Page 18 of Hideaway Reunion

“We all loved your mom.”

His soft words startled her almost as much as the bellowing earlier. Of course, Brayden had loved her mom. He’d come for the funeral to say his own farewell, not just to comfort her. “Yeah. You’re mad that I stay in touch too. I get it. Five years ago, I would’ve told you he was the best man on earth. Now…” Her voice trailed off as the hard edge of emotions subsided. “Whatever Dad is, I’m sorry for keeping my connection to him a secret from you too.”

He rocked back on his heels and the movement made her aware that he wasn’t watching the ocean any longer. His gaze was on her. “Apology accepted. Though you really don’t owe me or anyone else an explanation for trying to maintain a relationship with your dad. He is a good guy, no matter how he’s grieving.”

“You’re awfully generous with the forgiveness.”

“That a problem?”

“Only that it makes me nervous about what you haven’t told me yet.”

His wide, genuine smile flashed, alleviating the heaviness around her heart. Her dad might be a good guy, but Brayden had moved to the top of her list.

“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” he assured her. His phone buzzed with an alert a second before the doorbell rang. He checked the security notice anyway. “Food’s here. Let’s eat.”

* * *

Brayden admired Veronica’s ability to bounce back. Over a delicious dinner of shrimp po’ boy sandwiches, hand-cut potato chips, coleslaw, and hushpuppies, they reminisced over their favorite summer adventures. She’d even surprised him with slices of key lime pie.

Clearly, his girl was carb-loading after the emotional day. Understandable. And he was happy to stick to pleasant topics. The happier conversation helped him remember who she was to him, and his role in her life too.

Granted, he wanted to change his role beyond being a good friend and the skilled protector she needed. But he could be patient. He’d waited this long to open a vein and lay his heart out for her.

After dinner, they ran through her truncated client schedule and he made arrangements with Jess to have someone at the Hideaway when they were gone. He refused to give the developers any easy access.

They played a game of cribbage and watched a mystery movie before she was finally ready to call it a night. He gave her privacy to get settled, doing his best to keep his mind away from the visions of her changing into pajamas and sliding under the covers.

She was reading a book when he came in after a check of the cameras. “Can’t sleep?”

“Working on it.” The book closed with a snap. “And failing.”

“What can I do?”

“Thanks, but don’t worry. It’s not your job to entertain me or fix insomnia.”

He sat on the edge of the bed. “It kinda is.” Her eyes heated and he scrambled to keep his own reaction in check. “Besides, I didn’t sleep much last night and I’d rather you didn’t keep me awake tossing and turning.

“How about a walk?” he suggested. “Fresh air is your first go-to, isn’t it?”

“We could just sit on the deck.”

“We’ll see more stars closer to the water.” And it would be quiet at this hour. He thought she’d benefit from a normal sounding night on the secluded beach that had been hers for most of her life.

“Deal.” She threw the covers aside and yanked off her fuzzy socks. “The AC chills my feet and then I can’t sleep.”

He nearly offered to fix that too. One step at a time. Then his mouth went dry at the sight of her in a thin camisole that clung to her curves and sleep shorts. “Are those unicorns?”

“Are you judging?” she challenged, pulling that cream sweater over her head. “Come on, come on, come on.” Barefoot, she dashed to the door, her hand outstretched. “Stars are waiting.”

He dropped his phone into a pocket on his thigh and joined her. Bracing himself for the contact, he wrapped his fingers around her hand. Good thing too, because she nearly dashed off before he’d reset the security system.

As they left the glow of the overnight lights on the deck, he turned on his flashlight, the beam guiding their path out to the fire pit, over the dunes, and down to the beach. Each step toward the ocean was like dialing up the volume on the surf. The maritime forest cast a long shadow and cut down the breeze.

The moon was high and the stars sparkled across the deep velvet sky. Beside him, Roni threw her head back, a smile on her lush lips. She hugged his arm and sighed. “You’re good at fixing, Bray. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he murmured, breathing her in. He picked out the individual scents that added up to Veronica. The citrus shampoo, vanilla lotion, lingering sunshine, and ocean air all blended into the fragrance that was simply her.

She moved closer to the water, giggling when the foamy tips of the waves rolled over her feet. “Oh, it’s perfect out here.” She squeezed his hand. “I can almost forget the chaos.”