, and I have ideas for a few new ones.”

  Brad’s body tensed at Shane’s words and he huffed out a loud breath. The frown Chelsea hadn’t seen for a while returned. “Don’t start in on that crap, Shane. I let you get the damn ovens you wanted. You don’t need seven blenders, especially not when they’re six-hundred dollars each.”

  “If you just let me run the kitchen how I wanted to and weren’t such a stingy ass, this wouldn’t be a problem,” Shane said, rolling his eyes.

  “Stop it,” Parker hissed from the other side of the table. “I can’t believe you two are still having that same fight. Brad, why don’t you just give him the money for the blenders? It’s not like we don’t have it.”

  “We don’t have it,” Brad shot back, yelling. “The Adventure Palace isn’t putting itself together and nothing is free. Plus, we’ve had to build more housing for Matt’s people from New Beginnings. Just go out and float your freakin’ boat, Parker, and don’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t do with the business’s money.”

  “Boys,” Susan said, a clear note of warning in her voice. “Stop it. Shane, why must you antagonize Brad about that all the time? If you want the blenders so badly, buy them yourself.”

  Shocked by how fast things escalated, Chelsea stared down at her plate, appetite gone. This was what she’d worried about from the beginning. The tension radiating off Brad zapped through the room, putting everyone on edge. He’d become enraged quickly, although Chelsea had to admit it felt like Parker and Shane had ganged up on him.