AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s not okay. I’m not like you. You gave your life up for mom and me. She walked out and left you alone to raise a kid. I saw how hard it was for you. How hard I made it for you sometimes. And I know you don’t regret it, but maybe I wanted more for you.”
“That’s not the way it works, son. We take what we get and make the best of it.”
Jackson sighed. “Yeah, and that’s what I’m doing. Building my business, making sure we’re both set for life. That’s all I have time for right now.”
“And if Hayley hadn’t left? Would you have chosen something different then?”
Who was Hayley? Lydia leaned forward, shaking her head at herself. This had went from listening to a father and son conversation to something more. Something she wasn’t supposed to overhear. She stood and cleared her throat, padding across the cool tile floor from the stairs to the kitchen. “Hey!” she said, painting a smile on her face. “What do you guys think of my outfit?”
Ryan grinned as soon as she walked in. “Looks better on you than Jackson.”
She gave him a little curtsey. “Thank you kindly, sir.”
Jackson was on the other side of the breakfast bar, his bare elbows leaning on the Corian counter, his hands curled around a grey coffee mug. Their eyes met, and she felt it again. That slam in her chest which made her heart skip a beat.
His eyes were dark. Narrow. His lips pressed together. He swallowed hard as he scanned her from head to foot, taking in his clothes knotted and rolled on her small body.
“You warm enough?” he asked, his voice graveled.
“Yeah. You have a toasty shower. And thank you for the coffee.”
“Shower’s even warmer with two.” Ryan coughed behind his hand.
Lydia bit down a grin. “You offering?”
“If I was twenty years younger, I’d be begging, sweetheart.” He winked at her. “But I have a feeling you’re too much woman for me.”
From the corner of her eye she could see Jackson watching them intently, a rhythmic tic to his jaw.
“I think you could cope.” She shrugged. “I hear you taught Jackson, Griff, and Lucas how to surf. If you can wrangle those three you can do anything.”
“Do you surf?” Ryan asked, tipping his head to the side. He was a handsome man, the same square jaw as Jackson, but unlike his son he was freshly shaven. His silver hair brushed back from his face.
“I’ve tried it a few times on my travels. In Hawaii, of course. And Bondi Beach. And did you know they surf in England? In the west of the country. I tried it there once.”
“I was in a competition in Newquay once.”
“Fistral Beach?” Lydia asked.
Ryan grinned. “That’s the one. Those English guys are unbelievable. And that water is damn cold. I swear I had goosebumps on top of my goosebumps.”
Jackson cleared his throat. “If you two are finished with the travelogue, I need to take Lydia home. I got a hell of a lot of work to do tonight.”
“Oh. Of course.” Lydia nodded at him. “Sorry for delaying you.”
“It’s fine.” He grabbed his keys from the counter. “You okay to look after Eddie for a minute?” he asked his dad.
“Sure.”
“Then let’s go.”
The air in his car crackled and buzzed between them as Jackson drove down the cliff road toward the beach. Griff and Autumn had a ranch house on the other side of town that they’d bought before they had Skyler, complete with ocean views.
“Do you mind if we take a raincheck on the driving lesson tonight?” Jackson asked her. The thought of being in the car with her any longer than necessary was putting him on edge. It was hard enough knowing she was sitting next to him in his clothes. His dad was right, they did look better on her.
They’d look even better in a heap on the floor of his bedroom, while he ran his lips along that tattoo on her hip.
He gritted his teeth to chase away the thought.
