Chapter 24

Carson paced Jen’s living room carpet, distress creasing his forehead. “What if she doesn’t come?” he said for the tenth time in the last five minutes.

“She just texted saying she’s on her way,” Jen reminded him.

He kept pacing. “What if she sees my car and realizes it’s an ambush?”

“You parked at the grocery store around the corner,” Cash spoke up. “She won’t see your car.”

“But what if she stops to buy groceries?” He sounded anguished. “Fuck. She’s not going to come.”

With a sigh, Jen rose from the couch and marched over to her brother. Cash stayed seated, watching her with an amused expression on his gorgeous face. For a second, she was tempted to go right back to the couch and kiss that sexy mouth of his, but she reined in the impulse. She and Cash had done plenty of kissing over the past two days—surely they could afford to take a short break to help her brother.

Clapping both hands on Carson’s shoulders, she fixed him with a stern look. “Chill the fuck out. Holly is on her way here. Any second now, she’ll knock on the door and—”

The knock came as if on cue.

Jen gave his broad shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “See?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “How do I look?”

She swept her gaze over his perfectly starched dress whites, the blond hair he’d slicked back with care, the clean-shaven jaw, and his familiar blue eyes, the same shade as her own.

“You look as handsome as ever,” she said softly.

Saying a silent prayer that Holly wouldn’t bolt the second she saw Carson, Jen walked to the front hall and opened the door. “Hey. Thanks for coming,” she told her sister-in-law.

Holly’s low ponytail fell over one shoulder as she followed Jen inside. “It’s no problem. You sounded so upset over the phone. I still can’t believe you broke up with Cash! I thought you said the two of you were—Carson?”

The brunette stopped in her tracks when she spotted her husband. She immediately turned to Jen with a wary look. “What’s going on?” She noticed Cash sitting on the sofa, and the wariness deepened. “You two didn’t break up, did you?”

Jen smiled sheepishly. “No.”

Carson took a step toward his wife, his nervousness clearly etched into his face. “Hey, Hol.”

Holly frowned. “Why are you in uniform?”

“I figured it was appropriate.” He shot her a faint smile. “I was wearing this uniform the night of Garrett and Shelby’s wedding, remember? When we ran into each other again after you abandoned me in a supply closet.”

After a beat, Holly smiled back. “I never thought I’d see you again after the club.” Her face glimmered with humor before going dull again. “But what does that night have to do with right now?”

As the pair eyed each other, Jen edged away, wanting to give them privacy. Cash did the same—he’d already risen from the sofa and was creeping toward the bedroom.

But her brother stopped them before they could make their escape. “Stay,” he said hoarsely. “I might as well grovel in front of an audience.”

“Grovel?” Holly let out a breath. “Carson, I don’t want to talk about—”

“I don’t want you to talk,” he said quietly. “I just want you to listen, okay?”

Holly hesitated, then nodded. She slid the strap of her leather purse off her shoulder and set it on the couch, but she didn’t make a move to sit.

Carson shifted his feet, looking more nervous than Jen had ever seen him. Finally, he cleared his throat. “I fucked up, Hol. I know I fucked up and I’ve been trying to find a way to fix this for months now. I was seeing a therapist—”

“You were?” Holly gaped.

He nodded. “I thought she’d help me figure out how to make things right between us, but arrogant ass that I am, I kept ignoring her advice. She went on and on about communication, and I was all, less talk more action. Like my whole let’s-have-a-baby idea.” He gave a self-deprecating smile. “Because having a kid is really the way to solve a problem, huh?”

Holly laughed.

“I know it’s hard for you when I’m gone,” Carson mumbled. “It’s hard for me, too. More than you’ll ever know.”

Something warm touched Jen’s arm. She startled, then relaxed when she realized Cash had come up beside her. Without a word, he took her hand, the warmth of his touch seeping into her skin.

Across the room, Holly’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “But I don’t know, Carson. You don’t give me any indication that you even miss me when you’re away. You just try to pick up where we left off. You act like my entire purpose in life is to sit at home and wait for you to get back.” She blinked rapidly. “But I can’t do that. I have a life too. My job at the restaurant, my work with Annabelle. I can’t just drop everything when you come home and make you the center of my existence. Especially when I’m not the center of your existence.”

“I know. And I’m a jerk for suggesting you quit your job. I don’t want you to do that. The only thing I want is for you to be happy.” His voice cracked. “And I do miss you when I’m away, Hol. You’re all I fucking think about.”

Holly’s tears spilled over, and damned if Jen didn’t feel all teary herself. As much as she hated intruding on this personal moment, she was so very touched seeing her brother lay himself bare like that.

Carson cupped his wife’s cheeks. “I want to make things better, but I need to know that you want the same thing. That you haven’t completely given up on me.”

“Of course I haven’t given up. I love you, you idiot.”

All the tension left Carson’s body. “I love you too.”

When Holly stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, Jen felt like a total voyeur. She squeezed Cash’s hand, signaling that it was time to sneak away, but Carson foiled their next attempt too.

“Jen, where’d you put that printout?”

“Shit. I left it in the printer tray in my room. I’ll get it.”

She dashed into the bedroom and grabbed the sheet of paper, which she handed to Carson in the living room.

“What’s that?” Holly asked.

“Our hotel confirmation,” Carson replied with a grin. “We’re going to Catalina.”

His wife looked startled. “What? When?”

“Now.”

“But I have to—”

“Work?” he finished. When she nodded, he shot her a guilty look. “Okay, don’t be mad, but I called your boss at the restaurant and convinced him to give you a few days off. And before you freak out, I didn’t do it because I don’t respect or value your work.”

Holly looked dumbfounded.

“I wish we could go away for longer, but I only managed to swing three days of leave. Still, I figured a three-day honeymoon is better than nothing.” He looked ashamed. “We didn’t make it on our Fiji honeymoon because the team got called away the day before we were supposed to leave.” He cursed under his breath. “I kept assuring you we’d reschedule, but it never happened, huh?”

Holly sighed. “No, it didn’t.”

“I know Catalina Island isn’t Fiji, but it’ll do for now, right?” His boyishly hopeful expression made Jen grin.

“Yeah, it’ll do.”

“One more thing,” Carson added. “No sex.”

Holly’s brows soared. “Pardon me?”

“Baby, as much as I’d like to fu—” Carson glanced at Jen and backpedaled, “—to do a lot of things to you, the next three days will be about my new favorite word: communication. I’m gonna talk so fucking much you’re gonna wish I was a mute by the time I’m done.”

Holly laughed. “Can’t wait.”

Jen was overcome with emotion as she watched them. She had to admit—her brother had done good. The mini-honeymoon had been her idea, but the heartfelt speech and uniform was all Carson. Apparently he wasn’t a total lost cause.

Carson marched over to Jen and enveloped her in a bear hug that almost knocked the wind out of her. “Thanks,” he murmured. “I owe you one.”

“You know it.” She stepped forward to give Holly a quick hug, then smiled at her sister-in-law. “Have fun in Catalina. But don’t forget to make him grovel some more, okay?”

“Oh, I intend to,” Holly assured her.

Holding hands, the couple headed for the door. At the last second, Carson halted and turned to look at Cash. “Take care of my sister, McCoy.” He arched a brow. “You know what’ll happen if you don’t.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cash said with a sigh.

As Holly and Carson practically floated out the door, Jen glanced over at Cash. “I think that went well.”

The smile he shot her melted her heart. He was so devastatingly handsome, so sexy, so amazing, and she couldn’t believe she’d ever had reservations about being with him.

Yes, their relationship would be hard. Yes, she might find herself waiting and worrying, the way her mother had done with the admiral, the way Holly did with Carson. But Jen now saw with perfect clarity why her mom and Holly had stuck it out for so long, why they continued to stick it out. Because when you found someone you loved with your entire being, you would do anything for them, suffer through anything, sacrifice and compromise and do whatever possible to make it work.

“I love you,” she blurted out.

Cash flashed her a devilish grin. “Of course you do. I’m awesome.” Then he offered a mock frown. “And you thought I was only good for a fling. Jeez.”

Smiling, she stood on her tiptoes and looped her arms around his neck. “You’re good for a lot of things, cowboy.”

He lowered his mouth to hers, but stopped right before their lips could meet. “Hey, since we’re in a relationship, can I refer to you as ‘the old ball and chain’ from now on?”

She let out a heavy sigh.

“What?” he demanded.

“No woman wants to be called old, cowboy. Jeez,” she mimicked. “Maybe you do need to practice talking to women.”

“Good idea.”

In the blink of an eye, he scooped her into his powerful arms.

“What are you doing?” Jen squeaked, clinging to his broad shoulders.

“Taking you to your bedroom.” He slanted his head, those blue eyes glimmering with heat. “You know, so I can practice talking. Then again, once I get you near a bed, I might have other plans for my mouth.”

Her laughter followed them all the way to the bedroom.