Cape Cod Promises: Love on Rockwell Island (11 page)

“Do you remember the last time we went to a flea market together?” Trent asked after they’d gotten out of the car.

Of course she remembered. She’d never forgotten one second that they’d spent together. It was crazy that the sparks between them hadn’t faded one bit—if anything, they felt stronger after being apart for so long. But she couldn’t let herself forget how quickly he’d changed in New York. She shouldn’t be pulled right back into his arms without some sort of assurance that he’d really changed.

Unfortunately,
knowing
she shouldn’t and
fighting her attraction
to him were a world apart.

“We went behind the boulders,” she finally answered.

He reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “You were so sexy, Reese.”

“We almost got caught so many times.” She flushed with the memory of that afternoon. They’d been looking at arts and crafts, and every time Trent touched her, she wanted him more, needed him more. And then finally—
finally
—when neither could hold back another second, they’d stolen off to a secluded area of the park and made love behind a screen of boulders.

Now he gazed into her eyes and said, “I never could get close enough to you. In the months we were together, all I wanted was to love you more, to become part of you.”

She tore her eyes away, her throat thick with emotion. Painful emotion now, rather than the attraction that had been bubbling back up between them. “If that’s true, then you quickly lost your way.” And she still didn’t understand why he had let her go without even fighting for her all those years ago.

Her voice brought him back into focus. “I did lose my way. I didn’t know how to handle our relationship back then, but I’ve changed, Reese. And I promise I’m going to prove it to you.”

She wanted to believe him, but she’d given him unconditional love and trust before, and he’d been reckless with it. How could she trust him now?

She watched a young couple walk through the market carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers and holding hands. Why did it look so easy for everyone else? Then again, it had felt so easy for them at first, too, before they’d gone to New York.

Was it this island? Could their love survive only in this fairy-tale environment?

But even as the questions went around and around inside her head, she knew better than to try to figure out the last ten years in the next ten minutes. She needed to get their outing back on track, but now that talking had evened the score with almost making out, she wasn’t sure
what
she wanted anymore. Talking about the past was heartrending. Whereas almost making out was incredibly drugging and delicious.

“Maybe we shouldn’t make any promises today,” she said softly. “Maybe we could just browse and enjoy the day, okay?”

For a moment, she thought he might push his case again, but then his lips curved up into a smile and he said, “I already am enjoying the day, Reese. More than I’ve enjoyed anything in a very long time.”

There was nothing more beautiful than Trent Rockwell’s smile. And even though they’d been skirting the edge of some really difficult memories so far today, her heart suddenly felt like it was flying.

* * *

THE SUMMER TRENT had met Reese and everything had seemed so new and exciting, they’d often visited flea markets, galleries, and old bookstores. He’d just come out from under several grueling years of law school, and while he knew that just about anything would feel like a reprieve, what he felt when he was with Reese was miles beyond anything he’d ever experienced.

Now, just getting to hold her hand as they walked from one booth to the next, rocked him to the core. This was what he wanted—another chance at a life with Reese.

But would she ever want that, too?

Sometimes, when she forgot the past, she smiled up at him so easily. Other times, however, he could see the clear hesitation hovering in her eyes. She was here with him today, but that didn’t mean she’d forgiven him for hurting her. Or that she ever would forgive him enough to give him a second chance at loving her the way she deserved to be loved.

He was so incredibly lucky that she’d agreed to this date, and he wanted to understand everything she was feeling so that he could make sure he never made the same mistakes again.

But he knew Reese well enough to understand that she had to be totally, one hundred percent ready. Until she felt she could handle it—all of it—it didn’t matter how much he pushed. He’d only push her away if he wasn’t careful. His mother, Abby, had always said,
Reese really thinks things through. It’s one of the things I love best about her—that I always know she’ll give every option careful consideration.
Trent loved that, too, and now all he could hope was that she’d carefully consider being with him again, rather than outright rejecting him for his past mistakes.

He’d wait as long as it took for her to make up her mind. He felt as if he’d lived a lifetime in the last ten years, and now he knew what would fulfill him and what he’d been holding out for all these years.

Reese
.

Just then she made a happy little sound and tugged him toward a booth full of books. It was just what she used to do when they would go to a flea market together, and yet again he prayed that this outing meant she was going to give him a chance at reconciliation. Because he honestly wasn’t sure how he could ever move past her again.

Again?
Who was he kidding? He’d never moved past her in the first place. Wasn’t that why he’d found something wrong with every woman he’d dated since their divorce? Wasn’t that why the idea of moving back to the island had been slowly simmering for all these years? Wasn’t that why he’d bought the wrapping paper and why almost every other thing he’d ever purchased had been with her at the forefront of his mind, from linens—
Ooh, let’s get the super-high thread count. I love the softness!—
to the shirts he wore—
I love you in black and navy.

Reese picked up one of the books to show to him. “Are you still looking for this one?”

He was an avid collector, and it meant a great deal to Trent that after all these years, Reese still remembered his treasured list of books. In the first weeks they’d dated, he’d told her about the books he wanted to read. The books weren’t the old classics, but they had been suggested to him over the years by friends with similar interests, professors, his family. They ranged in topics from philosophy to nonfiction recounts of war stories. Reese had suggested that he start a list, much like her inspiration notebook. She’d jot down things she wanted to paint. When she was in search of inspiration, she’d flip through the list and find a note she’d scribbled at an earlier time, and it would spark a painting. Before they’d married, she’d bought Trent a special leather-bound notebook for his list, which had become one of his treasured possessions.

“I am. And I can’t believe you remember the list so well still.”

“I remember everything, Trent. Not just the bad, but the good, too.”

He couldn’t help but press his lips to hers. For a second she went still, but he didn’t want to pull away, and when a soft, surrendering sigh escaped her lungs and filled his, he knew he didn’t need to.

Their mouths moved in perfect harmony, and right there beside a table in the flea market, with people milling about and their bodies creating enough heat to ignite the book in Reese’s hand, he felt as if their hearts were reaching for each other, coming back together, bridging the years with silent hopes for a future.

Or was that just wishful thinking?

Her soft curves melted against him, and as they drew apart, she sighed. It was a dreamy, wanting sound that sent him reeling with desire.

“I can’t forget about Tami,” she whispered.

It took a minute for his lust-drenched brain to remember who Tami was.

“I should go see her before it gets too late,” Reese said as she set down the book. “If you want to stay to look through the rest of these books, I could come get you when I’m done.”

“I want to be with you, Reese. More than anything else in the world.” He slid his arm around her waist and held her close as they went in search of the eager, budding artist.

* * *

TAMI PRESTON WAS eighteen years old and full of youthful dreams and fangirl enthusiasm. She gushed over meeting Reese and kept smiling at her mother with an I-can’t-believe-she’s-here look in her wide eyes. Reese was happy to let Tami know just how great her artwork was, while also sharing a few thoughts on ways to bring more depth to her paintings and sketches.

It warmed her heart to see Trent paying for one of Tami’s paintings. He was so thoughtful. But then, fast on its heels, came that same question she’d been circling again and again since he’d come back into her life:
Why did he let ten years pass before seeking me out?
She still found everything about him alluring, from his wit and charm to his willingness to give her space when she needed it. But why, oh why, had he waited so long?

Ten years ago, she’d felt selfish asking for more of him when she knew he was working so hard to make a name for himself in his new profession. But she’d grown up with parents who put their relationship above all else, and that’s what she’d thought she’d found with Trent in those early weeks of their whirlwind romance. What’s more, she’d seen that same commitment in his parents’ relationship, and she’d believed Trent when he’d assured her that nothing would ever come between them.

Now, as he came to her side and placed a hand on her lower back, her heart was aching for a second chance, but the questions still lingered. Would he ever really put her ahead of work? Would he resent her if he did? And could she be more understanding about his hours and the demands of being an attorney, especially now that he’d taken on so many responsibilities at the resort as well?

At the same time, she had to ask herself—did she really want to be his
entire
world? Because she loved the sharp-witted, practical, and methodical side of Trent, which earned him accolades in the legal world, as she’d seen documented over the years in articles in the
Wall Street Journal
and the
New York Times
. She had always been so proud of him and of all of his accomplishments.

So, no, she didn’t want to change that part of him. At least not completely.

But she
did
want to know that his heart skipped a beat whenever he thought of her, the way hers always skipped when she thought of him. She wanted their love to be strong enough to withstand a few late nights, but also be important enough to him that he would want to come home to her in the evenings…and that when he left their bed each morning he would feel a pang of longing to stay.

Oh God. In the space of one outing, she’d already mentally inserted herself back into his life.

“Thank you so much for coming all the way here to see my work. You can’t imagine how much it means to me.” Tami embraced Reese.

“It was my pleasure. You’re really talented. Keep painting, and you have my e-mail address and phone number. Contact me anytime. I’m always happy to share thoughts with another artist.”

Tami’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe you just called me an
artist
. I’m hardly that good.”

“Nonsense,” Reese said with a smile. “Your work is excellent, and the great thing about art is that everyone’s talent is different. The minute you created your first painting or sketch and said to yourself that this was what you wanted to do, you became an artist!” She hugged Tami again, then wrapped her arm around Trent’s waist. “Have a great show.”

It had taken no thought to wrap her arm around Trent and snuggle against his warm, familiar body like she belonged there. Right now she felt like she
did
belong there. Being with Trent felt the best kind of right, even if it should feel wrong based on the problems they’d never been able to resolve.

She knew they needed to deal with it, but did it have to be right this second, when her heart was full and her body ached for the closeness they’d shared? Right now all she wanted was for this feeling of goodness and wholeness to continue. She wanted to be with the only man who had ever made her feel truly alive.

She tried to distract herself from her burgeoning desires by telling Tami’s mother, “Your daughter is very talented, and I’m sure with your encouragement she’ll go far.”

As they walked away, Trent said, “You just made her day.” He kissed Reese’s temple as his hand slid to her hip. A moment later his gentle touch felt even more intimate as his thumb stroked it. When his fingers slipped beneath the edge of her sweater and brushed against her skin, heat blazed through her.

Oh God, she didn’t just want to dip her toes into the goodness of them
—
she wanted to jump in with both feet and submerge herself. To tangle together and drown in the desire swelling between them.

“You didn’t have to buy one of her pieces, but I’m so glad you did.”

“It’s for you to have, Reese.” His voice was low and as thick with restraint as her body felt. “One day she’s going to come visit you, and when she sees this painting among your things, it will mean the world to her.”

The sun was just beginning to set as she turned to face him, giving the chilly evening a romantic glow. “I love that you thought of that. That you even recognize how special something like that could be in the first place.” She couldn’t resist touching his chest, laying her palm over his beating heart the same way she had earlier that day.

Oh, how she’d missed touching him like this. Missed being able to look up into his blue eyes and see his smile. Missed lying safe and warm in the circle of his arms.

“I felt your joy every time someone admired one of your paintings. Even before we were married, when a tourist would stop to watch you paint or sketch on the beach, you would light up. How could I not understand something that was such a big part of my wife’s life?”

Hearing Trent say
my wife
made her heart skip a beat, but it was the way he was looking at her, as if he still felt their deep connection just as strongly as she did, that had her breath hitching in her throat.