Travis bumped his shoulder, jolting him back to their current situation, and pushed past him on his way toward the helm, muttering, “Let’s just go get the girl already. I’m sick and tired of looking at your melancholy face.”
And just like that, Reed realized he could either spend the rest of his life wondering what if, or he could figure out a way to get the girl.
The moment they reached Serendipity Island, he abandoned his partner and the wreckage, and headed for the accounting firm, not quite certain of his plan of action. He was about to jump into the deep end of the ocean of love without a safety net.
Sink or swim, how he’d always lived his life.
When he walked into the office, he found the reception desk and Marla’s office empty, and the conference room door closed. The only one who appeared to be working today was his dad.
Paul raised his head from the papers scattered across the desk. “Son. I expected you’d be long gone by now.”
“Right. I, uh—” He scraped a hand over his face, then waved to an empty chair. “Mind if I sit?”
His dad nodded, leaned back on his chair, and folded his hands over his much leaner belly. They’d all lost weight due to lack of food, which was probably a good thing for his dad’s health. “So what are your plans?”
He shrugged, still in the middle of formulating a plan despite the panic gnawing at his belly. “I should have told you this years ago, Dad, then maybe things would have been easier between us.” At his dad’s questioning look, Reed continued. “I own a very successful offshore marine salvage company.”
Comprehension dawned in the older man’s gaze, and then the edges of his mouth tilted into an amused smile. “So you’re a chip off the old block anyway.”
That surprised Reed, and the tightness in his belly that he always got whenever he came home eased up. He huffed out a self-conscious laugh. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Well, we’ll have to sit down one day so you can tell me all about it.” With a heartfelt sigh, the older man leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk. “She’s been moping around here ever since we returned.”
He shifted on the seat. No use pretending he didn’t know who the other man was talking about or that he wasn’t very interested in the topic of Marla’s feelings. “She has?”
Paul nodded, and the smile faded, replaced by pinched concern. “At least say goodbye to her.”
Goodbye.
The thought of never again seeing the woman he loved—yes, loved!—opened the hole in his chest into a chasm. “I can’t.”
“Son, I never thought you were a chicken. An imbecile sometimes, but never afraid.” He pushed to his feet, came around to the other side of the desk, and sat down on the edge of it. “What are you afraid of?”
He shook his head. “You misunderstood. I’m not leaving, not unless she agrees to leave with me.”
The older man’s face elongated with sadness. “That girl carries her responsibilities like a shackle. She won’t leave her job or her mom behind, and you know it.”
Reed did know, yet his heart insisted he do anything and everything to keep Marla in his life forever. But if that meant he had to give up his life and return to the accounting firm to make her happy, he’d grow to hate himself, his life—and possibly the woman he loved.
And that would be worse than walking away.
He studied his dad. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Ask away.”
“What are you going to do about Mom? She wants you to retire and travel.”
Paul frowned. “She’s been different since we returned. Distant. Occupied with Betty. She may have changed her mind.”
“You should ease up anyway, for your health.”
The older man peered at him from below bushy brows as though he knew the question was a stalling technique so Reed wouldn’t have to make a decision. “I plan to.”
Reed sat forward, elbows on knees. “And you should make Marla a partner. You know she’s the right person for the job.”
The concern turned into consideration. “I’ve already offered her the partnership and she turned me down.”
“She did?” He tried to wrap his mind around the idea of her declining the position, and finally gave up. “Then it’s Bill. You know he’ll fire her.”
“It’s not Bill either. In fact, this morning I promoted Trudy to Partner-in-Training.” Paul leaned forward and eyeballed him. “I guess you’re heading off for parts unknown. No worries. In a few months time, she’ll be over you.”
His heart stuttered in his chest. “Over me?”
Paul nodded sagely. “You’ll be nothing more than a pleasant memory. An interlude to pass the time while we were all stuck on that island.”
Panic settled into the base of his spine.
His dad pushed to his feet and came around the desk. “When will you be home again?”
Struggling with the thought of the woman he loved getting over him, Reed stood. “Since we’re no longer haggling over the accounting firm, I’d like to visit you and Mom more often.”
“Your mother will like that.” Paul smiled, relaxed and easy as he clapped a hand on Reed’s shoulder. “Your dad will like it too.”
As he headed out of the accounting firm and walked down the sidewalk toward the dock, he acknowledged that Marla needed the security of knowing that the man at her side would never leave or abandon her.
He stopped in front of the real estate office and eyeballed the listings in the window.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Marla drove home, her thoughts on Reed.
Even though they’d only been apart for a couple of days, she thought about him so often, it had started to interfere with her production at work. At least a dozen times during the day, she’d find herself staring at the open doorway, hoping he’d walk back into her life.
But he hadn’t.
She remembered the way he smelled, like an ocean breeze caressing her face and body. The way he felt pressed up against her, all solid and strong and warm and forever.
What was the use of thinking about him? He was gone from her life, probably back on the mainland having long forgotten that she even existed. And it would be another twenty years before he returned.
As she turned onto her mother’s driveway, she saw a strange vehicle parked in her spot. She stopped the car behind it and headed into the house.
“Mom,” she called out from the back entrance as she tucked her shoes away, walked up into the kitchen, and set her purse down on the countertop. “Are you home?”
There was a flurry of noise coming from the end of the hallway, then her mom rushed into the kitchen. “Honey, you’re home early. I wasn’t expecting you till late tonight.”
She shrugged, then peered around her mom’s shoulder. “Who’s here?”
Betty fluffed her hair and sent a nervous look over her shoulder. “I guess it’s time to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
Mary Readner came out of the hallway and hooked her arm through Betty’s arm. “Your mother and I are moving in together.”
Marla blinked, not quite certain that she’d interpreted the situation correctly. “What about Paul?”
Betty glanced at the other woman. “We’ve had enough of his grumpiness.”
Mary nodded. “I’m going to live here until his attitude changes.”
Betty winked at Marla. “And when we ask him if he wants to join us for a threesome, he should come around. Right Mary?”
“That’s right.” The other woman smiled. “Do you think he’ll take us seriously?”
Marla blinked and attempted to keep up. “So—ummmm—you’re going to become swingers?”
With a shrug, Betty squeezed her friend’s arm. “It’s on the table. But the important thing right now is that Mary and I are friends again.”
“And all those stories about you and Paul…?”
“Were just stories, honey.” She looked snippy, sounded snippy too.
“Do you really think I would sleep with my best friend’s husband without her permission?”
Mary clasped her free hand to her chest. “Your mother has assured me that nothing ever happened between the two of them.”
Marla eyed her mother who winked at her again.
Okay…
She had absolutely no desire to dig for the truth. All that mattered was that she’d never seen either of these two women look happier than right now, when their friendship was on solid ground. With a shrug, she picked up her purse. “I guess it might get crowded here with the three of us together. Perhaps I should find somewhere else to live.”
Betty nudged Mary. “Speaking of Reed, have you heard anything from him?”
Marla narrowed her eyes at the woman who would do anything for a grandchild. “No one mentioned Reed, Mom.”
But apparently Mary was on board with whatever idea Betty had cooked up. “That nice Travis McNeil called to say that they just returned with the yacht. If you left anything on board that you want, you should pick it up before they drag everything back to the mainland.”
If there was anything she wanted…
Yeah, she thought as she forgot all about scheming mothers, there was one thing she most definitely wanted.
With a wave of her hand and a “Carry on!” Marla headed out of the house.
Before the screen door closed behind her, she heard her mom say to Reed’s mom, “There might be grandkidletts in our future sooner than we think.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Marla didn’t waste time. She jumped into her car, backed out of the driveway, stepped down on the accelerator, and didn’t let up until she turned off Tranquility Drive into the dock parking lot.
Why oh why hadn’t she realized sooner that this is where she was meant to be? With this man, wherever he was, in the middle of the ocean and sunshine.
As she stepped out of her car, she kicked off her sandals, tossed them into the back seat, then ran down to the dock, praying with all of her heart that Reed would still be on the island.
Because if he wasn’t, she might have to call the Coast Guard to hunt him down.
The sun warmed the top of her head and her bare arms, while her hands remained icy as fear clutched at her stomach. She ran down one dock, then another and another, until she finally caught sight of the Anchors Away yacht listing in the water.
Marla grabbed the ladder, but a voice from behind caused her to freeze mid-step.
“What are you doing?”
Her heart thumped in her chest, and she set her foot back on the wooden dock. She turned, and saw Reed on the deck of the Anchors Away II yacht with one hand clutching the knot of the tie around his neck.
Marla didn’t know what to say, so she said the first thing that popped out of her mouth. “Hunka-hunka-wow. You clean up nice.”
He grimaced and glanced down at his suit. “Do you like it?”
“Of course I like it,” she said as she slowly moved toward him. “A man in a suit always looks good, but I liked you in the other stuff too.”
Releasing the tie, he made his way to the ramp. “You mean my shorts and sandals?”
Marla nodded and stepped onto the ramp where he met her halfway. His shiny black dress shoes caught her attention. Concern ratcheted up her spine. “Reed, what’s going on? You didn’t give in to Paul’s arm twisting, did you?”
He captured her hand, stepped backward, and pulled her onto the yacht’s deck. “No, but I understand Trudy did.”
“Trudy? But I thought—”
“Do you really want to talk about Trudy right now?”
Mutely, she shook her head.
“Good because I have a proposition for you.”
“A proposition?” she squeaked. He backed her against the railing, and imprisoned her with his hands on either side of her hips. His face was inches from her own, which made it difficult to concentrate on anything but the smell of him, the broadness of his shoulders, the way his presence made her body tingle and heat. And because of it—because of him—she couldn’t think. She frowned. “You’re crowding me.”
He shifted even closer, and placed his lips against the curve of her neck, making her instinctively arch to give him better access. She brought her hands up to rest against the strength of his chest.
Clearly, the shirt had to go.
“You smell good,” he breathed against her skin, and as she melted flush against him, she wound her arms around his neck.
“So what’s with the suit?”
“Right.” He very reluctantly pulled back, reached into a pocket on the inside of his jacket, and presented her with a folded piece of paper. “This is yours…and mine.”
Marla blinked down at the paper. “What is it?”
“Open it.” And as she did so, his voice went all soft and mushy. “I bought the island where I fell in love with you.”
She barely had time to notice that her name was beside Reed’s, or that the document in her hands was a land purchase agreement, before his words sank into her brain. She gazed up at his handsome face. “You love me?”
He tugged the paper out of her grasp, refolded it, and tucked it back into his pocket. Then he swept her into his arms, cradled her close to his body, and said, “I’ve never said those words to anyone else, French Fry.”
Then he sealed his statement with a kiss that curled her toes and made her melt against him.
When they came up for air, Marla watched him drop to one knee, pull something out of his side pocket, and slip that something onto the third finger of her left hand. “Marla Blackhorne? Will you marry me? Will you be my partner and my lover and the mother of my children?”
She took a big gulp of fresh ocean air for courage, realized that she didn’t need courage to say yes to this man—just a little trust in him and their future—and dropped down to her knees. It was time to dive into life feet first. “So how do you want to do this? Fast or slow?”
As he swept her into his arms and lowered his head to hers, he replied, “How about a little bit of both?”
EPILOGUE
One year later…
The sight of the big strong man in the bed beside her brought tears to Marla’s eyes and she wiped them away. Of course, everything these days seemed to make her cry.
Immediately after Reed’s proposal, they’d moved onto the Anchors Away II yacht. It was supposed to be a temporary stay, until they found a house they both loved in town. But waking up to the gentle rock of the boat each day, cocooned and deliciously warm in Reed’s embrace, made Marla wish they could live there forever.
She’d cut back her hours at the accounting firm, no longer working into the evening or on weekends (except for tax season, of course!), and occasionally Reed had to leave her and the island to work a salvage job. Whenever she could, she went with him because she missed him like crazy when he was gone.
And now, kidnapped from Serendipity Island by her future husband, cocooned in the cabin below deck while Travis McNeil manned the helm, Marla let the joy and satisfaction of her life wash over her.
Today was their one year anniversary. One year since Reed had popped the question. He’d promised her a surprise—a really big surprise—but somehow she thought her own surprise was going to blow him out of the water.
Outside the cabin, the engine stopped and the whir of the ramp being lowered hummed through the yacht. Reed tugged her out of bed.
“We’re here.”
“Where?” she asked with a laugh as she quickly pulled on the skirt and t-shirt she’d worn onto the boat, all the while watching the disappearance of all that yummy male body as Reed pulled on tan slacks and a t-shirt.
Instead of answering her question, he pulled a necktie off the side table and approached her. “Trust me?”
She laughed at the naughtiness on his face. “When you ask like that…of course I do.”
After he blindfolded her and kissed her on the nose, he lifted her into his big strong arms, tucked her against
his big strong chest, and carried her up the steps to the deck. She could hear the slap of his bare feet as he headed down the ramp and onto a dock.
Clinging to his neck, loving the feel of his big body cradling her close, she kissed his chin and held her questions. A minute later, he released her legs, gently lowered her feet onto sun-kissed sand, and strategically turned her so that her back was pressed against his front.
“Ready?” he whispered into her ear, and a responsive shiver raced down her spine.
“Always,” she breathed.
He removed the tie, and she took in the view around her.
He’d brought her back to the island where they were first shipwrecked, the island where they’d first fallen in love, the island he’d purchased as proof of his love and commitment.
They’d name it Nutter Island, and it seemed that the nuts who’d joined them on their journey one year ago were present for their one year anniversary.
Betty and Mary were headed over to greet them. Between the two of them, they held a white gown in their combined arms.
And down the beach, Paul and Bill and Trudy were setting up chairs and an archway. Trudy spotted them and sprinted their way. She’d had her breast reduction, down to a 32B, and looked really great.
Marla glanced at the chairs lined up on the beach, at the archway front and center, at the white wedding gown Betty and Mary so lovingly held in their arms. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on. She turned to Reed and looped her arms around his neck. “What did you do?”
He untangled himself from her grasp, took her hand, and dropped to one knee. “Marla Blackhorne? Will you marry me today, for better or worse, spend your life secure in the knowledge of my love, and promise to love me back till our dying day?”
Her heart hitched in her chest, and with a tug on his hand, she brought him back to his feet and into her arms. “You know I will.”
He smiled down at her, his big body warm and protective, his eyes aglow with love. “Good, because I wasn’t going to let you leave the island until the I Do’s were said.” He turned her around by the shoulders. “Now go with the women and get ready to be my bride.”
Caught Between a Rock and a Hunka Man (Caught Between Romance Book 3) Page 19
