What the hell was happening to his life?
“This is serious, Justice,” he said, shooting a glare at his older brother. “She’s slipping into my life and I’m letting it happen.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Justice told him, snipping off the end of the wire and tucking it into his jeans pocket. “Maybe you’re tired of the babe-of-the-week routine. Ready for something different. Permanent.”
His insides went cold and still. “Hold on, nobody said anything about permanent.”
“Crap, you just went white.” Justice laughed, walked back to his truck and set the pliers down in the locked down toolbox in the bed. “It’s good to see.”
“Yeah, because it worked out so well for you.”
Instantly, Justice’s grin faded. “What happened between me and Maggie has nothing to do with anything.”
“Sure, we can talk about me, but not Maggie.” Jesse kicked at the dirt, sent a spray of it toward the truck and glared at his brother.
“You came to me, Jesse. Remember?” Justice tugged the brim of his dust-colored cowboy hat down low over his eyes. “If you’re having problems with a woman they’re your problems, not mine.”
“Fine. Forget it. Damn close-mouthed bastard.” Justice never had told anyone what had gone wrong between him and his estranged wife, Maggie Ryan. The whole family had been nuts about Maggie, yet one day she and Justice had separated, neither of them offering an explanation.
That was a year ago, and still, his brother was completely mute on the subject.
After a minute or two, Jesse blurted, “Look, you’re the only one of us to ever get married. Who the hell else should I ask?”
“Try Travis. Or Jackson. Or hell, even Adam,” Justice told him, ticking off the names of three King cousins who’d all been happily married for a couple of years now.
“They’re not around—you are.”
“Lucky me.”
“How the hell is a man supposed to deal with having only one woman in his life?” Jesse asked. “I’ve never done that before. Never had a long-standing girlfriend. Never wanted one. I like the no-strings-attached approach to dating, you know?”
“So, have no strings,” Justice told him.
“But Bella’s not that kind of woman,” Jesse muttered, shoving one hand through his hair. “She’s got strings all over the damn place and I keep getting tangled up in them.”
“You don’t want them?” Justice said quietly, as he closed the gate on the back of the truck. “Cut them and move on. End of story.”
Jesse looked at his brother and sighed. Justice was right, he knew it. And yet, “That’s the problem. For the first time in my life, I don’t know if I want to move on.”
The surfing exhibition had drawn a great crowd. People from up and down the state had gathered in Morgan Beach to watch the show and so far, it had been worth it.
Some of the best surfers in the world were riding the waves, making it look effortless as they skimmed the surface of the water, riding in a tunnel of water, then shooting out into the open, their boards kicking up fantail wakes behind them. The sun slipped in and out of banks of heavy clouds, its golden light glancing off the surface of the water in nearly blinding flashes. The scent of hot dogs and beer wafted over the noisy crowd and seagulls shrieked in accompaniment. The exhibition was proving to be a great end-of-summer celebration and the crowds would no doubt spill over into the Main Street shops later. But for now, Bella had her shop closed so she could watch the show. And Jesse.
She had a great seat in the bleachers set up in the sand for the day. At the end of a row, she looked down to her left at the path the surfers took in and out of the water. And she wasn’t alone, either. Jesse’s cousin, Jackson, his wife, Casey, and their daughters, Mia and Molly, were in town. They’d actually come to southern California to take the girls to Disneyland, but hadn’t been able to resist watching Jesse surf in the competition.
“He’s really good, isn’t he?” Casey whispered, her gaze locked on the ocean where Jesse was maneuvering his long board in and out of a six-foot wave.
Cheers erupted from the stands and Bella grinned, caught up in the excitement of watching Jesse do what he did best. He had so much grace and style, he eclipsed every other surfer out there easily. And everyone in the stands seemed to recognize that, too.
“He really is good,” Bella answered, never taking her eyes off the man who’d become such a huge part of her life. She couldn’t even believe how charmed her life was lately. Every spare moment was spent with Jesse and she grew more in love with him every day. The only worry was that she didn’t know how he felt.
Did he share her feelings? Or was this all just a fun fling that he’d move on from eventually? And if it was, how would she ever get through it?
She closed her eyes, sighed and told herself not to worry about that now. Just to enjoy this moment for what it was. She was building so many memories, her heart was full of them.
“Of course he is,” Jackson said, “he’s a King, isn’t he? Molly, honey, don’t eat the paper.”
“Paper?” Casey demanded, tearing her gaze from the ocean to look at her younger daughter. “What paper?”
“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Jackson told her. “Let’s just consider it fiber.”
Bella laughed, Casey sighed and reached across her husband to lift her two-year-old daughter onto her lap. “Honestly, Jackson.”
“I didn’t tell her to eat the paper the cookie came in, did I, Mia?” He tickled his older daughter and as the girl laughed, Bella sighed.
Jesse’s cousin and his family had arrived in town the night before and since then, they’d all had a wonderful time together. Jesse was like a different person when he was with the two little girls. They clearly adored him and he was crazy about them. Watching him with Jackson’s daughters, Bella hadn’t been able to stop the tiny bubble of something dangerously maternal rising inside her. And she wondered what it would be like to be Jesse’s wife. To have his children. To feel that sort of warmth surrounding her for the rest of her life.
But the truth was, as much as she loved him, as much as she wanted him, Bella wasn’t sure he felt the same way. Yes, he was a wonderful lover. But did it go any further than that? Was she in love and he in lust? She wished she knew.
“Where’s Uncle Jesse?” Mia demanded, standing on her father’s lap and staring out at the sea.