Meet Me at the Beach (Seashell Bay) (24 page)

Aiden stole a glance at the grandfather clock. “As much as I’d like to stay, I’ve got to go talk to Dad now. Fill him in on what we want to do with the ecoresort.” His grim expression indicated he’d rather swim through a snake-infested swamp.

She grimaced in sympathy. “Well, good luck with that.”

“Bram went nuts when I told him this afternoon, but I swore him to silence so I could break it to Dad myself, in my own way. Otherwise, the old man would be waiting for me on the porch with his shotgun.”

Lily jabbed him in the shoulder. “Don’t even joke about that. Look at how crazy he got at the festival social. I’m sorry, Aiden, but your dad’s been unstable for as long as I’ve known him.” She bit her lip, realizing how mean that sounded. “But I guess it goes all the way back to Vietnam, doesn’t it? It must have really messed him up.”

Aiden was just about to get up, but he froze. “Vietnam? What are you talking about?”

She stared at his blank expression, mystified by his reaction. “Um, well, how he changed after he came back. I assumed it was because of what he’d experienced over there in the war.”

Aiden slowly rose to his feet and stared down at her. “Why the hell would you think he fought in Vietnam?”

She felt her mouth gape open.
Oh, sweet Mother of God, he really doesn’t know.

Even as she tried to absorb that stunning realization, she scrambled for an answer that wouldn’t rat out her mother. “Oh, I heard it somewhere. You know how people on the island talk.”

Actually, it appeared that in this case, people in Seashell Bay had kept silent for an entire generation, no doubt out of respect for Rebecca Flynn. Lily’s mom had made it clear that Rebecca had asked people not to talk about it, especially in front of Sean, but who could believe that Aiden and Bram would have been kept in the dark all those years? It was a horrible thing to have done to them.

“No fucking way,” Aiden snapped. “My folks never said a word to Bram and me about him serving in Vietnam or anywhere else. That has to be a bullshit rumor started by one of Dad’s enemies.”

Lily could barely stand to look at the expression of growing disbelief and betrayal in his eyes.

Back away fast, girl.

“Well, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that sort of thing happened,” she said.

He glared at her for a few more seconds, then strode to the door and grasped the knob. “That’s one more thing for tonight’s agenda then. I guess it’s not surprising I hadn’t heard that rumor, but Bram and Dad sure as hell must have.”

Lily scrambled to follow him. “Maybe it would be better not to complicate things even more tonight. You’re going to hit your dad with something pretty big, after all.”

The anger in his gaze as it swept over her made her heartsick.

“Screw that. I’m sick of all the stupid secrets and gossip on this island. I’m sick of being guilt-tripped and manipulated, and it’s going to end now.” Aiden jerked the door open and was gone.

Bram was rocking in the porch swing of the family house, beer in hand, when Aiden pulled up. How many times had the two of them sat on that swing with their mother in the middle, reading to them from a book or a magazine like
National Geographic
? Now though, like most things in the house—a gracious old Victorian that had nurtured three generations of his mother’s family—the swing was deteriorating, its boards so weather-beaten that Aiden was surprised it could still hold Bram’s weight.

He took the scuffed wooden steps two at a time and stood in front of Bram, barely managing to keep his emotions under control. Telling Lily about the Oakland offer had been tough enough without her throwing that bullshit about Vietnam at him. That had felt like a punch to the head. Why the hell would someone even tell her something that stupid?

“You didn’t say anything to the old man, did you?” he asked.

“Hell, no. You asked me not to.”

Aiden gave him a grateful nod before heading into the house, Bram following right behind. From the foyer, the place looked even worse than from the outside. Dust coated every surface, and a couple of posts were missing from the oak staircase to his left. Half the bulbs in the chandelier were dead, and the remaining ones cast crazy patterns of light over the dingy walls of the entryway. His mother would have been appalled—though not
necessarily surprised—to see the current state of the family home she had inherited and lovingly preserved.

“Dad?” he called out.

“Kitchen,” his father growled from the back of the house.

Aiden strode down the hall and into the farm-style kitchen. His father sat at the big, rectangular table, the sports section of the Portland paper spread open in front of him.

“Don’t tell me you’ve made a decision?” Sean said sarcastically without looking up.

Aiden throttled back his anger. “Okay if we sit down?”

His father waved a careless hand.

“I’ll grab you a beer,” Bram said nervously.

Aiden nodded, even though he didn’t need a drink to steady his nerves. He didn’t look forward to this conversation but he didn’t dread it either. He was doing the right thing, and no amount of threats or abuse from his father could change that.

After taking the beer Bram held out, Aiden got down to business. “I have made a decision, as a matter of fact. I’ve thought about it nonstop since I got here, trying to consider all the implications. And I’ve finally decided that the kind of development you and Bay Island Properties want isn’t right for Seashell Bay.”

His father’s head jerked up, his eyes bugging out of his skull. “Son of a bitch!” He slammed his first down on the newspaper. “What the fuck is the matter with you, anyway?”

Sitting between them, Bram flinched and looked away.

“Just let me finish, okay?” Aiden said. “Then you can call me all the names you can think of and throw me out of your house.”

Sean glowered at him across the nine feet of battered oak that separated them. “I’ll do worse than that, boy, if you keep up this bullshit.”

“Guys,” he said, ignoring the threat as he glanced back and forth between his father and brother, “I’m really sorry that I can’t go along with what you want. I wish I could. What Bay Island wants to do is just too destructive. We’re a small island town, not suburbia, and that kind of tract housing doesn’t fit here. And it’s also not right because it’ll split our community for a long time, if not totally trash it. It’s already caused huge problems.”

“
Our
community,” his father sneered. “That’s pretty rich coming from a guy who only bothered to show up when his mother was buried.”

Aiden clenched his fists under the table. He would not lose control tonight. Besides, his dad had a point. Aiden had evaded his responsibility to his family and the people he loved for far too long.

The old man leaned forward, his skin mottling an ugly red. “Well, I guess we now know that you care more about those losers like the goddamn Doyles than you do about your own family.”

Aiden ignored the bitter taunt. “It doesn’t have to be Bay Island or nothing. There are better alternatives to their plan. In fact, I’ve already started working on one.” He mentally prepared himself for another explosion. “A proposal to build an ecotourism resort on our land.”

His father looked confused for a second. “A what?”

Bram rolled his eyes.

“Hold your fire.” Aiden said. Rapidly, he explained the basics of his idea—Lily’s idea, truth be told. But there was
no point trying to elaborate when the old man was giving the impression he was about to stroke out.

“That’s about the dumbest damn idea I’ve ever heard,” his father spat out. “How much would your fancy-ass resort pay for our acreage, huh? Nobody in his right mind would fork out even half of what Dunnagan’s giving us. Not unless they could build the housing too.”

“They wouldn’t want Dad’s land either,” Bram finally piped up. “Aiden, you know any kind of resort would only want to build on yours and mine.”

“Damn right,” Sean said, nodding at his younger son.

Aiden had his answer ready—the one he’d been thinking about all day, and the only chance he could see for getting his father’s agreement.

“That’s an issue we can deal with ourselves,” he said. “I’m prepared to do a land swap with you, Dad. You can have my acreage, and I’ll take a piece on this end of your property.” He stared at his father, willing him to get what he was saying. “You’d get a nice chunk of cash that way—selling my current land and maybe even a small adjacent section of yours. An ecodeveloper would probably need Bram’s and mine and a little of yours.”

His father hooted with derision. “Why would I go for that? I’ve got a great deal in the palm of my hand. The only thing holding it up is you.”

“You’re not hearing me,” Aiden said sharply. “There’s no way I’m selling my land to a developer that’s going to ruin the island. It’s not what I want, and it’s not what Mom would have wanted either. So the Bay Island plan is dead in the water.”

Sean shot to his feet, jolting the table hard in the process. “Like hell it is. Screw you, Aiden, because we’ll
find a way to do it without you. You can keep your little piece of useless land in the middle and take it straight to hell with you!” He stormed to the fridge and pulled out another beer.

That heated declaration had Aiden frowning. Since he’d come home, everybody had been saying that his land was the key to the Bay Island development, and the plan couldn’t go forward without it.

“I seriously doubt that Dunnagan will go ahead without my property,” he said, keeping his voice deliberately calm. “But in any case, he’s made it clear that he won’t want to go ahead with anything once the car ferry is defeated tomorrow.”

“Dream on, boy. We’re winning the vote.”

“We’ll see. All I know for sure is that I’m going to vote against it, and I’m going to ask the ‘No’ team to make sure everybody knows my position. One of your buddies told me it would help your cause if I spoke out in favor of the ferry, so I figure that should work both ways.”

His father’s glare was as ice-cold as the Atlantic in January. “Fill your boots then, and see how far it gets you. You’re nothing on this island. Never were and never will be.”

Bram had been picking nervously at the label of his beer bottle. He finally looked up, his tight features reflecting his distress. “Dad?”

“What?” Sean thundered.

Bram winced but forged on. “I think I get where Aiden is coming from—about how the plan will change everything on the island. And he’s right that Mom wouldn’t have liked it, so maybe we need to rethink this.”

“Oh, Christ. Go on, then.” Sean’s voice was brutally cold. “Say your piece.”

“Maybe it’s not such a bad idea to look at what Aiden’s trying to put together. Maybe it could even turn out to be some kind of win-win situation.” Bram’s eyes had been fixed on the opposite wall, but now he met his father’s angry glare. “I’ve always supported you, Dad, you know that. But it’s not like I’ve been totally comfortable with the Bay Island deal. Sure, the money would bail us out, but it’s not going to be much fun to live someplace where at least half the people blame us for wrecking the town. And hate our guts. I love it here, and I don’t want to be forced to move.”

Though Aiden wanted to stand his brother up and wrap him in a big bear hug, he held still.

Their father stared at his younger son, his puffy face filled with incredulity. “Jesus, Bram, not you too?” He didn’t shout, but the pain and sense of betrayal came through loud and clear.

Aiden seized the moment. “We can do this together, Dad. I promise I’ll work with you to make this plan happen and see that you and Bram get what you need. The islanders will love it because it’ll bring jobs and tourists, but without all the cars and the rest of the downside. Lily’s on board, and you know how much clout she has in Seashell Bay. It’s doable. It really is.”

Sean clutched at his forehead and closed his eyes. “Get out.” His voice was low and weary. “Get out right now, both of you. You’re nothing but a pair of damn traitors.”

Bram bolted up, his face a mask of unhappiness. But Aiden took his time because he still had something that needed saying. His father might try to lie, but his old, half-drunk eyes would tell the truth.

When his father finally opened his eyes again to give
him a malevolent stare, Aiden forced his voice to stay calm and level. “So Dad, before we go, I have to ask you about Vietnam. What happened over there, anyway?”

And the old man’s eyes did reveal everything. Horror and utter disbelief were written there in bold, unmistakable strokes. What Lily had said was true.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” his father managed in a strangled voice.

Bram grabbed at Aiden’s arm. “Bro, what’s going on?”

Aiden could barely speak past the constriction in his throat. So many lies, and so much wasted time and emotion. It made him ill just to think about it.

“I’ll tell you when we’re out of here,” he said to Bram. Then he looked at his father. “I think I understand—I really do. And maybe it explains some things about what happened in this family. I just wish you and Mom could have been honest with us, instead of hiding the truth. It would have made a difference.”

His father simply stood there, his face sagging and blank, swaying on his feet like a small earthquake was rattling the kitchen.

“Someday I hope you’ll be able to talk to us about it,” Aiden said. “Someday I hope you can tell us the truth.”

L
ily’s downward dog collapsed into a facedown-plant on her yoga mat, with her forehead pressed against her crossed arms. She liked yoga about as much as she liked fog, but it did seem to relax her. And this morning she surely needed to relax—the result of being both wired and tired after a restless night and only a few hours of sleep.

Since the polling station at the Town Hall didn’t open until eight o’clock, she’d hoped to sleep in until six thirty or even seven. Instead, she’d given up on sleep much earlier. A combination of coffee, the Internet, and now yoga had helped get her going. She knew, however, that it would be a long, tense day pulling the vote.

Damn you, Aiden Flynn.

Lily had hoped against hope that he’d come back last night after confronting his father, but it hadn’t happened. She’d upset him by spilling the beans about Vietnam—that much had been obvious. But it might have been their last opportunity to be together before he left for the West Coast. So as each hour passed, the knot of disappointment in her gut had tightened more painfully. She’d wanted him
in her arms at least one last time, and the thought of having to settle for just one night with Aiden—as spectacular as their lovemaking at Coastal Harmony had been—was crushing her.

Lily worried about him too. What had happened last night at his father’s house? Had it been so horrible that Aiden didn’t even want to talk to her? She’d poised her finger to dial the phone half a dozen times as the night wore on but had pulled back each time. She couldn’t stand the idea that he would think her needy or clingy.

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling fan slowly rotating above her, silently lecturing herself to get over it and stop acting like a heartbroken teenager. Today was too important, and she needed to concentrate on the vote.

As she pushed herself up from the floor, she heard footsteps crunching on the gravel out front, followed by two sharp raps on the door. “Lily, it’s Aiden.”

She flew across the living room and yanked the door open, drinking in the sight of the gorgeous but weary-looking man on her doorstep.

He dredged up a smile. “I know it’s early, but I wanted to catch you before you headed out.” His gaze lingered on her body, inspecting her scoop neckline racerback and skintight yoga pants. He definitely began to look interested.

“Sure, come on in. Did you walk?” Dumb question. She’d have heard a car or truck pull up to her cottage.

“Yeah, I wanted the exercise.”

She held the door, and he slipped past her. He wore jeans, Nikes with no socks, and a green Seashell Bay T-shirt. “Nice shirt,” she said wryly.

He tossed her a grin as he headed for the sofa in her
small living room. “They had a two-for-one on them at the general store. Got a blue one too.”

“Wow, what a steal.” Aiden Flynn proudly wearing a Seashell Bay shirt? It didn’t compute, but she loved it.

Lily ducked into the kitchen and poured two coffees. She set one down in front of Aiden and pulled her rocking chair around so she could face him. “How did it go last night? With your dad, I mean.”

He took a careful sip of the hot coffee and then set it down. “He thinks the ecoresort idea is a crock. The only surprise was his claim that he and Bay Island could go ahead without my land if they had to.”

That caught her unprepared. “Are you serious? Everybody thought your land was the key to the deal.”

He grimaced. “It means we can’t rule out an alternative proposal, even though I’m not sure how seriously we should take Dad’s threat. He looked pretty shaken when I told him I wouldn’t sell to Dunnagan’s company under any circumstances.”

Lily jerked up straight, almost spilling her coffee. “You won’t sell to them under
any
circumstances? Not even if our ecoresort idea doesn’t get off the ground?”

He gave her a slow smile. “Not even then. And get this. In the end, Bram backed me up. He didn’t say he wouldn’t sell, but he told Dad he thought they should seriously look at our idea. Jesus, I thought the old man was going to stroke out on the spot.”

Lily struggled to find words. “That’s… that’s… incredible.” And how about Bram? Because of Aiden’s determination and strength, it appeared that his brother had finally found it within himself to stand up to their dad.

“I just can’t agree to Dad’s plan, Lily,” Aiden said.
“Being back here… talking to you and Morgan and Miss Annie and all the others… I know it’s not right for Seashell Bay. And Mom would have hated it. I understand now why she left that middle parcel of land to me, and I just can’t ignore her wishes. It meant too much to her.”

Lily had to blink back hot tears. “I’m so grateful, Aiden. I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t have to be grateful, Lily. I was an idiot. I never thought I’d say this, but Seashell Bay is unique, and most people love the island as it is. It’s just too good in its own weird, time-warp way to let some big developer screw it over just to make a profit.” He grimaced. “I almost messed up, and I just hope it’s not too late.”

“It isn’t, Aiden. I believed in you. I might not have shown it as much as I could have, but deep down I knew you’d do the right thing for everybody, including your family. You always do.”

He looked embarrassed and tried to cover it up by taking a long drink of coffee. “Thanks, but the fight’s not over. Dad and Dunnagan might cook up something else that would still be bad. So the only way to kill more threats is to win the vote today. I can’t see any way a major housing development could go ahead without a guarantee of car ferry service to the island.”

“Dunnagan said Bay Island’s wouldn’t, if we can believe him,” Lily said, feeling a new surge of determination. “And we’re going to work our butts off today to make sure we sink that ferry.”

“On that note, the other thing I told Dad and Bram was that I was going to vote against the ferry myself, and that I was going to ask you and your people to spread the word. If I can sway even one vote, I’ll be happy.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or jump his bones. “We’ll tell everybody. We’re going to knock on the door of every supporter and every undecided, offering them a ride to the polling station.” She had to stop and get her voice under control. “I don’t know how to thank you, Aiden. You don’t know how much this means to us.”

Aiden’s eyes were full of emotion too. But then he gave a quick nod, as if to shake off the moment. “You’re welcome, babe.” He drained the rest of his coffee and stood up. “Refill?”

Lily rose too. “Not for me, but I’ll pour you one.”

“No, I’ll get it.”

She followed him and watched as he filled his cup. She drank in the broad shoulders that stretched the cheap, silly T-shirt and allowed her gaze to linger on his übermasculine body. For the rest of her life, no matter what happened, she’d never forget the feel of Aiden wrapped around her as they made love, making her feel so safe and cherished.

And as she watched him move about her little kitchen, looking as if he’d spent every morning of his life fixing his coffee right there by the sink, the problem she’d been stewing over finally resolved itself with the answer slipping easily into her mind. She’d been reducing the issue to one stark question—what was more important, Seashell Bay or Aiden? And when it came right down to it, the answer was so obvious. Because as much as she loved Seashell Bay—a wonderful, special place that deserved to be protected—without Aiden it would be empty of so much that mattered to her. The thought of giving up the life she’d worked so hard to build scared the hell out of her, but Lily knew now that she could do it to be with him.

If he could change—and he’d already changed so much—then she could too. She could start over and have a great life anywhere as long as he was there. It might not include fishing or her boat, but it could bring lots of other challenges and opportunities, ones she would gladly meet with the man she loved.

If, that is, he wanted the same thing with her.

Aiden took a drink of coffee and then let his gaze drift over her, his expression morphing from lazy appreciation to outright hunger. “Do you always look this hot when you get up?” Then he grinned. “Well, you did up in Castine, obviously, but I’m talking about when you’ve got clothes on.”

The heat in his eyes had her knees going weak. “I guess that means I’ll have to buy a few more of these Lululemon outfits, because the rest of me must look like crap.”

“Not even close.” His voice was a low rumble. He put his cup down on the counter and reached for her. “Come here.”

She fell into his arms in a rush. He held her tight while gently stroking her back.

“I missed you so much last night, you big jerk,” she managed.

“I’m sorry, Lily. I missed you like crazy too.” Aiden pulled back a bit to look at her. “And you were right about my dad. About Vietnam. Hell, you were right about everything all along.”

Overcome by a desperate urgency, Lily grabbed at his shirt, yanking it up so she could get her hands on his body. “Nothing matters except that you’re here now.”

Aiden swooped down and took her mouth, and she gladly surrendered. His fingers reached for the hem of her
tank top as he deepened the kiss, his right hand moving up to find the curve of her breast. The searing contrast between her sensitive skin and his callused hand—even more roughened now from all the work on her boat—made her tremble all over with unbearable anticipation.

Anticipation but also a slice of anxiety because, despite her newfound understanding that she would do whatever it took to be with him, would Aiden want that from her? Even as his hands moved over her body, Lily knew this could very well be their last time together.

Aiden’s hands actually shook as he helped Lily out of her cute, little yoga outfit. God, she was so freaking sexy, and he berated himself as ten times an idiot for staying away from her last night. But he’d been royally pissed off at his dad, and he hadn’t wanted to dump all that anger on Lily. Besides, since Bram had been pretty devastated by the revelation that the old man was a war vet, Aiden hadn’t wanted to leave him alone. They’d talked for a long time while his brother downed several more beers and then stumbled off to bed.

But Aiden was here now, and he was going to make the best of their time together. He didn’t even want to contemplate the thought that he’d soon be leaving her, and God only knew when he’d see her again.

As Lily peeled off her yoga pants, she banged her elbow against one of the kitchen cabinets.

“Hey, slow down, babe,” he said, rubbing her arms. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

“The hell with that,” she said in a funny, tight voice as she pulled his T-shirt over his head. “I want you inside me—now.”

Yeah, he could get down with that idea. The sight of her
lithe body, strong and tanned from long days on her boat, had him rock hard. And when he looked at her beautiful face, her eyes shining with so much emotion—so much love for him—he knew this moment would be forever burned into his memory. When he left, he would carry the image of Lily as she was right now as something he would always cherish.

She stood before him naked but for a tiny pair of briefs. When he pulled her into his arms, she wrapped herself around him and eagerly accepted his kiss. As the kisses grew deeper and hotter, Lily yanked down the zipper of his jeans and slid a hand into his boxers. Aiden hissed at the feel of her cool, slim fingers along his hot length.

“Let’s take this into the other room, babe,” he whispered as he lifted her off her feet.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him again with bone-melting determination. Aiden carried her to the living room. When he set her on the edge of the couch, she leaned back and whipped off her panties, exposing her sweet nest of curls.

“Christ, you’re so gorgeous.” With what little mind he had left that hadn’t been melted away by the vision of Lily naked, he jerked the drapes shut across her big picture window. He extracted a condom from his pocket, and then he skimmed off his jeans and boxers before getting himself sheathed in record time. He felt a bit like a horny teenager, but Lily was right there with him.

As Aiden went down on his knees before her, she wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck. He had to clench his teeth against the urge to push into her. No finesse, just burning need.

“Don’t hold back, Aiden,” she murmured against his
cheek. She leaned up and nipped his earlobe as she rocked against him. When the tip of his cock slipped inside one beautiful inch, he lost all semblance of self-control.

“Not with you. Never with you.” His voice was a rasp he hardly recognized. He slipped a hand under her ass, tilting her, and then drove home. When she let out a moan and arched her back, pushing her pretty breasts against him, Aiden almost came on the spot.

Holding her still in his arms, he struggled for a few moments to catch his breath. Then he began rocking into her. Lily clutched his biceps, her emerald-flecked eyes wide as she stared into his face. Her lips were parted, and her gaze was alive with sensual heat, but he also saw a sweet, sad vulnerability that slammed his heart.

But the uncertainty he saw in that gaze soon burned away as Aiden began stroking into her. He held her steady with one hand while the other roamed over her smooth skin. There was nothing gentle between them—nothing like the lazy, seductive lovemaking they’d enjoyed on Saturday night. This was all about need and, he feared, about good-bye—at least good-bye for a very long time.

They took each other with a desperation that leveled his emotions to smoking ash. All too soon he felt her muscles contracting around him, pushing Aiden toward his own orgasm.

“Aiden,” Lily gasped out. She seemed to fall into him, pulling him even more closely into her embrace as she climaxed.

With her warm, welcoming arms tight around him, her sweet body milking his cock, Aiden went over the edge. He pressed his face into her shoulder, muffling a groan as his orgasm hit him like a freight train.

As he shook in the aftermath, Aiden held Lily tight and wondered how the hell he was going to ever let her go.