“Okay, I can’t just let you show me up. Watch out.” He climbed on and then realized this was a bad idea. For as much as she claimed she wasn’t fun, every minute he spent with her proved otherwise.
He bounced like he used to when he was a kid—he hadn’t been on one of these things in forever. After taking a moment to recalibrate based on his extra height, he flipped, and Regina cheered. As he slowed his bounces, his weight made her slide toward him, until they were standing together in the middle of the trampoline.
He placed his hands on her hips, and desire flooded his system. More than anything, he wanted to kiss her. He dipped his head, and her fingers wrapped around his biceps as she tipped onto her toes.
Her lips were a mere breath away.
The back door slid open. “Time for dessert!” his mom called, and it broke the spell. Regina dropped her arms and scrambled off the edge of the trampoline.
“I have to go,” she said.
“Regina.” He wanted to ask what happened to living in the now, but by the time he made it in the house, his whole family was staring at him, Regina nowhere in sight.
“What happened?” Callie asked, and all he could do was shrug.
“No idea.” But he suspected the phone call she’d gotten earlier was partially to blame, and he intended to find out who or what was interfering before they even had a chance to try.
Chapter Nine
“You can’t just run away, Regina,” Steve said, and Regina dropped her fork, causing it to clatter against her plate. Over-the-phone discussions weren’t working so well, so he’d insisted they meet.
She’d told him, “Fine. Come to Friendship, Massachusetts, and we’ll talk.”
Honestly, she didn’t think he’d come. She didn’t want him in her room, so they were meeting for breakfast in the living room of the Cozy Cottage, and they undoubtedly had an audience. After what he’d just said, she no longer cared about keeping it quiet. “Since you did the equivalent of running from me in front of all our family and friends on our wedding day, you don’t get to scold me for my reaction.”
“As I said over the phone, I’m sorry for that. We have a lot of stuff to deal with though, and I can’t do it by myself.”
“Probably because while you were busy being the fun one, I had to be the serious one who took care of everything.”
Steve sighed. “What are we going to do about the house? I can’t afford to live there myself.”
“And neither can I,” she said. He was the one who’d wanted the bigger house in the nicer neighborhood. It fit with her ideal image of the perfect family, so she’d gone with it. Now, the thought of that giant, empty house … She didn’t want to go back, not to there, and not to the condo where she’d lived before—although she’d sold that, so it wasn’t an actual option.
Steve ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t you. Small town, not taking care of your responsibilities …” He gave her false-advertising “I can bait my own hook!” shirt a disdainful once-over. “Whatever you’re wearing. I still don’t understand how you ended up here.”
“I don’t understand how that’s relevant to our conversation.”
Steve sighed again. It was quickly becoming his signature move. “Look, I should’ve told you when I started having doubts. I thought it was just cold feet. And my family adores you …”
A sharp twinge lanced her chest. She’d adored his parents too. They were kind and more down to earth than her parents. Funny enough, Steve would’ve fit in better with hers.
A memory from two nights ago drifted up, of sitting around the table with Emmett’s family, talking and laughing. Despite her best attempt to stop it, she was getting too close. In the end, she’d only have more people to miss.
“Will you at least figure out what to do about the house? Oh, and take care of shutting off the utilities, water, and everything else. We also need to return gifts, you know.”
Well, it was inevitable. A week and a half of relaxation and fun was a good run. Sooner or later, reality had to come creeping back in. “My guess is we’re going to have to list it, unless we want to rent it out, and I’m not doing everything on my own. You don’t get to back out and leave me with all the responsibilities.”
He threw up his hands. “Fine.” They finished their breakfast in tense silence, and then he pushed away from the table. “When are you coming back?”
“Not sure, but I’ll give you a call.”
Big surprise, another sigh. “Guess I’ll try to make the best of the trip and buy some presents. Any recommendations?”
“There’s a gift shop on Main. They have these amazing sculptures your mom would love. And the candy shop next door has those specialty chocolates your dad loves.”
“Come with me? Show me around and help me pick the right things?”
Once again, he wanted her to do everything for him. Maybe she wasn’t the most fun, but he was an overgrown baby, and in this moment, she was glad he’d backed out. She could’ve spent the rest of her life overcompensating, and she wanted someone who’d be on her team. Someone who liked who she was, yet also made her better and happier. Someone like Emmett, her brain provided before she could stifle it.