"Wiggle room. I like the sound of that...especially the wiggle part," he said before sealing his lips over hers.
It felt so good, so right, to be in his arms again. She melted against him as he deepened the kiss, and she gathered the back of his shirt in her hands, pulling it up so she could feel his skin. A moan escaped his lungs as he cupped her rear.
"Shelley might--" she managed before kissing him again.
"--walk in," Trent agreed, taking her in another toe-curling kiss.
"Good thing my gallery is right across the street, isn't it?"
She laughed with surprise as he lifted her up into his arms. "I can walk."
He silenced her protests with a kiss. And the truth was that it was incredibly romantic to be carried out beneath the stars...and then over the threshold of her gallery.
"Trent," she said softly once they were inside. "This reminds me of..."
Her heart got caught in her throat, and she couldn't finish. But she could see from looking into his eyes that he was remembering the same thing. "You're even more beautiful now than you were on our wedding night."
"So are you."
For a long moment, they simply held on to each other as memories slowly transformed into a love that was new and fresh and wonderful.
And then she smiled at him and said, "I have a couch in the back room."
His answering grin was so full of sensuality that it made her heart pound with renewed heat. He moved quickly through her gallery, and the next thing she knew, she was naked and lying beneath him, his fingers threaded through hers, his wonderfully heavy body pressing hers into the leather cushions.
"I love you," she said again.
There wasn't just intense heat in his eyes as he moved into her, but there was emotion, too. So much emotion that she felt his love in every thrust of his body into hers. In every brush of his lips over her skin. In the tightening of his fingers over hers.
And, most of all, in the beating of his heart against hers as they found pleasure unlike any other in each other's arms.
Chapter Twenty-One
BY NOON THE next day, Trent still couldn't stop wishing he was back in Reese's bed, holding her in his arms. Last night, they'd made love in her gallery and then gone back to the mural to pick up and clean her painting supplies, she'd invited him back to her house again. They'd tumbled into bed as hungry for each other as ever, and when they'd woken up this morning, Reese was so inspired to paint that after seducing him yet again, she'd leapt out of bed and taken off to chase her muse.
He slid the vase of heliotrope he'd picked for Reese while he was out running closer on his desk and inhaled the scent of the flowers, anxious to give the pretty purple blooms to her. Heliotrope symbolized eternal love, and when he and Reese were first dating, they used to pick them at their favorite overlook and make promises to each other. Silly promises, like I promise never to shrink your favorite shirts, or, I promise to make sure you never run out of azul-blue paint.
All he'd wanted was to be with Reese again. But what he hadn't realized was that it would be a hundred times better the second time around, simply because they were finally starting to communicate. If only Trent had realized that they weren't communicating ten years ago. Now he saw it all so clearly, and it made him want that clarity in all aspects of their relationship, which included talking with Reese's parents as soon as possible. They needed to know that he not only had never stopped loving their daughter, but also that he was going to keep loving Reese every second of every day for the rest of his life.
He picked up the paperwork for the deed transfer and headed up to Chandler's office for their meeting, thinking about how he was feeling more and more like the man he wanted to be. A man he and Reese could both be proud of.
Chandler's thin lips curved into a smile as Trent entered his office. He smiled so rarely that Trent was taken by surprise.
The smile tugged at a memory he'd long ago forgotten, from back when Chandler still lived in the home he and Caroline, Trent's grandmother, had shared. Chandler had been watching Trent and Caroline playing a board game beneath an umbrella at a table on the deck. And as his grandfather gazed at his grandmother, his eyes had warmed, and he'd smiled in the same way he was now. Trent couldn't have been older than eight or nine, but he still remembered being struck by that undeniable look of love on his grandfather's face.
As he stood across the desk from Chandler now, he found himself wondering how thick--or thin--the sheet of ice his grandfather wore like armor really was.
"Trent, did you bring me the paperwork?"
"Yes, as well as the extra copies you asked for." Trent handed him the documents and smiled at his grandfather's nurse. "How are you today, Didi?"
"I'm well, thank you." Her long blond hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a tan dress that stopped just above her knees and was belted around her slim waist. She looked regal standing beside Chandler as she put a hand on his shoulder. She did that often--checking in with his grandfather without saying a word--and Trent noticed that his grandfather's eyes momentarily softened as he looked up at her before returning to the documents and narrowing once again.
"Your message said not to bring the notary to your office. Is there an issue you'd like to discuss?" Trent asked.
"No. No issue. I'll see to it that the proper documentation is filed." Chandler set the paperwork on the desk and met Trent's gaze. "Thank you for putting this documentation together, Trent. I appreciate your efforts."
Trent was knocked off-balance for the second time in five minutes. Chandler hadn't thanked Trent once since he and his siblings had taken over the resort. In fact, in two months' time, he'd received nothing more than snarls and commands from his grandfather.
"You're welcome," Trent finally managed as Chandler gripped the arms of his wheelchair and shifted his attention back down to the paperwork on his desk.
When Chandler slipped right back into his tight-lipped persona and didn't lift his eyes again as Trent took a step toward the door, he wondered if he'd imagined the entire exchange. For a brief moment, he could have sworn they'd really connected.
Damn it, he thought as he stopped and turned back to face his grandfather, they were going to connect this afternoon whether Chandler wanted to or not. He'd told Reese that he wanted his family to know they were back together--and suddenly, the person he most needed to know was his grandfather.
"I'd like to thank you, too, Grandfather."
"For what?" His grandfather looked as surprised as Trent knew he'd looked just seconds ago, when Chandler had thanked him.
"I may not have ever moved back to the island if it weren't for you. Thank you for opening that door. You managed to help me see what was really important," Trent continued, "and to get my priorities straight. I should have never let Reese go. I should have fought for her with everything I had. I wish I'd been able to see it sooner, but thankfully, it's not too late, because she and I are together again now. And I'm going to get it right this time, no matter what it takes."
As he bent to hug his grandfather, Trent noticed Didi's eyes were damp. And then, for the first time in as many years as he could remember, Chandler's frail arms encircled him in an answering hug.
"I'm proud of you, Trent," Chandler said.
Trent froze, blinking his damp eyes.
"Go on," Chandler grumbled a moment later, though the glassy sheen of his own eyes gave him away. "I have work to do."
As Trent left Chandler's office, he gave silent thanks that it had turned out his grandfather didn't have a heart of stone after all. It truly gave Trent more hope than anything else ever would.
Still reeling, Trent stopped by his office to pick up the flowers for Reese. A few minutes later, he found her working on the mural. She was talking with a woman and a little dark-haired boy who couldn't have been older than three or four, with big blue eyes and a mop of dark hair. The little boy tried to touch the wet paint, and Reese crouched beside him and smiled.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. We can't touch the wet paint, but you can touch this part." She touched the part of the mural that had already dried.
The cute little boy pressed his fingers to the dry paint.
Reese handed him a clean, dry paintbrush. "Would you like to paint?"
He grinned and nodded enthusiastically, sending his dark bangs flopping on his forehead. Reese guided him to a blank part of the wall, where he enthusiastically began painting. She glanced up at Trent, and when their eyes held for a moment, he couldn't keep his brain from running away with him, already imagining the kids they'd have together. A little girl and boy who had her big smile, amazing talent, and deeply loving heart.
When the woman and child walked away a few minutes later, Reese suddenly noticed the vase of flowers he was holding. She immediately pressed her nose to the pretty purple petals and inhaled. "Mm. I love that smell, like vanilla and almonds mixed with cherry pie."
He smiled at her description of the scent. He never would have come up with that combination himself, but she was exactly right.
"Where did you find heliotrope?" she asked as she breathed them in again.
"Right there." He pointed to the right side of the mural, and down in the corner she'd painted a patch of heliotrope; the purple was bright and beautiful against the backdrop of pink and yellow flowers and long blades of bright green grass.
The overlook had always been their special place--where they'd first met and where they'd made so many promises to each other.
Promises that he hoped would last forever.
*
REESE COULDN'T BELIEVE Trent had thought to pick the very flowers they'd used like wishing stars. Then again, before they'd moved to New York, he'd been so romantic and thoughtful that she shouldn't have been surprised. He took one of the flowers and tucked the stem behind her ear. "There's my island girl."
"I promise never to give up a chance for a picnic with you again."
"And I promise never to put my career ahead of you."
Her eyes were soft with emotion as she said, "I promise to always hang my wet towels up."
Loving the way she could go from serious to playful, he chimed in with, "And I promise to always put the cap on the toothpaste tube."
They leaned in to kiss again, but before her lips touched his, a female voice said, "Get a room, lovebirds."
They both turned at the sound of Sierra's voice. His sister was smiling, obviously pleased to have found Reese and Trent kissing.
"Trent brought me flowers. Aren't they pretty?" Reese didn't know why she was nervous. She loved Sierra like a sister. Trent slid a hand to her lower back, and the gentle touch helped ease her nerves. "I was just thanking him."
"It's okay, Reese. You can kiss my brother all you want," Sierra assured her. "I'm so glad you're dating again. I hated when you two were broken up. It wasn't fun being between a lifelong friend and my brother."
Reese was riding her own roller coaster of emotions, thinking back to the few guys she'd dated over the years and how she'd told Sierra and their other friends that she'd never felt connected to any of them. She remembered just how careful Sierra had always been not to bring up Trent, even when he was in town visiting. She had protected Reese as much as she'd protected her brother, and for that Reese would always be thankful. She wouldn't have wanted to hear about Trent's private life while they were apart.
Trent turned an apologetic gaze to his sister. "Sierra, I never realized how awkward that might have been. I'm sorry."
"We got through it," Sierra assured him. "But don't do it again."
Got through it.
Suddenly, Reese realized that's exactly what she'd been doing. Getting through it. Oh, how she'd missed waking up with a smile beside the man she loved and feeling her stomach flutter every single time she saw him. She'd been nervous about asking him back to her house again last night, but honestly, even if their future wasn't yet completely certain, how could she regret the chance to spend an entire night in his arms?
"I'm sorry, too, Sierra." Reese slipped her arm around Trent's waist, glad that they weren't communicating better just with each other, but with their families, as well. "The divorce was both our faults. I really appreciate that you stood by me and didn't end our friendship when Trent and I split up."
Sierra made a face. "Like that was ever an option. You and the girls got me through all those times when my brothers were hovering around me like guards. I love you and our friendship." She hugged Reese, then hugged Trent, too. "And I love you and your bat-shit-crazy protective nature." She grinned at both of them. "But I love you both even more now that you're giving each other a second chance."
Trent set the flowers down beside Reese's supplies, then said, "I've got to go take care of something right now. Can I see you later?"
The strictly rational part of Reese's brain was telling her to put the brakes on their super-speed romance, but every other part of her wanted him with her again tonight...and tomorrow morning, too. Especially when warmth flooded her as she remembered how wonderful it was falling asleep with him spooning her and then waking up in his arms again.
"If you'd like to come over to my house again tonight," she ended up saying, "that'd be great."
He pulled her into his arms and whispered, "I'd love to."
Reese watched him walk toward the parking lot with a goofy smile on her face. Only when Sierra said, "It really is great to see you two together again," did she realize Trent's sister was still standing there.
"Oh, sorry," Reese said with an apologetic smile. "I kind of got distracted for a second."
"No apologies necessary," Sierra said with a wave of her hand. "And the mural is gorgeous, by the way. It's full of so much heart, and you're really capturing the beauty of the island. Of course, for island girls like us, that would probably be hard not to do, right?"
"It sure would," Reese agreed.
She'd been doing a lot of thinking about what her mother had told her. If Trent needed to go to the city to take care of his practice, could she handle it this time? She'd traveled to the city a few times over the years to meet with gallery owners, and she'd learned to not only manage her fears, but to actually enjoy the noise and the chaos. It wasn't where she'd want to settle full-time, but the nonstop excitement of the city might be a nice contrast from the slow-paced island life every now and then.
Maybe it wasn't just their marriage that had needed more wiggle room, but Reese needing to give herself permission to be herself, even if that woman wasn't always the same exact person from day to day. Sometimes she would want peace and quiet. Sometimes she would want noisy excitement.
And she was starting to see that, most of all, she wanted Trent.
"My mom and I are getting the final head count together for Shelley's grand opening," Sierra said. "You're coming, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. And, Sierra, I want to thank you and your family for awarding me this project. It's been such a thrill."
Sierra pressed her lips together, like she was trying to keep from saying something, then blurted out, "Were you nervous when you found out Trent was managing the project?"
"Nervous doesn't even being to touch the emotions I experienced," Reese admitted. "But I'm so glad he was. We've been given a second chance, and even though I don't know for sure what will happen in the long run, I do know we're both trying a lot harder this time to make it work."
"Well, that's a heck of a lot better than what you've both been doing for the past ten years," Sierra said in her no-nonsense way. "And I know it's probably scary for you to think about the long run a second time around, but I have one hundred percent faith that you two can make it work. Because if you could see the way you two look at each other..." She sighed. "Now if we could only find a wonderful man for me before my brothers find him first and scare him away. Maybe you should keep Trent too busy with all those kisses for him to hover over me like a protective warrior chief."
Reese laughed and said, "C
onsider it done."
Because there was nothing she'd rather do than keep Trent busy with sweet and sexy island kisses...
Chapter Twenty-Two
"I'M STILL IN love with your daughter."
Reese's parents, Judith and David, were sitting close together on the couch beneath a big picture window that overlooked their backyard. As soon as they'd sat down, they'd reached for each other's hands at the same time, and Trent appreciated seeing Reese's parents comfort each other and present a united front. They were incredible role models for a marriage done right. If only he'd learned more from them ten years ago.
He remembered how easily they'd welcomed him into their lives when he and Reese had first met. Her parents had been as warm and loving as his own family had been toward Reese. Sitting here with them now, all these years later, in the house that still smelled as if the walls themselves were freshly baked from sugar and spice, he hoped they'd see that his intentions toward Reese were spoken from his heart.
As Trent waited for them to respond, he realized he'd never been so nervous in all his life. He knew how important Reese's parents were to her, and the truth was that their approval meant a great deal not just to Reese, but to Trent, too.
"We've actually been expecting something like this for a very long time, Trent," David finally said.
Behind his wire frames, his brown eyes were full of concern, but thankfully, he wasn't automatically shutting Trent down. Instead, he was kind enough to say, "Judith and I would like to hear what you have to say."
Trent had always liked and respected David. He was a smart, stable man who put family first, a loving, supportive father to Reese, and was well liked by everyone around town.
"I know ten years is a long time, and I wish I'd been able to see things clearly far earlier than this." Trent shook his head. "No, what I really wish is that I'd never hurt Reese in the first place. That I'd done everything right instead of doing it all wrong. But I swear to you, I'm going to get it right this time. Coming back together with Reese isn't a whirlwind decision for me, even though I'm sure it appears that way. For ten years I debated coming back to the island, but I wasn't ready. But I do know that Reese belongs here. She's the most loving, passionate woman and you two, this island, her friends, her gallery... Without all those things in her life, she's not whole. And I truly believe that I'm part of what makes her whole, too. Just the way I know she's the other half of me."