Can't Buy My Love (5 page)

Chapter Nine

I’d lost weight. Everyone was telling me so. Grams harped on me constantly to eat something, demanding to know what was wrong. Though she probably suspected the reason behind my emotional demise. One Mr. Josh Thomas.

The summer was winding down with Labor Day weekend coming to a close, and that meant the major slow down of tourist season. I was miserable, hadn’t heard a word from Josh and didn’t really expect to. I’d made it plenty clear I wanted nothing more to do with him. So really, I had myself to blame for my misery.

But for some reason I seemed to love to torment myself and drive past Fisherman’s Feast all the time. To figure out if it was being torn down or maybe to catch a glimpse of the big boys from the city in their black suits and expensive shoes. Each time I drove by, it was life as normal, just a bunch of locals and the few tourists that were left.

And I was doing it again today, sitting in my car, which was parked across the street, breathing in the smell of fried fish that wafted from the open doors. Listening to the laughter of the families inside.

Why did I do this to myself? Gnawing on my lip, I wished the constant churning in my stomach would go away. I started the engine and pulled away from the curb—just started driving with no destination in mind.

I found myself on the road that led to Josh’s house. Needing to see it again, be at the spot where I’d given him my heart. Although the house might have already been sold. I hadn’t been back since our weekend together.

Not spotting any cars or a For Sale sign, I pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. It took a few minutes before I convinced myself to get out of the car and walk around.

The breeze was a lot cooler than it had been last time, the wind a little more aggressive as it whipped at my ponytail. I wanted to look in the windows and see if the furniture was different—a sure sign he’d sold it—but the curtains were drawn.

I went around back instead, cutting through the yard and walking toward the beach. My feet caught and I stumbled, looking down to see what I’d tripped on. A sand bucket.

I scanned the rest of the patio. A child’s bike and more sand toys.

My stomach knotted, my throat went tight, and I had to press my fist against my mouth to keep the sob inside. He’d sold the house. Here was the proof.

Tears welled in my eyes, and I turned, running back the way I’d come.

“Jessie?”

I heard someone call my name from the beach and hesitated. Turning around slowly, I saw Josh climbing over the logs and driftwood, making his way toward me.

My heart slammed into my ribs and my mouth went dry. But a slight movement behind Josh had my gaze drawing away. That was when I saw him. A little boy who was picking up rocks as he followed Josh.

I blinked, shaking my head and trying to figure out exactly who the kid could be.

“Jessie.” Josh kept walking until he stood right in front of me and gave me a slight smile. “I thought it was you.”

“It’s me,” I said a bit stupidly, my attention returning to the boy. He finally reached us, several rocks clenched in his little hand.

He raised his fist and shoved it toward Josh. “Look what I found, Daddy.”

“Those are great, Alejandro. Hey, I have an idea…”

I couldn’t breathe, my eyes went wide, and I dimly heard Josh talking to the child. Telling him to go inside and watch television for a minute.

When the boy disappeared into the house, Josh turned back to face me, searching my face.

“Can we sit down for a minute?” He put his hand on my lower back, and it didn’t even occur to me to protest as he led me to the patio chairs.

I didn’t say anything and probably couldn’t have even if I’d wanted to.

“I came back to the island last month because I needed time to think. There were a lot of decisions that needed to be made.” He thrust a hand through his hair. “Alejandro is my son.”

My heart twisted painfully. God, was he married too?

“A son I didn’t realize I had until early July.” He met my gaze. “When I traveled around Europe, I stayed for a few months in Spain. I dated a woman while I was there. It was fun, it was sweet…it was a moment in time.”

Was he deliberately trying to hurt me? I knew I must have had the most pathetic, agonized look on my face. I didn’t want to hear about Josh being in love with someone else. It killed me to hear that.

“We were lovers, but we weren’t in love. If that makes any sense at all. And when it was time for me to move on, we said goodbye and I never heard from her again. That was five years ago.”

He paused and looked down at his feet. I waited for him to speak again, but he seemed to be struggling to get the words out.

“I was contacted by her lawyer a couple of months ago. He said he needed to notify me that Elena had been killed in a car accident. That I had a child who would now be put in my custody. Her death was the only reason I learned that I had a son.”

Conflicting emotions were tearing through me. Both with my shock, and my empathy for him. Josh was a man who would want to know if he’d gotten a woman pregnant. If he’d had a child by a lover. I knew him well enough to know that, even if the torment on his face hadn’t been a sure sign. I reached out and took his hand, giving it a small squeeze.

“I’m so sorry, Josh.”

He shrugged and offered a small smile. “When I realized I’d become an instant dad, well, it was a pretty big shock.”

“I can’t even imagine.”

“I had a couple weeks before I was supposed to fly to Spain and pick Alejandro up. And so I came back here—to the island—to consider my options.” He leaned forward, still holding on to my hand. “Yes, I had an offer to sell Fisherman’s Feast and make some really good money. And I won’t lie to you, Jessie. I was going to do it. I figured that kind of money would go a long way in raising Alejandro.”

My pulse started to race. He’d said he
was
going to sell it. Did that mean he had changed his mind?

“That’s right. I’m not selling. The house or the restaurant.”

Jeez, he kept reading my fricking mind. The relief swept over me so fast my hands started to shake.

“This is all new to me. Being a dad. I’m learning as I go. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized the amount of money I’d get from the sale couldn’t buy the kind of life I already could have. I already have the means on this island to support my son and I. I have a house. I have a business.” He pulled me out of the chair. “And I have you. If you’ll have me. Am I crazy to hope that you might be in love with me?”

Tears welled in my eyes. And this time I did do the little sob thing. “You’re not crazy at all. I love you, Josh.”

“I love you too.” He groaned and pulled me onto his lap, hugging me tight and kissing the side of my neck. “Baby, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Alejandro. I should have—I trust you. I was just so damn unsure of things, so convinced you’d walk away the minute you heard I had a kid.”

“No, never.” I kissed his mouth. “I love children, Josh.”

“You don’t know what a relief it is to hear you say that.” He nuzzled my neck. “Were you serious about that helping me out with the restaurant bit?”

I grinned and let out a long sigh. “You have no idea. I’m going nuts in my nine-to- five. Besides, I kind of like the idea of going into business with you.”

He trailed his thumb over my lip, and heat shot through every nerve in my body. “Do you like the idea of going into a marriage with me too?”

My breath caught. “I might. Why, are you asking?”

“Yeah. I think I am. I know it’s probably crazy soon—”

“Probably. But I always heard you know when it’s right. And it’s true. I know. I don’t want anyone else. I would love to marry you, Josh,” I whispered, dizzy with everything. That I’d gone from my heart breaking, to damn near exploding with joy in a matter of moments.

He groaned and kissed me again, this time sliding his tongue deep and tasting me, possessing me.

“Daddy?”

We jerked apart and I looked in the doorway to see Josh’s son standing there. He stared up at us with a curious look.

“Are you ready to meet Alejandro?” Josh asked quietly in my ear.

I nodded and smiled at the boy—my soon-to-be stepson. He was beautiful, shy, and nearly the spitting image of his daddy. A maternal side I didn’t know I had kicked in at full force. I knew without a doubt that this was where I was supposed to be. This was my future.

Josh eased me off his lap and walked me over to his son. He kneeled down and looked him in the eye.

“Hey, buddy, I want you to meet someone very special to me…”

About the Author

Shelli is a
New York Times
and
USA TODAY
Bestselling Author who read her first romance novel when she snatched it off her mother’s bookshelf at the age of eleven. One taste and she was forever hooked. It wasn’t until many years later that she decided to pursue writing stories of her own. By then she acknowledged the voices in her head didn’t make her crazy, they made her a writer.

Shelli is a true pluviophile (lover of rain) and currently lives in the Pacific Northwest where she writes various genres of romance. She’s a compulsive volunteer, and has been known to spontaneously burst into song.

Look for these titles by Shelli Stevens

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Chances Are

Anybody but Justin

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Command and Control

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Kilty Pleasure

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One thing quickly becomes clear, though. The heat between them is causing an avalanche of secrets and betrayal and nothing will ever be the same.

Warning: A bad-boy hero who’s good with his hands, a heroine who’s trying to be good. Contains liberal consumption of Scotch whisky, a Highland Games competition, men in kilts wielding large poles, and a potential Sarah McLaughlin of the non-musical kind.

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Being the daughter of a world-renowned scientist, Sienna Peters has struggled to carve out her own career in the field. But her world is sent spinning when she discovers a secret species being held in the lab where she works, and the horrible things being done to them. Compelled to do more than hand off an information-packed jump drive to her father, she sets out to free the creatures.

The minute his team enters the compound, federal agent Warrick Donovan knows their mission will have more trouble than they bargained on. Unfortunately, trouble comes in the form of Sienna Peters, the younger sister of his close friend. Now not only does he need to save her pretty ass, he needs to discover just how involved she is with the imprisonment of the shifters.

Sienna knows she should trust no one—not even the man she might still love. But as the danger escalates and past passion ignites, her heart has other ideas. Even when the shroud of mystery is ripped off more than one stunning truth…

Warning: Must love alpha males, be intrigued by federal agents who may or may not shift into wolves, and most importantly be prepared for intense action of the dangerous and sexual kind.