Chapter 17 #2
A shower of white lights suddenly illuminated behind her. Kaiah turned around and saw the lighthouse was glowing, wrapped
in a dotted blanket filled with thousands of small white lights.
She cupped her hands to her mouth and swallowed a gasp of air. Footfalls sounded, and Reid loped down the stone steps toward
her.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Reid,” she whispered, “it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
He laughed. “And to think it was my daughter’s brilliant idea.”
“It’s amazing!” She grasped his hands and pulled him to her. “When did you do this?” she asked, her eyes searching his.
Reid pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, his touch leaving a trail of heat in its wake. “The guys and I took care of
the lights yesterday after that call we had when I saw you downtown. Jerry over at Public Works finally found the lights.
We got the crew at Station 3 to help us, and still it took hours. I was grateful we didn’t get any calls so we could finish
it. Just in case Mr. Johnson isn’t able to fix the wiring, this will be a pretty good solution, I think. Especially based
on your reaction.” He traced his fingertip along her jawline. “I couldn’t wait to show you. That’s why I called Becks and
asked her to keep Piper.”
Without thinking, Kaiah threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. “It’s perfect, Reid. Just perfect.”
Reid rested his hands on her lower back and his cheek on the top of her head as he relaxed against her. “I can’t thank you
enough for all you’ve done for this town. And for me.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she whispered.
The only sound she could hear was the rhythmic beat of waves against the beach as she held on to him. She savored his familiar scent—soap and sandalwood—along with the joy of being in his arms.
“I really like you, Kaiah,” he said. His voice was husky, and suddenly the spring breeze wasn’t enough to cool the heat of
her skin. “I like you a lot.”
She let his words settle over her before she answered, the corners of her mouth curving up. “I like you too, Reid.”
When he pulled away, Reid’s smile had smoothed out. His soft expression turned into a smolder, and she held her breath as
her nerve endings stood on end.
He gently angled her chin toward his, and when his lips met hers, her knees buckled. Happiness blossomed in the pit of her
belly as he cradled the nape of her neck, and she melted against him. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his muscled
frame leaning against hers as she lost herself in his kiss.
Wow.
That was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. When he shifted away from her, she grasped his shoulders for balance.
“I’ve wanted to do that ever since we went to the elementary school to talk to Coach Emmerson.”
“What took you so long?” she whispered, her voice breathy.
With that, he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her again, and this time she looped her arms around his neck and pulled
him closer. He leaned in to deepen the kiss, and the feel of his body under her fingertips, the way it pressed against hers,
made her feel as if all her cells were on fire.
When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and grinned. “I’m sorry I waited so long, but I can’t say I’m disappointed.”
She laughed. “Me neither.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He stood up straight, linked his fingers with hers, and turned toward the lighthouse.
“So, now that we’ve figured out how to light up the lighthouse, I was thinking I could give tours during the festival,” he said.
“But it really needs to be cleaned up. Would you help me get it ready?”
She nodded while trying to find her voice. “Yeah. Of course.”
“Great. Let’s go inside.”
As he pulled her toward the lighthouse, she hoped they’d repeat that kiss soon.
Reid guided Kaiah through the lighthouse, showing her where he was thinking about placing booths for the historical society
to sell souvenirs and take donations. Then he led her up the stairs to the lantern room.
Although he prattled on about his plans for the lighthouse, his mind was still stuck on the moment they’d shared on the beach.
Holding her felt like a dream. He hadn’t felt such a rush of emotions—comfort, desire, joy, and hope—since he’d been with
Brynn. Kaiah had awakened something deep inside him, something he’d tried to lock away nearly half a decade ago. Holding her
against him had felt right. It was as if she belonged in his arms, and he needed to find a way to convince her to stay so
that he could kiss her again. Thoroughly. And often.
“Mr. Johnson said he’s still working on getting the lamp repaired,” Reid told her while they stood in the lantern room. “If
he gets it fixed on time, we’ll have extra ambience.”
Kaiah took his hand and motioned toward the gallery deck. “Let’s see the view from out there.”
He followed her outside, and a cool breeze fluttered over them.
She rested her head against his shoulder. “It’s beautiful up here.”
He nodded, but his eyes were focused on her gorgeous profile, taking in her high cheekbones, ocean-blue eyes, pink lips, and
sun-kissed skin, while doing his best to commit to memory how she seemed to glow in the light of the sunset. He wanted his
mind to document this moment forever. And more than anything, he wanted to convince this woman to stay in Coral Cove and build
a life with him and his daughter.
Her phone dinged, yanking him back to reality as she plucked it from her purse. She studied the screen, and her brow furrowed
before she locked the phone and dropped it back into her bag.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She huffed out a breath. “It’s my ex. He won’t take a hint.”
“Hayes?” he asked, and she nodded. He tried in vain to banish the jealousy worming its way through him. She’d made it clear
that she was done with him, so why did he care if the guy was still reaching out to her?
But it bothered him. Badly.
They stood in silence for several moments, both of them unsure how to move the night forward.
Kaiah acted first. “Listen, let’s just forget him,” she said. She leaned against him, kissed his cheek, and released a happy
sigh from her pink lips. “I can’t believe it’s Tuesday and the festival is Friday. I feel like everything’s coming together.”
“And that’s because of you, Ky.” He pulled her against him and enjoyed the feeling of her soft, warm skin on his. “We can
tie up loose ends tomorrow. I have to work Friday, but Cash already told me we’ll be stationed at the festival.”
“That means I’ll get to see you,” she said.
They enjoyed the view for a few more minutes before they started down the stairs. When they walked outside, Kaiah motioned toward the lighthouse. “I need to get more photos. I might use them for my write-up after the festival.”
She snapped several photos with her phone and then grabbed his arm. “We should take a selfie with the lighthouse in the background.”
She handed him the phone, then snuggled up to him, and he held the phone up high before snapping several photos.
“Send me those,” he told her.
“I will.” She held his hand while they descended the steps. “I’m going to write another article tonight and include the winner
of the photo contest. I can’t believe we had a thousand folks vote online for the entries.”
After they walked back to Reid’s Suburban and climbed inside, he leaned over and brushed his lips over hers. He began slowly,
taking his time to explore her velvet lips as the world around them fell away. Her hands moved to the nape of his neck, and
her fingertips combed through his hair.
When he broke away, he pulled in air, working to slow the shock waves still rocking his body.
Her lips were a swollen pout as she touched his face. “I could get used to that,” she whispered.
He grinned. “I think I could too.”