Page 53 of To Steal a Heart

His voice lifted. “On a positive note. It’s a beautiful night. We should take a long walk on the beach.” A grin overtook his face. “As soon as I remove these blocks on my feet.” He looked down at his wing-tipped dress shoes.

Arden pursed her lips. “We could take a walk. Or we could head back to the inn and curl up on the sofa. Maybe watch a movie.” What they needed more than anything was to unwind. Coming here tonight had been super stressful. Crew had done a good job of keeping her on an even kilter. It was time for her to return the favor and be his support.

He released her hand, his expression turning pained.

Apprehension returned with a vengeance, settling a cold brick in her stomach. “What?”

“Don’t hate me for this.”

“I could never hate you.” She braced herself for whatever was coming.

“While you were up in the room with Naomi, I had a talk with your mom.”

She blinked. “You did?”

He nodded.

“What did she say?”

“She really has her heart set on us staying here tonight with your family.”

It was crazy how fast a fit of scorching anger flamed over her. “I told Mom that we needed our space. Why can’t she butt out of my business?”

He held up a hand, his words coming out slow and controlled. “I totally understand where you’re coming from ….”

“But?” she clipped, giving him a hard look.

“But … I think we should stay here.” He rushed on. “In fact, your mom is having one of Sylvia’s chauffeurs get our luggage from the inn.” His eyes rounded in apology. “I told her that might not be the best idea, but she insisted.”

“What?” she screeched. “That’s taking it too far.” She balled her fists. “I’ll go and talk to Mom right now. She needs to stop interfering in my life!” She spun around to stomp off, but he caught hold of her arm and turned her back around to face him.

“Wait!” There was an edge of desperation in his voice. “Your mother loves you.”

She gritted her teeth. “This has nothing to do with love. This is about control.”

“Arden, do you know how lucky you are to have a mother?” His voice caught. “What I would give to have my mom in my life.”

Her anger immediately drained as guilt squeezed her stomach in a hard fist. Crew had lost his mother and had no father to speak of. He was on tenuous terms with his brother. And here she was pitching a hissy fit because Mom was insisting that they stay here in this beautiful mansion instead of the inn. She could only imagine how petty she must look to Crew.

“You’re blessed to have a wonderful family.” There was a hint of reproof in his voice.

She sucked in a short breath. “You’re right. I am.” Tenderness welled in her chest as she lifted her eyes to his. “I’m sorry. It must be hard for you to be here and see me with my family.” She should’ve been thinking more about Crew instead of being so concerned with herself.

“No, it’s the opposite.” His chiseled face took on an inner glow. “Seeing you and your family gives me hope for the family that I one day hope to have.”

His inference was clear. It struck her center, melting her heart. He was talking about their future family. In that moment, he could’ve asked her for the moon, and she would’ve given it to him. A relenting smile curved her lips. “Okay, you talked me into it. We’ll stay here. And I’ll refrain from jumping down Mom’s throat.”

He grinned in relief. “Good, because I’m connecting with your family, and I’d hate to ruin that.”

“Heaven forbid,” she joked. She gave him a speculative look. “Wanna hear what Grandmother said about you?”

His eyes widened. “Heck, ya!”

Laughter quivered at the corners of her mouth. “Nah, I don’t think I’ll tell you.” She pulled away from him and sauntered a few steps up the beach. She stopped and threw a sultry glance over her shoulder. “You coming, Captain?”

“Heck yeah!” he exclaimed. In a flurry of movement, he kicked off his shoes. In quick steps, he went inland several paces to a patch of sand that was high enough to avoid getting soaked by the rising tide. He tossed down his shoes, peeled off his dress coat, removed his bowtie, and rolled up his pants.

“Whoa,” she cautioned as he turned to come towards her. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

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