14. Raven
“You look nice.”
I blush at the compliment, but I can’t say I’m not pleased by it. Christian looks good, too, in his khaki shorts and plain white shirt, then the sunglasses that immediately make him even more attractive. I glance down at my cotton shorts and floral, summery top, glad that I brought a swimsuit with me to wear underneath.
When we arrive at the riverside, where Clara’s family has already set up a picnic feast, I’m already excited. Jazzy sees us and runs straight toward me for a hug, which has Christian laughing.
“Aunt Raven! I’m so glad you could come!”
Christian pretends to roll his eyes and pout. “Really, Jazzy? Switching loyalties now? Wasn’t I the one who read you her books?”
Jazzy beams, then pulls away from me to give him a longer and tighter hug. “Uncle Christian, I already knew you would come. I’m still excited but not that excited.”
Which sends him into another round of pouting and complaints. Jazzy giggles through it all, and I watch as they exchange playful banter before Jazzy pulls me toward the picnic table. Clara gives me a hug, too, while Nick grins and tells me I can swim now if I want.
“Yeah, come on, Raven. The water’s nice and warm.”
Clara gets into the water in her one-piece with Jazzy while Nick sits with Jared, who’s still eating. Christian shakes his head.
“I don’t think Raven brought a…oh. Never mind.”
Green eyes stay on me while I remove my top, hesitate, then strip off my shorts, too, when I remember I didn’t bring extra shorts with me. The gleam in his gaze is subtle, but I can’t help but give him a playful, warning look.
“Christian.”
“What?”
“It’s just a one-piece. Your sister’s wearing the same thing.”
His nose wrinkles. “I don’t look at my sister the way I look at you.”
I gasp at the boldness.
“Don’t be too obvious.”
“I can’t help it. That looks good on you.” He turns away from them and brushes his mouth against my ear. “It would look even better off you.”
I shiver at the contact, then the words. Desire pools in my belly, and I have to make an effort to keep my expression neutral. It’s crazy how we already touched each other, and it still feels like the craving for him just keeps growing.
Before I can make a fool of myself, I slip into the water to get away from him, then swim toward where Clara and Jazzy are. A loud splash comes after us, and it doesn’t take long for Christian to play around and splash everyone within distance. Nick joins in with Jared after, and we get absorbed with our spontaneous game of water tag.
After, we get out of the water and dry off with our towels and the sun. I watch as Christian ribs Clara and she ribs him back. The happiness on his face tells me it was the right idea to come here.
Watching them sparks a hint of envy inside me, mostly because I know what this kind of closeness feels like. I miss my parents. I miss my sister, too.
But I also long for the kind of unit Clara has someday—a family that supports each other, loves each other, and is just vibing because they know they will always be there for each other no matter what.
Every time Nick looks at Clara, it’s like his whole world lights up. Every time Clara looks at him, she smiles like she has a nice secret. I’ve never seen two people so in tune with each other and so in love, and it’s a nice sight.
“Everything good?”
I nod at Christian. “Oh, yeah. When are they leaving for Nashville?”
“Tomorrow. Then they’re headed to New York, I think. Just a short visit, but I probably won’t see them again in a while.”
“Then it’s good that we came here. So, you can spend time with them.”
“Yeah.” He smirks at me. “And you just made Jazzy’s day. Again.”
I smirk back, delighted to be someone’s source of happiness, too.
“Great. Well, I’ll make sure she gets a permanent membership to my book club and always receives advance copies of my future books.”
Christian chortles. “You just made that up, but I bet that’ll elevate you to star status in her eyes.”
“Nah. I just want to be called Aunt Raven forever.”
Then I remember there won’t be a forever because I’ll be leaving soon.
I don’t know why, but there’s a pang in my chest at the thought. So, I try not to think about it.
“Hmm. By the way, Clara invited Honey Lee. And a few more people. I hope you don’t mind.”
I don’t, but I still brace myself in case it’s the Sutton cousins, including Aimee. Or the women who openly flirted with him. Or the neighbors who look like they’ll be more thorough in their interrogation than Clara was.
Instead, I find a man I haven’t met yet welcomed into the picnic, with a little girl who’s about six or seven years old clutching his big hand. She looks like a sweetheart, all doe eyes and shy curiosity, while he looks…familiar.
I try to recall where I’ve seen him in town before I remember that I haven’t been out much. Then realization dawns and I stare some more.
“Oh, my God. Isn’t that Evan Whitlock? As in Evan the Conqueror, the NFL star?”
“Ex-NFL. But yeah, still a star. He grew up with us and played with us in high school. He got drafted right after college.”
My excitement dies when I recall one more thing: Evan’s wife dying a few years ago and the steady decline of his football career after that. The news of her plane crash was everywhere, along with Evan’s very public mourning. But I caught him on television when he was still in his glory days because my dad and sister were kind of obsessed with football.
“Is he taking a break?”
“No, he just retired. He’s settling back into town.”
It’s surprising news, mostly because I’ve witnessed a lot of football players who bounced back after a couple of years of personal issues and bad plays. But I don’t have time to analyze it as we’re introduced. Evan smiles warmly and welcomes me to Sweet Haven, even though he and his daughter just arrived here.
Looking at him, you will never see the tragedy on his face now, but I know we all have ways of hiding behind masks. I’m no different.
I was right about his daughter Ella being a sweetheart, and I do my best to get her out of her shy state. Then the three kids and the three men end up flocking toward each other while Clara sits with me.
“Looks nice, doesn’t it? I never thought we’d see Evan again, but here they are.”
“Are they best friends, too?”
“They’re not as close as Nick and Christian are, but they’re still pretty close. Caught up even during college and after when they were focused on their careers, though Evan rarely met up with them because of his training schedule. But he’s as much of a brother to them as they are to each other.”
I nod. “I get that. Honey Lee and I don’t spend much time together as adults anymore, but we’re still close. And my sister Sophia, I rarely get to speak to her because she’s so busy traveling, but whenever we do see each other…”
“It’s like no time has passed, right?”
“Right.”
We watch as Christian gets acquainted with Ella, too, and has her giggling within minutes.
“My brother’s good with kids. Did you know he didn’t approve of my relationship with Nick at first, but he warmed up to Jazzy right away? He read her a story to sleep the first night he got in town…maybe an hour after he got in town and met her.”
The image of that warms my heart.
“Yeah. He’s good with kids.”
He’s good with adults, too, even with his moods, because deep down, he has the most compassionate heart.
“If he wanted a family, I know it would make him so happy. But I guess he made his decision.”
“Yeah.”
“What about you? Do you want a family someday?”
“Oh, yes. I love kids. I want my own someday. And a nice house.” I laugh. “And a nice man, of course.”
The warmth in my heart changes into fast thuds that dull every other sound as I continue looking at him and try to convince myself that it’s not him that I’m seeing when I imagine that future family or future husband. Definitely not. Can’t be.
Absolutely forbidden thought.
“Will you be staying after, Raven?”
“What?”
“After the assignment. As soon as whatever your deal is has cleared.”
“Oh. No. I’m not staying. I’m leaving right away.”
“What if Christian asks you to stay?”
“I’m…sure he won’t.”
A prick of hurt comes at the idea, and I have to refrain from rubbing my chest. Clara studies me, torn. Then she opens her mouth, and I know the general questions are done and the next one is going to be more personal.
Before she can ask, though, a familiar voice greets everyone, and I spot Honey Lee and Aaron wandering over with a basket in hand and smiles on their faces.
“My cousin’s here.” I beam, mostly because I’m relieved. I’ve been saved by the bell, but I know the time will come when that question will haunt me again.
What if Christian asks me to stay?
I honestly don’t know my answer to that.