I kept my fear of the twins learning to surf to myself, trusting that Cade and his father knew this ocean better than anyone. Then I caught sight of the dog house and asked, “Do they have a dog?”
Cade nodded and said, “Yeah, Boone runs this place. He likes to check out the beach and say hi to the neighbors. He comes back when he’s hungry, and at night to sleep.”
“Oh,” I muttered, thinking what a cool life Boone had, then asked, “Is your sister home yet? I can’t wait to meet her.”
Cade’s sister, Alani, was actually born after Cade had already graduated and moved to the States to play football. But, even though he only saw her grow up once a year when he came back to visit, they kept in contact all the time, and seemed to be really close. I was looking forward to meeting her, and curious as to the dynamic of his family.
“My Ma said she had something going on after school, and won’t be home until later. She should get here before the kids go to bed though, so they can meet her.”
Cade made a move to get on the hammock, causing me to jump up to sitting and rock the hammock a little too hard.
“We won’t both fit on here, you’ll flip it,” I screeched, gripping the sides of the fabric as I tried to stay on.
“Trust me,” Cade said with a wicked grin, then managed to somehow get me flat on my back again, with his large body covering me. He tried to brace himself on his forearms, but it was nearly impossible, so I could feel the bulk of his weight.
“I can’t breathe,” I managed, then groaned when Cade shifted. He placed his palms flat on the ground on either side of the hammock, and fit himself snuggly between my legs. It was the “between my legs” bit that made me groan, even while I marveled at how damn long his arms were.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, then my eyes rolled back in my head when he thrust against me.
“What?” Cade whispered in my ear. “We aren’t in the house.”
Right when I was about to listen to my body, rather than my rational mind, I heard the sliding glass door open again and bucked up.
“Get off, get off, get off,” I cried.
Cade chuckled, but complied, and I quickly got up and out of the hammock, then turned my flaming face toward Cade’s mother, who was watching us with a smile.
“We were thinking about starting a fire and letting the kids do some roasting, if you would like to join us,” she said, her Cade-like grin never leaving her face. “But if you have other things you’d like to do first, we can watch the kids.”
A deep rumple left Cade’s chest, and I turned my head to see him trying to smother his laugh with his hand.
“We’ll be right there,” he replied.
I watched Cade’s mom go back inside the house, then asked, “What did she mean?”
Cade turned his smiling face to me and said, “She meant if we wanted to finish what I just tried to start on that hammock.”
“She did not,” I argued, hoping beyond hope that his mother hadn’t meant she’d watch the kids while we had sex.
“Did I forget to mention that she really wants grandbabies?” Cade asked, his grin getting even bigger. “She’s decided that you’re the one who’s finally going to give them to her.”
With that parting shot, Cade followed his mom and left me standing there with my jaw on the ground.
I looked around Cade’s bedroom, crossing to read the inscriptions on his trophies, while I waited for Carmen to answer the phone.
“Hallo…” she answered, her tone chipper.
“Hey, how’s it going? How are CB and Rufus? Any calls in on the office line?”
Carmen laughed at my rapid-fire questions and said, “Hey, I thought talking fast was my thing.”
“Ha, sorry,” I replied, catching my reflection in the mirror and lifting my hand to try and tame the mop on my head. “I’ve been a wreck since we left … Nervous about the flight, then I had too much to drink because I was nervous about meeting Cade’s parents. Now I’m nervous because, apparently, I have hips good enough to birth little badass Cade babies; at least that’s what his mother hopes.”
“Whoa,” Carmen said with a badly suppressed giggle. “Sounds like you have your hands full over there … Well, let me ease your mind about this end. CB is still cute and cuddly, and he only bit through one pair of my shoes.” I groaned at that. CB was definitely in the chewing stage of puppyhood. “But Rufus has been a perfect gentleman.”
Carmen had volunteered to watch the dogs for us while we were gone, and was staying at my place until we returned. She was an absolute lifesaver.
“Any calls?” I prompted, my eyes going to the door as I wondered if they were going to start looking for me.