Trent hadn't fully planned what he was going to say, but as it turned out, he didn't need to. When it came to his love for Reese, there was no holding back.
Of course, that didn't mean her parents were going to suddenly embrace him with open arms just because he wanted them to. David pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, taking much longer to answer than Trent was comfortable with, before finally saying, "Trent, you're a good man. Well respected, a hard worker, and you come from a great family."
"Thank you." Trent waited anxiously for the but.
"Everyone is allowed to make mistakes, but where my little girl is concerned, one mistake is enough. I know you probably both made mistakes in your first marriage, and that's your business. But I'm still her father, and it doesn't matter how old or independent she is, I'll always worry about her. It took her years to get over her broken heart, so if you're going to pursue her again, you'd better be damned good and ready to be the man you promised to be."
*
REESE DECIDED TO quickly stop by her parents' house to thank her mother for her advice and to see if she could finally talk with her father, as well. She was surprised to see Trent's car parked out front. As she stepped through the kitchen door and heard him talking, she swallowed the greeting she'd been ready to call out.
"Reese is a caring, talented, intelligent woman with a big heart and a strong will." Every word Trent spoke was filled with love. "I promise you that I will treat her as the love of my life, because that's who she is."
Ohmygod. Reese held her breath. Her pulse quickened with the realization that Trent was speaking with her parents about them. Was this the something he'd said he needed to go take care of?
"I know I didn't do a good job of being the husband she needed me to be before, and I know how upset both of you were when we divorced. It is something I'll regret for the rest of my life. All I want to do now is spend the rest of my life loving, protecting, and cherishing her. If she'll have me. Which I know is still a big if. I will respect her needs and I'll pay attention to all the unspoken things I missed the first time." He paused, and Reese fought to hold back tears.
"Trent," her mother said, "of course we were upset when you divorced. You two were so young before, and you were both changing your lives dramatically. We can also see that you truly are in love with Reese, even after ten years apart. But we'd be lying to you if we said it's easy for us to see her taking this leap again when there are no guarantees that things between the two of you will work out better this time."
Tears were slipping down Reese's cheeks as her father began to speak again.
"We trust Reese," her father finally continued. "And despite the mistakes you've made, we feel that you're a good man." A relieved breath whooshed out of Reese, and she had to sink back against the wall as she heard her father tell Trent, "But you're not kids anymore. Reese is ready for a real life, a real family, with a man who will be there for her when she needs him. Whether there's office work to be done or not. We trust you, Trent, and we trust our daughter," her father continued. His words brought fresh tears to Reese's eyes. "If Reese does end up feeling that you're the love of her life, we won't stand in the way of you two being together again. But if you do anything to hurt her again--"
"I won't, David. And I can assure you that my love for Reese will always drive me to be the man she deserves. But I know it's not words that will prove that to you. I need to make up for all the wrong I did before with my actions and behavior and to give Reese the wonderful life she deserves. The life together that we both deserve."
*
BUTTERFLIES HAD BEEN nesting in Reese's stomach ever since she'd snuck back out of her parents' house, and not just from hearing Trent say all those wonderful, loving things. Her parents had been so careful not to influence her with their opinions about her divorce. Even when she was living with them right after she'd left New York, when the smallest memories would make her cry, her mother would hold her and say things like, Don't worry, honey. This will all work out. Her mother had given her comfort and support without condemnation, and never once said a bad word about Trent or blamed her for their failed marriage.
Now, however, she finally knew exactly how they felt. Their caution where she was concerned didn't surprise her. After all, she herself was trying to be as cautious as she could be, given the gravitational pull between her and Trent. But what, she was dying to know, did Trent think about his discussion with her parents? The two of them were now in her kitchen cooking dinner. She loved her cozy home, and she loved it so much more with Trent in it. The eat-in kitchen wasn't very big, so they were working side by side at the L-shaped counter in front of a large picture window overlooking Reese's gardens. She glanced at the vase of heliotrope on the sill, feeling a little giddy at what it represented. Trent was slicing carrots and cucumbers, and every few minutes he'd lean in for a kiss. When she'd first seen the home, she'd remembered how she and Trent had dreamed of having a home overlooking the bay. Something small, like this one.
Reese watched Trent as he opened the oven and pulled out the warm buns, placing them in a basket, a smile on his lips and a sexy look in his eyes. God, she loved him. Right down to her toes. It was a scary love because it was so big--bigger than ever--and they'd failed once already. But she had a feeling that this time it was worth fighting for--no matter how long it might take for her to be sure.
As she watched him move through her kitchen, she realized that she'd been trying to make their breakup black-and-white. To find concrete answers and put blame into perfect little niches. But love didn't work that way, and it wasn't fair to even try to manage that. Had he worked too much ten years ago? Sure. But wasn't that what young, ambitious attorneys did? And hadn't it been unfair of her not to give the city all she had and figure out a way to get over her discomfort and try harder to make a life in New York? Every way she turned it in her mind, she kept circling back to how lack of communication had magnified those issues--quickly turning the fissures between her and Trent into valleys that neither one of them knew how to cross.
Trent hadn't yet mentioned seeing her parents, but she hoped he would bring it up soon, because she didn't want there to be any walls between them, or any secrets anymore. That was when it suddenly hit her--didn't that have to go both ways? Which meant that she shouldn't be keeping from him that she'd overheard their conversation.
He set the basket on the table and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "How did your painting go today?"
She closed her eyes as she inhaled. How could his scent make her body crave him so desperately time and time again? "It was great. I got much more done than I'd thought I would."
"Mm. That's good." He nibbled on her neck, making her whole body warm. "Almost as good as you taste."
Reese set the knife down and turned in his arms. It would be so easy to just let their evening take a purely sensual path. But falling into bed with each other rather than talking hadn't worked the first time around, had it?
So instead of giving in to the urge to simply thread her hands into his dark hair and kiss him, she said, "I went by my parents' house tonight to thank my mom for giving me so much to think about. But you got there before me...and I overheard your conversation with them."
"I was just about to tell you about our talk, but it looks like you beat me to it," he teased.
Her heart warmed, knowing that he'd planned to share it with her. "Everything you said to them tonight, Trent, it meant so much to me. And I know it meant a ton to my parents, too, even if they weren't exactly giving you their blessing quite yet."
"Your parents have always been so good to me. And they're right to be cautious. No parent should have to watch their child be in pain. I'm just glad they didn't kick me out on my ass and tell me to keep away from you or else. I'm luckier than I deserve."
"Only a truly brave man would go face the parents of his ex-wife to let them know he was sorry for hurting her and that he wants a second chance. You deserve ev
ery ounce of luck...and you deserve this, too."
Standing on tiptoe, she touched her lips to his, and as he tightened his hold around her waist, she could feel his heart beating against hers. She traced the bow of his lower lip with her tongue, and she loved the sigh that escaped his lips with the slow tease.
He'd always known just how to turn her on, like he was born with that knowledge, and she loved the chance to rehone her own seduction skills. When she felt the smile on his lips as he kissed her, and in the growing roughness of his touch, as if he couldn't hold back, it sent her desires soaring. She slid her hands beneath his shirt and up his back, feeling his muscles go tight.
"I love when you kiss me. When you touch me," he said against her mouth.
She pressed her lips to his neck and dragged her tongue just above the collar of his shirt. "I love the way you taste."
She slid down his body, lifting his shirt so she could press soft kisses to his stomach. Oh, how she loved the feel of his firm stomach, the heat of his skin against her mouth. She pressed his hips back against the counter and worked the button and zipper on his jeans, then slid her hand inside them, stroking him through his cotton briefs. His head tipped back with a hiss as she hooked her fingers into the waistband of his jeans and pulled everything down to his ankles, freeing his erection.
"Reese," he whispered as he tangled his hands in her hair, his voice thick with desire.
She slid her hands along his hips as she placed soft openmouthed kisses along his inner thighs. Feeling the heat of his skin on her lips and the flexing of his muscles beneath her tongue made her heat up all over. Teasing Trent had always been a thrill--when she could control herself enough to slow down, that is.
She slid her hands up to his hips and slicked her tongue along his hard length. He sucked in air between gritted teeth. She loved seeing, hearing, and feeling her effect on him. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and swirled her tongue over the tip, teasing and taunting and earning another needy groan from Trent. When she couldn't resist him another second, she took him in her mouth, stroking him with her hand as her tongue worked its magic.
"Reese, I've got to have you," he pleaded, lifting her to him and stripping off her shirt.
He sealed his lips over hers as they both kicked off their jeans.
"We never" --she kissed him again--"make it to the bedroom."
"That's" --he kissed her harder--"our love."
He swept one arm over the table and sent everything sailing across the room as he slowed just enough to gently lower her onto the table. He claimed her with a breathtakingly soft kiss as he pressed in deep, filling her with sharp pleasures that radiated through her core and exploded in her chest. His strength was overwhelming from the waist down as he drove into her, but his hands were gentle and loving, gliding over her breasts, sending more waves of pleasure through her entire body. His mouth--his hot, glorious mouth--caressed and promised, discovered and demanded, making her dizzy with need. And then his lips were on her breasts and his tongue was circling her sensitive, taut peaks as he kept up the strong thrusts.
Shivers ran down her spine as her climax built, and when he moved one hand between them and raked his teeth over a nipple, the orgasm tore through her. Her hips bucked off the table as she cried out, "Trent, oh God--"
He captured the rest of her words in his mouth, kissing her savagely and sending more currents of pleasure pulsing through her. Gazing into her eyes, he said, "I love you so much, Reese. I can't get close enough to you. I want to become a part of you. Forever."
Reese wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, reveling in the magnitude of his forever and the feel of his hot, strong body against hers. You always have been, she thought as her heart danced to a frantic beat.
And the way Trent gazed at her just then--as if he had read her mind--made her feel even crazier, and she pawed and groped him, kissing and nibbling at his skin. He knew exactly how to touch her in all the places that made her crave more as their hips came together time and time again.
He buried his face against her neck, and the warmth of his breath coalesced with the scintillating sensations of his scruff against her tender skin, his hands, and the way he filled her so completely. She slammed her eyes closed as another climax gripped her and clawed at his back as his entire body flexed tight and they both tumbled over the edge together.
*
TRENT WANTED TO stay right there wrapped around Reese forever, but since the table wasn't the most comfortable place in the world for either of them to lie on, he gathered her in his arms.
"Let me run you a bath."
"For two?" she asked as he carried her toward the bedroom.
"For two," he confirmed with a smile that promised far more than just a simple bath together.
She glanced down at their flushed chests and laughed as she said, "We're always naked."
"I think that has something to do with being in love."
"Or being unable to keep our hands off of each other." She laughed again. "But I'll take the first option, too."
They were heading through the bedroom toward the bathroom when he noticed a package wrapped with a blue ribbon on the center of the bed. He stopped and asked, "Were you expecting a gift from someone...in your bedroom?"
She shook her head, then motioned for him to put her on the bed and pulled him down beside her. Her hair was tousled from making love, her skin was still flushed, her neck and cheeks were pink from his whiskers, and she was gloriously naked. The fact that she didn't try to cover up her body told him she was opening up to him and starting to really trust him, as well. The nervous edge she'd been harboring also seemed to have dissipated, and his heart soared.
"After I came back to the island," she said softly as she picked up the package and the note beside it, "I couldn't help but do some of the things we used to do, like go to flea markets and look for your favorite things." She lifted one shoulder and dropped her eyes, looking adorably shy as she said, "I think it was my way of still being close to you, and over the years I picked up a few things for you."
She handed him the note. "I thought about sending these to you more than once but then I worried that you already had them or whether you'd even want something like this from me." She gave his hand a little squeeze and added, "I'm glad I didn't. It's so much better to be able to give this to you in person." She gave him her own wicked little grin as she added, "Especially while we're naked."
Trent read the note. Dear Trent, look at me.
Confused, he lifted his eyes to Reese, who was grinning. "We said no more 'Dear Trent' notes. Only face-to-face communication." She leaned closer and kissed him, before saying, "Dear Trent, I never stopped thinking about you. You were with me at every flea market, every craft show, and every walk on the beach over the past"--she lowered her voice to a whisper--"ten years. I've missed us. Love, Reese."
Trent folded her in his arms, soaking in the love behind every word of the most beautiful note in the world. And as the words settled into place inside his mind--and his heart--he realized this new face-to-face note was finally replacing the memories of the one she'd given him the day she'd left New York ten years ago.
He tipped her chin up with his fingers and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Thank you, Reese. I love you, too." He couldn't have asked for anything more.
"Don't you want to open your gift?" She handed him the gift, which he seemed to have forgotten about.
"I can't imagine what could mean more to me than the note you've just given me."
She was like a kid on Christmas day; her eyes lit up with anticipation. "Open it and see!"
He untied the ribbon, and the wrapping fell away, revealing a stack of books. He stared down at the hardcover copy of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and his throat thickened.
"It's a real first edition," she told him as she opened the book to the title page and pointed to the publication date. "See? 1883. And the copyright page was left blank. I even looked fo
r the errors on pages two and seven you told me about." She flipped through the pages again. "'Dead Man's Chest' isn't capitalized."
"I can't believe you found this, sweetheart. I've looked everywhere for it but could never find it." Everywhere but a Rockwell Island flea market. "This must have cost thousands of dollars. You shouldn't have done this."
"Don't worry. I bartered for it with my art the summer after we separated."
The summer after they'd separated? A sharp pang speared his chest. How could he have been such a fool to wait so long to return to the island--and to Reese?
"I can't believe you bartered your work for me, after everything we went through." He pulled her in close again and buried his face in her hair. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
"You loved me."
And then, with that beautiful answer making his heart feel as if it might have grown too big for his chest, she bounced on the mattress, buzzing with excitement as she pressed her hand to the next book on the pile. "There are more!"
She handed him a first edition of the The Call of the Wild and a copy of Where the Wild Things Are. "I remember when you took me to the tree house that you and your brothers and sister built, and you said that you hoped one day to bring your kids there and read them these stories. You said you loved the outdoors and that the island was the perfect place for kids to live out their dreams of living in the wilderness and becoming king or queen of it all."
He smiled with the memory. "My brothers and I used to spend nights in that tree house." Their mother had found the giant tree that grew almost parallel to the ground, with branches reaching out like a giant hand, and she and their father had given them all the tools, and the guidance, they'd needed in order to build what would become the Rockwell children's Inspiration Point.