by Meredith, MK
Larkin and Ryker joined them on the stage. Ryker, with his dark bushy brows drawn together, had a possessive arm wrapped around his wife’s generous waist.
“Why so grumpy? This meeting is a huge milestone for the launch of the center.” Blayne nudged him in the arm but looked to Larkin for the answer.
“Too many people trying to rub my stomach.”
“Since when is it alright for anyone to walk up to a person and rub their midsection?” Ryker demanded.
Jamie stepped forward with his hand out but stopped at his buddy’s growl.
“I’ll break it right off,” Ryker promised.
Jamie laughed and slapped him on the arm with a wink to Larkin. “He’s so easy to rile up these days.”
“Just remember, I have to live with him,” she teased, but the warm glow in her eyes acknowledged that she was loving every minute.
“Are you ready for your baby shower?” Blayne asked.
“I can’t wait. Having it at Delizioso’s is brilliant.”
She preened. “It really is, isn’t it? Though Claire gets credit for all the fun you’re going to have. I was simply responsible for a venue that provided great food and sophistication per her instructions.”
Claire had jumped in with both feet, planning for the shower. Blayne had worried a bit about her, but instead of dragging their friend down into the sadness like they’d feared, she really seemed to be thriving in all the details instead. At least, Blayne hoped it was thriving. Now and again she worried it was overcompensating.
“Well, good call.” Larkin rubbed her belly. “The time has gone way too fast. I can’t believe she’ll be here soon.” A worried frown wavered on Larkin’s dark green gaze.
Blayne kissed her cheek. “She is going to be fine.”
Larkin shook her head. “I just feel like she’s safer right where she is.”
Losing a child then having to face the reality of another child’s mortality was way more than Blayne could wrap her own head around, so her heart broke for her friend. Larkin was scared, and she didn’t blame her. She’d love to brush her fears away with a dismissive joke or banter, but that wouldn’t help anyone.
“Look.” She turned Larkin to face her, speaking in a soft but certain tone. “This baby has a huge bear of a man for a father who’ll spend every waking moment working to keep the two of you safe. Not to mention her mama. This baby is going to have an amazing life. She already has the most amazing guardian angel. Archer won’t let a thing happen to his little sister.”
Tears glistened in Larkin’s eyes, but she blinked a few times and held them in check. “That is very true.” She sniffed. “Enough. I’m just overly emotional these days.”
Blayne rolled her eyes. “You’re a rock.”
Jamie waved at Blayne to join him.
“You two seem to be getting along really well these days,” Larkin suggested in a quiet voice.
Bittersweet emotion rolled through Blayne as she agreed. “Ryker was right. We do make each other better. Everything with the launch is moving right along.” Including the days she had left in town.
And all the greatest sex in the world didn’t right the wrongs of ten years ago. She wished they could.
Larkin looked her own husband up and down. “Oh, I think I have a pretty good reference to go by.”
Blayne forced out a light laugh. “That you do. Okay. If I don’t see you after the meeting, I’ll see you Thursday at your shower.”
“Thank you. This really means a lot to me,” Larkin whispered.
“Me, too.”
Pulling in a breath to ease her excitement, she joined Jamie at the microphone, center stage. It looked as if everyone in Cape Van Buren had shown up. The crescent-shaped rows of seats were full, and a crowd of people was left standing in the back.
She grinned with a wink at Jamie then, placing two fingers between her lips, let a quick, piercing whistle rip.
Silence was immediate and filled the air with the sudden lightness of quiet.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We are delighted that so many of you were able to come out over the lunch hour to meet with us. You all know me by this time, but for those of you who may not recognize this guy…” she dipped her chin in Jamie’s direction, “this is the esteemed heir to the Astor Estate, Mr. James Alexander Wilmington Astor the Third.”
A growing murmur rose in the crowd, taking her by surprise. She figured they’d be interested in seeing him in town but hadn’t counted on quite so much enthusiasm.
“As many of you know, Jamie and I have vetted out the board for the Archer Conservation Park of Cape Van Buren.”
She tried to ignore the pointed stares she was getting from the North Cove Mavens as she spoke. If looks were a physical thing, she’d be tied up in ropes by Maxine’s gaze alone.
Jamie stepped a little closer, distracting her for a moment with his nearness. His scent drifted around her, creating a haze of memories that was in no way PG-13 or appropriate for a community announcement.
Dropping a heavy arm around her, he leaned in toward the microphone. “Blayne has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Her specific expertise along with my extensive corporate experience allowed us to create a system that will keep the conservation and community center sustainable…”
He continued to break out exactly how over his next few sentences, but she was caught on his description of her talents compared to his own. She had corporate experience as well, just not as long. Working for Deloitte was an opportunity many in the business world would die for.
With a shake of her head, she focused again on the task at hand.
Jamie continued. “This board of directors will be responsible for making sure the future of the center is not only upheld but expanded in a way that supports Larkin Van Buren’s vision and the memory of her son, Archer Sinclair.”
The crowd nodded in agreement. She loved how much the community rallied around Larkin, how they really understood the magnitude of her loss and the generosity of her heart to create something that would continually give to the town.
It was time to announce the citizens of the town who would become an intimate family of their own. She felt as if she could fly. Soon, she’d be able to share all of this with her father. This was the kind of thing that would certainly make him proud. “Ladies and gentleman, without further ado—”
“Hey, James!” someone from the crowd called out.
She stopped, searching the crowd to see who’d interrupted.
Schmidty Ames, the owner of South Cove Lobster House continued, “Have you run your choices past your father?”
She blinked. What the hell did Astor senior have to do with any of this?
“Mr. Ames, I can assure you—” she began.
“I want to know,” he returned. “James, what is your family’s take on your choices?”
His choices? His family?
She forced herself to breathe against the pain in her chest.
Cape Van Buren were her people. She was the one who’d stayed. She’d served this community, befriended this community, and loved this community every day over the last ten years. Why the hell did they care about the opinion of the Astors?
But if an Astor opinion was what they wanted, then her pride aside, that was what they would give.
She firmly pushed the microphone toward Jamie with a smile on her face. It was so fake she was afraid it might crack, but by damn, not a single soul in the audience would know how they hurt her.
Jamie looked at her in question. “What are you doing?” he whispered with a hand over the mic.
Mr. Ames pushed. “We’ve heard the rumblings that you’ll be stepping in to continue the Astor family business in your father’s place. Considering the families long history in good investments, did that have anything to do with your choices and how you’ll serve the community going forward?”
At first, it seemed like Jamie wanted her to continue making the announcement, but when the words “
family” and “serve” hit his ears, the questioning look in his gaze focused on the crowd and off her.
Stepping away, she gave just enough room for Jamie to have center stage but not enough that anyone would think she wasn’t just as engaged as when they started.
Her face remained serene and happy, though the rejection cut through her in a painful swipe. The community she loved so much wasn’t interested in her opinion. Apparently, her thoughts didn’t hold quite the same weight as the Astor name.
Or as that of the Astor prodigal son, come home to take over the family monopoly. He took his time and offered a little insight into his father’s opinions and the Astor family stance on the center.
It was silly to feel abandoned all over again, but as she watched Jamie’s beautiful smile win over the crowd at their feet, she was thrown back to ten years before.
And her heart broke once more.
* * *
He was a selfish sonofabitch.
Jay twisted the top off the blue jar that Maxine presented her moonshine in and took in the sharp, sweet aroma of blueberry and hibiscus. He’d scored big working for Maxine as the lookout at the Cape house, even if the last time had been a bit of a close call with old Judge Carter getting nosy.
He took a fortifying swallow and steadied his breath against the satisfying heat that rose in his throat. Dropping his forearms to the kitchen counter of the lighthouse, he stared out the window and across the choppy waves of the endless ocean. It was rough, the white-capped waves crashing against the rocks at the base of the house emitting a steady roar not unlike the one he imagined he’d get from Blayne when he finally found her.
The board announcement had clicked along like a freight train and he’d grappled—badly—with trying to get it under control. His gut twisted with the image of her as the crowd had asked about the Astor business.
The intoxicating rush of being center stage had kicked in, a high only rivaled by being with Blayne. He’d waged a war with his need to serve his family name and erase the ashen hue that had come over her face. She’d been so excited, and she still should be, but since she’d disappeared immediately following the close of the meeting, he had a pretty good idea that she wasn’t in a celebratory mood.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and racked his brain for all the places she could have gone. Desperate to find her and make her understand he’d never meant to hurt her, he’d already checked her apartment downtown—so much for seeing how great her dress looked on the floor—but she hadn’t answered.
The rink had been packed with every other badass in Cape Van Buren, but not the badass he’d been searching for. That was decidedly not a safe place for him to patron alone. Not because he was just so damn irresistible, as he’d like to think, but because the ladies on Blayne’s team were so competitive, his value skyrocketed due to her interest alone.
With his shine in hand, he took the stairs up the perimeter of the lighthouse toward the lamp room, hesitating at the bottom of the ladder and the memories they’d recently made there. His body tightened with the phantom sensation of her warm smooth skin, the heady scent of her wanting, the sharp dig of her nails into his skin as he…
“You do know when dogs start staring off into corners it’s a sign of some sort of brain damage, right?”
Blayne’s voice should have startled him, but instead a deep sense of relief settled in his chest. Her brogue seemed a bit thicker than normal and slid across his skin like warmed dark chocolate—deep and rich and with just a hint of sweet.
He drank in the sight of her standing at the top of the ladder, shadows bouncing about her as her skirt fluttered with the current of air that always flowed through the lighthouse. “How’d you get in?”
She shrugged. “I’m in good with the owner.”
Questioning his sanity for the thousandth time since meeting her, he hauled himself up the ladder, careful not to spill his moonshine.
She moved through the lamp room to the overlook deck outside without bothering with whether or not he’d follow.
Studying the tilt of her chin, the square set in her shoulders, a rush of possessiveness swamped him. She was determined to hide her feelings, which was new and required a strategic approach.
Back in the day, before he’d fucked it all up, she was passionately loud with every emotion that ran through her. Though some might have found it scary, he’d found comfort in always knowing exactly where he stood with her, how she felt, how she felt about him. She’d met him toe to toe, nose to nose.
There was nothing sexier than a confident, strong woman.
But this new Blayne, this calm, thinking Blayne…this seemingly rational, serene Blayne…remained as sexy as ever but terrified him.
“Look.” He reached out to her, but she stepped to the railing. Dropping his arm to his side, he joined her. “I didn’t mean to take over the announcement.”
She tilted her head, looking at him from the corner of her eye. “Which means you know it was wrong.”
“I didn’t—”
Turning, she said. “This project is my chance to show my father that ripping my family apart and leaving for the States was worth it.”
“Blayne, come on.”
She grabbed his moonshine, then moved through the doors toward the ladder.
“What the hell?” All he could do was follow…
Down the ladder, down the stairs. “Where are you going? I just got that from Maxine.”
“Yeah, and color me suspicious. She doesn’t move off her stock for nothing, so whatever you’ve been doing for her is probably illegal.”
He couldn’t help the chuckle that rumbled through his chest. Maxine had gotten more than one of them in hot water with her shenanigans when they were growing up.
Once outside, she climbed the rocks out to the water’s edge, then lowered to her bottom, tucking her skirt under her legs and wrapping her hands around his moonshine. After a few deep swallows, she blew out a breath and let her head drop back. “God, this stuff is bleedin’ amazing.”
Dropping down next to her, Jay agreed. “It is. Now give it back.” He tugged at the jar, but she resisted.
“You owe me.” She stared at him. Challenging him.
He pinched the bridge of his nose for three counts, praying for patience. “First of all, of course coming to the States was worth it. Just look at what you’ve achieved.”
She narrowed her gaze.
“I only wanted to answer a few questions then get them back on track, but they had a mind of their own. And my family—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I swear, I—”
She pushed the jar toward him, and as ridiculous as it was, he sighed in relief as he took a sip.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Nothin’ I do’ll ever really make my da forgive me, and I was foolish for ever thinkin’ this community was mine in the first place. In the end, I felt like an idiot and had to work past blamin’ ya for it. The shine helped.” Her accent thickened the more she drank.
She hiccupped and lifted her chin at the same time.
And his heart turned over in his chest. Leaving her would forever be his greatest mistake. Years of meaningless hookups and ambitious grabs at impossible deals all to fill a void that never could be relieved. He’d never been the same since, and if he had to go forward without her, he never would again.
Leaning closer, he tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear. Her light eyes were crystal clear and reflected the late afternoon sun, bouncing off the waves. He’d seen her mad, furious even, but never dejected.
And he never wanted to see it again.
He placed the jar of moonshine in her hand.
She looked down at the jar then to him in surprise. “Really?”
He rolled his eyes. “Just drink it.”
With serious eyes, she scanned his face. Too many emotions flashed through hers, and he felt each one deep in his chest. It was as if he kept falling and hitting the ground again an
d again, but damn if he didn’t get back up just to do it once more.
“Your dad loves you. He misses you, that’s all. And this town loves you, too.”
Her scent drifted along the breeze, teasing him, then the soft, plush feel of her lips brushed along his.
“You’re sweet for saying so, but I know the truth.”
“I feel awful about the trouble you’re having with your dad. But whether you and I were together or not, he would have had a hard time. Coming here will always be worth it.”
Anger sparked in her eyes. “You don’t get to say that. You left me!” She slapped the stone, then grabbed her hand to nurse it in her other one.
With a curse, he reached to check the damage, but she yanked away. Watching the woman he loved struggle with such pain, knowing he was the cause, tore at his soul.
“Don’t. You didn’t care then, you don’t get to care now.”
“That’s not fair.”
Her laugh cracked in an echo off the rocks and base of the lighthouse. “Fair? You want to talk to me about fair? You broke my heart.”
And his joined hers in two.
“I was eighteen! Selfish, arrogant…I know. I regretted it every day. Still regret it, and I’m sorry. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I returned. Do you know how hard—” He grabbed her, resisting when she tried to move it away.
“Let me go.”
Determination set upon him, and he met her gaze straight on. “No. Don’t you get it? I’m never letting you go again.”
Something shifted in her gaze, like a tide returning to the sea, and she retreated. He experienced real fear for the first time in his life.
“But that’s it, Jamie.” She gestured between them. “This thing is nothing more than the closing scene of an unfinished story. Not the beginning of a new one. You don’t have me to let go of.”
Chapter 12
Pulling from the reserves of her strong Irish blood, Blayne pushed Jamie from her mind for the billionth time as she and Claire held onto each other in a tight, excited squeeze.
