Loving Eden (23 page)

“Handsome devil, isn’t it?”

“You don’t even know, Renee.” I smiled. Her eyes were zeroed in on Mason.

“I’m going to go have a little chat. I’ll catch up with you later.” She patted me on the back and marched toward Mason like she had found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and didn’t want anyone to beat her to it.

I don’t consider myself nosey. Usually, I take the information I get and sometimes don’t even want that. However, the exchange with Renee piqued my interest worse than any curious cat. I stuffed my lip gloss in my clutch, and made my way to one of the tables near the bar. I could use a refill on my champagne anyway.

I leaned against the high top table and pretended to check the messages on my phone. I couldn’t care less if I had an unanswered email, but I needed a lame cover for my eavesdropping. I parked myself there while Renee pulled Mason to the side of the bar.

From what I could hear, she was delivering news Mason wasn’t prepared for. I had already missed the introductions.

“I know you don’t know me well, honey—you’ve never met me—but I knew your father and I loved that man. Everyone on this island loved that man.”

Mason huffed. He wasn’t interested in her praise of his dad.

“So, you’ve got to put an end to this demolition business. He would be furious if he knew you were going after Grey the way you are. It’s shameful. Just isn’t right what you’re doing to such a good man. It’s not his fault he didn’t know about you.”

Mason lips pursed together. “Ma’am, I know you mean well, but you don’t know what’s going on. You don’t know me, and you certainly don’t know anything about my relationship with my father.” He tried to skirt around her, but Renee held her ground.

“You’re not listening to me. I did know him. I knew him very well in fact. We were friends for years, both having businesses on the island together, living here, raising families here.” She sighed. “And he told me about you.”

“What? You knew about me?” Mason’s voice softened, and I strained to hear his words.

“Honey, your father wanted to bring you and your mother to the island. He was trying to figure out a way to make it work with Grey and the business. Your mother didn’t want to move, and I think they weren’t able to get past that. Sounded like they drifted apart and so many years passed and then she died. But he was still determined to get you here even though by then you were an adult. It was really his dream. He told me so many times how proud he was of you. How he was going to make things right.”

I didn’t know if Mason was so quiet I couldn’t hear his reply, or if Renee had stunned him into silence. Finally, I heard the low drawl of his words.

“Renee, I appreciate you telling me this, but it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t fit with the man who
didn’t
raise me. It’s not the same story my mother told me.”

“Honey, it’s true. Maybe one day, when you’re a father yourself, you’ll see how complicated it is to raise children. And I’m not saying Mitchell didn’t get himself in a mess having an affair, but it didn’t mean he didn’t love you. He wanted you to know it; he just wasn’t big on words. And the man was a little stubborn. I think that runs in the Lachlan genes.”

“But he left the Palm Palace to Grey. It was the only thing he had in this life, and he left it to him.”

“Now, Mason, I’ve heard a little something about you. You’ve done real well for yourself. Real well.” Renee paused. “Aren’t you a successful businessman, driving a fancy car, traveling all around, money in your bank account?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mason was quiet. I had never heard him decline an opportunity to talk about his successes.

“It might not be how you wanted it, and it might have hurt, but Mitchell wasn’t stupid man. I think your father knew who needed help and who didn’t.”

I hadn’t looked at my phone in a few minutes and I was completely focused on the exchange, if anyone saw me now I would be busted. I was stunned by Renee’s confession about Pops. Did Mason’s mother give him bad information all of those years? Did her relationship go sour and she pinned it all on Pops? It was like listening to a soap opera unfold.

“Renee, it was a pleasure to meet you. I’ve got a beautiful girl waiting on me.” He kissed her on the cheek and weaved through the crowd back to Taylor.

I held my breath, waiting for Renee to rejoin the party. I didn’t know if what she told Mason would make a difference, if he even cared about it, but if I were him, I would need a stiff drink and a walk on the beach to figure it all out.

G
rey was able to slow dance as long as he didn’t put too much pressure on his recovering leg. We swayed to the music, my head resting against his chest. I loved being close to him like this. The lights started to flicker, and I could see the country club staff closing in from all the doors, flanking us like a military surge. It was after midnight, and they were ready for us to go. I couldn’t blame them. It was late.

Reluctantly, the guests filed out of the main entrance of the ballroom and into the circular drive of the club. A few seconds later, Marin came bounding down the steps in a short cocktail dress, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Pick scooped her in his arms and lowered her over the side of the car into the passenger seat.

“Y’all behave tonight!” someone hollered over the laughter.

“I don’t think so,” Pick called back from the steering wheel, revving the engine a few times. Marin slapped him on the chest, but she was clearly happy. Her cheeks were pink, and she hadn’t stopped smiling all night.

I saw Marin’s mother dab at her eyes a few times while her father held her next to him. Watching their first daughter drive off into married life must have been a bittersweet moment for them.

Grey and I waved as the car pulled out of the drive. Marin and Pick would be on their way to their St. Croix honeymoon tomorrow. Tonight, they had the bridal suite at the Sun Resort, a gift from Marin’s boss.

Everyone milled around for a few seconds, drinking bottled water. No one was ready to go home. Nights like that were hard to leave.

“Hey, I think we should light up the bonfire.” Connor came up behind us. He had had a few beers. “A little after party is in order.” His wedding date was a few paces behind him. I met her during the reception.

It seemed late to start one, and I wasn’t sure about taking my blue dress on the beach, but your friends didn’t get married every day.

Grey’s hand slid along my back. “You up for it?”

“Yes, I think it’s a good idea,” I answered. “It’ll be fun.”

Taylor bounced over. “Are we going to the beach?”

I wished I could read Grey’s mind. Would he be ok if Taylor and Mason tagged along?

Grey answered, “Yep. Come on.”

And just like that, Grey had invited Mason to the local bonfire. I didn’t know what to say. It was possible there was an impending apocalypse. I checked the sky, but all I saw was a brilliant October Texas sky littered with stars.

I was impressed with how quickly the guys pitched in to stack the wood. Mason carried an armful of wood from Connor’s truck. I doubted he did much manual labor growing up, unlike Grey, but he was helping.

I had managed to avoid Laura throughout the reception. Grey and I sat on the opposite side of the ballroom from her and her date, but here at the bonfire, the crowd was much more intimate. She was only ten feet away.

I watched the sand flutter over my feet. If I stared at the grains bouncing over my toes, I could avoid Laura’s stare, and the jealousy that had planted itself in the pit of my stomach.

“Do you see what I see?” Taylor danced over to me.

“Uh, no. What are you talking about?”

“Look at that.” She pointed to the fire. “They are actually working together.”

I stared in disbelief. Mason was handing Grey logs of driftwood while Grey added them to the blaze. If I didn’t know better, I might classify it as teamwork.

“Maybe I had too much champagne.” I blinked again.

Taylor laughed. “No, it just means that they are getting along. It’s all going to work out, Eden. You want something to drink? Connor said there’s a cooler in the back of his truck.”

I shook my head. “I’m good.” I lifted my water bottle. I had been taking it easy ever since our night at Pete’s. I wasn’t ever going to spend another night on our bathroom floor.

I watched as she skipped toward Connor’s tailgate. Sure, it was nice for a change that Grey wasn’t plotting how to knock Mason on his ass, but I didn’t expect it to last. It couldn’t. They definitely weren’t chitchatting or slapping each other on the back, but they were loading the fire with wood. It was something I never thought I’d see. There were some deep-seated issues between them. What worried me the most was that Grey might wake up in the morning regretting his decision to sell the Palm. It was a beautiful fantasy to think we could ride off into the grad school sunset and live off his fortune while Mason demolished the Palm and built a high-rise on it. How would Grey live with this decision?

“What’s going on in that head of yours, darlin’?” Grey stood next to me.

“Is it that obvious?” I was trying to keep up with the party spirit, but there was too much going on in front of me: Grey and Mason, Taylor and Mason, and the enormous Laura elephant.

His hands brushed over my shoulder as if I were wearing my hair down. “Did I tell you how pretty you looked at the wedding?”

I turned in the sand so that I was leaning into him, chest to chest. “No, I don’t think you did.”

“Don’t tell Marin I said this, but you were the prettiest girl in the church.” He kissed my neck. I felt little shivers cascade down my spine. His fingers laced through mine, drawing me even closer.

I giggled. “You are
not
supposed to say that. Today was Marin’s day.”

“But I mean it,” he growled against my ear.

We stayed like that for a while, pressed against each other, the bonfire roaring nearby while our friends danced up a storm on the beach. I loved dancing, but I loved being held by Grey more. For as long as we were there, I never say Grey turn his head once in Laura’s direction. By the time the fire faded, so had all the jealousy in my stomach.

“Grey?” I looked at his face, glowing with the last flames of flickering firelight.

“Hmm?”

“Take me to bed?”

He smiled. “Do you think we’ll make it in the house?”

I blushed, tipping my chin toward him, daring him to kiss me in front of everyone, although everyone was coupled off and I doubted anyone would notice.

“Do you want to make it in the house?” I teased. My eyes locked on his. This shameless seduction had me burning up for him. I didn’t think he was serious, but I was completely turned on.

“Why don’t we start walking back and you’ll find out.” He stood from the log we used as a seat, his hand extended.

Every part of me started working in overdrive. My breath was rapid, my skin sensitive to his touch, my pulse surging rapidly. All I could think about was how tangled up we were going to get before we even walked through the door.

I didn’t bother saying good-bye to Taylor or Connor. We disappeared into the shadows and followed the dunes to our cottage before anyone realized we had left the party. I started to climb the stairs when I felt Grey’s hands sliding along my bare legs. He was a few steps below me, and I kept a slow pace as I climbed to the next step, not wanting to lose his touch. I stopped, clutching the railing as his hand reached between my legs, and over my backside, gripping the waist of my panties and guiding them down my legs. I closed my eyes, reminding myself I had to breathe and keep climbing the stairs. I stepped forward, allowing him to work them over my ankles.

Thank God, we didn’t leave the lights on the ocean side of the house. I didn’t expect to arrive beachfront at the end of the night. I took another step. His hand was pushing the sides of my dress up as he eagerly fought to dip along my hot wet skin. I stopped until his chest was heaving against my back. I needed him to steady me, all the feelings were incredibly intense—the ones in my heart and the ones raging through my body.

His mouth descended on my neck, and I reached behind me, grasping at the back of his head. The harder he kissed me, the more his fingers reached inside me. Twirling and spreading until I was craving every ounce of him.