And suddenly, unexpectedly, and against everything she wanted, the doubts and unexplainable fear reared its ugly head. Her chest constricted, her palms grew clammy, and horrible thoughts filled her head. What if Beck was a charming liar like Mark had been? What if Beck, or Mark, weren’t the problem at all, but her?
Beck’s lips were almost upon hers when she turned her head. His lips brushed her cheek. Several long uncomfortable moments passed, only her labored breathing and the twittering of birds breaking the silence, before he murmured, “Eve?”
She swallowed quick, leaned away, and shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Beck. I’m… not ready.”
“Okay.” His voice was full of disappointment, but he took a breath and said, “It’s okay. We can take it slow.” He studied her. “I need to know though… Do you want to date me, Eve? Or have I pushed you too fast, setting up this time to be alone?”
“No! I mean yes. I love being with you. Of course, I want to date you.” She blew out a breath of frustration. Why was she acting like this, treating this amazing man like he would hurt her when she knew he was good through and through? “Thank you for taking it slow. You are almost impossible for me to resist.” That was too true but obviously didn’t explain why she’d just turned her head instead of kissing him.
“Why resist me?” He winked but she could see the vulnerability in his blue eyes. He was as invested as she was in their relationship, in her, and in Paisley. It would hurt him if it didn’t work out. Maybe not as much as it hurt her, but she was damaged goods. He was whole and amazing. Despite losing his parents, he was clearly well-adjusted and emotionally stable. She wished she could say the same about herself.
“I’m sorry.” She clasped her hands and stared at them. “I’ve been trying to resist you, having a hard time trusting you, because of my ex.” She met his gaze and admitted, “He broke me.” That sounded pathetic but it was the truth.
Beck took her hand and murmured, “Can you tell me about it?”
Eve studied him, wondering if he could possibly understand the level of trust she was placing in him sharing this story. Her family obviously knew parts but she hadn’t wanted them to know how stupid she’d been and how much Mark had hurt her. She’d tried to act like it was a silly fling or rebellious stage and her beautiful Paisley was all that mattered. Paisley really was all that mattered, but Mark had gouged her from the inside out. He had made her question every unrelated man’s intentions since. Could she share everything with Beck? His blue eyes were so sincere and his touch so warm and comforting.
She took a deep breath. If she couldn’t trust Beck, they couldn’t develop a relationship. For the first time in five years, she wanted a relationship with a man. An amazing man. Beck.
“Mark and I met on the beach of Hilton Head when I was barely graduated from high school. I was on a senior trip with a group of friends. He was charming and he had this ability to get me to spill things I’d never told anyone and make me want to be… more important than I was.”
Beck’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand what you mean by that. You’re the most important person in my world.”
Eve gave him a watery smile, willing herself not to cry. “Thank you, Beck.” She paused and said, “I guess what I mean is I turned into a bragger of sorts. I let slip how wealthy and accomplished my family was, how we all got a five-million-dollar inheritance, and all the amazing stuff my siblings and parents and I had done.” She was the most reserved Jewel sibling. Eve had more in common with her more serious and oldest brother Joshua than her crazy twin brothers, Seth and Caleb. She’d assumed Mark was making her open up and be more outgoing, but he’d been digging information to use to exploit her.
She rolled her eyes and clasped Beck’s hand tighter. “Next thing I knew he’d talked me into flying to Vegas and getting married.”
Beck’s eyebrows dipped. “Without talking to your parents?”
She nodded. “None of my family ever met him.”
“What?” Now his eyebrows lifted. It would’ve been comical if she weren’t so humiliated by this conversation and scared to share it.
Eve forced herself to keep talking. “We were married such a short of time, basically just had a three-day honeymoon in Vegas. I thought we’d go visit my family after but when he pried for more details, anxious to get the money rolling in, obviously, I had to explain.” She could remember how excited his face had been asking her when the money was coming and then how infuriated he got when she told him the whole truth. “I told him that I had never and would never ask for any help from my parents or my siblings and I received no annuities or monthly checks, and worst of all in his mind, I wouldn’t get any inheritance for seven more years. He got mad.” Her voice lowered and she swallowed, remembering his rage—kicking furniture, punching walls, screaming at her. “Really mad.”
Beck gripped her hand tighter. “Did he touch you?” he asked in a deathly quiet voice.
“No. He kicked and punched inanimate objects and yelled at me, calling me a ‘boring stick in the mud’. He said that the only reason any man would marry me was because of my pretty face and my family money. Then he walked out of the hotel room. I never saw him again. I went back to the wedding chapel before I left Vegas and was able to get the marriage annulled.” The part she left out was waiting in that hotel room for three long days, praying he’d return. Misery and humiliation like she’d never known when she finally admitted to herself he wasn’t coming back and she forced herself to go and annul the marriage. She never would’ve told her family about any of it if she hadn’t later discovered she was expecting Paisley. Her family had of course been too kind and understanding, even with the sparse details she’d shared. She’d never told anyone as much as she was telling Beck. She wondered if he understood the level of trust she was placing in him.
Beck released her hand but gently grasped her shoulders. He turned her to face him and said in a gravelly voice, “You realize he was a liar?”
Eve rolled her eyes. “Well, sure, to trick me into marrying him when he only wanted my money.”
“Yes, but also claiming the only reason a man would want to marry you is your pretty face and your family money.” His voice deepened. “There are many, many reasons a man would want to marry you.”
Eve’s stomach swirled with heat, and the fear she usually felt when she even thought of marriage disappeared like a poof of smoke.
“I would want to marry you,” Beck said in a sincere tone, “because you’re kind, thoughtful, an incredible mother, smart, fun to be around, spiritual, a talented businesswoman, hard-working, committed to family…” His eyes traveled over her. “The fact that your face is the most beautiful face in the world and your body is so gorgeous I have to fight myself not to stare open-mouthed like a hormonal teenager, has very little to do with why I would want to marry you. The fact that your family has money hasnothingto do with your incredible appeal.”
Eve was pulling in quick breaths. She realized Beck wasn’t actually proposing but it felt like he was. She wanted to return all of the compliments and more. She never thought she’d find someone so incredible, kind, fun, hard-working, successful, and most important, committed to her and her daughter. The fact that he was irresistibly handsome in every aspect of the word didn’t really factor in either. Though it was a nice bonus.
She threw caution to the wind, framed his face with her hands, and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was short but powerful. Eve felt an overwhelming light and joy rush through her.
Beck pulled back and studied her for half a second, searching her gaze, asking if she was ready to commit to him and only him. She nodded in response to his unasked question. Beck grinned, lifted her off the bench and onto his lap, and proceeded to kiss her as if the world was going to end. The kisses were thorough, awe-inspiring, and made her tingle from head to toe. Apparently there was nothing wrong with her kissing ability or maybe the more accurate truth was that her lips and Beck’s lips were meant to be locked, creating sweet magic together. Whatever the answer was, she savored each second of the equation and the solution. Beck plus Eve equaled extreme joy.