The Shipwreck (Lavender Shores Book 4) by Rosalind Abel

Author:Rosalind Abel [Abel, Rosalind]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wings of Ink Publications, LLC
Published: 2017-09-28T16:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

Tyler

Minutes had never gone so quickly in my life. By the time we got back to Lamont’s, showered together, and got dressed, we had just enough time for me to pack what little I’d brought, grab a bite to eat at Mabel’s, a restaurant downtown, and then head to his family’s to help prepare for the celebration.

It was a marvel to watch the Kellys and the Bryants. I thought my family was a well-oiled machine, but it looked like we had a thing or two to learn. Everyone seemed to know their job, and the whole intricate process ticked like clockwork. Things were dug out of storage from the Kelly’s basement, all perfectly labeled, of course, and taken downtown. Through that progression of vehicle after vehicle being filled with stuff, there was so much noise, so much bustle, it almost felt like LA for a little while. Children and dogs ran between the adults as they worked. Here and there, people bumped into each other as they carried boxes and such, but no major catastrophes. Before long, I realized it was nothing like LA. There was noise, but it was laughter, talking, and an overall sense of excitement and care. Definitely not LA.

Proving they truly had already accepted me as part of the family, I was given chores too. Nothing much, but enough to keep me moving, enough to distract my mind from counting down the minutes until I had to leave. Not enough to keep me from studying Lamont.

Lamont. From the moment I’d met him, he’d seemed so unsure, so timid in a way. But he was at the center of the storm and looked more comfortable than I’d seen him. He was in his element. Helping. Going from one person to the next, carrying something here, giving input there, stopping to joke with the children or pet one of the dogs. I felt my throat constrict when I noticed him bend over and kiss Hayley’s swollen belly.

And through it all, he cast glances and smiles my way. Coming over to give a quick kiss and check if I needed anything. Pretend or not, in that moment, I was family to him as well.

No wonder everyone loved the man.

For some reason, I’d come to believe Lamont was trapped in Lavender Shores. Whether obligation to his family, fear of leaping into a new life somewhere else, I hadn’t been sure. I was wrong. Lamont definitely had his demons, his hurts, his pains. Maybe he struggled with feeling overprotected, but he was happy here. He was home. He was a family man at heart.

I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly, but the realization made me a little sad. Made me glad for him, relieved in a way, as well. But it also highlighted just how much of a pretend boyfriend I truly was, and how much of a mismatch we would be if all the cards were on the table.

The scene at the Kelly house was nothing compared to the pandemonium of downtown.

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