The View from Alameda Island - Robyn Carr Page 0,84
there and let them have a look. Beth wants to make a big Sunday meal at her house. It’s strategic—you can escape if you get uncomfortable, the boys can run off to Xbox if they get restless and you can help with dishes to keep your nervous hands busy.”
“I won’t be nervous,” he said. “From what you’ve told me about them, I’ll like them a lot. And your brother-in-law has a big screen in his man cave. I’ll be fine.”
“Is this a little quick for us to be meeting the families?” she asked.
He shook his head. “We’re not meeting the families to get their approval so we can get married. We’re meeting so they know who we’re spending our time with. No one has proposed to me. Has someone proposed to you?” he asked, his mouth quirking into a smile.
“We’re going to be dating a long time—it’s not serious.”
But of course it was. Serious. She couldn’t imagine another man ever putting his hands on her. And she knew that in Beau’s mind it had been serious almost from the beginning.
“How do you define serious?” he asked her.
“Engagement or plans for marriage, which will not even be discussed anytime soon,” she answered. “Years, probably.”
“Okay, we have different definitions of serious. My definition of serious is that I miss you every second we’re apart, can’t keep my hands off you, you are my one and only, other women don’t even register in my vision and I plan to be with you and only you for a long, long time. As long as you’ll have me.”
“By your definition, I guess we’re serious,” she said.
“What about Lacey?” he asked. “When are you going to spring me on Lacey?”
“I’ve already told Cassidy about you and she’s anxious to meet you again. Given the strained relationship she currently has with her sister, I doubt she’ll share the news. As for Lacey, if she pops over unexpectedly while you’re at my house or if we run into her while we’re out, I’ll make an introduction. Otherwise, I plan to wait until the holidays have passed or the divorce is final, whichever comes first. My divorce would be final by now if Brad wasn’t trying to make sure I don’t get anything. What he doesn’t understand is I don’t really want anything. I just want to make sure my daughters have some legacy from that marriage. For their education. And for therapy if they need it. I can take care of myself.”
He chuckled and said, “I think at the end of the day, we’ll take care of each other, babe. We know how.”
Lauren saw Beau nearly every day and when they couldn’t spend an evening together, they talked on the phone. She felt thirteen. Every time she said, “I missed you all day,” her cheeks flamed. Was this absurd? To feel that kind of infatuation so soon? Was it soon? She didn’t know the rules. He claimed to have fallen for her instantly and the truth was, she’d fallen for him just as fast. When she showed up in that garden to find the book they had talked about and a couple of coffees, she was doomed. Yes, he was handsome, incredibly sexy, smart and wise, but what registered the most on her poor battered heart was his kindness. His thoughtfulness. He wasn’t only kind toward her but everyone. He held doors, asked after people’s families, carried heavy parcels to cars for older people, made babies laugh, scratched dogs behind the ears. Polite. Sweet. He had not once walked away from a person and muttered a rude or hateful comment. He was completely considerate.
She loved his goodness.
Her eyes were held wide open by her own memories. Beau could not hide an evil or hateful nature for this long. Thinking back, Brad had not hidden his true nature for even a week. There had been red flags all over the place, but she had made excuses. Why had she made so many excuses for him?
“Because you were twenty-two,” Beau said. “Instead of being mad at yourself for missing the obvious, be proud of yourself for trying so hard to keep your family intact. You really gave it all you had.”
“And you did, too,” she said.
“I tried,” he admitted. “I wasn’t hopeful, but I tried. I gave myself a real steep goal—when I had to let go I wanted to be sure I’d done my best.”
“We’re so alike,” she said. “Is that enough for us?”