The Best Friend Bargain (Kisses in the Sand)

by Robin Bielman

“What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I want a second chance.”

  “I’m not sure what that means.” Could she trust what he was saying? Trust herself? He’d devastated her once before and had claimed to be seeing someone else only a few weeks ago.

  He stood and made a motion to move around the counter. She shook her head. She didn’t want him any closer. Not that his touch had sparked even the slightest reaction from her, but he was the father of her child. She couldn’t discard the way that made her feel something.

  “Come back to London with me, Olivia.”

  “What happened to your new girlfriend?”

  “I never said I had a girlfriend. It was nothing.”

  “How long did nothing last?”

  He had the decency to look shameful. “A few weeks.”

  “What happened?”

  “She wasn’t you.”

  Oh no. He didn’t get to do this. He didn’t get to land at her doorstep almost two months after dumping her and say sweet things to make up for his cruel, inexcusable behavior.

  She called bullshit. “True. I’ve been here, making a new life.”

  “With Danny? I thought he was your friend.”

  “He is.” She almost added he was also her fiancé, but she didn’t think Will needed to know that just yet.

  “He’s not the father of your child.” The dig had the opposite effect of what she suspected Will wanted. That fact didn’t make her like Will more than Danny. And for him to play the daddy card after telling her he wasn’t ready for children caused a fresh sting to burn through her.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Liv blinked in surprise. Two apologies in five minutes? She wanted to believe he was sincere, but if she’d learned anything from their breakup, it was to tread carefully.

  “I’m grateful to Danny for being here with you,” he said sincerely. “I know I’ve got a lot to make up for, and I hope you’ll give me the chance. I made a mistake, Olivia. I’ve come here to win you back.”

  Her legs shaking, she moved to the kitchen table to sit. Will joined her, smartly taking the chair farthest away, but when he stared at her stomach, something fluttered inside her. He made it sound like she was a prize, and she didn’t know if he meant she was worth fighting for or something he wanted back simply because he hated to lose.

  “Please say something.”

  “I thought you were set on keeping things casual,” she said to the floor.

  “I thought so, too, but you know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

  Despite the cliché, his sweet words hit the mark. She lifted her head, took in his strong jaw and straight nose. His eyes held hers, begging for a second chance. Could she love him again?

  “I need you, Olivia.”

  She hung on to his gaze. He hadn’t said he loved her or wanted to marry her. Hadn’t gone beyond a few cordial words about her pregnancy, but he was making an effort. He’d flown all this way to talk to her.

  Still, she didn’t know if she could trust him. Or risk her heart for a second time with a man who could be charming one minute and cruel the next.

  “I need to think about it.”

  “I understand.” He stood. “I noticed an inn in town. I’ll go there. If you’ve no plans for dinner, I’d like to take you out. We have a lot to catch up on.” He knelt, took her pressed hands out of her lap, and held them in his, catching her off guard. “I want to make this work.”

  His declaration, along with that stupid accent of his, had her stomach in knots.

  The second she heard the front door click shut her forehead hit the table. Will wanted her and their baby. Only she didn’t want Will anymore.

  She wanted Danny.

  Did Danny want her? And if Will wanted to help raise their child, would Danny be okay with being a stepdad?

  She thought about both men. She’d had six wonderful months with Will, but he’d never loved her, and in the end he’d hurt her, made her doubt herself. She couldn’t forgive him for that.

  Danny had been an integral part of her life for fifteen years. But he didn’t want the same things she did. He wanted to see her happy. But at what cost to himself? The best thing she could do for him was set him free.

  And that led to Door Number Three: Independence. She could do this on her own. Danny had given her back her confidence and sense of pride. The kindness of new friends had taught her that family came in different shapes and if things didn’t work out with her mom, that didn’t mean she’d be alone.

  She hurried upstairs to call Sienna in London. Something about Will’s sudden appearance bothered her and she hoped her friend could shed some light. “Olivia! It’s wonderful to hear from you.”

  “Hi, Sienna. It’s great to hear your voice, too. I miss you.”

  “Miss you, too. Is everything okay?”

  Liv sat on the edge of the bed in Danny’s room. “Will’s here.”

  “In White Strand?” she said, not as surprised as Liv would have liked.

  “Yes and something doesn’t seem right.”

  “Oh, Olivia. I’m sorry I didn’t warn you. I didn’t realize he meant to fly out there so quickly.”

  “What’s going on, Sienna? And please tell me the truth. I can’t risk my heart again or my baby’s well being if something is wrong.”

  “What has he said to you?”

  “He’s sorry and wants me back in London with him.”

  Sienna let out a harsh breath that made Liv’s heart pinch. “That arse.”

  The pinch worsened. “Tell me what I need to know.”

  “I’m sorry, Olivia. Are you sitting down?”

  …

  Danny walked down the beach, kicking up sand and scowling at the seagulls. He should have changed into his wetsuit and grabbed his surfboard out of the garage, but he hadn’t been thinking clearly when he’d stormed out of the house.

  His worst nightmare had come true. Will, Mr. Shit for Brains and Doesn’t Deserve Her, Stapleton had come for Liv. And from the vibe Danny had gotten, they’d been in contact more than Liv had shared. Did she still love the jerk?

  No. She couldn’t. She never would have shared his bed if she still did.

  Didn’t mean she wouldn’t give the bloke a second chance.

  That’s what he’d come for, with flowers in his hand and a smarmy smile. Danny clenched his hands into fists. He’d wanted to punch the guy for hurting Liv. Punch him a second time for showing up unannounced and draining all the color from Liv’s face.

  The guy rubbed Danny the wrong way, but then he’d never been able to let go of a grudge when it concerned Liv.

  A crackling static sound drew Danny’s attention away from the water. “Hey, old man, looks like you finally found something.”

  Henry smiled back, each wrinkle on the old guy’s face a story Henry was only too keen to share. “Looks like.”

  Danny helped him dig in the sand to find what his metal detector had located.

  “Balls to the wall,” Henry said, making Danny laugh. “Check it out.”

  Danny whistled. “I think you just hit the jackpot.” The woman’s ring, platinum Danny guessed, included one large round diamond set inside the middle of the band with several smaller ones trailing down each side. “Looks like an antique.”

  “Agreed,” Henry said. He sat in the sand and brought the ring to the tip of his nose for a closer look. Danny parked himself in the cold granules alongside Henry. “There’s an engraving. ‘O. L. Love Forever D. E. 8-6-1966.’”

  The date didn’t interest Danny so much as the initials. They were his and Olivia’s. The random coincidence had his heart running back to her. He looked down the beach in the direction of his house.

  His effing heart. That organ he’d told not to engage in any funny business. He hadn’t meant to feel anything more than friendship, but he was pretty sure the jealous, greedy rush hitting his bloodstream meant he didn’t want Liv with anyone else but
him.

  And here he’d been worried about Liv, wanting her to keep her heart free because if her feelings for him deepened and he screwed up, there would be no going back to friends. No apology that would fix what he’d broken.

  “I should probably turn this in to the police,” Henry said.

  “Probably.”

  “I ever tell you about the girl I loved and lost?”

  “No. What happened?” Danny asked.

  “She married my cousin.”

  “Ouch.”

  Henry shrugged. “It was my own damn fault. I pushed her away because I thought that was best for her, but turns out I made a mistake.”

  Danny watched the waves roll onto shore. “How so?”

  “I’d enlisted in the Navy two months before I met her. The day I shipped out I told her I loved her and she said she loved me back. But we were twenty-two and I didn’t want her to worry about me. I didn’t want her to wait.” The melancholy in Henry’s voice reminded Danny of his own actions with his medical condition.

  “I broke up with her even though she insisted she could handle the separation and uncertainty. I didn’t care what she had to say. I let my pride get in the way and lost her when I should have held on.” He let out a breath. “I should have accepted her at her word. Instead, I made her decision for her.”

  “You never met anyone else?”

  “No one I wanted to put a ring on.” He rubbed the diamond band between his fingers. “Doesn’t mean my life didn’t turn out okay. It has. I guess finding this just reminded me of my one true love.”

  A terrible thought crashed into Danny’s head and he jumped to his feet. Had Will shown up with a ring? “I’ve got to go. Good luck with the ring.”

  “Thanks. You take care.”

  Danny gave a quick nod and trekked back down the beach with the intention of…what? He slowed his step. He’d better damn well know what he wanted to do before he returned to his house. The thought of Will proposing to Liv killed him.

  But.

  The douche was the father of her child. She’d jumped in with both feet and loved him once. If Liv decided she wanted to be with Will again, he had to accept it. Even if it hurt like hell.

  A bunched-up towel hit him in the side of the head. “Dude, I’ve called your name three times.”

  “Really?” Danny said, turning to find Bryce closing the distance between them, a surfboard tucked under his arm. “I thought that was the seagulls squawking.” He actually hadn’t heard anything, too wrapped up in his thoughts.

  “Your hearing going, too?”

  Danny hurled the towel back at Bryce.

  “Sorry. Low blow.”

  “Something’s wrong,” Danny said, cutting right to the chase. He knew his best friend, and when Bryce said shit he didn’t mean it was because he was having trouble wrapping his head around his own problem.

  “I bought a ring for Honor yesterday.”

  Jesus, what was it with rings this morning? “Congratulations, man. That’s great.”

  “What if she says no?”

  “I’m pretty sure she implied you’ve got nothing to worry about at Thanksgiving.”

  Bryce parked his board in the sand and plopped down, arms on his bent knees, eyes on the water. “Yeah, but I don’t think she realized I’d take less than forty-eight hours to act on it. What if I’m moving too fast?”

  Danny glanced toward his house before planting his butt next to Bryce’s. “You’re not.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I may have seen a bride magazine in her shop,” Danny confessed. Bryce whipped his head around, his eyes wide with surprise. “Don’t tell her I saw it. She shoved it underneath some paperwork when I stopped in to say hey.”

  “And you didn’t think this was intel I should know about?”

  “I thought maybe you did and the two of you were keeping it under wraps.”

  Bryce fell back into the sand, angled his face toward the overcast sky, and smiled. “She wants to marry me,” he said, smitten.

  “Yep.” Danny had seen pretty much every expression on his friend’s face, but on this Sunday morning he saw a new one. One that had Danny bowled over by a sense of longing he’d never felt before.

  Scratch that. He’d felt it—at the doctor’s office with his hand on Liv’s stomach, in the kitchen eating breakfast with her, in bed under the fort they’d made last night.

  “So when do you plan to ask her?”

  “I want to run home and ask her right now, but I’m thinking over a romantic dinner would be better. I’ll order her favorite take-out, light a fire, and get down on one knee.”

  “She’ll like that,” Danny said.

  Bryce pushed up. “Thanks, bud. I’m glad I ran into you. So what’s up with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Seriously? You think I can’t tell when something is going on that you wish like hell I’d leave alone?”

  “That minor you have in psychology is a real pain in the ass.”

  “So I’ve heard. Now spill.”

  Danny buried his feet in the sand. “Will is here.”

  “Who?”

  “Liv’s ex. He showed up on our doorstep about an hour ago.”

  “Shit. What does he want?”

  “I assume to get Liv back.” Saying that out loud hurt like a spear through the center of his chest.

  “Why are you out here instead of making sure the jerk doesn’t do any more damage?”

  “Liv’s perfectly capable of handling him on her own.”

  “You sound worried.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You are. You’re worried she’s going to pick him over you.”

  “That’s ridiculous. There is no picking. The guy is the father of her child and she and I are just…”

  “Don’t insult me, dude. You think it wasn’t obvious to everyone at dinner the other night that you two are sleeping together? You’re not just friends. I’m not sure you ever were just that.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She’s the girl, Danny. You’ve just been too blind to see it.”

  “Aptly put considering one day I won’t see a damn thing.”

  The night of Bryce’s awards dinner earlier in the year flashed through Danny’s mind. Liv staying at his place afterward and catching him naked in the middle of the night. Him taking in the thin white sleep shirt that covered and shared her curves. Lust had stormed him like a heat wave and he’d wanted to kiss her, get her bare, and make love to her.

  He’d held back, but he hadn’t been able to get her off his mind. A couple of weeks later he called to ask her to dinner, secretly planning to feel her out for signs she felt the same desires he did, but she’d told him she couldn’t because she was leaving for London.

  She’d taken a piece of him with her when she left.

  Had he been half in love with her then, but afraid to admit it? Afraid to ruin the most important relationship he’d ever had?

  “You’re thinking really hard over there,” Bryce said.

  Danny rubbed between his eyes. “I’m thinking it doesn’t matter. That Will can offer her a future I can’t.”

  “That’s bullshit. I know what you think your future holds and you know I don’t agree with it. Liv doesn’t either. It doesn’t always matter what you can and can’t see. Sometimes you still miss things. Important things. And life still goes on.”

  They were silent for a few beats, small waves splashing onto shore filling the quiet. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle the changes I’m facing and I’ll hurt her.”

  “Ever think you might be the one to get hurt?”

  Hell, with the way his heart was dragging, it was already too late for that. Which meant Will had come at the perfect time. Danny hoped the guy didn’t blow it.

  “You’re an idiot,” Bryce said, like he’d read Danny’s mind. “She loves you and she always will, despite what you think is best for her.”

  Danny
shrugged and got to his feet. “Thanks for the talk.”

  Bryce stood, frowned. “Not sure we got anywhere.”

  “What are you talking about? You’ve got a proposal ready to go now.”

  “True, but Danny?” Danny turned his head to look at his friend. “Don’t do anything without some serious thought.”

  “I won’t.” He meant it. With each step closer to home he realized the house hadn’t been a home until Liv arrived and filled it with her smiles, her laughter, her quiet concentration when she read or sat outside under the willow tree.

  Liv was the girl.

  Problem was he was a bad investment. He wasn’t, he realized, as scared of his feelings for her as he was on edge about her feelings for him. The sacrifices she’d encounter to make his life better when the last thing he wanted was to feel like an obligation.

  Not to mention the feelings a kid would develop for him.

  Now that he’d given serious thought to fatherhood, it killed him to think about the things he wouldn’t see: high school dates and sporting events, graduations, happy tears and sad tears, waves good-bye and hello, smile lines around Liv’s eyes and mouth when she saw all of that.

  If he walked away, regardless of whether Liv ended up with Will, she could be with someone who could take care of her in ways Danny wouldn’t be able to when they hit middle age and beyond. And he and Liv would still be friends.

  Friendship had always been their thing.

  It was time to remember that.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Olivia paced outside Ellis Design silently cursing her ooh-la-la lavender deodorant. The “2-3 clicks of product” recommended in the directions obviously did not apply to pregnant women. Or a woman about to tell her best friend he was everything to her.

  Love. You love him. Do not be chicken. Tell him.

  After hanging up the phone with Sienna yesterday, Liv had left the house before Danny returned. She’d driven to the White Strand Inn, found a corner table in the bar, and waited for Will to join her.

  “Hello, Olivia,” he’d said, taking the seat next to her. “You look beautiful.”

  He didn’t look too bad himself, but she didn’t feel even the tiniest spark of attraction anymore. “Thanks for meeting me,” she said around a friendly smile.