Page 89 of All At Once

Having the issue, even if the issue was her, openly acknowledged between them helped.

He drew a circle at the base of her spine. “So the fourth date vibe . . .”

A helpless laugh shook her shoulders, and she let her head fall back, eyes closed, before lifting her lashes to look at him. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.” He grinned, although his eyes remained serious. “We’ve been busy, and life’s been crazy. A little dating might not be a bad idea.”

Frustration curled through her. “Dating isn’t going to solve this, Lamar.”

“Probably not, because I don’t have a full picture of what this is yet, but I don’t think us spending regular time together as a couple can hurt.” He shrugged, still drawing light shapes on her spine. “I don’t want us to stay here, Cait. This isn’t the place I want us to live. This isn’t the place I want you to live.”

“I know.” She spread her fingers, stroking the rise and hollows of his collarbone. “I don’t want us to live here either.”

“I didn’t marry you for just the good times, precious.” He spoke near her ear, whiskey and molasses tickling her nerve endings. “That means we work out the rough spots. We talk it out and spend time together, and maybe we go to therapy together—”

She groaned.

He chuckled, sliding both hands up to cup her face so their eyes met. “I will do whatever I have to for us to be okay. If that means we sit together with Clarissa or Olivia or whoever else you find, and I have to learn how to do things differently so you’re okay, I will.”

Her breath caught, eyes prickling all over again. She could not ask for more than this man and the way he loved her.

Hands gentle on her face, he lowered his head to capture her lips in an easy kiss.

“We’ll be okay.” He smiled, eyes steady and serious. “Trust me.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Hold My Hand

Wrangling four kids between the ages of seven and nine with accompanying kites went above Tick’s definition of duty, especially when Ivey and Sonny Buck were determined to treat theirs like battle kites. After untangling cords for the third time, he pointed Ivey southbound. “Go about twenty steps that way and stay there.”

The kid gave him the look Eva tried on every so often, pure Falconetti rebellion, but complied.

Yeah, his teenage years would be a fun ride for Vince and Callie. Tick couldn’t wait.

“You come with me.” A hand on Sonny Buck’s dark head, he moved him twenty feet in the opposite direction. “Stay here and no more kite fighting.”

He sure as hell knew who he had to thank for this, too. A glance toward the house gave him a glimpse of Cary and Tony on the deck, and Cary lifted a bottle in salute. His fishing buddy had waited until the morning of his and Caitlin’s day with the middle children to bring out the kites.

Asshole.

His wife found the scenario amusing as well, a gorgeous smile curving her lips as she watched him approach their shade tent. In her customary black bikini, she lounged in one of their sling chairs, Lee playing on the blanket at her feet, and her sunglasses did nothing to conceal her good humor, anymore than her utilitarian swimsuit concealed that blend of curves and lean muscle that made him crazy.

The smile, how glad he was to see it, pierced all the way to his soul.

“Having fun?” Her expression shifted to a teasing smile, and he resisted an urge to palm her thigh, hard enough to sting, in retaliation. He wanted to touch her, all the time, but right now, he put in a concerted effort to keep his hands to himself until he had a better idea of what was really going on with them.

“Loads.” He fished in the cooler for his water bottle and took a quick swig before dropping the bottle in the holder on his chair. “Cary has one coming for this.”

“You must admit it’s a brilliant idea.” Her husky laughter shimmered over him, like the warm sea breeze, his nerve-endings tickling in response. “They’re very entertained.”

“Sure they are.” Hands at his hips, he gazed down at her. On the beach, with the kids, she was more herself, and that made him glad, too, not to see the overwhelming stress that had tightened her up in his presence the night before.

Being alone with him was an overwhelming stressor for his wife. That kicked him in the gut, no matter how much he tried not to let it hurt his feelings.

He shook his head and flicked a finger toward the deck. “And so’s Cary.”

Her smile widened. “Of course he is.”