Page 39 of The Seascape Between Us (The Men of Saltwater Cove #4)

Grey

S ix weeks later

I parked on the road beside the Seascape.

The parking lot was crowded, with no available spots.

I hoped I didn’t get a ticket. It was lucky I hadn't gotten one coming home. I’d shaved a good twenty minutes off the drive from Portland—practically breaking the sound barrier—but I couldn’t wait to get back.

To come home—and warmth welled in my chest. That’s what Daniel and I were building: a home.

I closed the car door and looked up. The sun was a fiery ball hovering over the ocean, just about to sink behind the horizon, streaking the sky in vivid shades of orange, pink, and lavender, and reflecting off the rolling waves.

The sea breeze was cool and refreshing after the day's high heat.

I took a deep breath of the salty air and grinned. It even smelled like home.

The last month and a half had been better than anything I could have hoped for.

I decided to live in Saltwater Cove full time.

Daniel had tried to argue with me, saying that it wasn’t fair for me to have to do all the traveling, but logistically, it just made more sense for me to be here.

I could work from home, hold meetings online, and the commute was only a little more than an hour—or forty-five minutes if I drove like a bat out of hell.

In a worse-case scenario, if my meetings ran late, I could stay overnight in Portland in my loft.

Admittedly, this was my least favorite option.

Having grown so used to Daniel sleeping next to me, I found it hard to fall asleep without him.

Besides, as I explained to Daniel, as a mostly silent partner in the hotel, I should stay close in case I’m needed. Though Daniel had everything under control, so I was mostly just moral support or a sounding board when he’d had a tough day.

The Grand Re-opening had been a huge success.

With everyone’s help, we’d been able to repair all the damage from the storm.

While replacing the damaged furniture in the rooms had been something of a challenge—finding new items and keeping it all uniform on such short notice meant the decor was more eclectic than we’d planned for—somehow, it worked for The Seascape.

Having to delay the re-opening meant we lost a good chunk of our prime tourist season, but we were going to be okay. What was left of the summer was booked solid, and we already had bookings into the fall and winter, with visitors even rebooking for next summer.

I liked living in The Square, and sometimes it surprised me how easily I’d settled in.

Especially with my unresolved feelings for my father hovering over me.

I didn’t think I would be able to embrace this community that he’d created.

Whenever I thought about how he meddled in my life, a small ball of rage lit inside me as bright and hot as the sun.

That Daniel and I wasted almost two decades apart because of him still made me want to hit something.

Sure, he’d written a letter of apology, and he’d tried to make it right, but it still made me furious that he’d interfered in my life that way, and that I’d let him manipulate me so easily.

Yet, despite my complicated feelings for the man, I could acknowledge he built something important here in Oceanwind Square.

After seeing firsthand how the community rallied for the hotel, for us, for Daniel, I really understood how important this place was for everyone who lived here, and I knew I would do my part to support it.

Not because of my father or in spite of him, but for the people who made the community.

For the people who lived and worked here, for our friends who were an integral part of our lives, and most of all, for the man I loved.

Living in my father’s house no longer felt like we were living in my father’s house. We were making it our own. We’d repainted the bedroom, and replaced his heavy wood furniture with pieces of our own—cleaner lines and less ornate—and I planned to renovate the attic and turn it into a workspace.

We weren’t sure what we were going to do with my loft in Portland.

Daniel knew how much I loved the space, what it meant to me, and he said I should keep it.

After all, I had to make trips into Portland for work.

If meetings ran late, I could always stay the night there and come back to The Square in the morning, like I had the night before.

But I didn’t like sleeping without Daniel. The loft felt empty and too quiet when I was there alone. It didn’t feel like home anymore. Wherever Daniel was felt like home.

Maybe once we finished renovating the house, I’d sell the loft, but for now, I’d hold onto it in case we needed to escape all the projects at the house.

Once inside the hotel, I could hear a low din drifting from the restaurant, the clink of dishes, the soft hum of voices. Since the hotel’s Grand Re-opening two weeks ago, the place had been packed, and Daniel had been nearly run off his feet, but in the best way possible.

I crossed the lobby and leaned on the frame of the opening between the restaurant and the lobby. Crowded with diners, the curved windows with their view to the sea back in place, it was hard to believe that just two months ago the space looked like a bomb went off.

I spotted Daniel moving between the tables, checking to make sure everyone had what they needed, and backed up the servers when they needed help.

He really was the most beautiful man I knew.

His snug blue golf shirt with the hotel’s emblem on his chest showed off his well-muscled body, and even his pants clung to that perfect ass.

I could have watched him all day, but he glanced over, and his eyes locked with mine. He smiled and started toward me.

My chest seemed to squeeze and expand at the same time, and I wanted to grab him to me and kiss the ever-loving shit out of him, then drag him home and show him just how badly I’d missed him.

As he drew closer, his eyes darkened like he could read my thoughts. I shifted in my pants which started to feel a little too snug in the crotch.

Once he reached me, he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. I desperately wanted to drag him closer and deepen the kiss, but not here, with an audience of guests.

“Can you take a break? I have a surprise,” I said.

His brows lifted. “What kind of surprise?”

“If I told you…”

He grinned and caught Alistair’s attention as he carried a tray of drinks to a crowded table behind Daniel. “I need to step out for a minute. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

Alistair’s gaze flicked from me to him, and he smirked. “Whatever you need.”

“You know he thinks I’m leaving them so we can fuck in my office,” Daniel said, as we crossed the lobby.

I shrugged. “I know Finn. They’ve done worse.”

Still, once the door closed behind us, I grabbed him against me and kissed him hard, showing him how badly I’d missed him. His tongue licked into my mouth, and I groaned.

“I missed you,” I murmured against his lips.

“Me too. One night is way too long.”

“Agreed.” And I kissed him again, losing myself in his taste and the feel of his hard body pressed to mine.

When we finally came up for air, Daniel leaned back against the edge of his desk. “So, what’s the surprise?”

I grinned and reached into my jacket’s inside pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to him.

He frowned. “What is this?”

“Look inside and see.”

Still frowning, he opened the envelope and pulled out a check. His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

“What is this?” he asked again.

“It’s from the insurance company for the storm.”

“This much?” He blinked, still looking stunned.

“We lost half the season, and this will help get you through the winter. Though in truth, I didn’t expect filling the hotel to be a challenge, even in the off-season. We had bookings and promotions planned for the winter months.”

“This is amazing, Grey. Thank you!”

“When can you get out of here?” I couldn’t wait to get him home and get my hands on him, draw those needy little noises I loved so much from his lips.

His eyes darkened, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing. “Another hour or so.”

“I’ll be waiting then.” I flashed my most lecherous grin and waggled my eyebrows.

Daniel laughed and slipped out of the office, returning to the restaurant. I dropped into the chair behind his desk while I waited for him to finish up.

Yep, I was home.

The End.

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