Steal My Heart, Trevor (Best Friends To Forever Book 2) Page 18

  She cringed when Josie gave one of those loud raspberries with her lips. “That’s crazy. I thought you two got along so well.”

  “I thought we did too.”

  Staring at the splashing fountain, Josie shook her head. “From what you told us, sure sounded like you were more than friends.”

  With her fingers Bryn traced the hearts that had been carved in the bench with linked initials. Even through the paint, she could still feel the grooves.

  “You have to talk to him. Find out what the status is.”

  “Josie, this isn’t a book with a due date. I have no idea what's going on.” And she hated it.

  “Call him again and start a conversation.” Everything was so simple for Josie. “Just say ‘haven’t seen you for a while. What's going on in your life?’ You know, nothing serious. Just a casual friend asking for an update. You never know. Maybe he’s had problems at work.”

  Bryn groaned. “I never thought of any of that.” Maybe this wasn’t about her. This might be about him and what was happening in his life. Bryn did a mental head slap.

  Josie’s hand settled gently on her back. “Okay, if it's that bad then you definitely have to get in contact with him. Put on your big girl pants.”

  Is that what it took? Maybe life was simpler than Bryn made it. When she played Scrabble, she always felt that she could have made up a better word, one that could use Y or X, not a simple four-letter word that kept the game in play.

  Leaning into her girlfriend, she gave Josie a hug. “You know how much I love you, right?”

  “Back at you, girlfriend.” Josie gave her a high five.

  Getting to her feet, Bryn teetered on her heels. “I am never wearing these again,” she grumbled as they headed back to the tent.

  “Grab onto me.” Josie offered an arm and Bryn took it.

  Romantic music filled the air. The tent had dimmed, and “I Only Have Eyes for You” was playing. When they went inside, the cool air hit her. Boy, didn’t that feel good. Malcolm was sitting at their table, fooling with the artificial candle and looking totally lost. “Josie, could you ask that man to dance before he takes apart my centerpiece?” Bryn said with a chuckle. “After all, he’s your plus one.”

  Her friend didn’t need another nudge. Malcolm looked up and smiled as Josie skirted the crowded dance floor. Bryn drifted over to Emily, standing with her folks and Jackson. She’d shed her veil but not that happy glow. “Am I butting in?” Bryn asked.

  “Not at all. I wondered where you went.” Reaching over, Emily gave her a hug. “The flowers are fabulous, Bryn. I’m so glad one of my best friends is a florist.”

  “If my customers are happy, then I'm happy.”

  Standing there visiting, Bryn felt restless. It was Saturday night. She definitely could not make that call tonight.

  Finally it was time to cut the cake. Victoria had helped order it from one of Jackson's suppliers. The three-tiered cake was chocolate inside, covered with white buttercream frosting. Fresh blue hydrangeas adorned the top instead of the traditional bride and groom.

  Bryn was hit with a fierce sugar craving so she scooped up a plate and began to nibble. Chocolate cake had never tasted so good. Knives clinked against glasses. Following the age-old tradition, the groom kissed the bride. Again and again. Bryn kept eating.

  The music started up again. Glancing over, she caught sight of Josie in Malcolm's arms on the dance floor. They were talking away like crazy, laughing the way they always did together.

  Fork halfway to her mouth, she stopped. Something was different here. That glint in Malcolm’s eyes? Had she ever seen that?

  Maybe she was just tired and on a crazy sugar high.

  Tomorrow. She’d call Trevor in the morning.

  Chapter 15

  Bryn hardly slept that night. An owl hooted again and again in the darkness, probably deep in the vacant lot next door. Thank goodness Trevor had built that secure box for the precious turtle eggs. Turning onto her side, she touched the green bucket. “You’re safe,” she told Sheldon.

  Was there even a turtle in there to hear her?

  But the turtles weren’t what kept her staring at the ceiling. Excitement and uncertainty frayed her nerves.

  The wedding had left her feeling torn. On one hand, she hesitated to follow Josie’s advice. The girl was crazy.

  But she had a point. How would Bryn know what had brought on this silence if she didn’t talk to him? Sometimes she reminded herself of the baby turtles. Some were so hesitant to poke their head out while others were born craning their neck, ready for life’s adventures.

  She wished she could be one of those. Maybe tomorrow. Punching her pillow, she tried to go back to sleep. No luck. Her eyes fluttered open. Shadows played across her bedroom ceiling and her thoughts danced around with them. What did she have to lose? If Trevor wanted to be just casual friends, she’d understand. After all, they didn’t live in the same town.

  But when she told herself that, it felt all wrong. She was in love with him. When you loved someone, you wanted the best for that person. Trevor and his adorable twins would be better off away from the influence of his mother. But that wasn’t her decision.

  Finally, her windows lightened as the sun crept across the marsh. Rolling out of bed, she grabbed a hoodie and pulled on her workout pants. Picking up the green bucket, she padded out to the kitchen to make coffee. “Now you be good, Sheldon. Don’t you go anywhere.” Reverse psychology. She was ready to try anything.

  Turning on the TV, she found nothing but news, which was never good. She clicked it off. Shaking some bran flakes into a bowl, she added milk and pushed the cereal around in the bowl for a good five minutes. By eight thirty, she was jumping out of her skin.

  The twins probably got up early. She grabbed her phone.

  Trevor picked up on the first ring. “Hey, I was just thinking about you.”

  His voice turned her body to mush. “You were?”

  “How was your trip?” Cartoon voices on TV were blaring in the background.

  “My trip?” What was he talking about?

  “Right, my mother said you left a message when I was sick. Said you’d be away for a while and you’d call when you got back.” His voice trailed off at the end.

  Okay, that didn’t make sense. “I left a message to call me.”

  “Really? I never got it. Maybe I misunderstood my mother.” The words came out slowly, the way Trevor talked when he was turning something over in his head. Was he as horrified as she was by his mother’s obvious lie? “We’ve all been sick. I thought I had food poisoning but seems it was the flu. I gave it to everyone.”

  The light-hearted tone was gone. Yep, he was thinking about the fact that she hadn’t taken any trip. That explained so much, didn’t it?

  “Sorry that you were sick. Are you all feeling better?”

  “Yep. The girls are watching TV and I’m reading the paper.” She heard a paper rustle. Picturing Trevor curled up with his girls made her feel all warm and cozy inside.

  “So are you reading the New York Times?” She pictured him reading the finance pages, a section she never read.

  “Heck no. I’m checking out the comics. Hey, I’ve missed you.” His voice had dropped to a warmer tone, as comforting as the coffee in her mug. Then he cleared his throat. “I mean, I’ve missed talking to you. Turtles okay?”

  “Let’s go back to the part where you missed me.”

  Silence. Then a warm chuckle that curled her toes. “Yeah. I really missed you.” Was that a manly sigh? “How’s our little guy?”

  Her eyes slid to the counter. “Sheldon still hasn’t shown his head.”

  “Hmm.” Trevor fell quiet. “Not a good sign.”

  Okay, Josie. Here goes. “I was watching the fireflies last night and thinking your girls might want to come over. See if they could catch a few.” How long would it take her to put together those peanut butter jars? All she had to do was punch holes in the top.

  �
��Sounds great. I’m sure they’d love it. Me too.” He sounded sleepy. She liked it. “And what do you do with those lightning bugs?”

  By now, Bryn felt giddy with relief. “Think back. What did we do with the fireflies?”

  “Let me think. We put them in a jar on the edge of your porch. Those poor things. We were going to keep them until Christmas so Santa could find your house.”

  They both laughed because the idea was so ridiculous. She wanted to ask more questions about his mother and her message. But this had to be in person. Thinking of Josie again, Bryn cut the conversation short. They agreed on seven o’clock that evening.

  “So did your friend come back? Malcolm?” The question came slowly.

  “He did.” Wow, that seemed so long ago. “We had a talk. Actually, we called it quits.”

  “Oh, you did, huh?” More newspaper rustling, as if he’d shoved it aside.

  “Yeah. Just friends. Everything’s okay.”

  “Is that why you went away?”

  How exasperating. “Trevor, I never went away. We can talk. Anyway, Malcolm and I are just friends.”

  The silence crackled. “Like us, you mean?”

  Now this was tricky. “No, not like us.” Because I don’t want to kiss Malcolm until our lips sizzle. Don’t have a crazy need to feel Malcolm’s arms around me. Shifting in her chair, she exhaled.

  There was more noise in the background. “Daddy!” That sure sounded like Daisy, insistent and needing something.

  “I’ll let you go. Seven or so? Maybe by evening I’ll have some baby turtles to release.”

  Trevor chuckled. “I won't even mention that to my daughters. They’d get too excited.”

  “Excited by what, Daddy?”

  Yep, that was Daisy piping up in the background.

  “See you later, Bryn.”

  They said good-bye. She slid her phone onto the counter.

  “I don’t know what’s up with that man,” she told the green bucket. “But this whole thing with his mother might get worse before it gets better. You’re lucky you don’t have to worry about your mother.” Peeking down, she wondered. Hadn’t Sheldon been on the other side of the bucket? Her brain was scrambled.

  All day, Bryn felt off balance. She couldn’t wait to talk to Trevor in person. Had his mother purposely told a lie? If so, his mother would go to any lengths to keep them apart.

  No way. She’d had it. Trevor was a man worth fighting for.

  Going out to the garden, she snipped off feathery pink and white cosmos, adding a handful of baby’s breath to fill out the bouquet. Plopping the blooms into one of her pitchers, she set it on the picnic table. Going inside where the air was cooler, she made some chocolate chip cookies and steeped a pitcher of sweet tea.

  The day dragged. By the time Trevor and the girls pulled up in front of her house that evening, she was all set in a new outfit. Sweet Coralee had snapped up these pale peach shorts and set them aside the moment they came in, along with a green and peach top. Bryn had swept her hair up, leaving some ringlets.

  “Don't you look pretty?” Trevor said when she answered the door

  Seeing the spark in his eyes filled her with hope. Not wanting to cause trouble, she wouldn’t ask questions about the phone call. Practically jumping out of their skin, his little girls stood behind him. Each of them clutched a Barbie doll.

  “Do you have new dolls ?” she asked, opening the door wide.

  Annabelle stepped inside first. “Yes ma'am. Our grandmother gave them to us.”

  Daisy elbowed her sister out of the way. “I wanted to name mine Bryn but Grandma wouldn’t let me.”

  “Really?” Trevor didn’t look happy with that comment. But Bryn didn’t want him worrying about silly stuff like that.

  “Come on in. What does it matter what you name your dolls, right?” Closing the door, Bryn led the way into the kitchen and ignored her churning stomach. The peanut butter jars were set out on the kitchen table, and she’d managed to punch holes in the tops. “Sweet tea or lemonade?”

  “Sweet tea,” they both said. She took the pitcher from the refrigerator.

  “Trevor, can you grab those jars?” she asked, opening the sliders. They stepped out onto the deck, tidy now without all the pots and pans. They moved down to the picnic table. After setting down the jars, Trevor wanted to check his handiwork. The girls left their Barbie dolls on the picnic table to follow their daddy to the nesting box.

  When she heard the girls’ squeals pierce the summer air, she quickly joined them, setting a tray with the pitcher and some glasses on the picnic table.

  “Look, Daddy,” Annabelle exclaimed, looking down at the sand. Bryn’s heart leapt to see three baby turtles creeping along the edge. She handed Trevor the key and he unlocked the enclosure. Then he lifted the top.

  “Can we hold one?” Daisy was already reaching with her hand.

  “You bet.” This never got old. Bryn shared their excitement. Every day when she got home she could hardly wait to check the sand for nests and the box for new babies.

  “Can we play with them for just a little while?” Annabelle asked. When Trevor looked her way, Bryn nodded.

  “Hold them,” she said quickly, not quite sure what they meant by playing. “Very carefully.”

  Both girls plopped down on the lawn and held out their hands. Carefully scooping up the tumbling babies, Bryn set one in each girl’s palm.

  “Look at the pattern.” Daisy was practically nose-to-nose with the hatchling. “Just like Bryn told us.”

  Trevor turned to Bryn with a wry smile. “I can tell them the same stuff. Nothing’s true unless they hear it from you.”

  She felt flattered and bathed in his smile. “No sense putting them back in the sand. Let’s take them to the marsh.”

  Well, that sealed the deal. Cupping one hand over the other, each girl took their turtle to the edge of the marsh. Bryn and Trevor strolled behind them, one turtle tucked safely in Bryn’s palm. “Thanks for inviting us,” Trevor murmured. “All the girls could talk about today was turtles and Bryn.”

  She flushed with pleasure as the girls sat in the grass and gently unfurled their palms. Stretching their legs as if they’d waited for this moment, the tiny hatchlings took off into the tall reeds.

  “Go and find your mama now, little turtles,” Daisy said in a sweet, cajoling voice. Bryn couldn't even look at Trevor. These girls desperately needed someone to love them.

  Of course, Trevor was a great father. His mother? Bryn couldn’t picture Cornelia Daniels reading Good Night, Moon to these two. But Mrs. Daniels did love them and cared for them. She wanted only the best for Trevor and the girls. Bryn was certain of that and wanted the same. But they sure differed in the way they went about things.

  “Now back in the kitchen to wash those hands,” Trevor scolded but with a smile in his voice.

  “I’ll race you, Annie!” Daisy cried out, dashing for the deck.

  “Slow down.” Annabelle trotted along behind her. “You're running too fast. My hair will get messy.”

  Daisy skidded to a stop. Flipping her head down, she ran her fingers through her blonde hair, which wasn’t braided today. Then with a raucous laugh, she ran up the steps with a disapproving Annabelle on her tail.

  “Annie?” Bryn turned to Trevor. That name didn’t seem to fit proper Annabelle.

  He rolled his eyes. “A new nickname. Annabelle complains about it, along with my mother. But if Annabelle doesn’t like it, she should speak up.”

  “And she doesn’t?”

  When Trevor leaned closer, she breathed him in. “I think she secretly likes it.”

  “What a surprise.” And so were his eyes, so close. “Your eyelashes are so long.”

  “Really?” Laughing, he batted them. “Should I get them trimmed?”

  “Not on your life.” What was she saying? Her head swam when he was this close. She could have counted each lash. His kiss was a total surprise, just a light brush of the lips while
the girls giggled inside. Bryn could hear the water running. “Trevor?”

  “Don’t talk,” he murmured against her lips. “I’ve thought about this for two weeks.”

  “You have?” Her lips tingling, Bryn smiled. “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  But her giggle was swallowed when Trevor covered her lips with his, so gently, so softly that she felt treasured by this man.

  The girls’ laughter filtering down from up above broke the kiss.

  Backing away, he called up to his daughters, “Are your hands clean?” But his eyes were on Bryn.

  “I’ll check.” Bringing a hand up to her thumping heart, she tripped on the first step on the way up to the deck.

  Trevor caught her. “Are you okay?”

  “Sure.” Happiness swelled inside. “I’m great.”

  He hesitated. “Look I’m sorry about the kiss. After all, you just broke up with someone.”

  Was he kidding? “I’m not sorry at all.”

  He looked stunned. Then he grinned.

  More, I want more. That must be Josie in her head. “Come on. We’d better check on the girls.” And she skipped up the steps with Trevor right behind.

  The screen door slid open and Daisy stepped out, her hands held up. “Look, Daddy.”

  Then Daisy turned to Bryn. “Daddy says you have to have clean hands before you touch food.”

  “He’s probably right.”

  “Annabelle?” Trevor asked.

  She held up her hands too.

  Going out to the picnic table, they sipped tea, munched cookies and waited for dusk to fall. The sky seemed to darken so slowly that night. But Bryn would have slowed its progress even more. She treasured every moment, especially the quiet smiles she exchanged with Trevor. Whenever she looked over, his eyes were on her, which was totally unnerving.

  “When will the fireflies come out, Bryn?” Daisy asked repeatedly.

  “When it gets darker.” She smiled at the little girl’s impatience.

  “Daisy, don’t pester her.” Turning to Bryn, Trevor shook his head. “You are the source of all information.”

  “It isn’t polite,” Annabelle said.