The Summer I Loved You

by J. L. Lora

  “It was good. Miss Winter invited me to come talk to her art class. Oh, and I met Ayla’s dad. You didn’t tell me he used to play or that he’s Dominican like your mom.”

  She grinned at him. “He came drafted from the farm system in the Dominican Republic. He and Lauren joke all the time that we’re all cousins. But most important, did you agree to become his assistant?”

  “Ha ha ha. No, but I am going to come watch them play. What did you do while I was gone?” His hand snuck under the table and caressed her thigh, triggering goosebumps along her skin.

  She made it a point to let her lips linger on her fork until his eyes darkened.

  “Recuperate,” she giggled.

  His phone vibrated and he glanced at it. “Chase on his way with Walter’s laptop. He should be here within the hour.”

  “What’s in it now?”

  “It was wiped clean and back to factory settings. I had them add all the evidence of every single time I had to bail out our family property or the people I had to pay to keep him alive. He stored his cloud password in a folder in his laptop.”

  Adrianna shook her head. She breathed out the pang of anxiety that hit her upper stomach. A small voice inside her whispered that it was all too easy. How come they had not heard from Walter? What if he had another ace up his sleeve or had already gone to the police?

  She placed the fork on the table next to his plate.

  “What is it?” Cam asked.

  She forced another breath and her lips into a curve. “Nothing. I’m full.”

  He snorted. “It’s a salad, Adrianna. Since when do you get full on a salad, without bread? Are you going to start lying to me now?”

  Her skin heated and she shook her head. “It’s stupid. Don’t make a big deal out of it. And by the way, nice touch talking about a woman’s eating habits. You have excellent dating skills.”

  He tossed her a side smile. “I love your eating habits. You eat like a human being.” He turned in the direction of their daughter, spotting her across the room, and then back to Adrianna. He leaned closer and whispered a breath from her lips. “All your appetites match. I love a woman who’s hungry across the board.”

  Butterflies rose and dove and she went slick between her legs. She pressed her hands to his cheeks and pulled him to her. Her phone went off and he groaned.

  She was smiling when she answered.

  “Adri. It’s so good to hear you.” The voice rang familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

  “I’m sorry. Who am I speaking with?”

  “You forgot me already,” the man cooed. “It’s so sad because I can’t forget you.”

  Across from her, Cam flinched. Her phone was loud enough he could hear. It was in his clenched jaw and the mossy shade his eyes had taken.

  “Tommy.” Even saying his name was bizarre and incomprehensible. The last time she’d seen Tommy was at a funeral for one of their classmates. He’d been high as a kite and asked her a million questions then. She’d brushed him off in the gentlest way she could.

  “Ah. You remember. That does my heart good. How’s Bron? She must be getting so big.”

  Cam went dark. Shit.

  “Was there something you wanted? I kind of have a full restaurant in my hands.” She had to get him off the phone before Cam blew a gasket.

  “Can I come see you, Adri? We can have some coffee and catch up. I would love to see your bistro. You look beautiful on the website.”

  What the hell was he talking about? She didn’t have time for this. “Tommy, I have to go.”

  “Come on, Adri. You must be curious about me too.”

  “Goodbye, Tommy.” She hung up and placed the phone back on the table.

  Cam didn’t move. His gaze glued to her cell phone, his hand fisted on the table. Oh, shit, shit, shit, hell.

  She placed a palm over his fist. “Cam.”

  “Since when do you and Tommy do pleasantries?”

  She ignored his biting tone, nothing good would come out of indulging it, and chose her words with meticulous care. “We. Don’t. I don’t know what that’s all about.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know what that’s all about? It’s obvious. He wants to come see you.”

  “He can want whatever the hell he wants, Cam. I don’t care. You shouldn’t either.”

  “I care. He’s trying to come see you. He has my daughter’s name in his mouth. How does he even know her name?” A vein ticked at his neck. “He’s never forgotten you and he wants to come here and try to talk to you.”

  “And? It’s not like he’s going to get me anyway. Don’t fuck shit up again. We are good, you and I. Don’t do anything stupid. Use your head. Tommy has never called me while you’re here. Think about it. Your father probably paid him to. Tommy’s a deadbeat junkie who would do anything for money these days.”

  His face didn’t change but his shoulders eased. He wouldn’t look at her and that set her off even more. When he was jealous, he became an idiot. Then the memory of Sophia and the restaurant incident hit her with force and she winced. She could become an idiot too. It was better if they had a breather. She wasn’t in a rush to go through that shit again.

  She pushed to her feet. “I’m going upstairs to check on an order I placed.”

  He stopped her with a hand to the wrist. “Don’t go. Let’s talk this out.” His face was still dark. No, he wasn’t ready to talk about this in a way that wouldn’t blow the roof of the bistro off.

  “No.” She yanked her wrist from his hand. “Let’s give each other some space. God knows I need to cool down, too.”

  •••

  Adrianna’s heels clicked away against the hardwood, driving the distance between them with each step. A few feet away, oblivious to the mood of her parents, Bron sang along with Rihanna’s voice over the speakers about wanting someone to stay. The irony was not lost on Cam. He could have laughed.

  His chest loosened and he focused on his daughter’s voice, his gaze on the wood grain surface of the table. He counted the fiber lines and breathed like he did before he had to pitch a game, shutting out the world and hearing himself. He couldn’t be angry or emotional on the mound and most of the time, he was able to use that in his daily life. The biggest lesson he’d learned in his life was not to let the moment color his reactions.

  But when it came to Adri, that never seemed to work. He was always giving himself to the first emotion. They were together now. If he continued like this, he was going to fuck things up.

  Use your head.

  Walter had stopped by last night. The same Walter who told him Tommy was happy with Adri. And Tommy called, today of all days. Why the fuck was he still jealous of Tommy? She had never gotten back with Tommy and he, Cam, was the man she still loved. He was the father of her child. He was the one she’d woken up that morning so hot for she could barely wait until he opened his eyes, the one she’d savaged with her mouth, deep throating and teasing with her tongue, and made come three times before noon. She was his. He was hers.

  Why couldn’t he put it all together before he let his temper get the best of him? He’d let his father use Tommy—a proven method—to rile him and take him off his game. Now she was pissed off. Because he was a fucking idiot. He’d screwed things up again. Damn him and his dumb jealousy. She was right. He was a fucking dumbass.

  He pushed to his feet, making the chair drag back loud. Bron looked up from the arrangement, a hibiscus in hand. Cam forced a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay. I’ll be here. I don’t know why people have to touch the arrangements.” She sighed.

  He turned around and headed for the stairs, stealing one last look. She was singing again and shifting the flowers around.

  He hurried up the steps. Adrianna sat still at her desk, her palms flat on the glass surface.

  “I told you we should take a breather.” She didn’t open her eyes and her voice was forceful and sharp
, like a felling ax.

  “I came to apologize.”

  “That could have waited until we were both ready.” This time a tinge of annoyance hovered over her words.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just wanted you to know that I realize what an ass I was. I should have known what this was about. I don’t know why I got so crazy.”

  Her eyes drifted open and there was warmth there. “We can’t keep doing this, Cam.”

  His heart punched his chest. Was she going to break up with him again? “Doing what?”

  “Being so reactionary to stuff. We can’t keep having blowouts over stupid things. I get so scared of going back there to that summer, to the woods. I don’t want us to hurt each other like that.”

  He rushed around the desk, the air trying to fight its way out of his lungs. He wasn’t going to let her doubt what they had or back away from it.

  He took her face in his hand, looking into her eyes. “We won’t. I promise. It was a stupid moment and it’s over. We didn’t yell or make a horrible scene this time. You walked away and I reflected. It’s only going to get better. Let’s cut ourselves some slack.”

  She stared at him, doubt clouding her gaze but then she gave him a brusque nod. “You’re right. We did handle it better than we have in the past.”

  He exhaled and pressed his forehead to hers. “We’re going to have spats and it will get dicey at times but we’re going to be okay. I promise.”

  She nodded.

  His mouth swooped over hers and he kissed her slow, savoring her, branding his promise into her lips. He teased her with his tongue, coaxing hers with flicks and swirls until her fingers wrapped around his arms and her nails dug in.

  “Save that for tonight. I still have to work and Bron is wide awake,” she whispered against his lips. “And you need to help her with her homework today.”

  He pressed another quick kiss, and then a second, and a third.

  She gave him a playful push and laughed. “Come on, let’s go back downstairs.”

  She stood up and walked around him, heading for the door.

  “Are we okay?” He asked.

  “You just had your tongue in my mouth and I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes off the front of your pants. I think it’s safe to say so.” She walked out of the office.

  He followed behind her, eyes on her swaying hips, smile on his lips. They’d worked through it and he had been right. They were getting better, like he’d told her. And he just avoided the dog house. Big time.

  At the bottom of the stairs, they found Lauren by the hostess stand. She was arranging the menus.

  “You don’t have to do that. I was coming down to start getting stuff ready for dinner.”

  Lauren waved a dismissive hand over her shoulder. “It’s fine. I have nothing to do back there, anyway.”

  “Oh. You need to keep busy because you’re nervous about the certification results.”

  Lauren stood up and wagged her finger but the smile lit up her face. “Nope. Just checked the state site. Passed those with flying colors.”

  Adrianna clapped her hands and high-fived her. “Yes! We need to celebrate this.”

  “Congrats, Lauren. We definitely have to celebrate your certification, now that we’re free of Walter, and my brother’s coming into town…” He let his words lag off.

  Lauren’s eyes widened, her mouth drifting open a little, but she closed it quickly and cleared her throat. “Oh. Cool.”

  Behind her, Adrianna’s eyes narrowed but then she looked around. “Tell me Bron is not in the kitchen, stuffing herself with those shortbread cookies.”

  Cam looked around too. The flowers had been rearranged but there was a hibiscus laying on the table by the door.

  “Bron’s not in the kitchen. I thought she was upstairs with you guys. When I came out, all three of you were gone.”

  Adrianna’s gaze snapped to his. “Did you send her upstairs before you came up?”

  Cam shook his head. “I told her I would be right back.”

  “What? You left her here by herself?” Adrianna didn’t wait for his answer. She took off in a run up the stairs.

  But he’d just been gone for a few minutes and she was inside the restaurant. “I didn’t think I needed to tell you guys. She was working on the arrangements.”

  “It’s okay. She probably snuck by you guys,” Lauren said.

  No. They would have heard her come up the stairs. Oh God. His stomach twisted into a knot.

  Adrianna ran back down the stairs. “She’s not up here. She’s so grounded. She knows she’s not supposed to go outside without permission. And you…” She pointed to Cam. “You don’t leave a kid alone.”

  A lump at his throat, sudden and thick, threatened to strangle him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think she would go anywhere.”

  “It’s fine. Don’t dwell. Let’s go look for her and you’ll get to punish her this time.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Walter took my baby.

  No matter how hard they looked, they couldn’t find Bron. The still-small voice told Adrianna it was him. That Cam’s father had been the one to take their daughter.

  The thought pounded her head every time she stood still. And she couldn’t take it, couldn’t breathe thinking of what he could be saying to her. He didn’t care for Bron. He wasn’t even good to his own children. He’d probably be cruel to the little girl he didn’t consider family though she carried his blood.

  She kept moving, shaking the thoughts away, not saying anything until she and Cam went inside places or ran into someone. They’d circled the block four times. They’d gone to all the businesses, asking if they’d seen her little girl. They’d headed to the park and the church a block away. They’d made it all the way to the supermarket and the Canton Harbor. There was no sign of Bron anywhere.

  The dark taste of fear took over her mouth.

  The wrought iron sign of Mi Tesoro didn’t bring her any comfort. The title, an homage to her baby, was but an empty reminder that she may not find her once she walked through the doors. She stopped walking and just stared at it. She didn’t want to cross the street and go in.

  Because Bron’s not there. Her heart told her so. Lauren would have called her and told her to come home. She couldn’t make herself face the possibilities. How the hell had this happened? She should have been downstairs with her, watching her. But no, she’d gotten angry and stormed away.

  Cold fingers wrapped around her arm and she jumped out of her skin. Cam was there. His gaze pained. “We should go inside.”

  Never in her life had she wanted to put her face on his shoulder and cry more than this moment. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t fall apart. She was a mom and needed to find her daughter. “I think it may be time to call the police. I think this is your father’s doing.”

  It hurt to breathe those words out. So bad she pressed a hand to her chest. His sharp intake of breath, the gasp that came along with it and the paling of his skin was like a knife twisting in her chest. He staggered back a step. God, she wished she could take those words back.

  The slow shake of his head was more than Adri could take. She had to look away from him. “I’m sorry. We should’ve paid him. He would’ve left us alone.”

  “He still would’ve been blackmailing you,” Cam’s voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper, as if it hurt him.

  “But she would’ve been safe. I don’t care what happens to me anymore. I just want her back.”

  He cleared his throat. “Me too.”

  She couldn’t take his fear or her own. She turned her attention back to the place she didn’t want to go in. Through the glass window, she made out Lauren’s figure. Her head down, shoulders sagged. A tall man had his hands on her shoulders. Oh God.

  Adrianna rushed to cross the street. She walked fast with only her best friend in sight. Had someone come with bad news? Shock had her almost jumping back when Cam opened the
door for her.

  She barged in and Lauren turned around. It was Chase standing with her. His gaze shifted between Adrianna and beyond her to his brother.

  “Lauren told me everything. I was asking if you had cameras. Cam, have you talked to Walter?”

  Adrianna’s stomach dove past her knees. All ten years of fears showed again, like a ghost, to haunt her. “He has her.”

  “There’s a camera in the office. Adri, let’s go now,” Lauren said, crossing the distance and pulling her towards the stairs.

  “I’m going to kill him,” Cam said, his tone low and jagged.

  Rage spread through her whole body rooting her in place on the first step of the stairs. She whipped about to face him. “I’ll kill him myself if he hurts my baby.”

  “No one’s killing anyone. He’s going to jail, where kidnappers belong. Now, let’s go see that damned camera and be sure who took her.” Chase pointed up the stairs.

  Adri ripped her gaze from Cam’s, turned back around and followed Lauren.

  The four of them crammed in the small office. Adrianna pulled up the camera system, concentrating on what she was doing and forcing all the fear out. She pulled the footage and set back the clock to the time right before she headed upstairs. Her breath strangled, watching the way she stormed away. Her heart tripping on one single fact. She’d never turned to look back at her daughter.

  Cam did. He turned and looked and said something but Adri never did. What kind of mother didn’t even turn? Tears filled her eyes. If she never saw her daughter again, she would never forgive herself.

  A couple of minutes passed on the video and her heartbeat picked up as Bron moved from one table to the next. In the next frame, something flashed onto the screen and under one of the tables. Bron dropped the flower she was holding on the table and scooted down to her knees.

  “What the hell is that?” Chase asked.

  She opened her mouth but then her daughter stood up with a little dog in her arms. She turned toward the front door and mouthed something to a man at the door. They could only see his face partially but someone sucked in a loud gulp of air.