Too Complicated

by Bethany Lopez

  Pleasure suffused me at his words, but I bit my lip to hold back a happy smile. I continued into the kitchen, which I could see as soon as I walked in thanks to the open floor plan, and set my bags on the counter.

  “I wasn’t sure until I talked to Christopher what my plans were, so that’s why I didn’t answer right away.”

  “He was more than welcome to come with you,” Reardon said. “I’m sorry, I should have mentioned that.”

  “Oh, that’s okay, he was going to the diner with some friends from school, then to Gabe’s.”

  Reardon nodded and we had a moment of awkwardness, before he said, “You want a tour?”

  “Yes, please.”

  He held out a hand, telling me to follow him, and said, “Everything should still be clean. I didn’t have a chance to check every room, since I wanted to get the meat marinating and start on the vegetables, so please, don’t judge me if something got past me.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I assured him. “You’re doing me a favor; I won’t judge you. Cross my heart.”

  I literally crossed my heart with my finger, causing him to grin, then let him lead me down the hallway.

  “So, you saw the entryway, living room, kitchen and dining areas … Back here we have two guest rooms, a guest bath, and the office. The master bedroom is on the other side of the house.”

  He opened the first door, which was actually a fully furnished guest room, which surprised me. I’d almost expected a room with boxes.

  “Wow,” I uttered, before I could stop myself.

  Reardon chuckled and said, “Rena stays here sometimes when she’s in town, and before he bought his place, Gabe often crashed with me.”

  The second bedroom was filled with workout equipment. A treadmill, elliptical, and free-weights filled the space.

  “They’re good-sized rooms,” I said, trying not to picture Reardon in here half-dressed and sweaty.

  He showed me the bathroom, then pointed at the last door and said with a nervous tone, “And that’s the office. I’ll show you the master now, if you want.”

  I paused and turned my head to look up at his face, which was slightly red.

  “You’re not going to show me the office?”

  When he put a hand behind his head, then opened his mouth and no words came out, I did something uncharacteristically nosy and pushed past him to open the door.

  “Chloe,” he began, but it was too late.

  I stepped inside and looked around, then bent at the waist and busted out laughing.

  Chapter Nine ~ Reardon

  Is it bad that seeing her bent over like that, her face lit up with laughter, has me hardening like a boiled egg?

  Maybe not the best metaphor, but, damn, Chloe seemed to get sexier every time I saw her.

  I didn’t even care that she was laughing at me. I could handle laughter. Before I’d opened the door to my office, I’d been more worried that she’d take one look at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, packed with books and collectibles, the figurines, the cardboard cutouts, and yes, even the stuffed animals, and run screaming in the other direction.

  I was a nerd. A geek. A lover of fandoms and collector of merchandise.

  Most people had no idea. You couldn’t tell from my office at work, the clothes I wore, or the things I talked about in polite company, but anyone who really knew me, knew that I was fluent in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and yes, even Zoey Zahn’s famous trilogy.

  From Chloe’s reaction, I was guessing Zoey hadn’t told her how I’d reacted when I’d found out who she really was, or how I’d freaked when she’d given me a signed copy of her books and the action figures for the movies before they were even available in stores. They held a prominent position on a shelf all their own.

  “So,” I began, unable to fight back a smile at her laughter, even if it was at my expense. “Now you know…”

  Chloe wiped her eyes, and I wasn’t sure if it was because she actually had produced tears, or if she was just fucking with me.

  “Wow,” she managed after taking a deep breath. “I mean, I thought you were probably into this stuff after the movie, but I never in my wildest dreams expected this. You’re worse that Zoey.”

  Chloe laughed again, as if surprised there was such a thing, then started to walk around the room and look at my shelves.

  “Chris would freak out over this,” she said, pointing to my Guardians of the Galaxy collectibles.

  I nodded, even though she wasn’t looking at me.

  “Yeah, we’ve talked about comics and stuff a little bit, but I didn’t tell him about all of this.”

  “He’s going to love it,” she said, turning to me, her smile huge, and that look … that look … caused my heart to tumble out of my chest and hit my natural wood floor.

  I cleared my throat, suddenly uncomfortable, but eager to do what I’d invited her over here to do and clear the air.

  “Would you mind sitting for a minute?” I asked, pointing to the dark leather loveseat and chair I had situated in what I called my “reading corner.”

  Uncertainty flickered over her features, but she simply said, “Of course,” and crossed to sit on the loveseat.

  I settled into the chair and leaned forward, resting my forearms on my thighs.

  “The last couple of times we talked, you’ve hinted at feeling like maybe I didn’t like you, or that there were some residual feelings over what happened between you and Gabe…”

  Chloe’s face closed up, but she gave a slight nod, so I cleared my throat again, unable to hide my nerves, and continued.

  “I know I came off strong at first, but I hope you realize it was because I was not only acting as Gabe’s lawyer, but wanted to make sure that my cousin wasn’t being played.” When she flinched I hurried on, “No offense, really. It’s just that we didn’t know you and you were claiming that he had a teenage kid he’d never heard about. I’m sure you understand that I was initially skeptical, but, since finding out that Chris is Gabe’s and getting to know him, and you, I hope you can forgive my initial reaction.”

  When she didn’t immediately respond, I went on, “Christopher’s a wonderful kid; we love getting to know him. Really, he became a member of the family as soon as the tests came back positive, even sooner than that for Gabe, who knew after one look at him after your visit to the camp, that Chris was his.”

  Chloe nodded, and I knew that she and Gabe had already had conversations about this.

  “The same can be said for you, Chloe. Since I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve learned what a funny, warm, compassionate person you are. You’ll do anything for your family, and you’ve worked really hard to provide your son with a wonderful life.”

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice low and a little gravely, as if she were fighting back tears. “That means a lot.”

  “What I mean to say, is that I don’t want you to think that I don’t like you, or that I harbor resentment against you. The opposite is true, actually. I really do like you, and I’ve loved getting to know you.”

  Chloe gave me a smile and tilted her chin, and I felt the tension that had been winding through me uncoil.

  “I like you too, Reardon, more than I thought I would,” she admitted with a small laugh. “I know things are complicated, with the ways our family is weaving itself together, but I’m really grateful to be able to call you a friend.”

  Shit, she totally just put me in the friend zone, before I even had a chance to ask her out, I thought, as I wondered if it would be weird for me to ask her out anyway.

  “I don’t know a lot of people here,” Chloe continued, “just your family really, and most of them still view me as a witch for keeping Chris from Gabe for so long, so it really means a lot to me that you just said all that. I have my sister, of course, but she’s busy with the wedding and getting ready for the baby, so I could really, really use a friend right now.”

  My heart jumped up off of the floor and secured itself back
in my chest, a little worse for the wear, and, frankly, bruised.

  “Of course, you can come to me with anything,” I replied, then stood up and offered her my hand. “What do you say we go finish dinner so we can eat, then I’ll take you on a walk around the complex.”

  “Sounds perfect,” she said, and I swear, I didn’t watch her ass as she walked out the door ahead of me.

  Because, we’re just friends … Ugh.

  Chapter Ten ~ Chloe

  “Are you sure you’re up for this today?” I asked my sister, who was currently fighting with the straps of her maternity bathing suit.

  “Totally,” she replied, her tone sure, even though her face was scrunched up. “I’ve just never worn this thing. I didn’t expect it to be so complicated.”

  “Here, let me,” I offered, taking a step toward Zoey, my arms outstretched.

  “I think it will be nice for us all to take a little break from all of this wedding madness, and all of the changes we’ve been experiencing, and just enjoy a relaxing day at the springs. I’m excited,” Zoey gushed as I righted her straps. “From what Gabe’s said, they’re beautiful, and I’ve been wanting to go; things have just been so hectic.”

  “Okay,” I said in surrender, having been trying to opt out of going with everyone to the springs since Zoey had brought it up. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to spend the day at the water with my sister, and things had been getting better with Gabe’s family, I just still felt like an outsider whenever I was with everyone at once. “I’ll come, but I’m taking my own car, so I can leave when I want.”

  “Deal,” my sister replied, her grin wide. “You can follow behind Gabe and I.”

  Plans set, we went down to find Zoey’s fiancé and make sure we had everything for our day at the springs.

  Christopher opted to ride with his father and Zoey, and although I was really, really happy that he had formed such a strong bond with Gabe in a short period of time, I couldn’t deny that a small part of me missed the days when it was only Chris, Zoey, and me.

  As we drove, the landscape changed, and the town of Cherry Springs got farther away in my review mirror. Eventually, I saw a wooden sign that indicate the springs were to the left, and I followed Gabe’s 4Runner down the secluded road.

  When we pulled into the clearing to park, there were half a dozen cars already there, and as I got out of my car, I turned to my sister in confusion and asked, “I thought you said it would be us and Jasmine, and maybe Gabe’s parents. Who do all of these cars belong to?”

  Gabe shrugged, as if to say, not my fault, while my sister had the grace to redden and say, “I may have invited a few other people.”

  “What did you do?” I asked, my stomach filling with dread at her reaction. If it was just more family members, she wouldn’t be looking so sheepish. “You’d better not be trying to set me up.”

  Zoey grabbed her bag and began rushing down the trail after Gabe and Chris, who’d left as soon as my tone had gotten accusatory.

  “Just invited a couple guys I thought you might like to meet,” she called over her shoulder, and left me there next to my car, swearing under my breath.

  “I’m going to kill her,” I muttered as I seriously considered getting back in my car and driving away.

  After a few moments of inner conflict, I grabbed my bag out of the backseat and slammed the door in a fit of adolescent rage at my sister, then walked down the path they’d left me on, trying to talk myself out of my Zoey-induced bad mood.

  When the springs came into view, my breath caught, and all anger left me. How could I be upset when surrounded by such beauty?

  Trees surrounded the area, then the almost caramel-colored soil tapered down into a large pool of water. You could see the spots where the water darkened, indicating the depth of the pool, and with the sun shining off the surface, it was a site to behold.

  Turning my head from the water to the sounds coming from my left, I was left speechless by another breathtaking site.

  I barely registered Zoey waddling toward me in my peripheral as my eyes were so locked on their target.

  “Cheese and crackers,” Zoey loud-whispered as she got closer to me. “I’ve never seen anything like it, and I watched Gabe and the guys play football shirtless at camp.”

  Zoey was out of breath when she reached me, then she stopped, turned, and took my hand in hers as we both looked on at the area that everyone had begun to set up.

  There were five men. Five tall, sexy, well-toned, shirtless men, talking and laughing with each other as they set up the area were we would grill, eat, and lounge for the day.

  Gabe, Reardon, and Dillon, I knew, but the other two, I’d never seen before.

  “Jesus, is there a calendar being shot here today or something?” I asked my sister, smiling when she giggled in response.

  “Right?” she responded. “You’d think I’d be desensitized after getting to be with Gabe all of these months, but I nearly went into labor when they all took their shirts off and started doing manual labor. A girl can only take so much…”

  I barely contained a snort, then it registered that my son was also over there with the men, so I worked on composing myself before pulling on Zoey’s arm and dragging her with me toward the men.

  We’d barely gotten two feet when I heard a noise behind us, right before Jasmine yelled, “If your last name is Lewis, please, for the love of all that is holy, put your shirt back on! You two … continue with what you were doing.”

  “Shut it, Jazzy,” Dillon called out, his red hair, which matched hers perfectly, catching beautifully in the sun.

  “Oh my god,” I heard a strange voice barely breathe, and I turned to see who had spoken.

  A stunning blonde, with long hair, golden skin, and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen, was looking nervously toward the guys.

  “Jasmine, are you sure it’s okay that I’m here?” she asked the exuberant redhead, her tone nervous.

  Jasmine was already pulling her T-shirt over her head, revealing the emerald-green bikini top that popped against her creamy white skin, when she looked over her shoulder and assured the woman, “Laurel, you’re practically a Lewis yourself, don’t be silly. C’mon.”

  Jasmine bounded over to the guys, her long hair trailing behind her, clad only in her bikini top and some short cut-offs.

  I turned to Laurel and said, “Hi, I’m Chloe. You’re Jasmine’s friend that just moved back, right?”

  The nerves cleared from Laurel’s face once the guys were no longer in view, and she gave me a sweet smile.

  “Yes, I am. Chloe,” she said thoughtfully, tapping her finger on her lower lip. “Jazzy said that you’d just moved here as well, and thought maybe you’d be a good fit for what I’m thinking of for the flower shop.”

  I nodded eagerly, pleased at the way this day was turning out after all.

  “Yes, I’d love to talk with you about your plans, and what you’re looking for.”

  Laurel nodded, then I introduced her to Zoey and we joined the rest of the party.

  Talking with Laurel would take some of the pressure off of being there, and I was grateful to not just have someone else to talk to, but also the possibility of finding a job.

  “Laurel, Chloe, you both already know Gabe, Dillon, and Ass,” Jazzy began as we joined everyone, and I flashed a small smile at Reardon, who I hadn’t seen since dinner at his house. “This dashing man is Shane,” she pointed to the dirty-blond man with a wicked smile. “He works at Aunt Annabeth’s bar, and has basically become an honorary Lewis.” Then Jasmine turned toward a tall, dark-haired man with an extremely sexy five o’clock shadow and a twinkle in his eye. “This hot piece of work, that I just met myself, is Jed. He recently moved to Cherry Springs and is doing some construction over at Gabe and Zoey’s.”

  “Men,” Jazzy continued, ever dramatic. “These two beauties are Laurel, my best friend from forever, who just moved back home and is Cherry Spring’s newest business owner, and Chloe,” s
he paused, as if unsure what to say next. I didn’t have a job she could reference, and I knew she was too sweet to announce me as the mother to Gabe’s son and sister to his wife.

  God, would this ever stop being awkward?

  “Hi, I’m Zoey’s sister,” I filled in for her, holding out my hand and shaking with both men. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

  I was sure my face was flaming from embarrassment, so I quietly excused myself from the group and went to find a place to set up my things. Once I had my stuff all laid out next to Zoey’s, I took off my cover-up, wishing I’d opted to wear a one-piece rather than my bikini, but in my defense, I had thought it was just going to be us and Jazzy.

  Not daring to look over at the crowd, I dropped my cover-up on my towel and rushed to the water, diving in as soon as it got deep enough, and hoping I at least walked out of here with a job prospect.

  Chapter Eleven ~ Reardon

  I’m frozen. I can’t speak, think, or move.

  “Little Lo Lo sure has grown up, huh?” I hear Gabe say from beside me. I even feel his hand clap me on the shoulder, but I can’t respond.

  Chloe in a bikini has rendered me immobile.

  “Mmm hmmm,” I manage to mumble, knowing that Gabe would expect an answer, at the same time realizing he might not be too keen on my ogling his soon-to-be sister-in-law, and mother of his child.

  So, I tear my gaze away from the spot that Chloe, her tan skin barely covered by a dark-purple bikini, just dove under the water.

  “What?” I ask my cousin, mentally slapping myself upside the head. “Oh, uh, yeah, Laurel looks great. Very different, but great.”

  It’s then that I notice the look in my cousin slash best friend’s eyes, and hold up my hands.

  “No, man, don’t even think about it.”

  “Why not,” he argues with his million-dollar smile. Seriously, an athletic company paid him a million dollars to put his ugly mug on their campaigns. I should know, I wrote up the deal.