Ultimate Romance Collection. Rebecca Winters
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to put her heart on the line and contact him?
She wasn’t sure. But what she was certain of was that they needed to do what they hadn’t done before. They needed to get to know each other. She needed to know which parts of what he’d told her about himself were true and which were false.
She wanted to get to know the real David Holloway.
Then what?
Hadn’t she convinced herself she wanted no part of a man in the military? And what about her decision to never to get seriously involved in an interracial relationship like her parents had? Why did all of that no longer matter to her when she thought about her and David deciding to have a future together?
Maybe that’s how love worked. It made you see the possible instead of the impossible. It made you want things you told yourself were not good for you because you were afraid to reach beyond your comfort zone.
Taking a deep a cleansing breath, she decided to call David tonight before going to bed. She had no idea what she would say to him but the words would come.
She doubted he would want to come back to the Keys anytime soon, so she would let him know she would come to him if he still wanted to talk. She would see what he said before asking Jamila if she could take care of the shop while Swan was gone. David might very well tell her that it was too late, that they had nothing to talk about. But there was a chance he would embrace her words. Embrace her.
Her mood suddenly lightened, knowing that was a possibility.
* * *
Flipper entered the hotel room and tossed his luggage on the bed. Different hotel but same city. He had given Swan two weeks and now he was back. They needed to talk and clear up some things. She hadn’t accepted his calls, but now he was here and he wouldn’t be ignored.
He shook his head when his cell phone rang. “Yes, Coop?”
“Have you seen her yet?”
“No, I just got here. In fact, I walked into my hotel room less than five minutes ago.”
“Okay. And there’s another reason I called. Bristol is pregnant.”
“Wow, man. Congratulations. I didn’t know you guys were trying.”
Coop laughed. “We’re always trying. But seriously, we figured it was time Laramie had a playmate.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I hope things work out with you and Swan, Flipper.”
“I hope so, too.”
“And do me a favor.”
“What?”
“For once, open up. Tell her how you feel. Don’t beat around the bush. You have a tendency to do that. Women love a man to get straight to the point and share their feelings. I hate to say it, bro, but you’re not good at doing that.”
Coop was right, he wasn’t. “I never had to do that before. I’ve never truly loved a woman before Swan.”
“I understand. But you do love her, so make sure she knows it. A woman has to believe she’s loved.”
Flipper chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Coop asked him.
“You’re giving relationship advice. Do you know how much like Mac you sound?”
Coop chuckled as well. “You would have to point that out. I guess it comes with loving a woman.”
“I guess so.”
“No guess in it, remember it. Know it. Feel it. Take care and good luck.”
After ending the call with Coop, it wasn’t long before Flipper got calls from Bane, Viper and Mac as well, all letting him know they hoped things worked out for Flipper and Swan. All giving him advice. They were married men who had the women they loved and they wanted him to have the woman he loved as well.
He appreciated good friends who not only watched his back but who also cared about the condition of his heart. They knew about the pain he had lodged there and it got worse every day he and Swan were apart.
Flipper glanced at his watch. Swan’s store would be closing in less than an hour. He would give her time to get home and relax before paying her a visit. He refused to let her put things off any longer. They needed to talk.
He loved her and it was damn time she knew it.
Swan had just poured a glass of wine to enjoy while sitting on the patio when she heard the knock at her door.
She knew Candy had gone out to dinner with her family and Jamila had mentioned she would just stay in tonight and chill. Swan had invited Jamila to join her so maybe her cousin had changed her mind.
Her cousin.
That was taking a lot of getting used to but Swan knew her parents would want a family connection for them. Jamila was the only family Swan had and she appreciated their friendship more than ever.
She reached the door and glanced through the peephole. Her heart nearly stopped.
Was it really David? She blinked and looked again and saw it was really him. Back in Key West. And he was standing in front of her door looking like he always did, sexy as hell.
Drawing in a deep breath, she removed the security lock and opened the door. “David? I thought you’d left the island.”
“I had but I returned today. May I come in?”
She nodded and stepped aside. The moment he passed her, she caught a whiff of his masculine scent, the same one she was convinced still lingered in her bedroom.
Swan closed the door and stood to face him. He was standing in the middle of her living room wearing a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt with a huge picture of a dolphin. Flipper. Her gaze moved beyond the shirt to his face to find his laser-blue eyes staring at her.
She cleared her throat. “I was about to sit out back and drink a glass of wine while enjoying the view. Would you like to have a beer and join me?”
She could tell he was surprised by her invitation. She hadn’t bothered to ask why he was there.
“Yes, I’d like that.”
Moments later, they were sitting side by side on a bench that overlooked the beach. They had been sipping their drinks for a few moments when he said, “I told you that night two weeks ago that we needed to talk, Swan. I think we still do.”
Yes, they did. She would let him go first. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“I want you to do more than just listen, Swan. I want you to engage by asking questions, giving me feedback, and I would like to be able to do the same with you.”
“Okay, that seems fair because I do have some questions for you.”
“Ask away.”
She took another sip of her drink. “You didn’t tell me you were a SEAL and I’d—”
“I couldn’t tell you I was a SEAL, Swan,” he interrupted to say. “That’s why I lied and said I was no longer in the military.”
“Yes, I know that now. I want to tell you, because of what happened to my father, I had made up my mind never to get serious about a military man...especially not a SEAL.”
“Oh, I see.”
She wouldn’t tell him yet that she’d changed her mind about that. “Is your mother’s birthday really next month and do you have four brothers?”
“Yes. Everything I told you about my family is true. I never lied to you