20. Gus
Chapter 20
Gus
“ M erry, we’re on a mission,” I explained, maneuvering the boat out of the marina. Sam had come through, letting me borrow his boat for the day. Now that his kids were grown, it didn’t get as much use, and I’d promised to help him rebuild his deck as a thanks.
My niece pushed her heart-shaped sunglasses down and squinted at me. “Really? Explain yourself.” She was eleven and far too jaded for her own good. Tween girls were terrifying.
“We’re going to see a girl. I mean a woman .” I cleared my throat. “A friend of mine.”
She sprayed one arm with sunblock, then the other. “So you’re not just hanging out with me for the pleasure of my company?” she deadpanned.
I started to pick up speed, relishing the feel of the fresh lake air. “Of course I am. How often do I get Merry time? You’re growing up and busy with your own life, so I gotta take my time when I can get it.”
“While also chasing after a woman.”
“I’m not chasing her.”
“We’re racing around in a boat. Seems like a chase to me.”
I eased up on the throttle, and the engine jolted.
Merry crossed her arms over her life jacket. “Do you know how to drive this thing?”
“Course I do. It’s been a few years, but it’ll come back to me.”
With a humph , she rooted around in the bags of snacks. I’d let her raid the gas station before we took off. She’d been staying with Finn and Adele for the past few weeks while her mom and stepdad were on their honeymoon, and if I knew Finn, he was feeding his daughter kale and protein shakes every day.
“Thanks for coming with me.”
She nodded and gave me a small smile. “I love hanging out with my funcle. You’re not afraid of my mom and Adele like Uncle Jude or Uncle Owen. And you don’t make me do any lame stuff.”
I smiled. That was high praise from a tween.
“You like having a new baby brother?”
“He’s cool,” she said, lifting one shoulder. “He cries a lot, but Adele lets me hold him, and I’m pretty pumped about having a sibling, even if he’s boring right now.”
She popped the top on the Diet Coke she’d chosen.
“On the plus side, I get to dress him up in whatever I want and take photos. He doesn’t fight me.”
I huffed a laugh. “He will someday.”
With a shrug, she took a sip of her soda. “It’s all good. My dad is so happy with Adele, and my mom and Mike are finally married. My people are happy, so I’m happy.”
I held out my bottle of water and tapped it against her can. “Spoken like a true oldest child.”
Smiling, she leaned over to scratch Clementine’s ears. My dog had found her calling on the water. She was sitting on the bow, proudly rocking her doggie life jacket and acting like she owned the lake. Figured.
We were beginning to understand one another. As long as I made no demands, produced a steady stream of organic treats, and came home with a new squeaky toy at least twice a week, she tolerated my existence. And she’d even gotten into the habit of snuggling, but only every once in a while.
But she loved Merry, who sat next to her, her hair whipping in the wind as I drove.
Merry chatted happily about middle school social dynamics, her spring soccer season, and the hidden meanings in Taylor Swift’s new album. I soaked it all in. I didn’t get it as often as I’d like.
Time with Merry was something I’d always cherish. And the boat? It did not disappoint.
It was moments like these, speeding across the lake, with the warm sunshine on my skin, that made me love this place so much.
“So I’m gonna need the full story,” she said, handing me the bag of Swedish Fish. “Cut the bull crap.”
I scoffed. “Merry!”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Sorry. I’m in middle school now, and once in a while, I say crap. Don’t tell my mom, okay?”
I nodded, bringing a hand to my mouth to hide my smile. “Fine.”
“But I’m not a baby. Who is this lady and why is she important to you?”
I looked at her sweet, innocent face. How could I explain all this to her in a way that made sense?
So, two decades ago, I lost the love of my life and have been in a rut ever since.
Or
I ’ ve wasted twenty years being miserable and doing all the things I was supposed to do instead of the things I wanted to do.
I settled on a kid-friendly version of the truth, explaining that a long time ago, I loved Chloe very much, and it didn’t work out. And now she was back, and I finally felt like my life was getting back on track.
Merry put a hand over her heart. “That’s so sweet.”
“Any day I get to see her is a great day,” I admitted. “She said she’d be taking her nieces out on the lake today. I thought it would be fun to bring you too.”
“Is she single?”
“Yes.”
Her face split in a grin. “So ask her on a date.”
“It’s not that simple.”
She nudged me in the ribs. “I’ll make you look good. Don’t worry.”
Grateful for her unwavering loyalty, I gave her a squeeze. I loved being an uncle. It was one of the best jobs in the world. For eleven years, it had just been Merry. My sassy, hilarious niece. And now we had baby Thor. Shit, I’d have such a good time with him when he was older.
For a long time, kids had been a foregone conclusion for me. I assumed I’d have a bunch. I was one of six, after all, and up here, people had big families.
I also thought I’d be the CEO of Hebert Timber by now too, so none of my plans had worked out.
Over time, the assumption, the obligation, had been replaced by a genuine desire to have a child. To be a dad. To raise tiny humans and share the people, places, and things I loved with them.
Year by year, that dream slipped farther away, yet the desire only deepened.
But I’d finally been given a chance. The circumstances were a little messy, sure, and I had some work to do to build Chloe’s trust, but I wouldn’t take a second of it for granted.
Twenty years ago, I’d had everything I’d ever wanted, and I’d let it slip through my hands. Since then, nothing had come close.
Maybe it was because we were young and stupid, but I truly believed that what Chloe and I had shared was a once-in-a-lifetime connection.
Thus, my reason for being here now, plying Merry with junk food and cruising the lake on this glorious Sunday afternoon. That ache to be near Chloe, to make her smile and hear her laugh, was still there, and it was stronger than ever.
I wanted to hear all about every single thing she had done in the last twenty years. I wanted to know what her favorite flavor of ice cream was and whether she slept on the right side of the bed or the left.
As I slowed the boat and took it around a heavily wooded bend, Merry came and stood next to me.
“Is that the cove?” she asked, shielding her eyes and pointing ahead.
I nodded. “Johnson’s Cove. Best swimming spot on the lake.”
As we got closer, she elbowed me. “Would you look at that? There’s a boat over there. And is that a red-headed woman on the bow?”
I shot her a wink, then quickly focused on the water ahead as I slowed the boat.
“What a coincidence,” she snarked. With that, she wandered to her bag at the stern. “Don’t worry, Uncle Gus. I got your back.”
As we pulled into the cove, Chloe’s jaw dropped in shock. She wore a black sundress and a hat and was applying sunblock to a little boy with blond hair.
Fuck, what I’d give to jump in the water, swim over to her, and kiss her right on the mouth. Instead, I focused on maneuvering the boat toward one of the moorings. It took Merry and me a few tries, but we eventually tied down and got ourselves situated. I really owed this kid.
Our boats faced the shore and were about ten feet away from one another.
Chloe stood with her hands on her hips, glowering. “What are you doing here?”
I put my arm around Merry and jostled her a little. “Enjoying a beautiful day with my niece. Merry, this is Ms. LeBlanc.”
Merry gave her a friendly wave. “Nice to meet you. You’re even prettier than Uncle Gus said you were.”
I bit back a snort. This kid was already laying it on thick and I loved her for it.
“He’s my funcle—you know, fun uncle—and I begged him to take me out today. School starts in three weeks, and I need to get in my lake time.” She tilted her chin and beamed up at me. “He spoils me.”
Chloe smiled at her, the look genuine, thank fuck. And then Merry was off, telling her about starting seventh grade and her new baby brother, while I got the boat set, aired up the float Merry had conned me into buying, and waved to Celine, who was supervising her kids in the water.
Within minutes, Merry was in the water and had Chloe’s nieces riding the unicorn float with her, giggling and splashing and shrieking.
Behind the dark lenses of my sunglasses, I surreptitiously drank Chloe in. Her hair was pulled back, and she was wearing a baseball cap. Eventually, she stripped off her dress to reveal a black one-piece bathing suit.
She was all creamy skin and freckles and full hips. Damn. I could barely keep my tongue in my mouth. She was a goddess. As she climbed down the ladder into the water, I was hit with a flash of what she’d look like in a few months, with my child inside her.
Instantly, I was hard. Jesus. Sporting a hard-on in swim trunks in the vicinity of children was so fucking wrong. I stared at the horizon for a while, willing my body to calm, but the image was burned into my brain as the single sexiest thing I could ever imagine.
After I got a hold of myself, I grabbed a pool noodle and stripped off my shirt. As I was digging out my sunblock, a flash of color caught my attention. Chloe had floated over to the side of my boat. Fuck yeah. There was no doubt in my mind that she was watching me. So I took an extra moment to rub sunblock on my shoulders, just for her benefit.
She pretended to ignore me, reclining in her donut and stretching out those creamy thighs in a way that had me reciting timber industry facts to keep my dick under control.
“I’d get out of the splash zone if I were you,” I said, climbing up over the rail.
“Uncle Gus,” Merry shouted. “Do a cannonball.”
Wide-eyed, Chloe dipped her hands in the water and paddled away.
I blew her a kiss and then jumped.
As I surfaced, the kids were cheering and Chloe was shaking her head.
I swam over to where I’d thrown my noodle, pushing my hair behind my ears. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“Still nauseous?”
She nodded, facing away from me in her float.
Discreetly, I pushed her farther from the shore where the kids were playing and kicked my feet underwater.
“I know what you’re trying to do,” she said softly, still not looking at me.
I stayed silent, playing dumb.
“It’s not going to work.”
When we were on the far side of the boat, away from Celine and the kids, I spun her so she was facing me. “I’m just enjoying a beautiful day with some lovely company.”
“Your niece seems to adore you. Is it true you go to every one of her soccer games?”
“She’s a goalie. Super talented,” I boasted. “The best part, though, is watching all the moms lose their minds around Finn. I love to tease him about it.”
“Huh,” she said, her tone mostly nonchalant. “I’d expect the soccer moms to be flirting with you.”
“Me? Nah. Finn is the hot brother.”
“I disagree,” she said, running her fingers over the surface of the water. “You’ve done a hell of a lot of growing up since we were kids. Have you spent the last two years mixing testosterone with your morning protein shakes?”
My chest puffed with pride. I liked where this was going. Really liked it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said with a smirk.
She scowled, obviously annoyed at me for playing dumb. “You know you’ve got that sexy lumberjack charm. You look like you could climb a tree and rescue a litter of kittens while simultaneously building a house and delivering multiple orgasms with a single wink of those ocean-blue eyes.”
“Why, Dragonfly, are you flirting with me? And for the record, I can do all those things and more. Come over later, and I’ll show you.”
She slid her sunglasses down her nose and glared at me. “No, thank you.”
“Like you should talk. You’ve only gotten sexier in the past twenty years. You in that bathing suit right now?” I said, putting a hand to my heart. “Makes it hard to breathe.”
She dipped her head back and laughed. “Hardly. I used to be so cute. Now I’m just pear shaped.”
I paddled closer, my noodle hooked under my arms, and angled in close to her. “Pears are my favorite fruit. So sweet on the tongue. The best part is when the pear is so juicy a little bit dribbles down my chin.”
A blush bloomed on her cheeks and traveled down to her chest. Her mouth opened a tiny bit, and a small gasp escaped her.
Hell yeah. I felt like I’d won the lottery.
She was thinking about it, our night together. Thank fuck, because I hadn’t been able to get it out of my head.
She narrowed her eyes, even as her chest rose and fell rapidly. “You need to stop flirting with me. I mean it.”
“Okay,” I said, arching a brow. “I’ll behave. But in exchange, you have to let me take you out this week.”
“Like a date?” She said the word like it was infected.
“No. No dates. You said that yourself. I just want to show you something special. Can you clear a day for me?”
For a long moment, she was silent, making me sweat it out. With her hands in the water again, she paddled away from me, toward the kids near the beach.
“Fine,” she huffed. “But you have to be on your best behavior.”