Love Required (30 page)

The sounds of Lexi’s laughter broke his trance, and he watched as her chubby hands found their way around Tori’s neck, and straight into her hair. He understood the compulsion to touch it, but Lexi gravitated to it every time, entwining her little fingers into it. Jason smiled at the sight of his girls together, just as they should be. Then Allie wrapped her arms around Tori in an overenthusiastic hug, pulling a laugh from everyone as she said, “I’m so excited to see you, I almost peed my pants!”

Tori pulled her face out of Lexi’s hair and kissed Allie on the cheek. “I know the feeling.”

After a few moments, Allie finally let go of his girls, and he was able to get close. Hugging both of them, he kissed Lexi on the head. “Hi there, baby girl. I missed you.”

And he did. Both Tori and Lexi had become an important part of his life in such a short period of time. Remembering the pain from only twenty-fours ago confirmed just how important. He quickly shook off the residual pain lingering in his chest; they needed to get a move on. Taking a look at the large volume of luggage surrounding Allie and Mike, he asked, “Did you bring both of our closets with you?”

Allie said, “Not all of them are yours. Mike and I are going to Catalina with you guys.”

Shocked, Jason looked to Mike for confirmation. Mike shrugged. “She thinks you might need us around to help with Lexi, but don’t worry, we rented our own villa. Besides, I think Allie’s a little attached.” The two of them looked to Allie, who was playing peek-a-boo with Lexi.

Jason snorted a laugh. “Doesn’t surprise me.” He shook Mike’s hand and added, “Thanks for getting Lexi up here. I appreciate your help.”

Mike said, “You’d do the same for me.” Jason nodded in agreement. With his friends, once you were brought into the fold, you had no choice but to accept the help.

Picking up one of the suitcases, he asked, “Allie, did you bring all the papers we need?”

Allie broke away from Lexi and grabbed her purse, pulling out their boat tickets and handing Jason the ones he needed. Then she handed Tori her own purse and said, “You’re gonna need this.”

Tori shouldered it and said thanks. They were all busy gathering their stuff when Logan spoke up, “Don’t worry about me here on the mainland. I’ll be fine. I’m just gonna jump in the rental and drive back to San Diego all by myself. Some of us have to hold down the fort and all …”

Jason laughed, and Allie snorted, “Oh, please.” While Mike just smiled.

But Tori, she walked to Logan and hugged him tightly. Logan looked surprised by the action, and it took him a few seconds to return the hug. When she pulled away, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

Logan winked at her and said, “Anytime. But just for the record, I’d be happy to accept enchiladas in lieu of a thank you in the future.”

Tori giggled. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

“Tori, don’t fall for his crap! He’s just desperate for a home-cooked meal since he’s on his own now,” Allie chided as she passed by.

TORI watched a wave of sadness pass over Logan’s face before he schooled his features. She didn’t know the details of his divorce from Gillian, but he had a front row seat to her new life. Tori felt bad for him, and she didn’t like how Allie’s comment saddened him. It made her want to defend him, but it wasn’t her place. So she decided to be his friend. Winking back at him, she said, “I have no problem making you a home-cooked meal, anytime.” Logan smiled back, the bit of sadness she saw there now gone. She knew what it was like to live with mistakes, but it had to be even worse when it was thrown in your face repeatedly.

With a nod, Logan stepped away before Jason gave him a hug. They spoke quietly to each other, about what she didn’t know, but it was a moment she didn’t want to interrupt. So she moved around and took her daughter back from Allie. Then, as a group, they gathered the rest of their stuff. Tori was surprised to see a running stroller mixed in with everything. She hadn’t noticed it before, and Jason must have missed it, too. He rested his arm on her shoulder and said, “I guess I should know better when it comes to Gillian and Allie. I didn’t think about telling them where your stroller was, but should’ve known they’d make sure you had one.” Jason shook his head as he took Lexi from her arms. With a quick kiss to her head, he placed her in the stroller.

Then they were all boarding the boat. Or was it a ship? She wasn’t sure what distinguished the difference, but she was excited regardless. She’d never been on either. Hell, she’d never seen the beach before last year, let alone visit an island. Excitement coursed through her veins at the new adventure. All thoughts of
why
they weren’t going home were pushed to the back of her mind.  

~*~*~*~

Tori discovered on the boat ride to Catalina that she gets motion sickness. Her mom had the issue, but Tori had never had a problem. Then again, she’d never been on a boat before. But the thought of having another similarity to her mother brought a smile to her face. In spite of the lingering queasiness.

Once on the island, she let Jason take the lead. She had no idea where they were going, so she just followed and took in the sights around her. Catalina was crowded, probably since it was summer, but the island was magnificent. Everywhere they went, there was something beautiful to stare at.

She’d been told they were staying at a villa, and while she wasn’t really sure what a villa was, she didn’t want to ask and sound ignorant.
Guess it was going to be a learning trip,
she thought as they made their way through town. When they arrived at their location, she let out a small laugh. “So apparently a
villa
is another word for condo?”

It was beautiful, but it was basically a condo. The old, Spanish-style building was done in white and topped off with heavy terracotta shingles. There were shutters on the visible windows and planters beneath each one, boasting a bouquet of colors. The building was narrow and on one of the higher points of the island. Or so she assumed since they drove up a hill to get there, but she had no viewpoint from where they stood. Allie came around from the other side of the car and said, “On an island like Catalina, people can call their shoe box a villa if they want. So long as it has a view, people will rent it.”

And with that, Allie and Mike grabbed their bags and made their way to the villa next door. Jason had opened the door to theirs and stood there waiting. “Are you coming or what?”

She nodded with a smile and grabbed her bag. Making her way inside, she was surprised by the elegance of the interior. It had obviously been remodeled and decked out in high-end appliances, complete with marble countertops, but she felt it didn’t match the front of the building. Then when Jason opened the double doors leading to a balcony, her entire vocabulary fled her brain, leaving her speechless.

The view was breathtaking. She now knew that they were on the top of a hill, and from where she was, she could see virtually everything. If she could choose to, she would stay in that spot the entire time they were there. Taking in a deep breath of ocean air, she let it out and smiled at Jason, who was apparently waiting for her reaction.

She snorted a laugh and asked, “Are you seriously worried I wouldn’t like this place?”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shrugged and looked out at the ocean. “No, I hoped you’d love it.”

Moving to him, she quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. She kissed his chest then looked back out at the view. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

His hand lifted to her hair, sweeping it off her face. The breeze blew it right back, but it didn’t block her view when he said, “It sure is.”

She blushed at his implication. “You are quite the sweet talker, you know that?”

He shrugged. “I call ‘em like I see ‘em.”

Resting her head against his chest, she stared out at the water again, the serenity of the view soaking into her bones. Between the view, and being in Jason’s arms, she was beyond content. Sighing, she said, “I could stay right here forever.”

Jason kissed to top of her head and held her tighter. “We’ll stay as long as we need.”

He couldn’t be serious,
she thought. Pulling back to look at him, his expression told her he most certainly was. “Jason, you know you can’t hide me away in a cliffside villa to protect me forever, right? It might be paradise, but it’s very public.” Her hands motioned toward the view and the crowds lingering the streets in the distance, like he needed it pointed out to him.

Scowling, he retorted, “I’m not locking you away. I’m
hiding
you in paradise in hopes to distract you enough that you forget about
him
.”

She gave him a sad smile. “I know you are, and you should know it’s working. But it’s not because of where I am; it’s because of who I’m with. You have a life to get back to, and I won’t let you put it on hold for too long on account of me.”

“That’s not what’s happening here, Tori, and I’ll do what’s necessary to protect you,” he said firmly. She noticed the slight bit of anxiety in his voice.

Nodding, she rubbed her hand on his chest, not meaning to upset him. She recalled his actions and how he looked in the bathtub the night before. He was still battling his demons over what happened, and she didn’t want to dismiss them. So she changed the subject—for now. “How long do we have the
villa
for?”

“Ten days. I paid to have the kitchen stocked, so we don’t have to venture out to eat with the crowds. Plus, I know you love to cook. There are two bedrooms, and I made sure Allie packed the baby monitor for us so we can have some privacy but still give you peace of mind. It can be a lot like everyday life, but with a beautiful view. We can look at it as a vacation, yes?” he said with enthusiasm. His nervous rambling was clearly done in an effort to convince her. Like she really needed convincing.

Tori smiled. “Then it’s perfect timing, because I’m in desperate need of a vacation.”

He picked her up and kissed her hard. Since Lexi had fallen asleep on the car ride over and was resting quietly in the living room, Tori took full advantage of having Jason’s lips on her again. The night before he just wanted to hold her. But tonight, she was having none of that holding back crap. When her hands found his hair, she gripped it tightly and was about to tell him just that when a voice interrupted them.

“I’m posing a rule of no sex on the balcony! I have no desire to see Jason’s bare ass, thank you very much,” Allie said from a few feet away. Their balcony apparently butted up against theirs, and the wall separating them only reached waist height and was topped off with a rod iron decoration of some sort. It was clearly not designed for privacy.

Jason huffed. “Then I’d stay off the balcony if I were you, half-pint.”

Tori giggled into Jason’s chest, embarrassed that he basically announced they would be having sex on the balcony. Not that she didn’t want to, but she just didn’t want everyone to know.

Tori laughed when Allie responded. “How about we draw up a schedule? That way I can avoid seeing your ass, and you can avoid seeing me go all
rodeo style
on Mike.”

“Aahh! For the love of God, Allie, I can’t
not
hear those words! What the hell is wrong with you?” Jason exclaimed as he covered his ears and walked inside.

Tori laughed even as she blushed. Shaking her head, she asked, “You love to torture him, don’t you?”

Allie winked. “I’ve been very good for the past two days, so I was ready to burst. There was nothing I could do to stop that from coming out.”

Shaking her head, Tori turned to walk inside, but first said, “I’m going to check out the food situation for dinner. Are you eating with us?”

“If you’re cooking, I’m eating,” Allie said enthusiastically.

“Well, if I’m feeding you, then you should minimize the torturing. Yes?” Tori said with humor as she walked inside.

As she did, she heard Allie mumble a curse and say, “Well played, Tori, well played.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

JASON tried not to laugh at the face Lexi was making, but it was too funny. After fending off her attacks, Tori said he should just let her have the lemon wedge on his plate. So he did, and they were all rewarded with the face she continued to make after each attempt to eat it. It was like she thought it wouldn’t be sour the next time. Making a face to mimic hers, he found himself on the receiving end of a mangled lemon wedge. Sitting up straight in mock anger, he scowled at Lexi, hoping to make her laugh. But, instead, she started to cry.

Jason couldn’t get out of his seat fast enough. He was standing and lifting her quickly into his arms before the first wail left her lungs. He turned to face the table, expecting to find shock or anger in everyone’s expressions. What he found was Mike smiling, Tori trying to conceal her laughter behind her hand, and Allie actually pointing and laughing at him. He could only imagine what he looked like, because he felt completely freaked by her reaction.

He scowled at his friends and gave Tori a pleading look as he bounced a crying Lexi, trying to soothe her. Tori put her hands up in surrender. “I got nothing. She has you wrapped so tightly around her little finger you don’t even realize it. Just keep doing what you’re doing, big guy, and I’m sure she’ll stop … eventually.” Then both Tori and Allie laughed louder.

Shaking his head, he faced Lexi. “Hey, baby girl, I’m sorry I upset you. I was only playing around.” Then the funniest thing happened; she stopped crying. Before Jason could even register it had happened, she already had her hands on his beard, playing with the bristles. Astonished at how quickly things had changed, he sat back down and watched as Lexi acted as if nothing was wrong. When he looked back over to Tori he asked, “Did I just get played? Or was she just easily distracted?”

Tori laughed and said, “Let’s go with a little of both.”

“I think it’s a lot of both!” Allie said.

Kissing her on her head, he placed her back in the highchair and went about eating his dinner. Across from him, he caught Tori’s eye, and she gave him a perfect smile, before she winked at him. Damn, how he loved it when she winked at him. One might argue that Tori, too, had Jason wrapped around her little finger. Yeah, he was whipped for sure.