Page 28 of The Seascape Between Us (The Men of Saltwater Cove #4)
Chapter Twenty
Grey
“ L et’s celebrate,” I blurted, drawing Daniel’s attention away from the photos.
He still looked sweet and just a little emotional, but he had himself back in hand.
A few minutes ago, he could barely speak, and I wondered if I had done too much.
Did he resent me going through his family photos without asking?
Had I overstepped? It wouldn’t have been the first time.
Then, he’d looked at me, his eyes soft before he ducked his head, and I knew I got it right. My heart swelled in my chest until it felt like it might burst. I didn’t want the moment to end. I wanted to keep that look on his face for as long as I could.
He shot me a bemused smile, his eyebrows lifting. “Celebrate? What did you have in mind?”
I stepped closer to him. “We could head into Portland. I could take you out for the best dinner you’ve ever had, then we could go back to my loft, where I could keep you in my bed for the rest of the weekend.”
His eyes flared. He liked that last part—and so did I.
He grinned. “You know, you don’t have to impress me. I’m pretty much a sure thing.”
I knew that. Not about him being a sure thing—though the promise was not unwelcome—but not having to impress him, which was a good thing because I had no idea how I would.
I could take him to the most expensive restaurants, throw money around and buy him anything he could ever want, and all I'd accomplish would be making him uncomfortable.
Most people, except a handful of close friends like Finn, were far more interested in my money or what I could do for them than me.
Daniel didn’t give a shit about my money or my business.
Hell, the difference in our incomes was probably my greatest hurdle when it came to convincing him we belonged together.
The imbalance made him uncomfortable, as if he wasn’t pulling his weight—which was endlessly frustrating.
I wanted to spoil him, take care of him, to wipe away that pinched expression I still saw pulling at his features when he didn’t know I was watching.
All Daniel was interested in was me, which was somehow both warming and terrifying.
He worried he wouldn’t be enough for me, but how could he not know that he was everything?
I had a lot of money and a successful business, but he was genuinely a good person.
He took care of everyone he knew, like family.
He supported his community, giving any way he could.
Hell, he’d spent most of his day running errands for people who couldn’t get out and cleaning out an old man’s shed.
He never complained, and when I asked why he’d started his Thursday grocery trips, he’d just shrugged and said, “You know how it can be in our community. Not everyone has a family to fall back on, especially as they age. We need to be there for each other.”
I’d just nodded, my throat suddenly tight and sore. What could I even say to that?
“I know, and that just makes me want to do more,” I admitted because it was true. While the photos on the wall were all warm nostalgia, focusing on the good times, I knew Daniel had never had it easy.
I knew his father was an abusive asshole, and his mother had run from him after he’d broken Daniel’s arm.
For a moment, I thought of all the times I complained about my own father.
Oliver Mackenzie had sure as hell made some questionable decisions as a father, but he’d never put his hands on me, and Daniel had never once told me to stop complaining.
That I didn’t have a monopoly on shitty fathers.
No, Daniel just listened and supported. He’d had a happy childhood with his mother and Ramona, but he’d lost them both and been on his own so young. He’d even lost his best friend.
Daniel deserved every good thing, someone who had his back, and by God, I was determined to be the one to give them to him, to be that person for the rest of our lives.
“I want to take you out, spoil you a little. You deserve it.”
He snorted softly and dropped his gaze as if he didn’t quite believe me. I cupped the side of his face and forced him to meet my gaze.
“Let me,” I whispered, lightly brushing my lips along the edge of his jaw. I felt him suck in a breath and grinned.
“You play dirty,” he murmured, but he didn’t back away.
I looked up at him, still grinning. “That’s not all I do dirty.”
He chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Tomorrow’s Friday. Don’t you have to work?”
“I’m taking a day. I’m the boss. I can do that.”
“What about the hotel?” He looked around like he’d forgotten we were the only ones in the building.
“Closed until the opening, remember? If there was ever a time to give ourselves a weekend off, this is it.”
He still looked uncertain, like he wanted to argue or, worse, say no. I cut him off before he could. “Finn can keep an eye on the place, make sure it’s still standing when we get back—or June can. Come on, if anyone has earned a weekend off, it’s you.”
“Okay,” Daniel agreed. “But I want to shower first.”
“Great. Perfect,” I said, hustling him toward the door before he changed his mind. “You shower and pack some things for the weekend. I’ll make a reservation for dinner and text Finn.”
Outside, he stopped and looked back up at the hotel. In the fading light, the changes we’d made weren’t as visible. After all, we hadn’t changed the bones. The foundation had been good. The place had just needed a refresh.
“Thank you,” Daniel said again. “For everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me. We’re in this together, remember?”
Daniel nodded and swallowed, his throat jumping.
“Now, let’s get out of here. I’m hungry, and we have a long drive ahead of us.”
The drive passed quicker than I’d expected—probably because I sped most of the way.
I’d half-expected Daniel to argue. He was a rule-follower by nature, but he hadn’t said a word.
He’d just grinned at me, his hair fluttering in the wind, fragrant with the warm, fresh scent of spring rushing in through the open windows.
We made good time and still had a half-hour before we had to be at the restaurant, so we stopped off at my place to drop off his things, and as I led him inside, nerves scurried beneath my skin like a swarm of insects.
I wasn’t sure why I was nervous exactly, except that I wanted Daniel to like my place.
It wasn’t to try to impress him, really.
I just wanted him to like it, and while I told myself it didn’t matter if he did or didn’t, that maybe we just had different tastes after all, it still did nothing to lessen the unease knotting my insides.
“It’s sort of a mess down here,” I said, pushing open the steel door and flicking on the lights. “I use the downstairs as my workspace and office.”
“It’s huge,” Daniel said, gaze sweeping past my desk and drafting table, both cluttered with projects in various stages of completion, to the basketball hoop and workout equipment at the far end.
Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the busy street, but the tint let us see out without passersby seeing inside.
“This is one of the first buildings I converted,” I explained. “I redesigned it from the ground up. I used to run my whole business down here and live upstairs. Eventually, we grew too big, and I had to find a proper office space, but I still like to work down here.”
Daniel shoved his hands into his jeans’ pockets and meandered closer to the drafting table and inspected the drawings scattered across the surface. “I’m always so amazed at what you can do.”
“Running the business takes up so much of my time, I don’t design as much as I used to. Still, if there’s a project that I’m especially inspired by, I’ll take it on.”
“What’s this?” Daniel asked.
“A warehouse I bought downtown. It used to be a glove manufacturing factory. I’m converting the second floor into apartments, but I want there to be community space on the first floor and,” I reached for a drawing I’d shoved aside and spread it out of over the other, “there’s an old shipping area, and I want to turn it into some kind of green space.
Maybe a community garden. I’m not sure yet.
Honestly, I’ve just started, and I haven’t given it the attention it deserves. I’ve been distracted.”
A faint frown clouded Daniel’s expression. “You must miss this place, being away from home so long.”
“Hm. Not as much as I thought,” I said, surprised to realize I genuinely meant it.
Over the last few weeks, I’d barely thought about this place, except when my assistant swung by to pick up mail and ensure nothing catastrophic happened while I was away.
On the days I had to come to Portland for work, I couldn’t wait to get back on the road and back to Daniel.
The more time I spent with Daniel, the more he felt like home.