Chapter 24
Family – can include a fake wife if you want it to
Lucas
I check the time on my phone. “Natalia, come on! We’re going to be late.”
Natalia bounds down the stairs. “I’m ready.”
“Have fun!” Chloe waves from the sofa where she’s working on her laptop and watching some reality television show on failed bars while mumbling how stupid the bar owners are.
Natalia frowns. “You’re not coming?”
“It’s a family day, squirt.”
“And you’re family.”
Pain washes over Chloe’s face before she blinks and it disappears. “I’m not really family.”
Natalia stomps her foot. “Yes, you are!”
Chloe motions to me. “You have your dad with you. You two will have a great time.”
“But I want you to come.”
Chloe blows out a breath. “Sweetie, I don’t belong there.”
“Yes, you do,” I say because I’m done watching Chloe suffer. I don’t want her ever to be in pain. But family brings up a bunch of pain for her. Her mother really did a number on her.
Chloe’s gaze shoots to mine. “Excuse me?”
“You’re my wife. You belong with us.”
I’m lying but the words don’t feel untrue. I want them to be true. I want Chloe to be my wife. My real wife. I want to spend every Sunday the way we did this past week – cuddled up together under a blanket watching a movie together.
I’m falling for this beautiful wildcat who hates the word beautiful and doesn’t realize her own value. I run a hand down my beard.
My feelings don’t matter. I can’t take a risk on Chloe. She showed her true colors when she ran after we spent the night together. I can’t chance another woman abandoning my daughter. Natalia has to be my priority.
But I can’t stand the pain on her face. As long as Chloe is living in this house as my wife, I will shield her from anything that hurts her.
“Okay. Fine.” Chloe slams her laptop shut and Natalia cheers. “But I’m not participating in any sports.”
Natalia tugs her toward the door. “Don’t be silly. Parents don’t do the sports. The kids do.”
Chloe draws the back of her hand over her brow. “Phew.”
“Let’s go.” I herd them out the door.
“Someone’s Mr. Punctual,” Chloe mutters under her breath.
“Nothing wrong with being on time.”
I hold Natalia’s free hand and together we walk to the sports park with Natalia in between us, jabbering the whole time. Chloe listens and responds to my daughter’s nonsense. She never loses patience. Even when Natalia asks the same question several times, hoping for a different outcome.
Holly would have told her to shut up by now. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should have divorced Holly the first time she dumped Natalia at my parents’ house.
“Piper!” Natalia waves at her friend and yanks on my hand. I don’t let her go. There are too many people here. I don’t want my daughter getting lost in the crowd.
I accompany her to the check-in where the counselors from her summer camp wait.
“Hi, Miss Madison!”
The teacher glances up from her clipboard. “Hey, Natalia. You’re participating in the high jump, long jump, and hurdles today.”
“I did high jump and long jump in high school,” Chloe says.
“Because you got kicked off the cheerleading squad,” Madison says.
“Technically, I was never on the cheerleading squad, so I couldn’t get kicked off.” Chloe winks. “How are you, Maddy? I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Probably because I fall asleep by nine from exhaustion.”
“Hello, Madison. I’m Lucas,” I introduce myself. “Natalia’s my daughter, and Chloe is my wife.”
“No need to introduce yourself. Everyone on the island knows you married the wild child.”
Chloe cringes when Madison says wild child and I squeeze her shoulder. She smiles at me and my heart seizes. Yep. I’m falling for this woman.
“Can I go now?” Natalia asks.
Madison hands her a number to pin on her shirt. “High jump is first. You can line up with the other kids who are competing there.” She points to a line of children.
“Thanks, Maddy,” Chloe says. “Let’s get a drink and catch up.”
Madison snorts. “Not if the drink involves you shooting moonshine all night and then dancing on the bar.”
Chloe rolls her eyes. “That happened one time.” She glances up at me. “I don’t have the best balance.”
I chuckle. “You don’t say.” I throw my arm around her. “Come on. Let’s get Natalia sorted and then find a place to watch from the bleachers.”
Natalia sprints to the high jump line where her friend Piper is waiting.
“Good luck,” I tell her.
“Kick a—” Chloe cuts herself off. “Kick butt.”
Natalia waves but in the next second we’re forgotten as she begins talking to Piper. I lead Chloe away.
She bites her lip as she stares at Natalia. “Is she going to be okay? Some of those kids were half a foot taller than her. They have an unfair advantage.”
“She’ll be fine. They’re high-jumping not joining fight club.”
“Okay,” she agrees but continues to nibble on her lip.
I know how to distract her. “Let’s get a drink and a snack.” We join the line. “What do you want to drink?”
“She’ll have a Five Fathoms Summer Ale,” a woman behind us says.
Chloe giggles. “Hey, Lana. Have you met my husband?”
Lana rakes her gaze up and down me. “I have not met this long drink of water.”
Chloe places a hand on my waist. It’s possessive. A move I usually find irritating. A move that had me grinding my teeth when Holly did it. But with Chloe, I don’t mind. I want everyone to know she belongs to me.
Except she doesn’t.
“This is Lana, the mayor,” Chloe explains.
I hold out my hand. “Lucas.”
“Officer Fellows. I expect I’ll need a police officer very soon.”
“Lana,” Chloe growls. “Do not take advantage of my husband.”
She bats her eyelashes. “It’s not taking advantage if he enjoys it.”
“Don’t make me phone your husband Ronald.”
“Oh, poo. You’re no fun.”
I bark out a laugh. I bet no one’s ever told Chloe she’s not fun before considering the woman is all about enjoying life.
“Next!”
I use the excuse of being next to order to get away from Lana.
“What kind of beer do you have?”
Chloe elbows me. “What kind of beer do they have? What do you think?” She motions to the cans lined up on the counter. “ Five Fathoms Brewing of course.”
“I’ve never had a Five Fathoms beer.”
“You’ve never had beer from your wife’s brewery?” Lana asks. So much for getting away from the mayor.
“What do you recommend?” I ask Chloe.
“We’ll have two cans of Five Fathoms Summer Ale, a bag of popcorn, and a bag of peanuts,” she orders without hesitation.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Good. Since the food is for me and I don’t share.”
I pay for our purchases while Chloe carries our tray toward the bleachers. We claim an empty spot in front of the high jump. The kids are lined up but haven’t begun yet.
“Go, Natalia! You’re a winner!” Chloe shouts before sitting down next to me. “I hope you don’t mind but I plan to scream and shout for Natalia the entire time.”
“Why would I mind my wife supporting my daughter?”
Happiness sparks in her light green eyes. “Good answer, hubby of mine.”
“Did you like the beer?” Lana asks as she sits next to me.
“Lana. Don’t push him.”
“He’s your husband. He should support you. Trust me. I know. I’ve had three husbands.”
I pop the can of beer open and take a sip. I’m prepared to lie and say the beer is good regardless of how it tastes but it is good. I don’t know why I’m surprised. Everything Chloe does, she does well.
“What do you think?” Lana asks.
“I think my wife’s beer is excellent.”
Chloe rolls her eyes. “I didn’t brew it.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and draw her near. “No, but you own the brewery.”
“I don’t own the brewery.”
“Well, I never,” Lana declares.
“What?” I ask.
“Never thought I’d live to see the day when Chloe Summers was modest about anything.”
“It isn’t Summers anymore,” Chloe points out.
“Never thought Chloe would get married either. She must love you something fierce.”
Chloe gasps. I glance down at her but she won’t meet my gaze. Is Lana right? Is Chloe in love with me? If she’s in love with me, why did she run the morning after we had sex?
Damn. This woman is a mystery I want to spend the rest of my life unraveling. Layer by layer.
Lana stands. “I’ll let you two lovebirds enjoy your day.”
“I can be modest,” Chloe shouts after her. “Ignore her. She’s crazy.”
“Isn’t she the mayor? I think that makes her my boss.”
She scrunches her nose up. “Lana’s more in charge of the tourist stuff not the serve and protect stuff.”
I chuckle. “Serve and protect stuff?”
She waves her hand. “It’s what police are supposed to do – serve and protect.”
“Except I spend more time dealing with sheep than I do serving or protecting anyone on Smuggler’s Hideaway.”
Her light dims. “Do you not enjoy living on the island? Are you thinking of moving away?”
I probably should. I should hightail my ass far away from this island and Chloe before I get in too deep with this woman who has flight risk tattooed on her forehead.
“Dad! Dad!” Natalia shouts. “Watch me! I’m next.”
But I won’t go anywhere. My daughter has never been this happy before. And, if I’m being honest with myself, I’m pretty happy with my current situation as well.
But how long will it be before Chloe runs again?