Chapter Twelve
Owen had not been kissed by a woman in a long, long time. He’d forgotten the gentle touch of female fingertips along his neck, his ear, and up into his hair.
He never wanted to stop kissing Gina, as he’d been dreaming of this moment for a while now. So he simply kept kissing her, letting her take the lead on when to stop.
Every sense in his body heightened, and Owen felt like he’d taken that first step on a journey to which there was no return.
Gina finally sighed and pulled back, pressing her forehead to his collarbone. “I haven’t kissed anyone for a while,” she whispered.
“Well, you’re a pro.” His own voice sounded like he’d just gargled with sand.
She giggled, tipping her head back to look at him. “If my friends ask about us, I won’t be able to deny a kiss.”
“I wouldn’t want you to.” Though the thought of everyone knowing what had just happened in this dressing room made Owen’s stomach fill with angry wasps, he was ready to kiss Gina whenever he wanted.
“And we have to tell Cooper and Zach before your Beach Club friends.”
Gina stiffened in his arms, but she relaxed a moment later. “When do we want to do that?”
“As soon as possible.” He stepped back and let his arms drop to his sides. He felt a bit empty without her right beside him, in his arms. “Dinner tonight? My place? I’ll order pizza.”
“I like pizza.” She tucked her hands in her back pockets. “And I’ll be ready to talk to them, I swear.”
“We can do it tomorrow night. You’ll just have to hibernate in your room.”
“Or get to work on those other suites.”
Owen leaned against the doorway. “You tell me, Gina.”
Gina’s eyes searched his, finally saying, “Tonight, Owen. I don’t want to be maybe with you anymore.”
Happiness tugged and pulled, then raced through Owen. “Tonight,” he repeated before drawing her back in for another kiss.
After she left for her appointment with her therapist, Owen texted his kids, telling them it would be pizza night at the house and that he had something he wanted to talk to them about.
Zach confirmed first, followed with a picture of an envelope from UCLA.
Owen’s breath lodged somewhere in his chest. Is that a scholarship packet? he sent.
I don’t know. We’ll open it together tonight.
Owen wondered if he should tell them he was bringing a woman home—his girlfriend.
I have news too, Cooper sent.
Basketball? Owen asked, realizing he was asking for all the details now instead of waiting until tonight.
Yes, Cooper confirmed as Owen’s thumbs flew across the screen. He read the message once, and then twice.
Finally he just sent it. I’m bringing Gina. We’ve started dating.
It was simple. No lies. No hidden messages. Neither Zach nor Cooper responded right away, and his heart hammered in the back of his throat.
That’s great, Dad, Zach finally said, immediately followed by Yeah, great, from Cooper.
Owen couldn’t really tell if they thought it was great or not—the curse of a text—but they could talk about it that night.
He sent 8:30 and flipped over his phone so he could get some work done.
He fed the tropical fish in the huge tank set into the wall, worked through several scenarios with the grounds crew manager where they could get in a few more trees for their patio area, and then went to a city meeting about the property over in east bay that a big hotel conglomerate had put an offer on last fall.
The family was going to sell initially, but Owen hoped they wouldn’t. They already had the building and the land, and if they got the resort back into shape, it would be better than having an outsider come in. He’d already been through that once with Sweet Breeze, and it had turned out well enough, despite the early community protests.
He ordered the pizza around seven and then went up to Gina’s room to pick her up. She opened the door while she unrolled one last curler.
“How do I look?” She shook her head, the curls cascading just to the tops of her shoulders.
“Fantastic.” Owen admired her slim figure in a classic pair of dark jeans, which she’d paired with a cream blouse with red flowers all over it.
“Shopping successes?” he asked as he entered her room.
She sat on the coffee table and slipped on a pair of red heels, which brought her closer to his height when she stood and said, “Yep.”
“Well, you’re gorgeous.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her, glad he could do exactly what he thought about doing instead of suppressing the urge to touch her.
“Mm.” He broke their connection but kept her tucked next to him. “How was your appointment?”
“Really good.” She beamed up at him. “And I'm starving, so I hope you got a lot of pizza.”
“Define a lot.” Owen caught her hand in his as she plucked her purse from the end table. “And I got double pepperoni for you. None of us will eat that, so you should have a whole pizza to yourself.”
“What do you eat if not pepperoni?”
Owen chuckled at the genuine surprise on her face. “Supreme, with extra olives. That’s what Cooper likes. Zach likes the chicken parmesan one. It actually has noodles on it.” He full-on laughed at the horrified look on Gina’s face.
“And I like the chicken garlic ranch—with scallops.”
Gina made a fake choking noise. “Seafood does not belong on pizza.”
“Seafood belongs on everything,” Owen said. “Come on, we’ll have to wait to pick it up, and I told the boys eight-thirty.”
Gina moved with him, stepping into the hall first without letting go of his hand. “So,” she said swinging their hands between them. “What did you tell them about tonight?”
“I told them I was bringing you, and that you were my girlfriend.”
Her curls fell between them as she ducked her head. “What did they say?”
“They said ‘that’s great, Dad.’ I don’t know what that means. Texting isn’t a good medium for important conversations.”
“No, not usually.” She practically danced onto the elevator, pulling him into another kiss as the doors slid closed behind her. “I’ve always wanted to kiss someone on an elevator,” she said, giggling. Owen obliged, because he wanted to kiss Gina everywhere, anywhere, whenever, however.
She pulled back and stroked her fingers through his hair, her blue eyes bright and serious at the same time. “I really like you, Owen.”
“I really like you too, Gina.” He gazed back at her, glad she seemed so whole and well since her fall a few weeks ago.
The elevator opened to the lobby, and he stepped away from her. He didn’t want to go around flaunting the relationship, especially where he worked, and they did need to wait until the boys were looped in.
At Woodfire, Owen cuddled with Gina on a bench near a faux fireplace while they waited for their order. He told her about the snorkeling on the island, the luau next week, and the yacht club.
“You sail?” she asked.
“I grew up here,” he said. “Learning to sail is like learning to walk.”
She smiled but the excitement in her eyes wasn’t quite as bright as when they’d talked about snorkeling. “The ocean scares me a little,” she said.
“But you want to get in it and put your head under?”
“That’s different than going out on a boat.”
“It is? How? And by the way, there’s some very good snorkeling out at the reef. Way better than the cove.”
“It just…feeling like I could get lost out in a boat. Like I have no control over if I’ll be able to get back.”
Owen nodded, noting her use of the word control. She’d told him once that having control of things, organizing them and making them line up, was very important to her. He’d known that, as she’d once organized the folders on his desk while they ate lunch in his office.
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But this time, something different pricked his heart. If she couldn’t control their relationship, would she end it?
Owen didn’t let the thought stay long, and Matt called his name to pick up the pizzas anyway. From there, it was just fifteen minutes to the house, and then the conversation would be all about him and Gina and the new relationship they’d started.
He shouldn’t be thinking about it ending already. He frowned as he paid for the pizza, wondering if his negativity toward relationships was why he hadn’t dated since his divorce. Did he automatically assume every relationship would break apart, splinter, disintegrate, the way his had?
He remained quiet on the drive to his home around the curve on the island, realizing that yes, he did believe most relationships ended.
But he’d seen others survive. Thrive, even. Stacey and Fisher seemed happy. They didn’t have children yet, and Owen knew what a challenge that was for any couple.
His own parents had been split up by the early death of his mother, and as he pulled into his driveway, he realized he had a problem to overcome. If he wanted to become part of Gina’s life, he’d have to figure out a way to believe that what they were doing would last.
Gina smoothed down her blouse, a showing of her own nerves, and Owen slid his management mask into place.
“They’re going to be fine,” he told her. “No surprises tonight.” He climbed the steps to the front door and paused. “Well, maybe one. Zach has a big envelope from UCLA. Could be a scholarship. He’s going to open it with us tonight.”
Gina smiled, ran her fingers through her hair one more time, and nodded Owen into the house.
Chapter Thirteen
Gina didn’t feel quite the same calmness inside Owen’s house tonight as she had the previous morning. He led the way down the hall to the kitchen, where both of his sons sat at the counter, their phones in front of them.
“Hey, Dad,” Cooper said, his eyes flickering over to Gina. “Hi, Gina.” He stood and extended his hand for her to shake.
Gina smiled at him and shook his hand. “I hear you’re an all-star basketball player.”
Cooper grinned from ear to ear and shook his head. “Not quite.”
Owen slid the boxes of pizza on the counter and said, “Zach, get down some plates, would you? Cooper, grab the paper towels.”
Both boys complied without complaint, and Gina liked how they worked together though the tasks were simple.
“Is this it?” Owen asked, picking up a large white envelope.
Zach said, “Yes.” He put the plates next to the boxes. “Should we do news first?” He glanced at Gina too, a smile barely touching his mouth before it disappeared.
“I want to know what’s in this.” Owen shook the envelope and turned to Cooper. “And what news you have about basketball.” He stepped back over to Gina and laced his fingers through hers, clearing his throat roughly. “And obviously, we might need to talk about me and Gina.”
The silence that followed felt strained to Gina despite her best attempts to smile and charm the boys without saying anything.
“So I’ll go,” Cooper said. “Coach made me a permanent starter on the varsity team.” He beamed at Owen and Zach, who both beamed back.
“That’s great.” Owen hugged his son and clapped him on the back. “Great job, Cooper. You’ve worked hard for that.” He put his arm around his son’s shoulders and faced Gina. “He gets up early every morning to work out, do drills, all of it.” He grinned down at Cooper. “I’m glad your hard work is paying off.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Good job, Coop.” Zach high-fived his brother and picked up the envelope. “I guess I’m next.”
And then Gina would have to endure a conversation about her, while she stood there and listened. Her stomach rumbled for want of food, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to eat more than a few bites at most.
“Open it,” Owen said, quickly moving into a chant with Cooper. “Open it, open it, open it!”
Zach shook his head as he smiled, though he obviously enjoyed the attention. He ripped open the flap of the envelope and pulled out a few sheets of paper. After clearing his throat, he said, “Dear Zachary Church. Congratulations! You have been accepted into the University of California, Los Angeles.”
He looked up, his eyes bright. “I got in, Dad.”
“Of course you got in.” Owen spoke without a trace of doubt. “This one studies and studies. Great grades. High test scores.” The pride in his son was obvious, and Gina wondered what it would feel like to have a parent care about her the way Owen obviously cared about his sons.
She had no idea. No one had ever cared what kind of grades or test scores she got. Except for her. No one told her good job. No one brought home pizza and had a celebratory night with good news.
She felt like an imposter. One hundred percent like she didn’t belong with Owen or his family. She stayed rooted to the spot, though, not wanting to ruin this night for him.
“It says what day they start….” Zach’s eyes scanned the first page and he slid it behind the others.
His gaze zipped from side to side as he read silently, then a smile burst onto his face. “We’re pleased to offer you the UCLA Regents Scholarship, based on your academic merit. This is a one-year scholarship in the amount of twenty-four thousand dollars, which can be renewed on a yearly basis.”
He looked up from the papers, his face holding a range of emotions.
“The Regents Scholarship!” Owen practically yelled. “Zach, that’s huge.”
Zach shook his head, the smile fading from his face. “Dad, the out-of-state tuition is way more than this scholarship.” He looked down at the pages again, scanning them. “This is enough for resident tuition.” He slid them back in the envelope. “I’ll wait and see what the university here offers.”
“Zach.” Owen gently took the envelope from his son and pulled out the papers to look at them himself. “If this is what you want, I can afford to send you to California for college.”
“I’ll give you a scholarship,” Gina said, unsure of where the words had come from.
Zach looked at her with wariness and Owen with surprise.
“I mean, I have money.”
Owen smiled at her, the kind of smile she’d give to a small child. “I have money too, Gina.”
“You do?” They’d never really talked about their finances, and why should they? He knew she went to Fisher’s fancy billionaire meetings. And he worked for the richest man on the island. Surely the salary was nothing to sneeze at.
“I don’t know, Dad,” Zach said, interrupting their conversation. “I’ll think about it.”
“We can afford it,” Owen repeated, scanning the pages. “Maybe this would pay for your books and housing. It’s a great scholarship, Zach.”
“You don’t even want me to go to UCLA.”
“No,” Owen said slowly. “I don’t.” He picked up a plate and opened one of the pizza boxes. “Because I don’t want you that far away. I want to be able to see you more often.” He pushed the box off the stack and tried the next one. “But Zach, this isn’t about me. I know that. You do what you feel is right.” He slid a slice of pizza covered with all kinds of heinous things onto his plate. “And I’ll support you.”
He indicated the plates. “Come on, guys, let’s eat. Gina.” He set his plate down and moved boxes around until he found the pizza with the double pepperoni in it. Owen put two slices on a plate and handed it to her. “We’ll eat at the table tonight.”
Gina took the food and went to the dining table in front of a set of French doors that opened into a back yard. A moment later, Owen sat beside her. Within a few seconds, everyone had their food and was seated at the table.
No one spoke, and she thought maybe that was it. Owen had brought her home, and neither of his kids had been surprised. He ate through one slice of pizza and then wiped his mouth.
“So, boys, Gina and I have just started dating.
We wanted to tell you first, so you wouldn’t hear about it from Fisher or Stacey or someone else.” He looked at both boys and then Gina. “It’s still pretty new, and we’re going pretty slow, and honestly, I’m surprised she hasn’t broken up with me yet.” He grinned at her. “How do you guys feel about that?”
Cooper kept his eyes on his pizza, but Zach looked back and forth between Gina and Owen. “She’s younger than you, Dad.”
“True. Not too much younger though.”
“Ten years,” Gina said. “It’s kind of a significant number of years.”
“Does it bother you?” Owen asked, and Gina marveled at how he asked hard questions and entertained sensitive topics right in front of his kids.
“No,” Gina said.
“Doesn’t bother me either,” Owen said. “She’s closer to my age than yours, Zach. So it’s probably okay.”
“Okay.”
Still, it felt like Zach was sizing her up. “Were you dating her when she stayed here a couple of weeks ago?”
“No,” Owen said.
“So it’s really new.”
“Really new,” Owen confirmed. “Like, when?” He looked at Gina. “Maybe right after that?”
“Our first date was lunch the next day,” she said. “I think. I had a head injury, so I’m sort of fuzzy on the details.”
Owen chuckled and took her hand in his. “We’ve been friends for a few months, and she works at Sweet Breeze. So we know a bit about each other, and we’re just seeing how things go.”
Just seeing how things go. Gina really liked the sound of that. It was non-threatening. Casual. Easy.
“What else?” Owen asked.
“Have you been married before?” Cooper asked.
“No,” Gina said.
“So no kids.”
She swallowed and squeezed Owen’s hand. “No kids.” Thankfully, her voice only sounded slightly strangled.
“Have you kissed?” Zach asked.
Gina sucked in a breath, but Owen said, “Just today, actually.”
Zach nodded and went back to his food, his curiosity apparently satisfied. Cooper didn’t say anything else, and Owen continued to eat like discussing his private love life with two teenagers was perfectly normal.