Chapter Thirteen

“I never thought about contacting a lawyer,” Gabby said as she returned to the dining room, carrying a bag of chips and a bowl of dip.

“That’s what I’m here for.” Lauren hungrily reached for the chips. She’d been working with Gabby for the last couple of days. They’d gone through aptitude tests and combed a couple of job search sites. Now, Lauren was reviewing Gabby’s past lease and making sure her sister wasn’t liable for anything else.

Gabby slumped into the chair next to Lauren. “I don’t exactly have the money for a lawyer, though.” She tapped on a folder. “At least, not according to my new financial plan.”

Lauren grinned. “Don’t worry about that. I just want to make sure all of your bases are covered. Brooke and I decided to take care of it for you. Consider it an early birthday present.”

“Gee, I was hoping for a new purse,” she said with a laugh. “But a lawyer sounds good, too.” She reached for a chip. “Thanks, Lauren. Thanks, Brooke.”

A grumble came from the other end of the table, where Brooke was also “helping” Gabby. Apparently, Brooke’s definition of help consisted of her working on her own crap. Not that Lauren was bitter.

“Hey, B, you gonna take a look at this or what?” Lauren tapped her laptop where a lengthy email from the lawyer they’d hired was pulled up on the screen.

“Yes, I’m just in the middle of something right now.”

Lauren seethed. “What a coincidence. I’m in the middle of helping our sister.”

This comment was answered with Brooke finally looking up long enough to throw a dirty look in Lauren’s direction. Gabby jumped in.

“Want some chips?”

“Actually, do we have any veggies? I’m watching carbs.”

Of course she was. Brooke had one of the best bodies in America, yet she’d always felt like she needed to lose weight. She’d been trying every diet under the sun for most of her life.

“There are some carrot sticks in the fridge. I’ll grab them.” Gabby walked to the kitchen.

“Brooke Elizabeth Wallace,” Lauren said through clenched teeth. She was finished with being nice. “Stop dealing with your work and come help me.”

Brooke pointed a perfectly shaped, French-manicured finger in Lauren’s direction. “I can’t help that I have work to do. I was lucky that my company took on the Mitchell-Chandler wedding in Kennebunkport. That’s the only reason I was able to take this time in Seaside Cove.”

Lauren blew a long breath out of her mouth. “I have work to do as well. But today was supposed to be about Gabby.”

“I’m here; I’m listening. But you know how insanely important what I do is.”

“You’re a wedding planner,” Lauren reminded her.

“Yes, weddings are joyful. I bring joy to the world.”

The sad part was Brooke truly believed that. While she probably did bring joy to the couples she worked with, throwing in the rest of the world’s population might be a bit of a stretch. Perhaps it was time to bring Brooke back down to Earth.

Unfortunately, her phone went off and she couldn’t lay into her sister.

She perked up at the sight of Ethan’s name on the screen. “Hey, you,” she answered.

“I have some crabs with your name on them.”

She paused. “I truly hope you’re referring to the crabs you eat.”

Ethan bellowed out a laugh, causing her to grin like she was back in high school on the phone with her boyfriend. She had to stop herself from winding a piece of hair around her finger.

“All crabs are purely edible.”

“Thank goodness for that,” she replied.

“Who are you talking to?” Brooke asked as Lauren walked to the other side of the room.

“None of your business,” Lauren said, once again feeling like she was back in high school and her little sister was bugging her.

“Excuse me?” Ethan asked.

Lauren ducked out of the dining room, passing Gabby as she did. She heard Gabby say, “It’s probably Ethan.”

Lauren walked through the kitchen and out onto the porch. Happy to be out of the house, in the fresh air, she took a deep breath. She stayed under the safety of the porch roof as the rain that had been falling all day continued.

“Sorry,” she said to Ethan. “That was my nosy sister.”

He chuckled. “So, what do you say? To crab or not to crab? I checked, and crabs are perfectly safe for pregnant women.”

She was touched he even thought to check. Lauren glanced back at the house, spying Gabby peeking out from the dining room window. She shook a finger at her sister, who blew a kiss to her before turning her nebby self away from the window.

“That sounds amazing, but…”

“Uh-oh,” Ethan said.

“Brooke and I are working with Gabby, and we’re on a roll today. This is the whole reason I’m back in town.”

Ethan didn’t miss a beat. “No, I get it. Helping your sister is important.”

Lauren bit her lip. “Rain check?”

“Definitely.”

He didn’t say anything else, but Lauren heard the disappointment in that one, single word. She got it. She felt the same way. Suddenly inspired, she glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one was listening.

“I’m bummed about the crabs,” Lauren said. “But how would you feel about a late-night rendezvous?”

…

At ten o’clock on the dot, Lauren made her way quietly out of the house. She’d snuck out a few times during her teen years, and she knew all the creaky spots to avoid and the best way to slip out unnoticed.

She wasn’t sure why she was sneaking out, though. She was a grown woman, a single, grown woman meeting another single adult. She didn’t have to hide anything.

Only, it was kind of fun this way, she thought with a laugh.

She descended the path at the far end of the garden that brought her down to the beach below the house. She walked to the left where there was an alcove in the cliffs. It was the perfect spot for a late-night get-together.

Immediately, Lauren removed her shoes. She loved the feel of sand between her toes.

From the light of a large full moon, she could see the waves beating against the beach. A breeze blew her hair around her face. Even though it had stopped raining a few hours ago, the ocean still seemed restless.

She understood the feeling.

She grinned when she saw Ethan waiting for her on a large blanket in the sand. He was watching the ocean, a calm expression on his face. He was peaceful. Meanwhile, she had enough inner turmoil to fuel the entire Atlantic Ocean.

“Hey there,” she called out.

He turned and hit her with the most charming smile on the East Coast. She actually paused to catch her breath.

“You know,” she said as she closed the distance between them, “we really shouldn’t meet up like this.”

He raised one eyebrow. “I believe this was your idea.”

He had her there.

“I know. But I truly think we need to set some rules.”

Ethan popped a grape into his mouth. “We already have rules.”

She eyed him for a long moment. “Do you even remember those rules?”

He didn’t meet her eyes. “I don’t know. Something about having as much sex as humanly possible.”

“Be serious.” She took a deep, fortifying breath. “I did want to see you tonight.”

He grinned and reached for her. But she managed to sidestep him. “Butttttt,” she drew out, “we need to define this.” She gestured between them.

“Why?” he asked with all seriousness. It would have been comical if she wasn’t in her most resolute mood.

Lauren tossed her shoes onto the sand and plopped down on the blanket. “You’re exactly the same as you were in high school. You know that?”

He offered her a glass of wine, which had her raising an eyebrow. “Did you forget I’m alcohol-free right now?”

“It’s seltzer. You’re the same as you were in high school, too, by the way,” he said. “You need to just let go and have some fun.”

“I’m pregnant. I kind of already had my fun—hence, this situation.”

She watched a wave forming, cresting higher and higher, gathering speed and strength, rushing closer and closer to the shoreline, until it finally gave in and tumbled to the earth.

“I have no idea how long I’m going to stay here. What if we get attached and then I leave? What then? Do we stay together? Is it even smart to continue this knowing I’m going to leave? Of course, we have a baby now. We’re going to be connected forever.”

Ethan watched her from his side of the blanket for a long time. He had a thoughtful expression on his face as he nodded his head slightly. Finally, he opened his mouth, and she waited to hear his solution to their predicament.

“Chillax.”

Lauren blinked. “Are you kidding me?”

“No.”

“Ethan McAllister, you don’t take anything seriously. I can’t believe I started any of this with you.”

She twisted, pushing up to her knees, preparing to leave, but Ethan reached for her hand and pulled her back down.

Laughing, he said, “You have got to calm down.”

“I hate when people tell me to calm down. And I really despise being told to ‘chillax.’”

“People or me in particular?” he asked.

She narrowed her eyes. Again, he laughed. Damn him and his appealing laugh and his amused eyes and those sexy laugh lines around his mouth. Most of all, damn the fact that she couldn’t stay mad. Against every fiber in her being, she started laughing, too.

“I could always make you laugh back in high school. Glad to see that hasn’t changed,” he said.

“Shut up.”

He touched his glass to hers. “Cheers, friend.”

“Cheers,” she said on a sigh. “Anyway, I hope I didn’t take you away from the bar,” she said.

He stood, holding out a hand to her. “Nah, it was my night off. I also have a phenomenal staff that I trust implicitly.”

She allowed him to pull her to a standing position. “That’s good.”

He brought her to him for a long, comforting hug. He gave the best hugs. With his strong, muscular arms wrapped tightly around her, she felt blissful and safe. Lauren took a moment to inhale his cologne, something crisp and clean that was mixing with the salty scent from the ocean. She could stand like this with him for hours.

Only, he pulled back and kissed her. If she thought he gave great hugs, that was nothing compared to his kisses. It was clear that Ethan was quite experienced in this particular area, and Lauren couldn’t be more grateful.

The way he took control of the kiss made her knees weak. He framed her face with his hands, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks before tilting his head and changing the angle. He moved his lips over hers with such skill that she was helpless to do anything but melt into his embrace.

“Breathe,” he said when they came up for air.

“Huh?” she said.

“You need to let go and breathe, relax. For you and the baby. Let’s take an hour or two and forget everything.”

Lauren sighed. “I have a hard time forgetting anything.”

“No kidding,” he said, crossing his eyes and making a funny face. Ethan leaned down and grabbed a brownie.

“You thought of everything,” she said, taking a bite and savoring the chocolate goodness. “Hm, dark chocolate.”

“I know the way to your heart.”

He said it jokingly, but what she feared was that he actually did know.

They sat on the blanket together. “I think we’re making some good progress with Gabby. At least, I hope we are.”

“That’s good. I like the kid.”

Lauren took a sip of her seltzer. “She wouldn’t like that you called her kid. But she likes you, too. In fact, she told me she had a crush on you in high school.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Two out of three Wallace sisters were into me.”

She batted his shoulder. “Don’t make me regret telling you things, McAllister.”

He ignored her jibe. “Now, we have to get Brooke on board with my hotness.”

Lauren let out a loud laugh. “If you’re not her awful fiancé, she’s not paying attention. Which sucks for me because I need her to dive into this plan I have for Gabby.”

“Speaking of diving in,” Ethan said, putting his glass down in the sand. He rose and stripped off his shirt.

Lauren choked on her wine. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going swimming.” He unfastened his belt, unzipped his jeans, and began to pull them down his legs.

He was wearing boxers. In the light of the moon, he looked amazingly hot. Ethan had a good body: strong shoulders, defined muscles, and that tapering of his waist that made her mouth water.

“You’re going swimming? Out there?” She pointed at the ocean, and Ethan nodded casually. “You do realize how cold that water is right now?”

While a lot of other beach areas in the U.S. were warming up in June, Maine wasn’t one of them.

Ethan removed his shoes and socks.

“Ethan, you are naked.”

He looked down at himself. “Holy shit, I am. Well, not completely. But I’m working on it.”

She laughed in spite of the fact that she was standing on the beach with a naked man.

“I’m going swimming. Care to join me?”

He reached for the waistband of his boxers, her eyes following suit, locking onto the sight.

She looked toward the water and then back to Ethan. “I can’t just go skinny dipping.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t prepare for that.” She’d shaved that morning, but not as carefully as she usually did when she wore a bathing suit. Plus, she liked to tie her hair back when she went into the water. Not to mention there were laws against this sort of thing.

“Do you prepare for everything?” Ethan asked.

“Pretty much.”

He chuckled. “Now that you and I are involved, you have to get used to doing some things on the fly. It makes life so much more interesting. Just think what your Instagram followers would think of this story.” He pointed at himself and then at the ocean.

“I don’t think my Instagram followers—or my followers on any other platform, for that matter—are ever going to see photos of this night.”

“But look at that.” He walked behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to take a couple steps forward. “Check out the way that full moon is reflecting off the ocean. How cool is that?”

Very cool, she agreed silently.

“I would hate to miss out on such a beautiful night. Unless you’re scared of skinny dipping with me.” With that, Ethan took off running.

Damn, his body looked amazing. She was so transfixed by it, she almost didn’t let his dare sink in.

“Wait a minute,” she called. She wasn’t afraid of skinny dipping. Although, she’d never actually done it before.

Lauren bit her lip, considering. Cold water. Dark water. Cold, dark water. Or naked Ethan. Wet, naked Ethan.

Ethan let out a yahoo as he dove into a wave.

It really wasn’t a fair comparison.

She quickly removed her clothes and ran toward the ocean.

She frolicked—there was no other term for it—into the cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. They splashed and chased each other until she got used to the temperature.

Then they ran out of the ocean and into the warmth of the towels Ethan brought with him. He wrapped a towel around her, rubbing her arms.

It was easy to tilt her face up and take his lips with hers. His arms came around her, and they kissed each other passionately until they tumbled onto the blanket on the sand.

They made love. Slowly, sweetly, bringing each other pleasure amongst the sounds of the waves and the salty sea air.

This wasn’t like their first time together. That had been all frenzy and lust. This time it was an exploration of each other. Both times had brought enjoyment, but tonight was sweet and unrushed. A connection was forming with each touch, each kiss, each sound of pleasure.

She definitely would never take a photo of something like this. She shared personal aspects of her life on social media, but in a very controlled way.

But if she did share this, if she truly captured the night with the massive ocean sending waves back and forth against the sand, the moon shining down, and their naked bodies intertwined, Lauren would have tagged it #Happiness.