Oceanside Marine (Kendall Family Book 4) Read online

  With a small hum she leans back against me, holding onto my arms. “I totally get why you decided to stay out here. Still, it must kind of suck being so far away from your family.”

  “Sometimes,” I admit before kissing the top of her head. “But Shel and Hap take good care of me. I’m okay with doing my own thing. I was kind of the forgotten kid growing up anyway.”

  Turning her head, she kisses my bicep. “I’m sorry, Brae. It must’ve been hard watching your mom die when you were little, and Ev tells me your dad was a total workaholic.” Her fingers drag back and forth against my arm as she lets out a thoughtful sigh. “I know it’s not the same, but since the boys’ father had nothing to do with them, I always worried that I didn’t give them enough attention when they were young. I was so damn immature myself that half the time I had no clue what I was doing. Around the time Charlie started seeing Evelyn I was convinced I had broken Connor—he was such a dick! I’m sure you heard the story of how he told the paparazzi where they could find Charlie and your sister in the Hamptons.”

  “You definitely didn’t break him. From what I’ve seen, he got over it and grew up.” I press my face against the side of her head and squeeze her tight. Knowing how hard she must’ve struggled raising two boys on her own has me seeing red. “Did you see anyone else after their dad?”

  “No one worth mentioning. I never brought anyone home. I didn’t want the boys to have to deal with a strange man coming into their lives, telling them what to do. Their Uncle Charlie was enough of a surrogate father, although he did do a few things along the way that I wished Connor and Allen hadn’t known about.”

  “I fucking hate that asshole for getting you pregnant and taking off,” I say with a low growl. “You deserve so much better, Katie. You deserve a man who will spoil the shit out of you—try to make up for what that douche did. Someone who will lo—”

  “Stop being so dramatic.” Before I can finish, she’s wiggling out from my arms and turning her back to me as she plucks her water from my backpack. “I’ll be happy if I can at least find a guy who doesn’t have a criminal record or some creepy fetish. One of my friends thought she’d met the perfect guy at the gym until he took her to meet his parents and he was suddenly a Norman-Bates-kind-of-weird with his mom. Maybe I’ll give one of those websites a try. At least you have your pick of nurses from the VA and don’t have to resort to online dating.”

  Jesus Christ. Where the fuck did the sudden attitude come from? “Babe, what—”

  “I’m going to check out a trail I saw off this other way.” Stepping backwards, she stabs her thumb over her shoulder. There’s a smile tugging at her lips, but it’s total bullshit. “Try to keep up, junior.”

  As she starts for the other trail, I scratch my head while trying to piece together what the hell just happened. The only way that could’ve gone any worse is if she had thrown herself over the goddamned bluff.

  We make it back to the campsite before the sun sets. Katie continues to treat me like an old buddy—nowhere near, at the very least, like the fuck-friends we’ve become. Far as I can tell, I freaked her out when I brought up her ex and dating. It’s sure as shit not how I envisioned our last night together, but I refuse to let her ruin it with her flippant attitude. I play along like nothing’s changed.

  After cooking brats and s’mores over the campfire, we settle in the tent and she surprises the shit out of me when crawling into the two sleeping bags we zipped together. At the very least I figured she’d want her own sleeping space. Hell, the way she’s been acting I wouldn’t be surprised if she asked me to sleep in the truck.

  “Come on in, big guy,” she says with an evil-looking grin, holding the corner of the sleeping bag out. It’s almost scary how sinister she looks with light from the electric lamp flickering across her upturned lips. “I have a going away present for you.”

  So we’re back to being fuck buddies again, just like that? Aw, hell. As hard as I’ve tried to make my point, there’s no stopping myself from doing wicked things to this beautiful woman regardless. By now my dick’s trained to react to her smoldering looks and verbal cues, so why wouldn’t I dive right in?

  I fold my arms, looking down the bridge of my nose at her. “First show me how you’re going to take care of yourself once I’m no longer around.”

  Lips opening and closing like a fish out of water, she glances over my shoulder as if expecting someone to walk in and save her.

  That’s right, beautiful. You want to play hardball? I’m all in.

  Then her eyes narrow on mine. “You know what? I think I’m kind of tired.”

  “Scared you won’t be able to do the job as well as I can, sweetheart?”

  Just as expected, the challenge sends her over the edge. She looks livid as she peels off the leggings I bought her, then a pair of bright pink underwear, tossing them on the tent floor between us. Eyes still locked with mine, she begins to move her arm in slow circles.

  “Pull the sleeping bag back,” I demand. “I want to watch you play with those gorgeous tits too.”

  In a strangled voice, she pleads my name.

  I only shake my head, refusing to show any mercy. “I need something to hold onto after you’re gone.”

  Rapidly blinking, she pulls her shirt up over her head. Next she removes her ponytail band. Then her bra. As her hand slowly sinks down her belly and between her legs, tears tumble down her cheeks and her chest rises with a muffled cry.

  Way to go, asshole. I may be the cocky prick she’s always accusing me of being, but I’m not a total bastard. I care too much about this woman to let our time together end with her in tears. Quickly stripping down to my boxers, I sink to my knees and gather her off the ground. Wet face pressed against my chest, she trembles inside my arms.

  “Please don’t cry, beautiful. It fucking guts me to see you anything other than happy.”

  With a sniffle she wraps her hands behind my head and nudges my mouth down to meet hers. The way her tongue prods and seeks with urgency, I almost wonder if she’s experiencing a change of heart. But since she doesn’t stop crying quietly as I make love to her under the stars, it’s obvious her mind has been set.

  She’s leaving and doesn’t plan on ever coming back.

  The next morning when I park the truck beneath a sign advertising Katie’s airline, a rush of panic rises in my throat as she throws her purse strap over her head and gathers her things. If I let her leave without telling her what I want, I’m positive she’ll completely give up on the idea of us.

  “Do you want more kids?” I blurt.

  “What the…” Slapping her hands over her face, she groans, “Seriously. Braeden…”

  “I need to know.” I pull her hands down, wrapping our fingers together as I search her pinched expression for the truth. “Is it even possible, or did you have something permanently done after Allen was born?”

  “If you’re worried about birth control—”

  “No. That’s not it. I’m asking if you’d ever consider starting a second family.”

  “Holy shit! What? No!” Drawing her hands from mine, she slides away from me until her hip is pushed against the door. “How is that any of your business when we agreed to end this once I’m gone?”

  “What if I don’t want it to end? We’re fucking awesome together. Why not keep going?” I attempt to reach for her hands again, but she turns away. “We both know this is more than a fling at this point. Last night went well beyond good sex and you know it. Baby, I think I might be falling—”

  “No, you’re most certainly not!” she scolds, reaching for the door handle. “There’ll be none of that talk! This was a specific arrangement that revolved strictly around mind-blowing sex and nothing more! It was supposed to be about two lonely people finding temporary comfort in each other!”

  I clamp my hand over her wrist, hoping to stop her from running. “It may have started out that way, but things changed!”

  “This,” her fingers dance betwee
n our chests, “isn’t happening! And not just because our families wouldn’t understand! Whatever Hap said the other night to upset you is only the beginning! I guarantee if you throw your life away to be with an older woman, you’ll never hear the end of it, especially when I’m ordering off the senior menu and you’re just entering your prime!”

  “That’s bullshit! It’s reverse age-ism! No one bats an eye when an older man marries a younger woman!”

  Tipping her head back, she huffs loudly. “I had a great time with you. But I live in Brooklyn and you obviously love it out here.” Her eyes meet mine, filled with a sympathetic look that I fucking hate. “You’re a great guy, Brae! You’re brave, and loyal, and sweet, and funny, and so damn sexy that you’ll have your pick of women your age. And whether or not you can admit it to yourself, you’re fucking young. You should take advantage of the GI bill. You could pursue a professional job that works with veterans or kids with a messed up childhood, because you’re so damn good at that kind of thing. You have so much potential. I’m not going to do anything to hold you back. The best years of your life are still ahead of you.”

  “What if the ‘best fucking years of my life’ suck ass because I let you walk away? What if it wasn’t some kind of stupid fluke that you came out here this week and we ended up together?” I flex my hands, wanting to pull her into my arms but knowing she’ll only resist. “Why do you think it’s up to you to decide what’s best for me?”

  She looks ready to cry when she leans in to press a reluctant kiss against my cheek. “Thank you for this week. It was beyond my expectations. It was amazing—you’re amazing.” When I reach up to tangle my fingers in her soft curls, she leans back and shakes her head with wet cheeks. “Goodbye, Braden.”

  Agony wrenches my heart so violently as she hops out of the pickup that I expect to see a hole in my chest when I drop my head. It isn’t until she disappears with the sea of travelers passing through the automatic doors that I realize she never answered my question about children.

  Chapter 10

  KATIE

  It was inevitable that I’d see Braden again after my rocky departure from California, but the night of James and Shar’s groomsmen’s dinner when I hear someone say he’s pulling up outside the clubhouse, I don’t expect the rush of anxiety that feels way too much like an actual heart attack. Like a freaking coward, I run to the powder room, unprepared for what I’ll say once I’m forced to face him.

  After he ambushed me at the airport about starting a family, I was a total wreck. Though I refuse to admit it out loud, a part of me knows I broke as we made love in the tent on that mountaintop. I thought I was doing the right thing by letting him go. I knew that if I heard him say that he loved me, there wouldn’t be any turning back. I thought we’d both get over it and everything would be okay. I was so very wrong. At least on my end.

  His calls and texts over the week-and-a-half to follow went mostly unanswered. I’m not a complete monster—I sent a text when I had arrived home safely, and politely thanked him again. I knew I was a fool to let something like him go, but it had to be done. While I don’t entirely despise the idea of having another baby as long as it would happen in the next couple of years, I don’t know that I could handle more than one. I don’t even know that I still have the patience it takes for newborns. And Braden’s just entering the golden age where he should be clubbing and going on adventures my aging body couldn’t keep up with.

  Though the temptation is strong to give a relationship with him a try, it wouldn’t be fair to him. He’ll understand that one day.

  I know I’ll never find someone as amazing as Braden again in this lifetime. Not someone with that talented of a tongue who has the ability to give me countless orgasms in a row. He’s a diamond in the rough. And man, does he ever like it rough. And slow. And everywhere in between. I’m struck with a longing pang between my legs whenever I recall how he made me watch myself over and over along with him.

  If I’m being totally honest, I was livid with myself for days after returning home. I was a cold bitch and he’s such a sweet guy. But I knew that if I answered his calls, I’d cave in and agree to whatever he wanted with the sound of his voice.

  Both Sharlo and Evelyn were on to my foul mood right away. I lied and told them I was dealing with a hellacious menstrual cycle. They thought I had spent the extra days in California with an old friend from high school, and didn’t have any reason to think I was lying because I’m usually straight forward with everyone. So I almost shit myself when Sharlo commented that my skin was glowing like I had gotten laid while I was gone.

  “Hey!” Evelyn calls out from the doorway. She enters the powder room with a slight frown. “What’re you doing in here? They’re getting ready to serve dinner.”

  With the sight of my sister-in-law’s baby bump inside her gray, knee-length dress, I almost burst into tears. If I hadn’t turned Braden down, maybe I could’ve given her little one and Frank another cousin to play with.

  “Katie?”

  “I’m fine, just a little sentimental about your brother and Shar finally tying the knot.” I spin around to grab a tissue from the vanity and blow my nose before straightening my short white bubble dress in the mirror. I immediately thought of Braden when I bought the dress a few days ago, knowing he’d appreciate the way it shows off my cleavage. And since he once mentioned he “digs” it when I wear bright colors, I knew he’d appreciate the rainbow print. I even wore my hair in a curled ponytail, a style that always seemed to drive him especially wild.

  God, I’m fucking pathetic.

  “No frowning,” Evelyn warns behind me as she’s setting her hands on her hips. “You look hot. Maybe you’ll hook up with one of James’s friends tonight. I’m pretty sure Asher’s single again. You remember the big tattooed hottie from Minnesota that came to James’s last fight?”

  Just what I need, another twenty-something kid lighting my world on fire.

  “I don’t need a hook up,” I retort, clicking my tongue. “Is there anything other than sex going through you brain these days?”

  “Yeah…food,” she decides, licking her glossy lips. Hooking her arm through mine, she drags me toward the door. “So let’s go before we miss it!”

  I consider sticking my Prada heels into the plush carpet and refusing to go along, but ultimately decide against it. Pregnancy has made my sister-in-law more feisty than usual. I wouldn’t put it past her to have my brother drag me back to my seat.

  The lavish dining hall buzzes with excitement as friends and family of the happy couple prepare to celebrate their upcoming wedding. I’ve never seen a more tasteful venue for a groomsmen’s dinner. Large round tables with shimmering copper table cloths, tall centerpiece vases with white hydrangeas and baby’s breath, votive candles lit in front of every single guest…I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.

  I can only imagine what James has planned for the reception since he wanted to surprise Sharlo. He refused to let anyone other than the wedding planner step foot on the location. He may be the biggest brute of the Kendall family—beating Braden by a minuscule amount—but he seems to be the most romantic of them all. I’m truthfully a bit jealous of Sharlo. Like the ugly kind that makes you a jerk for having those feelings about one of your best friends.

  Evelyn and I make it back to the front of the room where Charlie, Angelina, Sharlo’s mom, and my boys are already eating at our assigned table. I stuff my face with the delicious lamb and fancy vegetables without ever looking up, pretending I can actually avoid Braden for the entire night.

  As we’re finishing our deserts, there’s a dinging of silverware against glass. I reach for my champagne glass, almost dropping it when finally catching Braden’s dark gaze from the next table.

  The cocky little shit grins. And my God, does he ever look divine.

  Swallowing the sudden lump in my throat, I direct my attention to where Sharlo’s dad stands a few chairs away from Braden, microphone in hand. He’s a handsome
older man with a full head of slightly graying hair, an impeccable sense of style, and as far as I know, single with no subsequent wives since his divorce with Sharlo’s mom. Maybe I’d be better off dating someone his age.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family,” he begins, “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight to celebration the union of my beautiful daughter and the only man on the planet I’d ever want to call my son!”

  Among applause, someone throws in a few cheers and wolf whistles. Once the noise dies down, Baby Franklin squeals excitedly from his momma’s lap and a small round of laughter follows. James, looking dapper in a pale blue designer dress shirt rolled to his elbows and the silver Rolex gifted to him the night before by his wealthy father-in-law-to-be, bends into Sharlo. He kisses her cheek while brushing his large hand over their son’s full head of curly blond hair. The three of them are the perfect little family, like something out of a freaking fairytale.

  Disgustingly jealous.

  “I was asked to say something tonight as both James’s mother and father have passed,” Sharlo’s dad continues, his smile from a few moments ago becoming somber. “Though I never had the honor of meeting them, I know without a doubt they’d be exceptionally proud of the noble young man their son has become, as well as becoming the loving father to our beautiful grandson. I couldn’t have handpicked a better man to care for my sweet Sharlo and their child.”

  Hearing Evelyn sniffle, I reach out to squeeze her hand. She throws me a wavering smile through thick tears.

  Sharlo’s dad wipes at the corners of his eyes. “But I promised to save the long, sappy speech for tomorrow’s reception, so I’m warning you now to bring your handkerchiefs. Tonight I simply ask as we digest this outstanding meal and enjoy each other’s company, that you take a minute to consider the path that brought you here: the extraordinary love of two young people. James and Sharlo have touched the lives of every single person in this room in one way or another, so it’s not necessary to describe their generous hearts, or go over all the reasons why it’s nothing short of a miracle they found each other and made their relationship work despite a laundry list of things that tried to prevent them from their happily ever after.