Her Accidental Boyfriend: A Secret Wishes Novel (Entangled Bliss) (18 page)

“Wait!” Kagan looked away and Shane felt it like a wrecking ball to his chest. “We need to finish things here, Char. And you promised…”

Charlotte whispered something in Kagan’s ear. Shane suspected it was about him when Kagan shook her head, and Charlotte flashed him an apologetic half-smile.

“If Charlotte promised to run interference if we saw each other, it’s not going to work,” Shane said. He took Kagan’s hand and the usual spark shot up his arm. “I’m done being away from you.”

“Shane,” Kagan murmured.

Not letting go of her, he moved around the table until he stood a hairsbreadth away. He looked over her shoulder at Charlotte. “Can you give us a minute?”

Nodding, Charlotte stepped away. “I can give you two.” Then she mouthed
good luck
.

He traced his finger down Kagan’s cheek. “I should have told you this sooner. I thought to give you time to catch up. But seeing as I’m still waiting, I’m going to take the initiative because I’ve missed you so damn much.”

Kagan closed her eyes, and her breathing faltered. When she slowly lifted her lids and looked at him like she mirrored that sentiment, the knotted bundle of nerves at the base of his spine relaxed.

“I love you.” Saying the words out loud scared the crap out of him, but at the same time made him feel like he could conquer anything.

She blinked. He couldn’t swallow. “I love you too.”

Yes!

“I’m ashamed of how I treated you. I do trust you, Shane. I was just scared and let my insecurities get the best of me.”

He lifted her off the ground and spun them around. As soon as her feet touched the ground again he said, “Want to roll around in the grass and make-out for everyone to see?”

She giggled. “How about you come over later and we do more than just make-out?”

With his arms still around her waist, he touched his forehead to hers. If he kissed her like he really wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to stop. “You’re on.”

…

“I’m not answering the door naked.”

“Why not?” Charlotte said from the couch right before popping another grape into her mouth.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Kagan glanced down at her short heather gray cotton dress. It was soft, comfortable, and easy to lift over her head for when she
was
ready to get naked.

With Shane. She was going to get naked with Shane for the rest of her life if he wanted. She’d missed him so much this past week, letting her fear of attachment hold her back. Letting what she thought she saw outside his office give her pause when in truth she was scared. Scared that he didn’t love her back.

But he did.

A grape hit her between the eyes. “Knock that off, would you?” Charlotte teased.

“Knock what off?” Kagan stepped away from the window and sat beside her best friend.

“Looking all dreamy. It’s annoying.”

Kagan plucked a grape from the bunch in Charlotte’s hand. “I’m hoping it’s contagious, and you’ll find some cute guy who will keep you here in Cascade.”

“Small town boy? No thank you. But I’ve loved visiting you. Thanks for being my home away from home while I lick my wounds.”

“This is home,” Kagan breathed, falling back against the couch and trying not to look ridiculously happy. “You’ve been a big help to me this week too, you know.”

Charlotte put a hand on Kagan’s arm. “I’m so glad you’ve found where you want to be. Shane is a very lucky man.” She pushed up. “I should probably get going to the movie so you guys can be alone as soon as he gets here.”

“Thanks, Char.” Kagan stood. “But you know you don’t have to go.”

“I may be down on my luck at the moment, but I am not a third wheel. Besides, I’m leaving so you can answer the door nay-ked.”

“I’m—” The doorbell rang and they both chuckled.

“I could go out the back,” Charlotte said, grabbing her purse and whipping her other arm up and over her head in a gesture that said Kagan should pull the dress off.

“I don’t have a back door, you goofball.”

“Oh. Right. Okay then.” Charlotte pressed her shoulders back and stepped toward the front door.

Flutters did their thing inside Kagan’s stomach. The back of her neck tingled. She absently rubbed a couple fingers across her forehead, remembering how Shane’s forehead had touched there just hours ago.

The second she let him in and Char took off, she so planned to be naked. They could talk after.

She swung the door wide and her body froze.

Charlotte choked.

“Dad?”

Chapter Fifteen

“What are you doing here?” Kagan managed to get out.

“Is that any way to greet your father?” He opened his arms and because it had been so long since her dad had hugged her, she stepped into his embrace.

She regretted it the moment he tightened his hold like a father who had really missed his daughter. He kept her close, in no rush to end the contact, almost as if he needed to make up for the past five months they’d been apart.

Staying angry with her father had been easy when he was back east, but having him here now, and squeezing her like he never wanted to let go, dwindled all the reasons she’d left.

After another few moments, they broke apart.

“Hi, Mr. Donaldson.” Charlotte gave him a quick hug hello. “Welcome to Cascade. You should’ve told us you were coming.”

“And ruin my surprise?” His voice resonated with the dog-eat-dog tone that Kagan was all too familiar with.

She blinked back tears. Just like that, her dad broke her heart again. He wasn’t here for a friendly visit and the hug she’d just gotten was only to lower her defenses. “Come in,” Kagan said, doing her best to sound neutral.

“Thank you.” He looked around her townhome with obvious disdain, his eyebrows caving in and his lips pursed.

“Kay, I think I’d better meet our friend who was coming over to go to the movies with us. Should we just meet you there?”

Kagan looked over her shoulder at Charlotte.
Shane
. Oh, God. She didn’t want Shane to meet her father like this. “That’s a great idea. Thanks.”

Charlotte nodded and mouthed
you okay?
Kagan nodded in return and Charlotte said good-bye.

When Kagan turned back around, her dad held the picture of her and her mom in his hands. “I remember this like it was yesterday,” he said, glancing up. “You looked so much like your mother then, even more so now.” He put the frame back on the mantle but continued to look at it until the silence in the room grew unbearable and Kagan had to say something.

“What are you doing here, Dad?” She kept her distance, her feet planted to the hardwood floor in her small entryway.

He moved to the couch and sat. “I’m here to take you back to New York where you belong.”

Her legs felt like jelly—one step forward and she’d collapse. “I’m not going back. I like it here just fine.”

“Just fine?” He narrowed his eyes. “That’s not good enough for a Donaldson. You’ve made your point, and now you need to come home.”

“What point have I made?”

“Brett told me you’re making jewelry. That you enjoy being creative. All you had to do was tell me you’d rather work with the philanthropic parts of my business, and I’d give you all the creative license you want.”

Kagan managed a few steps forward so she could hold on to the back of the living room chair. “Did you hear what you just said? You’re pretending to want me to be happy while keeping me under your thumb.” She tightened her grip on the chair. “I’ve made something of myself here, Dad, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m choosing this life, not the one in New York, and if you care about me even a little, you’ll support my decision.”

In his own way, she knew her father loved her. But caring was different. Caring meant relinquishing control, and if she and her dad had any hope of reconciling their differences, he had to get that through his thick skull.

“I care about you more than you know.”

“Then prove it. Let me stand on my own two feet.” She moved around the chair and sat.

“You’ve always earned your place.”

Had she? She dropped her gaze to the floor and thought back to how hard she’d always worked, how nothing had been handed to her. Her path had been set, yes, but how fast and how far she went had been up to her.

“You’ve always been an overachiever,” he added. “And this town isn’t going to meet your potential.”

She met his light green eyes, the one thing she’d gotten from him. Her mom’s had been brown. “You don’t know anything about this town.”

“Oh, but I do. I know the day it was founded. I know who owns the most land, the name of every building and business owner. I know how many men are on the police force and in the fire department. I know that the Chief of Staff at Cascade General is related to Bloomberg. I know your boss, Milt, has enough money to retire but won’t sell the Crown & Anchor even though he’s had offers. And I know whose handprints are in the concrete on the corner of Main and Seaward.”

Kagan swallowed the acrid taste in the back of her throat. Her dad had done his research. Of course he had. He’d use any ammunition he could exploit to convince her to return to New York.

“Your real friends are in New York, Kay. People who care about you and share the same values and way of thinking.”

“That’s not true. You’ve lost sight of what real is. And you have no idea what I think.”

“I know Cascade, and you don’t belong here.”

“What do you want?” She refused to hear any more digs about the people and place she’d come to adore.

“I told you. Come back to New York, back to the life you’ve built there. I need you close by. Brett does too.”

“I don’t want to.” She crossed her arms. “And I want nothing to do with Brett.” The idea that her dad hung onto the notion of her marrying someone she didn’t love still rankled.

And she loved Shane. She loved the beaches and the pub and her jewelry business and Crem’s and Sela and Erin, and had no desire to leave.

“Then you’ll force me to play my hand.”

Her heart nosedived. Fred Donaldson always got what he wanted and didn’t care about the methods. But to treat his own daughter that way? “Are you threatening me?”

A frown marred his earnest complexion. He leaned back. “I love you, Kagan. I know we don’t always agree, but goddamn it, I won’t have you across the country. I need to know you’re safe and blossoming. I need to see your face. A face that reminds me of your mom and how much I wish she was here. But she isn’t. You are.”

“That’s not fair and you know it. I wish every day that mom was here. Don’t you dare use her memory to manipulate me. I miss you, Dad. I do. But I also resent you. Maybe some of that is my fault. All I’ve wanted to do is please you. But I’m not coming with you.”

“Then you leave me no choice. Levi Roche is a friend of mine. I understand he’s building a restaurant in Portland and Burke & Associates is handling it. With plans to go global, it’s a huge account. I hear the young man in charge of the project is somewhat of a wonder boy,” he paused. “But you already know that.”

The air in the room blistered with tension. A chill swept over her ears and the back of her legs. “Shane has nothing to do with you and me.”

“I beg to differ. Brett says the two of you are in love. If you really love him, you’ll come home with me.”

Shivers racked her body, like someone had shot a thousand ice shards into her.

“If you don’t, I’ll talk to Levi and strongly recommend another firm. I’ll tell him Shane Sullivan isn’t worth the hype on this restaurant or any other. That won’t only ruin Shane’s reputation, but his company’s as well. I’ve got the top architectural firm on the east coast on speed dial. One call from me and Levi won’t question the change.”

Every muscle inside her tensed. She wanted to fight back, but knew there was no way. She’d do anything to keep Shane happy, safe. She loved him enough to let him go.

Her father had used the one bargaining chip that would get her agreement.

“Fine. I’ll go with you.”

Chapter Sixteen

Shane hit the punching bag hanging in his garage for the hundredth time. The muscles in his arms and legs were taut to the max. Sweat trickled down the side of his face. Jab, uppercut, jab, uppercut.
Fuck.

He stepped away from the bag and put his hands on his thighs to catch his breath. His skull pounded with sickening speed. He couldn’t get Kagan’s text out of his head no matter what he did.

I’m going back to New York with my father. Please don’t come by. Please don’t call. I need to do this on my own. Thanks for everything. Love, Kagan.

Fred Donaldson was in Cascade and messing with his daughter’s head, and Shane didn’t like it one bit.

Sure, he and Kagan hadn’t talked about her staying in Cascade, but now that he’d told her he loved her and she’d said it back, he assumed she’d be staying.

When Charlotte had hijacked him outside of Kagan’s house and told him Kagan’s father had shown up and they needed some time alone, he’d figured he would give them an hour, maybe two. Kagan definitely had things to say to her father and Shane respected that. He’d taken Charlotte to dinner where she’d told him her life story and made him laugh, her lively personality fun. But like a twisted joke, the minute they’d gotten back, Kagan’s text had chirped on his phone.

He’d wanted to storm up to her front door and tell her there was no way she was walking away from him like that. He needed to know what her father had said or done to make her change her mind about Cascade—about him.

Charlotte had held him back and said she’d talk to Kagan and call him. He didn’t like it, but he conceded because the hurt and anger coursing through his blood might have led to words he’d regret later. He’d reluctantly driven home, feeling like the worst kind of boyfriend on the planet. Once he’d calmed down some, he almost turned around, but he needed to respect Kagan’s wishes, even if they ripped his heart in two.

Now it was close to midnight and Charlotte hadn’t called.

If Kagan thought he was just going to let her walk away without a face-to-face, she was wrong. He had to think of a way to convince her to stay. He refused to shy away from her now that her father was in the picture. They loved each other, damn it. He’d never said those three words before, and he had no plans to lose what he wanted to keep. Forever.

She’d made him see things in a way no one else could. Made him feel like anything was possible. Together, they could overcome the toughest obstacles. If he let her go, that would be letting her down. She’d told him she didn’t want to go back.
Not yet,
she’d said
.
But maybe yet had arrived. Maybe her father had convinced her that Brett was better for her than he was.

He pushed the bag and grabbed his phone off the workbench his dad had given him last year. Glancing at the screen, he noticed a missed call. Shit. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts and punching the crap out of the bag that he hadn’t heard his phone ring. One voice message.

Shane, it’s Charlotte. We’re leaving tomorrow. I can’t go into details, but there’s more going on than you know. Gotta go…she’s—

She’s what? And leaving tomorrow?
WTF?
He punched the bag with every ounce of his weight behind it. His knuckles were raw. He’d purposely left off gloves so he’d feel every strike.

He hit the call back button. Charlotte answered after the first ring. “What’s going on?”

“Shane,” she whispered. “I can’t really talk right now.”

“I’m coming over.”

“No. Please don’t. Kagan is upset but she’s made up her mind. I’m sorry.”

“What’s going on? Why is her dad here now? Is everything okay?” He rammed a hand through his damp hair.

“It’s complicated.”

Ha. The one thing in his life he’d never wanted but now would fight to keep. “I need to talk to her. I’m not letting her go without talking to her.”

“I don’t know what to say, Shane.” Regret and sadness came over the phone line loud and clear.

Shane paced around the garage. “What time is her flight?”

“One o’clock. We’re leaving here at eleven.”

None of this made any sense. Kagan wouldn’t leave so quickly without sufficient notice to Milt or an explanation to the friends she’d made. She’d made a life here in Cascade that wouldn’t be easy to walk away from, hadn’t she?

He stopped in his tracks. Maybe she didn’t realize how important she was to Cascade. Maybe her father needed to see exactly how much this small town loved her.

How much he loved her.

“Do me a favor—make sure you drive through town on your way to the airport. Take White Sails Road. Don’t take any other route.”

“Uh, I think we’ll be going by taxi.”

“Right. Okay, tell Kagan you’ll call for the cab, only don’t. I’ll send the cab.”

“Shane, what are you up to?” Curiosity edged out some of her sadness.

Shane smiled. “You’ll see. It’s time for a very public display of affection.”

“If I didn’t know how much she loved you, I’d say forget it.”

“She told you she loves me?” His smile widened.

“I’m not stroking your ego any bigger than it already is. Good night, Shane.”

“Thanks, Charlotte.”

“Yeah, well you have taken good care of her in my absence.”

“What are best friends for?” She was. His best friend. His lover. His everything.

“Watch it, bucko. Ah, gotta go.” The call disconnected.

Shane wasted no time calling Sela on his way back into the house. The second he laid eyes on the couch where he and Kagan had watched Bond movies and he’d told her how much he wanted her, his pulse spiked. This plan of his had to work.

“Shane?” Sela said, her voice groggy. “Is everything okay?”

“Sorry to wake you, sis, but I need your help. What are you doing?”

“You did not just ask me that.”

Yeah, he did. His thoughts were moving in a dozen different directions. He took a deep breath.
Chill, dude.
“Mind if I come over and talk something through with you? And we’ll probably need to wake up a few more people.”