Childhood Dream

by Theresa Paolo

  Table of Contents

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  Title Page

  Copyright

  Childhood Dream

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek at Blue-Eyed Hero

  Also by Theresa

  Become a Townie

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

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  COPYRIGHT

  All rights reserved.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.

  Published by Theresa Paolo

  Copyright June 2021

  Cover Design and Edited by CookieLynn Publishing Services

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious.

  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Dedicated to Frank,

  my fur brother, loyal companion and pain in my butt.

  I miss you, Bud.

  Chapter 1

  Weddings never bothered Krissy before, but now with her two best friends perfectly paired off, a disappointing sadness poked at her gut. Men were never a necessity, not when she had friends to rely on. Times had changed, though. Ella traveled back and forth between California and their small town of Willow Cove with her boyfriend, Lucas, and Cami was head over heels in love with Ella’s older brother, Enzo. And then there was Krissy, perpetually single.

  Both couples had made their way to the dance floor to join the bride and groom, and Krissy took another sip of champagne. She was happy for the newlyweds. Marco and Aubrey had a long road to their happily ever after, but still, they were just another couple in Krissy’s circle, and now they were married.

  If it wouldn’t be considered rude, she’d click into the e-reader app on her phone and live vicariously through the characters of the current romance book she was reading instead of being reminded that she was alone.

  She glanced at her phone and saw a notification for a text. She tapped into the message from her cousin, Victor.

  Victor: Did the bride and groom cut the cake yet?

  At the last family get together, she tried to convince him to be her plus one so she’d have someone to chat with while the couples danced and did other couple things that would make her feel like a third wheel. She typed back a quick response.

  Krissy: Yes, but there is still no end in sight.

  Victor responded almost immediately.

  Victor: Hang in there, cuz. Maybe find a guy for the night. Weddings are great for hookups.

  Krissy rolled her eyes. Victor, a former all American football player was the poster child for hookups.

  Krissy: Maybe for you. You know that’s not me.

  Victor: It could be. You already have the hotel room for the night, right?

  Krissy: I can guarantee the only thing happening in my hotel room later is sleep.

  Victor: Just something to think about. Talk soon.

  She downed the rest of her drink and sunk into her chair. Normally she, Ella, and Cami would dance together, but they were holding close to their significant others, nuzzling into their chests and stealing kisses, which meant they’d be ditching the wedding at some point for more privacy.

  Maybe Victor was on to something. Hookups at weddings happened. Some would say they were almost expected. Having someone to warm her bed tonight didn’t sound like a bad idea. Though, the pickings were slim. Aubrey had a group of work friends she didn’t know, but they all seemed to have brought a plus one.

  Damn Victor for leaving her hanging.

  Krissy picked up her glass, brought it to her mouth, and sighed when she realized she had already sucked it dry. It was fine. She had two legs. She didn’t need a man to get her a drink. She turned in her seat, ready to spring to the bar, but halted at the large hand dangling in front of her.

  “Huh?” Her gaze shot up and locked with the dark brown eyes of Ella’s younger brother. Tony, two years younger than them, had at some point grown from little boy to sexy man. His black wavy hair was free from the bandana he usually tied it back with. The paint-stained jeans he lived in were replaced with a suit that was tailored perfectly to every inch of his body.

  He'd had a crush on her when they were younger which she found sweet. Back when they were thirteen and fifteen, two years difference seemed like twenty, and she always had a protective nature when it came to the young Moretti. But somewhere in his twenties, he no longer seemed to need someone watching out for him. He grew into a man capable of taking care of himself.

  Their easy friendship had shifted to shorter conversations, and she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she’d missed their random chats about life and what they’d been up to.

  “Want to dance?” Tony asked, his voice filled with unusual confidence.

  The room swayed slightly as she tilted her head. Maybe she shouldn’t have had that third glass of champagne. Ignoring the fuzz in her head, she smiled at the man who as a teen taught her the Chicken Noodle Soup dance even though he was terrible at it.

  “Why not?” She placed her hand in his, surprised by the gentle yet strong hold. He helped her to her feet, and she stumbled slightly, resting her palm against his chest to stop her momentum. The crisp scent of blue cypress and fresh coastal air surrounded her, and she closed her eyes on an inhale. It was different from his usual paint scent.

  “You okay?” he asked, concern lacing his words.

  She nodded, eyes still closed while she centered herself. “Uh huh.” Slowly she opened her eyes, letting the room come back into focus. Why did she opt for contacts instead of her faithful glasses? She concentrated on the straight bridge of his nose, and with renewed balance, she pulled him toward the dance floor. “Let’s dance.”

  The music—a contemporary mix of the last four decades—grew louder the closer they got to the DJ. Krissy teetered on the heels she wasn’t accustomed to wearing, and Tony’s hand shot out, steadying her.

  “Easy there,” he said.

  She smiled and did a quick spin. “I’m good!”

  A new song kicked over, this one more upbeat, and Krissy grabbed Tony’s hands and started bouncing to the music. She liked to dance—on occasion—but that didn’t mean she was actually any good.

  An amused laugh dimpled Tony’s cheeks and curved his lips, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he followed, mimicking whatever dimwitted move she made.

  She broke into the Chicken Noodle dance, not caring if she looked like a fool.

  “You remembered,” Tony said.

  “How could I forget? You spent an entire summer dancing around the kitchen doing this silly dance.” Right before his dad was arrested and his whole world changed. “Now, are you going to join me or let the student become the teacher?”

  Tony didn’t miss a beat as he went from his current dance to the on
e from a decade ago.

  “You’re still terrible at it.” Krissy laughed.

  “You’re not much better.”

  “What are you two doing?” Cami asked, leaning over from her intimate dance with Enzo.

  Krissy pretended like she was drinking a soda, a move from the dance. “Having fun.”

  Cami’s laugh mixed with her own, and Krissy continued to wiggle her fingers and pull her elbows to the ground, letting it rain. The song faded to an end, and Krissy took a deep breath, resting her hands on her thighs. She wasn’t like Cami, who ran for fun. Krissy found the near thought absurd. Physical activity was not fun. Unless she was naked, then she was okay with exerting a little extra energy. Her one form of exercise had been lacking since it had been a while since she had sex.

  “All you couples out there, join the bride and groom on the dance floor for this bride requested favorite.”

  The powerful voice of Etta James singing At Last rang across the room. Krissy frowned and turned to head to the table when Tony’s hand clamped down on her wrist, spinning her to him. The skirt of her dress spun with her, and she landed against his chest.

  “You weren’t going to leave me here all alone, were you?”

  “I didn’t think… I didn’t know…”

  “I asked you to dance, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, but the Chicken Soup is one thing. This…?” She motioned between them. “We’re not a couple.”

  “So we miss out on all the fun? That doesn’t seem fair.” He swayed with the music, his hands resting on her hips.

  He was right. Why did couples always get to have all the fun while she stared longingly at the dance floor? “No, it doesn’t.”

  “Then dance with me.”

  One slow dance didn’t mean anything even if Victor’s text flashed in her mind, reminding her hookups at weddings were perfectly normal. Heck, Victor was almost insisting she go for it. But this was Tony, sweet Tony, who she’d comforted after his mom passed. Who she played Go Fish with at his Grandparent’s kitchen table when Ella and Cami wanted to go for a run for fun like two psychos. No matter how lonely she was, she wouldn’t use him like that.

  Still, she ignored the red lights of warning going off in her brain. Ignored the fact that Tony was her best friend’s little brother and let her hips move in sync with his.

  She stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His scent engulfed her, reminding her of cool nights by the ocean. “This is nice,” she said.

  His warm breath brushed across the bare skin of her neck and shoulder, and she shivered at the unexpected jolt of desire it sparked inside her.

  It was nothing. She’d been lonely, wallowing in self-pity, before Tony graciously offered her a dance. She was drunk—lost in the moment, possibly confused by her conversation with Victor, but nothing more.

  Tony’s grip on her hips tightened, holding her closer, and she swallowed at the excitement that radiated through her.

  She closed her eyes, letting Tony and the music guide her, relishing in the relinquish of control. Between owning and running an ice cream shop and creating and selling her own soap and lip balm, it was rare for her to let someone else take the reins, but it was something she didn’t mind. It was why she had hired a full staff at the ice cream shop. Still, as the owner, control was still firmly in her hands. She was the sole decision maker. All the risks sat on her shoulders and hers alone. So being able to close her eyes now, trusting Tony and the beat to lead her, was nice.

  The music picked up, and he pushed her out, spinning her away from him, only to yank her back in another spin. Her hands slammed against his chest, and a laugh burst out of her so loud it echoed above the music. The pity party she had been having earlier seemed like a faraway memory as laughter and joy consumed her.

  “You ready for this?” Tony asked, slipping out a pair of black Ray-Ban sunglasses and donning them before breaking into some God-awful dance move.

  “Is that all you got?” she asked as she lifted her arms and did the full Macarena dance.

  “All right.” Tony nodded his approval. He took off the sunglasses and whipped his hand to the side, crossing his feet in front of each other as he moved toward her. His hands lifted in the air one after the other, feet kicking out in the perfect imitation of Michael Jackson’s Beat It.

  There was only one way to answer that power move. Like a zombie, Krissy staggered at Tony, tilting her head, stepping toward Tony as he fell right into the Thriller dance with her.

  Ella shimmied over, carrying two fresh glasses of champagne, and Krissy happily took one. All that exercise had her parched. She drank several small sips and caught her breath while Tony moonwalked toward Lucas.

  “You two are nuts,” Ella said. “But I’m glad you’re finally out of your chair.”

  “Me too.” If it wasn’t for Tony, she’d still be sulking or attempting to read her book while the party raged on around her. “I’m having fun.”

  “Good!” Ella exclaimed.

  She and Ella held their drinks up high as the DJ announced the next song, a throwback to their high school days. Cami came up behind them and the girls formed a circle, dancing like they were behind closed doors and it was only them.

  The song ended, and the music slipped into another slow ballad. Ella turned to Lucas, and Enzo wrapped his arms around Cami, burying his face in her neck as he swayed to the beat. Krissy stood like the outcast, empty glass in her hand, until a gentle hand took hers and spun her into him.

  Tony smiled as she gazed up at him. His dark eyes, sexier than she ever realized. An errant curl fell on his forehead, and she couldn’t help herself. She reached up, pushing the unruly curl back into place.

  “It’s just going to fall again,” he said. “Unfortunately, my bandana didn’t exactly go with this ensemble.”

  She’d never thought much about Tony, but his bandana was a part of him. She knew he had looked different tonight, but she couldn’t pinpoint why. She was so used to seeing him in his paint covered jeans with the rips and white paint splatter tee. His hair slicked back and a bandana keeping the curls secured.

  The outfit was like a uniform, and it was familiar. She didn’t need to look at him any differently. He was Tony, Ella’s baby brother, but now taken out of his uniform, standing here in a suit, holding her hand, his other on her waist as he moved her around the dance floor, his dark eyes boring into hers, she saw him in a whole new light.

  Or maybe it was the champagne addling her brain. It was probably the champagne.

  Tony smiled, a sparkle in his eye, and her heart kicked up. Definitely the champagne.

  His hand stayed in safe territory, but it tightened on her waist, holding her a little closer. She moved into him willingly, loving the strong feel of his chest, the fresh scent of his cologne and the way that curl bounced right back to his forehead like he’d predicted. This time she didn’t push it back. She rather liked the defiant curl and how it separated itself from the rest. It spoke to Tony’s character. Like her, he’d always moved to his own beat. A free spirit who cared more about his art than what people thought about him. It was refreshing in a world of trend followers.

  “You look beautiful tonight,” he said, and she glanced up to meet his gaze. “I don’t know if I told you that.”

  Heat filled her cheeks, a sudden shyness overtaking her being. She bit her lip, her lashes fanning downward. “Thank you.”

  “Not that you don’t always look beautiful.”

  “It’s not every day I’m in a dress with a full face of makeup and more product in my hair than an eighties costume party.”

  His lip quirked, a dimple pressing into his left cheek. “I don’t know. That’s a lot of Aquanet.”

  “When it comes to this mess of hair, there can never be enough hairspray.”

  He reached up, brushing a finger against the bounded mass of hair. Her breath caught in her throat as his finger lingered. “Still feels soft.”

  A strand fell back into
place, and she inhaled deeply as his hand followed the curve of her neck to her bare shoulder. The song ended, but they stood there a moment, staring into each other’s eyes. The lights and people fading around them and spinning away.

  He nodded to the empty glass still in her grasp. “Want to get a drink?”

  “Sure.” It was nice to have company without feeling like a third wheel. She followed him to the bar as he weaved in and out of the crowd. Many of the people Krissy recognized from their small town, but several she hadn’t, most likely friends of the bride who had lived in the city for a majority of her life until recently.

  “What are we drinking?” Tony asked. “I’m assuming with no margaritas you’re sticking with champagne.” A smile tilted her lips as she realized Tony knew her drink of choice. Not that it was a secret, but still. It was nice he cared to notice.

  “You’d be right.”

  Tony motioned to the bartender and turned back to her while they waited. She instinctively went to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose only to realize they weren’t there.

  “I was going to ask where your glasses were,” he said.

  She shrugged. “I didn’t think they went with the dress, so I opted for contacts tonight.”

  “I think your glasses would have went just fine with the dress.”

  The sweet sincerity in his tone made her knees weak. Victor’s text popped into her mind. Maybe find a guy for the night. Weddings are great for hookups.

  Heat spread through her like a raging wildfire that lost control. Maybe another glass of champagne wasn’t a good idea.

  Someone complimented Krissy’s dress, and she thanked them while Tony retrieved her champagne and his beer.

  “For you.” He handed her the champagne flute, and she took it with a smile. Not wasting any time, she took a sip. The music kicked up again, and she let out a squeak. “I love this song. Come on.” She downed the rest of her glass and grabbed Tony’s hand, dragging him to the dance floor.

  He didn’t hesitate, following her and throwing his hands up in the air when they approached. Song after song they danced like no one was watching.