Chapter 23
Streams of morning sunlight poured through the uncovered window, assaulting Reid’s closed eyes and yanking him from sleep. He reached for Eve, his body already responding to the thought of continuing where they’d left off late into the night.
Finding the space beside him empty, he sat up and glanced around the room. Eve was nowhere in sight.
“Eve?”
When she didn’t answer, he groaned and rolled out of the warm bed.
He’d hoped they could stay tucked under the covers until midmorning at least, but that wasn’t an option now.
Maybe he could find her and drag her ass right back there.
No doubt he could come up with some imaginative ways to keep her happy and staying put.
Dressing quickly, he grabbed his phone off the nightstand, shoved it in his pocket and hurried from the room.
Scents of fresh coffee and vanilla lured him into the kitchen.
Eve stood in front of the stove with her auburn hair piled on top of her head.
A long T-shirt skimmed the top of her thighs.
She sang a song he didn’t recognize in her adorable out-of-tune voice while dipping bread in an egg mixture then tossing it on a flat pan.
She spun around and spied him. “Good morning. I hope I didn’t wake you. I planned to surprise you with breakfast in bed.”
Grinning, he padded across the kitchen to pull her into his arms and kiss her. “Morning. I’d hoped to welcome the day in a different way, but this is the next best thing. What are you making?”
“French toast.” She went up on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the tip of his nose then turned to flip the bread in the pan.
He kept his arms looped around her waist as she cooked. He flattened his palm on her stomach and nuzzled her neck. “I don’t know which smells better, you or breakfast.”
Laughing, she swatted his knuckles with the spatula. “I hope it’s the breakfast.”
“I’m not so sure.” He pressed kisses along her neck. Hell, he couldn’t get enough of this woman. Each taste only left him wanting more. “Looks delicious. We can still take it back to the bedroom. Then once we’re done eating, we can enjoy some other activities to make this an even better morning.”
She tipped back her head to rest against him, exposing the long column of her neck. “I never knew you were so impatient.”
“Only with things I really, really want.”
She faced him again and caught his chin in between her thumb and forefinger. “But when we wait, it makes things so much sweeter. Besides, didn’t you get enough last night?” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned.
He opened his mouth to argue, but his phone rang and stole his attention. He plucked it from his pocket and read Madden’s name on the screen. “Just so you know, I could never get enough of you, but we’ll finish this conversation after I talk to Madden.”
Spinning back around, she flipped the bread then got another piece ready.
Tearing himself away from her, he answered the call. “Hey, man. What’s up? Aren’t you at the parade?”
The annual parade had a midmorning start time, but it took hours to get everything in place for the festivities. If Sunrise Security was in charge of crowd control, Madden and the rest of the crew would have shown up close to when the sun rose.
“I’m here with Lily and Tara. I wasn’t sure if I should call you about this, but it seems like the right thing to do.”
The hesitancy in his best friend’s voice set him on high alert. “What’s wrong?”
“Tara got a phone call from your dad last night,” Madden said.
“She was upset and spoke with Lily about it. Lily didn’t tell me everything, but Tara’s planning on flying home this afternoon.
Something about your dad needing a place to stay or money.
I guess he laid it on pretty thick, really made Tara feel guilty for leaving town. ”
Anger tightened his grip on the phone. “Son of a bitch.”
“Lily told Tara she should let you know about the call, but she didn’t want you to try and talk her out of leaving.”
“Damn right I’d try to convince her to stay. I thought she finally figured out her help is wasted on him. She said she was finished with his bullshit, ready to put her own life first for once.” Irritation swirled to life inside him like a dust storm, and he paced the length of the kitchen.
Eve removed the pan from the stove and shut off the burner. Her concerned gaze followed his every move.
“You and I both know it’s not that easy,” Madden said. “Your dad has manipulated her for years, knows what buttons to press to get what he wants. Tara severing that tie isn’t as simple as leaving town.”
Head pounding, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “When’s her flight?”
“Not until later this afternoon. She said she wanted to see a little of the parade, then asked if Lily would drive her.”
“I’ll call her. Thanks for letting me know.”
“She’s going to be so pissed,” Madden said.
“Better her than me. Thanks again, man.” Disconnecting, he didn’t even a spare a second to let Eve know what had happened before he dialed Tara. The line rang in his ear, raising his blood pressure when her voicemail picked up. “Answer your phone, Tara. We need to talk.”
Disconnecting, he hung his head. “Shit.”
Eve rushed to him and slid her palm up and down his back. “What’s going on?”
He brought up his text app and pounded out a message for his sister.
“Dad called Tara last night and apparently guilted her enough to make her want to go back home. She booked a flight for later today. I need to talk to her before she goes. I’m afraid if she leaves, she’ll get stuck in the same vicious cycle. ”
“And she’s not answering your calls?”
He tossed his useless phone on the counter. “Nope.”
“Well, then, let’s head to Madden and Lily’s place. You can talk to her there. Have a conversation about how both of you are feeling. Because the last thing she needs is for you to jump in and tell her what to do. She should see you are supporting her and encouraging her to do what’s best for her.”
He wrinkled his nose, hating that she was right. “Can’t I just bring her here and lock her in a closet or something?”
She grinned. “I don’t think so. I can clean this up and toss it in the freezer. We can always reheat it later. That way we can leave right away.”
“Slight snag in your plan,” he said.
Arching her brows, she waited.
“Tara’s downtown with Madden while he manages security for the parade. She wanted to see some of the festivities before she left.”
“Ok,” Eve said, lifting her shoulders. “Then we’ll head downtown.”
He grimaced. “As much as I want to talk to Tara, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Taking you to a crowded event feels irresponsible.”
Even as he spoke, his stomach tied in knots. He’d vowed to be a better brother, to help Tara see that her attempts at helping their father were fruitless. Now as soon as she was faced with a tough decision, she was too afraid of his reaction to talk to him.
And he couldn’t even go find her to let her know he’d be there for her no matter what.
“I don’t see any harm in taking a little field trip,” she said, continuing the steady motion on his back.
“There will be so many people around, he wouldn’t dare make a move.
Not when he’s only ever tried when I’ve been completely alone.
We can find Tara, you can talk, then we’ll head right back here to spend the rest of the day however you want. ”
“However I want?”
She nodded. “This is important to you, so it’s important to me. You’ll regret it if you don’t try.”
Deep down, he knew she was right. He had to make Tara see their father had to fix his own mistakes. Then he’d haul Eve back to the cabin in the woods, where he could keep her safe—and hopefully in bed for the rest of the day.
With the parade only thirty minutes away from start time, the parking was scarce and the streets packed around downtown Cloud Valley.
The warmth of the sun combated the subtle breeze stirring the leaves in the trees.
Green grass and blue skies created the perfect backdrop for a day that promised fun and festivities.
“You might as well park at my house and we can walk from there,” Eve said.
Reid flexed his hands around the steering wheel. “You’re probably right. No way I’ll find a spot much closer.”
Trepidation did a tap dance in Eve’s stomach as Reid pulled into her driveway and shut off the engine.
“Do you know where Tara is?” As much as she wanted to catch a glimpse of the extravagance that came along with the annual parade, the idea of being around so many people had fear creeping up the back of her neck.
“Madden told me they’re on Main Street, a few blocks south of Tilly’s. He’ll stay put until we get there. Lily knows we’re coming, but he hasn’t said a word to Tara, which is probably a good thing. She’d take off quick if she knew.”
“She might still. You have to be prepared for that.” She kept her voice low, not wanting to upset him.
He blew out a long breath. “I know.”
“You’re a good brother.” She leaned over the seat to give him a quick kiss then hopped out of the truck.
“I don’t think she’ll see it that way, but I’m trying.” He met her on her side of the vehicle then took her hand. “Stay close. I don’t want to take any chances.”
She squeezed his hand. “I don’t think that will be too hard.”
The closer they got to town, the more eclectic the crowd became. Little boys dressed like cowboys and girls wearing long prairie dresses paired with braided pigtails skipped beside their parents. Dogs with red bandannas tied around their necks pulled their pet parents down the road.
She smiled, the excitement infectious. “Becca talked about dressing Suzy up this year. Good luck getting that little girl to put on anything she didn’t like.”
“Maybe we’ll see them down here.”