Page 18 of Tropical Inferno

He smiled without looking at her. “I can do that.”

9

The beach Garrett found on the north shore was rockier than Waikiki, but still beautiful, with pristine waters and a gorgeous shoreline. As the sun got lower in the sky, they walked hand in hand along the water’s edge, tiny whitecaps crawling up over their feet as the tide started to come in. The wind was blowing her hair back away from her face and he leaned over to kiss her, tasting the last remnants of the wine they’d had at dinner mixed with the salt water in the air. Her lips were soft, yielding to his without hesitation, making him yearn to be back at the resort with her. She would be his tonight, he knew this without a doubt, but he was savoring every moment. He refused to rush towards the main event because their limited time together was a main event in and of itself.

When he finally broke away he took her hand again and pulled her along. There wasn’t much light left and he wanted to start heading back.

“I love the ocean,” she sighed. “Not just because I swim, but because it calls to me. Someday, I want to live on a beach like this… Maybe even here in Hawaii. I really love it here.”

“With a tattooed mechanic and a bunch of little mechanics?” He wasn’t sure why he said it but it felt so natural to flirt, as if this was a real relationship.

“I’m not sure about a bunch of little mechanics,” she giggled. “Maybe two.”

“Do you want kids?”

“Eventually. They scare me a little right now.”

“Me too,” he admitted. “I can barely take care of myself half the time—how the hell would I be able to take care of this helpless little baby?”

“That’s how I feel too. I mean, I can change a diaper and rock them to sleep and whatever, but the big stuff—food and clothes and braces and college—I can’t wrap my head around it.”

“I always figured I’d make the money and their mom—my wife—would do that kind of thing. Now that I’m older, though, I realize there’s a lot more to being a dad than bringing home the paycheck. I was seven when my dad died, but I remember his bear hugs, his laugh… I want my kids to remember things like that about me.”

She smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You have an idea about your future… This is probably a big part of the reason I’m single. I meet guys that are nice enough, are somewhat interesting or whatever, but they don’t…engage in the important ways. I’m not talking about immediately having a conversation about kids—I’m talking about a conceptualization of the future. It’s like this unknown entity they can’t even fathom unless it’s career-related. I’m not ready for kids, at all, but I can think about them. I know that when I have them I want them to have a hands-on father. Not just a sperm donor or a guy who pays the bills, but someone who’s involved in raising them. Yet a lot of guys I meet get a strange look like they have no idea what I’m talking about.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m weird.”

He looped his arm around her neck and drew her up against his side. “That’s the best speech about dating I’ve ever heard. I never thought about it like that, but you’re right. Once you get to a point where it’s at least a little bit serious, you should be cognizant of what you want as a couple, including the type of parents you want to be. I don’t know exactly what I want in that regard, but I know I’d like to be more like my dad.”

“What about your stepdad?”

He grunted. “He falls into the category of the guy who just pays the bills.”

“Did he and your mom have kids together?”

He shook his head. “No. He has a son from his first marriage and he adopted Gabby and me, but we don’t really get along.”

“Well at least you know what kind of parent you don’t want to be,” she pointed out.

“This is very true.”

“So you fought with your parents, left them and wound up at the Motel from Hell?”

He chuckled. “My plan was to just drive around until I wasn’t pissed anymore, but I was hungry, my phone died and that’s where I ended up so I didn’t fall asleep at the wheel.”

“Sounds lonely.”

“It can be. Guys are different, I think. I mean, I’d like to be closer to my parents but it is what it is. I have a pretty good life most of the time and don’t sweat it. Like you said, it’s a lesson in what I don’t want for myself when the time comes to settle down.”

“My family is wonderful,” she admitted. “My parents are still together, totally in love, and pretty supportive of anything us kids want to do. My younger brother is a little self-absorbed right now with his career and girlfriend, but he’d be there for me in a heartbeat if I needed him. And, of course, Jamie is my favorite person in the whole world. I can’t imagine what I would have done if I’d lost him…”

“I’m really glad you didn’t,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to the side of her face.

* * *

They got back to the guest house just after ten and sank onto the couch together, hands linked between them. If it had been up to the Hawk part of Garrett, she’d already be naked and bent over the back of the couch, but that wasn’t what he wanted with Maddie. She’d been a little quiet on the drive home and he sensed she was nervous. Despite her proclamations that she was okay with vacation sex, now that the moment was upon them she’d retreated emotionally. He was okay with that, but he didn’t want it to be awkward either. If she wasn’t comfortable, he wasn’t interested, and making her happy these next couple of days was all he cared about. Sex was easy; a mating of spirits was much more complicated.

“You’re quiet,” he said, lifting her hand and bringing it to his chest. “Something tells me you’re having second thoughts.”

“No.” She leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. “I just don’t want to have sex with the wrong man.”

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