Meet Me at the Beach (Seashell Bay) (13 page)

“Mr. Doyle, I want you to let me take care of this,” Aiden said before turning back to confront his father.

“Doyle, you and that crazy daughter of yours are going to ruin me!” Sean shouted around his son. “You can’t stand it that I’m gonna be worth more than you. That’s why you want to screw me out of selling my land. All that yapping about saving the island is just a pile of horseshit. If it was about anybody but me and mine, you wouldn’t give a sweet damn about the development.”

By now, the band had stopped playing, and everyone in the hall was watching the battle in stunned silence. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily could see Ryan gently move Miss Annie—who’d probably marched up to subdue Lily’s father—out of harm’s way. Most of the townsfolk looked tense, disgusted, or just plain furious the evening had been so rudely disrupted by yet another episode of the Doyle-Flynn feud.

Suddenly, Lily was so sick of it all she couldn’t take it another minute. “That’s not true and you know it,” she snapped at Sean. “Not everything in Seashell Bay is about your family or your land, Mr. Flynn. Why don’t you just grow the hell up and get over it?”

Aiden turned and shot her a glare. “Jesus, Lily, are you trying to make things worse?”

She swallowed, her stomach hollowing out at the expression of bitter frustration in his gaze. For Aiden,
this type of confrontation would be an all-too-familiar reminder of everything he hated about Seashell Bay, since Sean had often pulled these sorts of scenes when his sons were kids. It was awful and humiliating for all of them, but especially for Aiden.

Lily scanned the faces in the crowd. Sean had a smattering of cronies in the room, and she wished those men would step forward and drag him away. She wished, too, that Micah was there, but he was on duty, and by the time someone called him to the scene, the confrontation would already be over.

Aiden wrapped his arm tight around his father’s shoulders and whispered something to him. Though Sean tensed and tried to pull away, his son had him pinned solidly against his body. The older man jerked and cursed, but soon enough Aiden had walked him—dragged him, might be more accurate—out into the foyer.

When her father tried to follow, Lily stopped him dead in his tracks with a furious glare. Then she rushed out after Aiden. She couldn’t bear the thought that father and son might wind up in a fight. Aiden would prevail, of course, but what would a public brawl with his drunken father accomplish but to sear more horrible memories into his brain?

Aiden turned his head when he heard the sound of her heels clicking on the foyer floor behind him, but he kept an iron grip on Sean. “Go back inside, Lily, and stay there.”

Startled, she had to force the words out of her tight throat. “Are you taking him home?”

“Damn right I am. Unless he doesn’t shut up and I decide to throw him off the pier instead.”

“Screw you,” Sean snarled.

“Will you come back?” She hated how she sounded so forlorn and needy. As if Aiden didn’t have enough to deal with right now.

“You’re damn right I am,” he growled. “I’ve already let this old man ruin too much of my life. He’s not going to screw up tonight if I can help it.”

A
iden pushed his father into the passenger seat of the rusty old Explorer, putting his hand over the old man’s head to prevent him clunking it in the process. Most of the rage seemed to have leached out of his dad in short order, something Aiden had learned to anticipate over many years of dealing with these episodes.

It had been that way for as long as he could remember—explosive rage followed by glum silence and, occasionally, by a degree of remorse. Part of Aiden wasn’t surprised that his dad had followed him to the social and pulled his sad sack act. Not after their bitter argument tonight and what he’d said about Lily.

God, he’d only been back a few days but he was already sick of the whole thing. Sick of the pressure, sick of the arguments, sick of
everything
on this island outpost except Lily Doyle.

“I can drive myself home, boy,” his dad slurred after Aiden got him buckled in. He seemed to have finally become aware that Aiden had stuffed him into the passenger seat. “Just leave me be.”

Aiden had already reached into his father’s pocket and confiscated his car keys. “I’ll be more than happy to do just that—after I get you home.”

He slammed the door shut and, as he rounded the front of the car, saw Lily still standing in the foyer of the VFW, her palms plastered on the glass of the door as she stared anxiously out. He was going to flick a hand in good-bye to her when a police cruiser—the only police cruiser on the island—pulled up right behind the Explorer, blocking it in.

Had Lily called the deputy? He didn’t think she had her phone when she’d followed him to the foyer. Anyway, she must have seen that he had the situation under control. Somebody had called, though, and that sucked because he didn’t need or want Micah Lancaster butting in.

Micah slid out of the cruiser, adjusting both his gun belt and hat before pulling out a big flashlight and aiming it at the Explorer. “I got a report of a disturbance at the social,” he said to Aiden over the hood of his cruiser. “I presume that’s your father in there?”

“Everything’s under control, Micah. Dad’s in no shape to drive, so I’m taking him home as soon as you move out of the way.”

“Hey, not so fast. Your father drove here, didn’t he?” Deputy Pain-in-the-Ass strode around to the passenger side and shone his flashlight in at Sean.

For about a second, Aiden thought about claiming that he’d driven his father to the social. But that lie would fall apart if Micah talked to anyone inside. “Yeah.”

“Okay, then how much did he have to drink inside?”

When Aiden hesitated, Micah shook his head with disgust. “He didn’t drink inside, did he? He was already drunk when he got here.”

Aiden shrugged. There was no point lying. All Micah had to do was go inside and talk to one person—any person—to discover the truth.

“Well then, I’ll just have him blow in my little machine right now,” Micah said. “If he’s over the limit, he can spend the night behind bars. Probably do him some good, don’t you think?” The deputy opened the door. “Please get out, Mr. Flynn.”

Ever polite to his elders, our Micah
, Aiden thought grimly. Though his father deserved what he was about to get, some latent and stupidly protective Flynn instinct prodded him into reluctant action. “Come on, Micah, why don’t we just let him go home and sleep it off? He didn’t hurt anyone, and this isn’t the big city.”

When Aiden was growing up, it had been standard practice on the part of the deputy on duty to give slightly buzzed islanders a stern warning and then escort them home in the cruiser. Except in egregious cases of drunk driving, of course, but those were infrequent enough.

But maybe Aiden had gotten so used to seeing his father half in the bag at all hours of the day and night that he hardly thought of him as being drunk anymore. Not even tonight, when he’d barged into the social in his fit of rage—it had just seemed par for the course. But he had been slurring his words, hadn’t he? Not to mention unsteady on his feet. Christ, now that he thought about it, it was lucky the old man hadn’t driven off the road on the way to the VFW. Or worse, hit some poor person walking along the verge.

“You don’t know shit about Seashell Bay anymore, Aiden,” Micah said, sounding weary more than anything else. He looked back down into the car. “Like I said, Mr. Flynn, get out. I won’t say it again.”

Why am I trying to save the old man from one night in the slammer?
Aiden couldn’t come up with a single good answer.

“Whatever,” he said. “Maybe you’re right that he could use a night in jail.” He glanced back up toward the hall. Lily still stood there, huddling as if she were cold. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to fold her into his arms and warm her with all the fire he felt for her.

And maybe that heat would chase away the sick chill he felt deep inside his chest, a coldness that never seemed to completely fade away.

The deputy helped Sean out of the car. After steadying him and then leaning him against the side of the cruiser, Micah took out his breath tester and shoved a little plastic tube in it. Sean bitched for about five seconds, questioning Micah’s parentage, but then reluctantly blew into the mouthpiece. Micah glanced at the reading on the cell-phone-sized device, then pushed a button. A second later, he nodded to Aiden. “Okay, he’s coming with me.”

After stowing Sean into the back of the cruiser, Micah straightened up and cut Aiden a not-unfriendly glance. “Go back to the party, Aiden. I’ll take care of your dad. Just forget about him for a while and try to enjoy yourself.”

Lily hadn’t been able to turn away from the horrid little drama playing out in the parking lot, terrified about what might happen. And terrified that Aiden might be so sick of his screwed-up father that he’d sprint for the first boat leaving the island. She couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving, and not just because she needed a temporary sternman. All it had taken was a couple of minutes in Aiden’s arms for her to be swamped with a longing she
couldn’t even describe. The tangled mix of emotions had her all twisted up inside. Physical passion, a yearning for simpler times, regret for what might have been… it was all that.

But there was something else, something that frightened the hell out of her—a sense that Aiden was somehow a last chance for her.

But a last chance for what? It seemed crazy to think that some part of her might be expecting a future with Aiden. Still, she couldn’t deny that his return to Seashell Bay had stirred up some very powerful and dangerous emotions, given that he would never stay on the island.

She glanced over her shoulder back into the hall. Morgan and Holly were hovering not far away, watching her with concern. They’d followed her out, wanting to stay with her in the foyer, but Lily had shooed them back inside. Right now she needed to be alone with her thoughts. And she needed to be with Aiden, even if only from a distance.

She peered again through the glass door, her heart aching for him as he watched the police cruiser pull out of the parking lot. What must he be thinking? That nothing had changed, even after all his years away from home? Lily had to admit that, if she were in his shoes, she’d want to get the hell off the island as soon as she could too.

As Micah’s cruiser disappeared, she saw Aiden stick his hands in his pockets and stare out into the starlit darkness of the bay. Lily’s heart told her to run to him, but she held back. He needed a few minutes to choke down the shame and anger of dealing with his drunken, abusive father, like he’d had to do so many times in the past. For that, he wouldn’t want a witness, or even comfort.

After what felt like forever, he turned and started back to her.

Lily pushed the door open and rushed down the steps of the hall to meet him. He towered over her, his gaze narrowed as he studied her face. The parking lot lights cast an eerie fluorescent glow, bleaching them to the shades of a faded black-and-white photograph. Aiden’s eyes were cast in shadow, obscuring his expression, but there was no mistaking the taut line of his jaw or the grim set of his mouth.

She swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to her silly, gold-sparkled flats. “I’m so sorry that had to happen,” she said, sick with shame about her outburst at Sean in the hall. “Micah’s taking him home?”

He raked his hair back with an impatient hand and then wiped his brow with his forearm. Between the warm evening and the stress of the situation, it was no wonder he was sweating. He was clearly furious but also clearly doing his level best to bottle up his anger. She’d always known Aiden hated the idea that he might be like his father, so he did everything he could to keep his temper locked down.

“No, to jail for the night. Micah’s obviously fed up with him too.” He sucked in a deep breath. “And I’m the one who should be saying I’m sorry, not you.”

She shook her head. “You can’t change your father. Everybody knows that. And it wasn’t entirely his fault either. My dad didn’t exactly help matters.” She sighed. “And neither did I.”

Aiden studied her for a few moments, as if weighing what to do next. Then he reached out and took her hand, sliding his fingers through hers. “Let’s just go for
a walk, okay? I don’t think I can face going back in there right now.”

Her heart started to thud at the idea of being alone with him, even under such crappy circumstances. “Sure, but nobody thinks badly of you, Aiden. The opposite, actually, especially after how well you handled things. It could have been a lot worse.”

He didn’t answer, simply tugging her gently through the parking lot and down a flight of wooden steps toward the VFW’s small dock. As they passed the pier, hand in hand, Lily gazed at the lights of the town landing on the other side of the shallow cove. The only noise was the faint echo of music coming from the hall, and she could hear the steady slap of small waves against the pilings beneath the pier. They seemed to echo the beat of her heart, because she knew exactly where he was taking her.

The graveled path continued through scrubby bush to Sunset Beach, the smallest of the island’s five beaches. Despite having the best sand—meaning more sand than pebbles—Sunset was less popular because of the nearby dock and volume of boat traffic passing close by.

Now though, late at night, it couldn’t have been more tranquil and perfect. The sliver of a moon threw only the faintest of lights, but it didn’t matter. Lily could have navigated this area blind and so, obviously, could Aiden. Even though they’d slowed to a stroll, he led her confidently down to the beach.

Lily took off her shoes and left them at the path. Aiden did the same, then took her hand again as they wandered along the edge of the water. Although he seemed comfortable with the silence—and with holding her hand in his warm clasp—Lily’s anxieties finally got the better of her.

“You know this isn’t your fault, Aiden. Don’t you? None of this is your fault.”

He gave an absent nod, almost as if he wasn’t really listening. “A big part of me just wants to sell my land and head back home. That way Bram will get the money he needs, and I’ll never have to lay eyes on the old man again.”

She tugged on his hand, exerting just enough pressure to let him know she wanted him to turn and face her. Some instinct whispered that he wasn’t yet ready to give up on Seashell Bay and that he needed her to help him work it through.

“But what about the other part of you?” she asked softly.

Though Aiden didn’t say anything, he did turn to look at her.

Lily rested her other hand on his chest, just for a moment, before dropping it to her side. “I hope you don’t go. I really, really hope you don’t.”

There, I’ve said it.

Aiden’s gaze roamed over her face. Even though it was so dark, her vision had adjusted, and she thought she saw yearning in his expression and a hunger that hadn’t diminished over the years.

Then he gently released her hand. “But you know I have to,” he said in a low voice.

That short, brutal exchange summed up everything. Impulsively, she’d taken the risk and put her feelings out there, but his answer hadn’t changed.

Clearly she was an idiot because instead of stepping away from him, instead of taking her cue from the gentle rejection, she moved closer and slipped her arms around
his waist. It was the dumbest thing she could imagine doing, but she did it anyway.

Because it was Aiden, and it was a beautiful, summer night in Seashell Bay. It was their past and their present all coming together in a tangled web of starlight, pushing her to claim the moment they’d been too afraid to grasp that long-ago night.

“Stay for a little while anyway,” she whispered.

For several agonizing seconds, it seemed that fate held them in the balance. Then Aiden let out a huge breath and folded his arms around her, holding her tight. “For a while,” he murmured, brushing his lips across her temple. His masculine stubble softly chafed her skin, making her shiver.

Torn between heartache and relief, Lily turned her face up. Aiden captured her lips in a kiss that went from tentative and sweet to hot and passionate in the space of a few heartbeats, as she’d known it would. The feel of his mouth on hers, his tongue sliding inside to claim her with a fierce, almost desperate possession, transported her back to that night when they’d finally said yes to each other. It felt wild and new and yet so familiar in the best possible way. The years between them dropped away, almost as if he’d never left.

Just like riding a bike.

That crazy thought made her giggle.

Aiden nuzzled her lips, sweeping his tongue across them with a hot lick before he eased back a bit. “What’s so funny, Lily-girl?” he asked with a mock growl as he let his big hands drift down to cup her butt.

She smiled at his old nickname for her, even as she shivered at the feel of his hands stroking her. He nudged
her hips tight against his oh-so-muscular body. That did delicious things to her insides, making her grow soft and damp.

“Nothing,” she whispered. “Well, maybe I’m just a little nervous.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about, babe,” he said in a husky voice. He gently squeezed her ass. “It’s just me.”