“It wasn’t just physical for me, Charli. It was more. It always meant more but I played along because I hoped at some point you’d realize your feelings went beyond sex.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “But you walked away without looking back. What was I supposed to do, wait until you changed your mind?”
“Well… no, but…” Okay, maybe he had a point, but he could cut her some slack, meet her halfway now that she was all but begging for forgiveness.
He cocked his head to the side. “But?”
They stared at each other. His dark eyes bore into her, scorching her. She wasn’t sure whether the heat she was feeling was caused by the run or rather by his intense gaze.
Movement behind him caught her attention. She’d completely forgotten there was another person, his fiancée, who was now approaching them. And who must think Charli was a nutcase. Anger flared to life as her eyes settled on the elegant blonde.
“But it didn’t give you the right to get engaged two months after I left.”
Kean frowned. “Engaged?”
“Well, duh. It’s impossible not to be blinded by the sun reflecting off that rock,” she said, pointing at the woman who now stood next to him. “Congratulations. I suppose my leaving town helped you reunite with the woman of your dreams. I just can’t compete with your high-school sweetheart.”
Kean laughed. Loudly. The blonde chuckled and shook her head, lifting her left hand to her face. “Yes, I’m engaged. But not to him.”
Charli frowned. Huh?
“Vanessa and I used to date when I lived in Portland and worked for her father, before she chose her job over me.” He winked at her and the blonde chuckled again, smacking his arm lightly. Although he’d used the past tense, Charli hated the familiarity they obviously shared even after however many years.
“I’m back in town to take care of some wedding-related stuff and we bumped into each other just a few minutes before you showed up.”
Heat flushed Charli’s cheeks. “Oh my God. You must’ve thought I was some crazy woman.”
Vanessa chuckled, shaking her head. “No, I was the crazy one letting this guy go.” Kean smiled, and she stared at him with something that looked like longing and regret in her eyes. “But I found a wonderful man I can’t wait to marry, and I would act the same way if someone tried to steal him from me.”
Charli looked at Kean. He had his head cocked to the side and his eyes lit with amusement as a corner of his lips tilted up in the lopsided, annoying grin that used to drive her crazy but that she’d missed so damn much.
“So… you’re not getting married?” Okay, that was a stupid question. They’d already established that the woman with a ring on her finger wasn’t his fiancée.
“No, I’m not getting married, either to Vanessa or to Paige, who’s the high-school sweetheart you were referring to, by the way. When you left, I just wanted to move on and forget you’d ever been in my life. And when Paige came back to Spring, I thought we could pick up from where we left off. But I couldn’t stop comparing her to you, and I couldn’t help thinking that, as much as I’d loved her, or thought I did back in high school, she was nothing but a good friend now.”
The boulder sitting on her heart lifted a little. Maybe there was still a chance for them, after all.
“My heart belongs to you now, and even though I knew you’d never come back, I couldn’t bring myself to love someone else.” He took both her hands and pulled her closer to him. His eyes never left hers, as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. “Yes, you drive me crazy, and you’re annoying as hell, and you’re stubborn and always want to have it your way and have the last word, just for the sake of pissing me off.” She chuckled and he squeezed her hands. “But I loved every single minute we spent together, down to the most stupid argument we had, because I loved being with you, Charli. Even though I’m afraid I’ll end up in a madhouse, I love you.”
Her heart swelled so much it took up all the space in her chest. “You love me.”
His face cracked in a smile. “I do.”
A choir of angels sang hallelujah all around them—or maybe just in her head, she wasn’t sure. But frankly, she didn’t care.
“I love you, too.” The words had never felt more true or right. She was just about to stand on her tiptoes and kiss him until she’d need to be revived by paramedics, when the sound of throat clearing reminded her they were on a busy street—and not alone on a pink, fluffy cloud.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have to get going.” Vanessa stepped forward and put her hand on Kean’s forearm. Again. But he’d just said he loved her, so who cared if his ex was the touchy-feely kind. He loved Charli, not Vanessa. “It was nice seeing you again, Kean. And to meet you, Charli. Don’t let him go. He’s one of the few good guys left.”
“Trust me, I’m never going to let him go again.” She linked her arm through his to prove her point, and he chuckled. After one last goodbye, Vanessa left them alone—as much as being on a street allowed.
“So, where were we?” He grinned as his free arm snaked around her waist. He pulled her to him and her hands went up to lock behind his neck. Boy, she’d missed being so close to him.
“I think you were just about to kiss me,” she said, smirking at him.
“Mmh… I don’t know… I think I need to know how long you’re planning on staying, before I can decide whether I want to kiss you again.”
Although his tone was playful, it did carry a hint of suspicion. She couldn’t blame him though. She’d spent weeks making it clear that she wasn’t a small-town girl and had no intention of ever living in Spring. It would take a lot of convincing to make him understand the months away from him had changed her.
“I think we should probably make things clear, before we start talking about the future.” She pulled back just a little, so that she could stare into his soulful dark eyes. “If we’re going to explore this thing between us, to see if there’s any future for us at all, I think we should take it slow. No rushing into wedding plans, kids, dogs and all those things you’re most likely already planning in your family-oriented mind.” He chuckled but didn’t object. “I will probably feel the need to escape every now and then, and visit my parents in the city. And you’ll have to accept that. You’re welcome to go with me, of course, but I won’t let you keep me hostage in Spring.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to never see your family again. Who do you think I am? Some wicked monster?”
She shrugged. “I just thought I’d better be upfront.”
“Okay, so, I can’t ask you to marry me yet and I can’t lock you in the house to make sure you don’t run away. Any other conditions?”
“None that I can think of right now, but I reserve the right to add more later as they come to mind.”
He chuckled. “Good to know you haven’t changed in these two months. You’re still a sexy pain in the butt.”
“And you love me for that.”
“I do.” He nodded, and his lips curled up as his dark eyes filled with mischief. “And I think we should carry on this conversation somewhere more private where I won’t have to worry about people staring at us or eavesdropping.”
“I think that’s a great idea, Bob. My car is parked over there.”
She handed her key ring to him and as they walked toward her car, with his hand on the small of her back, she was giddy with excitement. As soon as they were in the car, he reached for her hand, and as they cruised across town holding hands like teenagers in love, she couldn’t wait for the moment his lips would be on hers again.
Chapter 25
“What do you mean you live here?” Charli’s eyes widened as soon as Kean closed the door of his apartment behind him.
When he’d woken up that morning, he hadn’t expected his life would take such an unpredictable turn. First he’d bumped into Vanessa and discovered she was getting married in two months. He was happy for her, though a bit jealous because his dream of marriage, a family, an
d a happy life had effectively withered when Charli left him and took his heart with her. Then the woman who’d ruined him for anyone else had come out of the blue, running like a pack of wolves were after her, and finally the cloud that had been hovering over his heart had lifted and dissipated. Charli was like the sun peeking out from the clouds on a misty day, like the first day of summer, and the best Christmas present. Ah, damn, he was thinking like a character from a cheesy romance novel now. But even though he knew his brothers and his friends would make fun of him until the day he died if they heard him, he couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot as more, even cheesier lines came to mind.
He shrugged. “You said I should aim higher, so when opportunity knocked, I did. I took up a project that could save my company, so I moved to Portland and rented an apartment.”
“Seriously, Bob? Of all the things I said, the only thing you decide to take me up on is the one you should have ignored? Figures.”
She crossed her arms and huffed. Her reaction left him a little dizzy. They’d had a fight because she put her career before anything else, and she’d accused him of not having goals. And now that he’d gone out of his comfort zone and followed her advice, she was mad at him?
“I think you’ve just lost me.”
She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. “Ugh! Why are you so dense?” She moved closer, stomped actually, so that they were standing toe to toe, and fisted his shirt. “I left everything just to move back to Spring. I threw years of hard work out the window. I used all my savings on the advance for a house, and had to ask for a loan that I’ll have to spend years repaying. And you know why I did all this?” She pulled at his shirt. It had been a while since her eyes had shot fiery daggers at him that way. He’d almost forgotten how much he loved it when she did. “For you, Kean Cavanagh. Just because I couldn’t bear to spend one more day away from you. Because I was sure you would want the other half of the house. And what do you do? You move.”
When her words finally registered, his heart stuttered. No, it actually stopped. Did she just say…?
“Wait, you bought a house? To live with me? In Spring?”
“That’s what I just said.”
“But when, why—”
“Have you suddenly become deaf? I bought it because I wanted to be with you, but now you want to play the city boy while I want to live by the beach.” She pushed against his chest and took a step back.
“Charli, wait.” He grabbed her wrists and pulled her back to him. “I had no idea you’d ever come back. You never gave me any hope your stay in Miami would be temporary. And when this job showed up on my doorstep, I couldn’t refuse it. I needed the money so my parents wouldn’t have to sell their house. It’s my fault they have no savings left and—”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. They’ve already sold it.”
Now his heart effectively stopped, then shrank and crumbled to dust. “What do you mean they sold it?” The words somehow managed to squeeze past his tight throat.
She lifted one shoulder. “They received a good offer from someone who promised to take good care of it and not tear it down. They found a cute little place a few hundred yards down the road, so your grandpa can keep using his workshop. They seemed pretty happy with how things turned out.”
“How do you know all this?” He frowned. Why hadn’t his mom said a word about this when they spoke on the phone just two days ago? And why was Charli privy to information he knew nothing about?
“I bought it.”
Huh?
He pushed her slightly away and inspected her face, waiting to spot the signs she was teasing him.
“You bought my parents’ house? Are you kidding me? Because, honestly, it’s not funny.”
She rolled her eyes and let out a loud, very annoyed huff. When her gaze met his narrowed one, he could see the annoyance now held a sparkle of mischief, too. That sparkle he’d missed so much.
“You can be really thick, Bob. Do you want me to spell it out for you, make a drawing or maybe explain it in sign language? Because I’m not sure how else I could make you understand.”
“You bought my parents’ house,” he said, as the words slowly sank in.
“I did. Your parents and I had a long heart to heart via Skype, just before I booked my flight out of Miami, and I offered to buy it.” She took his hands and squeezed. “I knew I wanted, needed to come back and try to win you back before you married your small-town girl, and I knew your parents’ place would be perfect for what I had in mind. Plus, I figured once I won you back, you’d be happy to live there, your parents would be happy because the house would stay in the family, I could turn my dream into reality, and everyone would win. I still have to sign all the original papers when I go back to Spring, since we did most of the legal stuff via e-mail, but technically it’s a done deal.”
“You thought I was engaged? Two months after you left?” Hadn’t she realized how much she meant to him? How she’d broken his heart when she chose that job over him?
“What would I know? Sophie was talking about being a flower girl again, and you are a family guy. I thought meeting your first love had sparked something I could never compete with.” She shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter anymore, since you’re not coming back to Spring with me.”
She let go of his hands and took a step back. He wanted to bang his head against the wall in frustration—life had such lousy timing sometimes.
“Charli, I can’t leave right now. I signed a contract and accepted a down payment. I’m supposed to complete the job.”
She lifted one shoulder, and even though she tried to look as if she didn’t care, her drooped shoulders and sad frown told him otherwise. God knew how he wanted this to work. She’d come back for him, she’d bought a house—his parents’ house—just so they could build their future together. And he was tied to this city, at least for the time being. Would she consider…
“Could we try long distance for a while? I could drive home over the weekends and whenever they don’t need me on site.” She cocked her head, interest clearly visible in her eyes. “I should be done in a couple of months, and after that I can come home. I’ll tell the client I’m not interested in the other projects—”
“Stop.” She raised her palm in front of him and he shut his mouth. “You can’t turn down this huge opportunity because of me. His projects would mean a lot of money, and you were the one saying your company wasn’t thriving. You need this job.”
“I need you more.”
Her gaze softened as her gorgeous lips curled in a smile. He moved closer and took her face in his hands. It felt like ages since he’d tasted her soft lips, and he planned to make up for lost time soon, but first he had to set things right, to make sure she’d be okay with waiting for him.
“And I need you, too,” she said. “But you need to save your company first. I’m not going anywhere and if this guy is paying you big money, you could hire extra workers for the next projects so you could be on site only when you’re needed. Perks of being the boss, right?”
He nodded. Mr. Kowalski had liked him for his architectural vision and didn’t care who carried out the work, as long as Kean was the supervisor. He could do the same thing now. With the money he’d get for every new project, he could hire skilled workers.
“Commuters who travel a lot for work still manage to have a family life, don’t they? This isn’t that much different from being a commuter. You said the sites would be in Oregon and Washington, so it’s not like you’d have to take a transatlantic flight every week.”
“You know, I love how your ultra-organized, ultra-smart brain works,” he said, resting his forehead against hers. “And I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone else, more than I could ever love another woman. I want to plan a future with you, Charlotte Ariela Wingate.”
“Hey, I’m the planner here.” She smiled, nudging him in the ribs. “Leave the planning stuff to me, while you take care of the build
ing side of things. We’ll make a good team if we stick to our tasks.”
“A perfect team.” He nodded, rubbing his thumbs on her cheeks as he pulled back so he could stare into her eyes. “Now, tell me more about your plans. Are you going to become Spring’s official planner?”
Her face brightened. “I am, actually. Ellie’s already booked my services for all of their kids’ birthdays until they’re eighteen, the mayor said I will be in charge of any official town events, and apparently nearly every other resident has an event they want me to plan. Between birthday parties, graduations, and anniversaries I think I won’t be out of work in a while.”
“See? I told you the town would need you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so smug, Mr. I-Told-You-So. The town needs me because I’m awesome, not because you said so.”
“And you’re humble.”
“That too.” She smiled. “Anyway, then there’s my other business, for which I’ll need your advice.”
He frowned. “What business?”
If possible, her face brightened up even more, her eyes sparkling with excitement and passion like never before. “Your parents’ house? I have their blessing to turn it into a cozy B&B. Nothing fancy, just a quiet place for couples and families who want to enjoy the charm of small-town life.”
Wait. So she didn’t want to live there, after all.
“Charli, did you inform my parents you were going to tear the place down, before you made them sign the deed?” His tone was harsher than he’d intended, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe that she would take advantage of his parents’ weakness just so she could build her B&B.
She frowned. “Who said anything about tearing the place down? Sure, the first floor would need some small renovations and improvements, just to meet the standards required by the tourism board. I’d like to find a small space for me, where I could also have my office. But I think we would be better off living in your cabin, so we have our privacy while still being available for the guests.” She was on a roll, and her excitement rubbed off on him, replacing the anger. He had a few ideas, and his architect brain was already envisioning how they could move stuff around, perhaps create an external decked patio where guests could have breakfast.
Unplanned Love Page 26
