Maybe We Will (Silver Harbor)

by Melissa Foster

  “What?” Remi snapped, but she did it with a smile. “How can I ever trust you again after those hairy feet? Where are you guys?”

  “We’re on a date,” Aiden said.

  “A date? I won’t keep you long,” Remi said excitedly, then called over her shoulder again. “Mason! Aiden’s on a date!”

  Mason’s steel-blue eyes appeared over Remi’s shoulder. “Hey, Aiden. Hi—”

  “Abby. Her name is Abby,” Remi said.

  “Hi, Abby. I’m Mason.” He waved a spatula and said, “Sorry, I was making a cake. Babe, let’s let them get back to their date.”

  “In a sec,” Remi said. “You didn’t answer my question. Where are you on your date?”

  “At a winery,” Abby said. “We watched the sunset. You should see what Aiden did for us.”

  “Show me!” Remi exclaimed.

  Aiden handed Abby the phone and watched as Abby showed Remi their picnic, the lanterns, and their gorgeous view.

  “Look at the lanterns, Mason! The roses!” Remi exclaimed. “I had no idea my brother was so romantic.”

  “He’s amazing . . .” Abby went on to rave about their day, describing it to Remi, from the lighthouse to the beach and lunch at the café, right down to their private tour of the winery, leaving out the part about him signing her up for the competition.

  Remi asked dozens of questions, and Abby answered every one of them. They laughed like old friends, and Remi didn’t hesitate to make fun of him.

  “I bought him flip-flops, and he insists on wearing those nerdy loafers,” Remi said.

  “I like his loafers,” Abby said as she walked over and sat next to Aiden. “And now I’ve monopolized your call with your brother. I’m sorry.”

  “Who is that?” Patrice asked as she climbed onto Remi’s lap, looking adorable with pink bows tied to the ends of her braids. Her face lit up, and she said, “Hi, Uncle Aiden. Are you still on the island? Who’s that girl?”

  “Hey, Patty Cake,” Aiden said, noticing Abby’s dreamy-eyed expression. “I am on the island, and this is my special friend, Abby.”

  Abby waved to her. “Hi.”

  “Hi. I’m Patrice and I’m five. You can call me Patty, but only Uncle Aiden calls me Patty Cake. Do you like my bows?” She swung her head from side to side, sending her braids flying across her face.

  “Yes. They’re very pretty,” Abby said.

  “Olive, my foster sister, who I hope will be my real sister one day, is at her friend Catherine’s house doing a science project,” Patrice said. “She’s gonna be mad that I met you and she didn’t. Maybe you could call her, too.”

  “I’ll catch up with Olive another time, sweets,” Aiden said. “Love you, Patty Cake.”

  “Love you, too. Bye!” Patrice slid off Remi’s lap and said, “Can I help bake?” as she disappeared from the screen.

  “She is adorable,” Abby said.

  “Thank you. She’s a pistol. You should meet Olive. She’s a great big sister, but I swear she’s an adult in a teenager’s body.” Remi glanced over her shoulder and said, “Speaking of adorable . . .” She moved the phone so they could see Patrice standing on a chair beside Mason as he poured cake batter into a pan. Patrice was feeding a cheese stick to their golden retriever, Nahla. Remi moved the phone so only Mason’s butt was on the screen, and Aiden heard her sigh. She turned the screen so they could see her face, and she said, “I love my life so much. Who knew baking could be so sexy?”

  Aiden looked at Abby, remembering the way they’d been caught making out in the kitchen the other night, and said, “Who knew?” earning a secret smile. “Can we get back to our date now, Remi?”

  “Oh, sorry. Of course. I’d love to meet you sometime, Abby.”

  “I’d like that,” Abby said.

  “Let’s exchange numbers and stay in touch,” Remi suggested. “You can let me know if Aiden tries to work while he’s on the island, so I can harass him.”

  “Remi,” Aiden said sternly.

  “I’m kidding!”

  Aiden put his arm around Abby, pulling her closer, and said, “I have more pictures to send you, Rem, but can we do without the interrogations from now on? Abs and I would like to spend the little time I have here chilling, not answering texts.”

  “I never thought I’d hear you say you want to chill. Yes, of course. Definitely,” Remi said. “I’m sorry if I’m overly excited, but I’ve never met anyone you’ve dated. I’m so happy! Abby, you have no idea how many of our friends have tried to set him up on dates. But he’s usually all work and no play.”

  “On that note, I think we’ll say goodbye. Love you, Rem. Kiss the girls, and tell Mason I said we’ll catch up another time.”

  “Okay. I have one more thing to say to Abby.” Remi schooled her expression and said, “I know Aiden doesn’t open up easily, and he seems strong as iron, but he’s the only brother I have, and he’s not invincible, so please, please don’t hurt him.”

  “I would never,” Abby said.

  Remi nodded. “Okay, because if you do, you’ll have Mason to deal with.”

  “No you won’t!” Mason called from off camera.

  “Fine. Then you’ll have me to deal with,” Remi said. “Just be good to him. He can be dorky and a bit bossy, but he means well, and I know he works way too much, but he gave me the best life. One that I sometimes probably didn’t deserve. He’s a great man.”

  Abby gazed adoringly at Aiden and said, “I’m pretty sure you gave him a great life, too.”

  “I gave him headaches,” Remi admitted. “But he loves me anyway.”

  Aiden took the phone from Abby, loving that she understood that while raising Remi hadn’t been easy, it had made him happy. He looked at the sister who had become a wife and foster parent, and his heart felt full. But he needed to be bossy one more time. “I love you, Rem, but how about we take it down a notch.”

  “I’m good with that now that I know you’re not locked in your hotel room working day and night.” Remi whispered, “I like her, Aiden. Don’t screw this up.” She wiggled her fingers in a playful wave, blew him a kiss, and ended the call.

  “Wow, she’s really great,” Abby said. “I totally forgot she was the Remi Divine. She’s so normal and down to earth, and I love how she teases you. It’s obvious how much she loves and appreciates you. And look at that dazzling smile she left you with.”

  He slipped his phone into his pocket and said, “I’m happy for her, and proud of her. She’s a great mother. All I have ever wanted for Remi was for her to have a good, happy life and to be loved for who she is, not what she has.”

  “And for her to achieve her dreams, which you facilitated,” Abby reminded him. “I know how good you are at helping others make their dreams come true. But what I don’t know, and I’d really like to, is what your dreams are. What does AA dream about?”

  He leaned in for a kiss and said, “Lately, a scantily clad brunette is front and center in all of my dreams.”

  She dragged her finger down his chest between the open buttons on his shirt and said, “As much as I love that—and trust me, I definitely do—I’m serious. I want to know what your dreams are.”

  “I’ve already got more than one man could ever need.” And he’d trade it all for more days like they’d just shared. Working with his hands alongside Abby, getting to know her sister, and meeting a few of her childhood friends reminded him of how much he’d loved the simple way in which he’d grown up, without the pomp and circumstance of his wealth or Remi’s celebrity. It had been a life surrounded by close-knit family and friends, not governed by deadlines, conquering the next deal, earning the next million, or worrying about every word out of his mouth so as not to reveal Remi’s whereabouts or details of her life. He missed that simplicity more than he’d realized.

  “That’s the funny thing about dreams,” Abby said. “They’re not about need. They’re about what ifs and wants. What if you hadn’t raised Remi? Was there something you wanted but never
pursued?”

  “I’ve always gone after what I wanted.”

  “Well, that’s a start,” she said skeptically. “But isn’t there something you dream about or wish you had?”

  He waggled his brows.

  She poked his ribs. “I’m serious. You listen to me blab about my dreams all the time. Do I need to have you lie on a couch and pay me to get you to open up?”

  “You lying on a couch might just do the trick,” he said seductively.

  “Aiden.” She tried valiantly to give him a serious look, but her smile was relentless, and he loved that about her. “Why are you holding back? We’ve been naked together, but this is too private for you to tell me?”

  “No, Abs. It’s not that it’s private.”

  “Then what is it? Because I’ve never had sex on my mother’s living room couch before, and I don’t make a habit of showering with guys. Those things meant something to me, and you’re making me feel like it meant less to you. And that’s okay, but—”

  He pulled her closer; the hurt in her eyes felt like a stab to his chest. “It meant something to me, too. It meant a lot to me, Abs. I’m not used to dissecting the part of my life I missed out on. I don’t regret raising Remi. I channeled all of my dreams into her and into my business.”

  “I know. If anyone understands that, it’s me. I don’t regret being there for my mom, either. But that doesn’t mean the dreams I had didn’t survive. I had to clear the crap from my life in order to see them, but they were still there.” She caressed his cheek, her eyes pleading with him as she said, “Let me in, Aiden.”

  He leaned into her touch. He’d never been a needy man, but everything was different with Abby. He wanted her affection, and he craved her soothing smiles and tender touches as badly as he hungered for her writhing beneath him in the throes of pleasure.

  “Please?” she said. “Now is your time to think about yourself. Your sister has a great life, and she wants that for you. I want that for you, and I barely know you.”

  “God, you really have gotten under my skin.”

  “You’re not the only one who can be pushy.” She wrinkled her nose and said, “I like you a lot, Aiden, and I want to get to know you better. I want to know things about you I haven’t wanted to know about anyone. I hope I’m not rubbing you the wrong way.”

  “You rub me in all the best ways.” He kissed her, and the hope in her eyes brought his truth to the surface. “I did have dreams that I set aside.”

  “More like kicked to the curb, knowing you, but go on.”

  She truly did see who he was. “I wanted what my parents had. A family. A wife, a soul mate to come home to, to raise my own family with. Someone who understands how important Remi is, and that she and her family will always be a high priority in my life. Someone who won’t resent my passion for work or my need to be who I am, quirks and all. My father used to say that the best part of his day was coming home, and every year that passed, I buried those hopes deeper. I feel guilty even bringing it up.”

  She put her hand on his and said, “I think you put that guilt on yourself, which I completely understand because it’s a lot like the guilt I felt for wanting things of my own when I needed to be helping my mom. Aiden, that’s totally normal.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I just . . .” He patted his chest over his heart with his fist, feeling the stab of guilt, and said, “I don’t want Remi to ever hear that. I don’t want her thinking that taking care of her cost me anything.”

  “But you know Remi is a bright woman. She sent you here. She’s pushing you to get your own life, to have the things she knows you’re missing out on. Whether you put it out there to her or not, she knows what you gave up, Aiden. She loves you, and when someone loves you, they see all of you, not just the parts you want them to see.”

  “Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “But it feels wrong to say it out loud.”

  “That’s because you’re an admirable man with a huge heart who doesn’t want to ever hurt his sister. I was thinking about how Deirdra and I were winging it for all those years, doing the best we could. We didn’t have people to tell us if we were doing the right things or going about them in the right way. We had Shelley, but she was careful not to build up what we did for our mom too much, because although she knew Deirdra would take off as soon as she could, I think she worried that I’d never leave the island to start a life of my own if she made me feel like I was doing the right thing in too big a way. It doesn’t sound like you had anyone to tell you what a great job you were doing with Remi, either, and I know how much I second-guessed myself. I bet you did the same. Those are the things that create more guilt. It’s an awful cycle, and at some point we have to break it. Maybe talking about it, getting it out of your system, is the right way to do that.” She cracked a smile and said, “Unburden yourself, AA. It does a body good.”

  And there it was, her uncanny ability to look past the clouds and find the light in everything and everyone around her. “You’re a wise woman, Abigail DM.” He leaned in for a kiss. “Want to know the other dream I put on hold?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Boating.”

  “What kind of boats do you like?”

  “Powerboats, sailboats. You name it, I love them. We grew up taking vacations on Cape Cod, and my father would always rent a boat. We’d go fishing and waterskiing. I loved being out on the water. When I moved to California to run my father’s LA office, I thought I’d get a boat one day and spend every Sunday on it. I even had dreams of taking a month off and sailing somewhere. Anywhere. But I threw myself into work and never had the time. Then we lost my parents, and . . .” He shrugged.

  “You buried your dreams so Remi could have hers.”

  “That, and I wanted to keep my father’s reputation intact, to honor him at work as well. To this day I’ve never handed off any of his clients to my staff. I work with them, and they trust me to be there if they hit a crisis or need a shoulder to lean on, the same way they trusted my father. Boating got lost somewhere between Remi’s dance and acting lessons and, later, auditions, traveling, filming, and my finance career.”

  “But now you have time for it,” she exclaimed. “It’s not too late to make either of your dreams come true. Do you still want a family?” She held his gaze, hope and wonder threading their way between them.

  “Very much, but it’s complicated. My work schedule is all consuming.”

  “Then that’s something maybe you can work on over time. But you’re in the perfect place to go boating. Let’s put that on our list. Take out your phone.”

  He pulled out his phone and added go boating to the list.

  “We had a dinghy when we were growing up,” Abby said. “My dad taught me to sail on Lover’s Cove, which is about a mile down from the Bistro. It was where he and my mom shared their first kiss and the one place we didn’t have to worry about sharks. His dinghy is still in the garage. We’ll have to get the sail fixed, and maybe a few other minor things, but we could use that.”

  A dinghy. She was so fucking cute and real, she made him wish he couldn’t buy a fleet of luxury liners.

  “Actually, I don’t know what kind of shape the dinghy is in. We haven’t used it since we were kids,” she said. “But my friend Brant Remington is a boatbuilder, and he rents out all sorts of boats at Rock Harbor Marina, on the other side of the island. I bet we could rent a little sailboat from him. The boats there are much cheaper than the ones the Silver House rents out.”

  “Brant Remington. Got it,” he said as he entered Brant’s name in his phone. “Did you make out with him, too?”

  “No, but he’s super cute, so . . .”

  “I’ll give you super cute.” He hooked his arm around her, pulling her into a hard, fast kiss.

  “I wouldn’t want you to think you’ve got me all sewn up as a sure thing,” she said with a flicker of a tease in her eyes. “There are plenty of guys on this island who I have yet to lock lips with, and now that I’m going
to be here full-time . . .”

  “I’d better up my game.” He pushed to his feet, navigated to the playlists on his phone, and queued up “Maybe We Will.” He set the phone on the table and took Abby’s hand, bringing her into his arms, swaying to the sounds of Noah Schnacky singing about getting to know each other and becoming more than friends and their late-night dance turning into their last first kiss, maybe even leading to forever. He whisper-sang about not thinking about the bad things that could happen and taking their time. Every word came straight from his heart, and the wanting look in Abby’s eyes told him that each and every word landed on hers.

  When the song ended and “Yours” by Russell Dickerson came on, he said, “I’m not always the best at expressing my feelings, but this song is for you, Abs.”

  “I love this song,” she whispered.

  They danced beneath the stars, surrounded by the sounds of nature and the scent of something rich and deep blooming between them. He kissed her slow and sweet, his breath becoming hers as he intensified the kiss, getting so lost in her, he no longer felt the cool breeze on his skin or heard the beat of the music. There were only the sounds of their kisses, the feel of her soft hands on the back of his neck, and her body moving sensually against his, and a resurgence of dreams Aiden wanted to explore.

  He didn’t know how many songs they danced to and couldn’t repeat a single word of any but the first two, but by the time their lips finally parted, they were both breathless. Neither said a word as Aiden retrieved his hat and sweater and they followed the twinkling lanterns back the way they’d come, guided by emotions bigger than either of them.

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE RIDE HOME was a blur. Abby’s thoughts of Aiden were as sexy and sinful as they were warm and wonderful, making her want to wrap herself up in him and never let go. Those feelings coalesced as she and Aiden stepped onto her front porch, and the boldness she’d possessed that morning when she’d practically dragged him inside to have her way with him gave way to nervousness. She shouldn’t be nervous after their steamy couch romp and how much time they’d spent together, but the moonlit air sizzled with something much deeper and more meaningful than it had that morning. The secret Aiden had shared about wanting to be with someone, to have a family with someone who truly understood and accepted him could have come from her own lips. Abby wanted to be with someone who would love all parts of her, too, who wouldn’t think her dreams were too silly or too lofty to even try to pursue. Knowing Aiden had shut away his dreams of having a family and had never let anyone see the parts of his heart he was hiding, as she had, made them even more right for each other.