Into the Tide (Cottonwood Cove, #1)

by Laura Pavlov

I’d always called her Snow for as long as I could remember, because the girl had watched Snow White more times than any one kid should, and her dark hair and all that sweetness made it an easy nickname to hold on to.

“So, if we’re being completely honest… I actually shit my pants last week in the car when I left Cottonwood Cove Café. I swear Mrs. Runither put something in her mac and cheese because that shit runneth right through me. No pun intended.” Sloane shrugged as if this were just common small talk. The table erupted in laughter. Damn, I’d missed my girls. Missed being home.

“Bear?” I called out, because I didn’t see anyone in the bar area. I’d called him that since we were kids. He’d called me Snow, and I’d called him Pooh Bear, but he’d insisted I drop the Pooh when we got older. I still laughed when I thought about the way he’d tried to gently ask me to just use Bear because he didn’t want to hurt my feelings.

I didn’t know when Lila

James grew into the sexiest woman I’d ever seen, but she had.

“I see how it is, Gracie girl. You’re jumping ship on Uncle Hughey?” I grasped my heart like I was wounded, and she laughed some more before turning her attention back to Lila and petting her hair and smiling at her like she was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Trust me, I understood it. Gracie wasn’t the only one gaping at my best friend’s little sister.

“It’s not even really a bra, Mom,” Georgia groaned. “It’s more of a fashion statement. I mean, when you’re the president of the Itty-Bitty Titty Committee, you don’t need the support. But a little black lace can add a little something-something to a white tank top, you know?” “What’s a titty?” Gracie tipped her head back to look at Hugh, and Cage hissed something under his breath. “Ah, fabulous question. What is a titty, Georgia?” Hugh asked, with a wicked grin on his face. “Can we please not say titty around my daughter?” Cage grumped. “Why? More than half of the people at this table have them,” Brinkley said over her laughter. She was the second youngest in the family. Hugh was the middle child, and he appeared to be close to every single one of his siblings. They’d always been a tight family.

“Do I have a titty?” Gracie asked in the sweetest voice, still looking up at Hugh like he set the sun. Alana gasped. Her husband, Bradford, barked out a laugh, Cage rubbed his temples as if he were exhausted by the conversation, and Finn’s fist came down on the table as he laughed so hard it made everyone else do the same.

“Daddy doesn’t like titties?” she asked, and even I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Laughter bellowed around the room, and Alana covered her face with both hands, but it was easy to see her head shaking with muffled laughter, even if she was trying to hide it. “I assure you, your daddy does not have a problem with titties.” Georgia took a sip from her wine glass and smirked. “I have to agree with that one,” Brinkley said, agreeing with her younger sister. “Girls. That’s enough.” Alana shook her head and dabbed at her eyes as she pulled herself together.

“Sorry about that. It’s a morning thing.” I smirked. It’s actually a Lila thing.

She shook her head as if she hadn’t realized she was staring and turned back to the stove. “Oh, no. I hadn’t noticed. I mean, of course, I noticed, because it would be impossible not to, but I wasn’t staring. Oh my gooooooood,” she groaned.

“There’s no shame in looking, Snow.” I shouldn’t have said it, but I liked seeing her all worked up. A pink hue ran up the back of her neck, and I adjusted myself because this shit was getting painful. “Do I have time to grab a quick shower?” “Yeah, yeah, of course.” She waved a hand over her head, and when I got to the doorway of my bedroom, I heard her shout....

“And I see our dear baby brother did a wonderful job of deflecting the conversation. Just admit you want her. Own it, dick licker.” Finn smirked. “Never going to happen. I, unlike you two, am a man in control of both my emotions and my dick. Sorry you have to sit through this tonight, Pops,” I said, winking at my dad.

Because she was my girl, wasn’t she? Maybe I couldn’t have her, but she was mine.

“I didn’t know he blamed himself for my mother’s death, Bear. That’s a heavy weight for someone to carry, you know?” she whispered.

“He’d never told you that before?” I asked, her head tipping back and settling in the crook of my neck like it always did. Like she was made for me the way her curves fit along all my hard edges so easily.

I didn’t know when it happened—when I’d fallen completely in love with this woman, but it had happened. I’d finally experienced what my father had always talked about. What my brothers and I had teased him about for years. It wasn’t that the hair on my arms stood on edge like what had happened to my father, or that I knew I would marry Lila James. It was a repeated clarity that I experienced day after day with this woman. My heart no longer belonged to me. It was hers. No one else would ever have it—that I was certain of.

I watched as her head tipped back in laughter when one of the high school dudes asked if she was single. He was looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen—and he’d be fucking right. Mine. The possessiveness I felt over this woman startled me at times. I’d never been that guy. Never needed to claim anyone as my own. Until now. And I wanted to fucking claim her. I needed to figure this shit out.

“That’s amazing. She’s fucking brilliant,” I said, my eyes not leaving her.

“Yeah. Aside from her being so invested in the rehab program.” He shook his head, and I pushed to stand and turned to him. “She’s here for one more month. You should get your ass down there and support him,” I said, putting my hands up when his mouth gaped open to stop him from interrupting. “It would mean a fucking lot to your sister. He’s doing well, dude. I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. And Lila wants you to sit in on one of those family meetings. How about you put your pride aside and do it for your fucking sister, because she puts everyone first, including you.”

A hand clapped me hard on the shoulder, and I turned to see Brax standing there. “What’s up, boys? Oh, I see we’re watching the lovely Lila, aren’t we?” “Put your eyes back in your head, dick licker,” Travis snarled before Shay’s sister walked over, and he and Shay turned to talk to her. “Yeah. What he said.” I smirked as I continued watching Lila. “Well, then… I guess it’s too late for you to put your eyes back in your head,” he said, leaning in close so no one could hear. I didn’t fight him or have a witty comeback. Because he was right. It was too late for me.

Well, aside from one thing. The one thing I knew I shouldn’t put on the list because accomplishing it wouldn’t help anyone, including me. But I couldn’t stop myself. #13. Tell Hugh Reynolds that I love him. Not a friendship kind of love. That I-can’t-live-without-you, people-write-poetry-about kind of love. The real deal.

She studied me for a moment as she tapped her finger to her lips a few times. It was something she always did when she pondered my words. “I see. Why don’t you think he feels the same way about you?” Because he’s the one who wanted to keep it a secret from my brother. And if he felt about me the way that I feel about him, he would just tell Travis. Consequences be damned.

I’ll get it out of him. I’m here. Sitting at a table alone in your restaurant, looking like a sad sack of shit, and Mrs. Runither is making crazy eyes at me. Get your ass up here. Coming now. Finn That’s what she said!

I barked out a laugh and slipped my phone into my back pocket, making my way upstairs and finding my brother quickly. Unfortunately, the old horndog, Mrs. Runither, hurried over to intercept me before I made it there. “Hello, Hugh. This place is packed, as usual.” “Yep.” I shoved my hands into my pockets because I was irritated that I had to stand here and talk to her. I glanced over to see Cage watching me with a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. “Have you found yourself a lady yet? A big, strapping man like you shouldn’t be alone,” she purred, making every attempt to be sexy, but appearing desperate. And considering her age, it was awkward as fuck when she grabbed my hand and studied the size of it. I leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “I’ve taken a vow of celibacy, you know, since the Irritable Bowel Syndrome started. There’s nothing quite like getting the shits in the throes of passion.” Her eyes doubled in size, and she pulled her hand away. That oughta do it. She waved at me before hurrying back to her table.

“The way you look at her. The way she looks at you. You aren’t fooling anyone if that’s the goal. And Travis wouldn’t give a fuck if it was the real deal. You’re his best fucking friend. And it kills me to say this to you because I know that you’ve already got the whole long-hair, Grecian-god look going for yourself, and your ego does not need stroking—but you’re the best fucking guy I know. Don’t tell Finn. I’ve given him the same pep talk, so I’d prefer you don’t compare notes.” I barked out a laugh. “Was that an actual compliment?”

“I’m not a coward. I’m a realist. I know who I am. Come on, Cage. When was my last relationship? Why do you think Travis would lose his shit? Because he knows I will most likely fuck it up. And it’s not even an option. She’s leaving in two weeks. They built a whole fucking program for her to run. I live here, with three restaurants to run. There are a million reasons why it can’t work.” He nodded, his arms folded over his chest like the broody bastard he was. “You only need one reason for it to work.”

“That’s your advice?” I downed the rest of my beer. “You don’t need advice. You’ll either let her go without taking a risk and spend the rest of your life regretting it, or you’ll just wake up and realize that you’re being a dumb fuck, and you’ll go for it.” “That was riveting. It’s amazing you aren’t a therapist.” I smirked.

“Well, I hope like hell that you come to your senses and do something about it.” “Why is that?”

“Because I can’t wait to see the infamous Hugh Reynolds running around town like a pussy-whipped motherfucker who can’t live witho...

“Never going to happen. I’m going to stick to the plan. Let her go chase her dreams while I go back to my unfulfilling life of meaningless sex and mind-numbing conversations with people I don’t give two fucks about. And Lila can go take over corporate America and marry some preppy intellectual asshole who wouldn’t know good sex if it slapped him in the face.” Cage looked down, searching for something on the floor beside his feet before he snapped back up ...

He didn’t come at me again; he just stared for a long while before he spoke. “So, you love her?” “I do.” “Does she know that?” he asked, reaching for his beer and popping off the lid before he took a long pull. “Probably not. But I’m going there tomorrow to tell her.” Travis set his bottle back down, and Brax groaned as if he were preparing for the worst. “And what? Drag her back here?” “You know what, Travis. That’s also none of your fucking business.” I squared my shoulders and stepped forward, crowding him. I was done with him acting like he knew what was best for her. “That decision is up to her. I have someone willing to take over all three restaurants here. So, if your sister wants to stay in Chicago, that’s where you’ll find me. And if she wants to come home, that’s also where you will find me. She’s a grown-ass woman with a mind of her own. And you’re a grown-ass man with a wife and kid on the way. Stay in your own fucking lane, brother.”

As long as you take care of it, and it doesn’t shit in my house, I’d be fine with it. Finn

Cage, do you remember when Hugh pooped in the house when he was around five years old because he wanted to measure it, so he took a big shit behind Mom’s fake Ficus tree? Cage I do. Because he used my blue school ruler to measure his giant crap and got his shit all over it. Hey, big hands. Big feet… Big shit. That thing was a good eight inches. Not bad for a five-year-old.

“Finn’s date is a train wreck, and Travis has pissed off his pregnant wife.” Cage shrugged. “Well, here’s some scoop for you,” Brinkley whispered. “Georgie said she broke things off with that jerk of a boyfriend.” “Dikson?” Finn asked. “Diktok,” I corrected. “It’s Dikota, you wienerschnitzels,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s old news. Done. Donezo.”

“You did really well, sweetie. And don’t even get me started about the way you look at one another; it’s really something.” Normally, I would roll my eyes at a comment like that, but not this time. Because she was right. I guess our parents knew better than we did because they said we’d know when it was right, and they weren’t fucking kidding around. Because everything about Lila James was right. And I’d wanted my mom with me when I picked out the ring that I would give her when I asked her to marry me.

There he was. This big, sexy bear of a man, down on one knee. His hair was tucked beneath his beanie, and the twinkle lights allowed just enough light to let me see the depth of those sage-green eyes of his. “What are you doing?” I gasped, dropping to my knees in front of him. “I don’t think you’re supposed to get down on your knees.” He chuckled, and I scooched forward. “I go where you go,” I said, my words breaking on a sob.

“I love you, Lila Mae James. You make me want to be a better man.”

“You make me want things I never knew I’d want. And I want them all with you. I knew the minute you came into the bar to talk about your schedule that I was a ruined man.” He leaned down and kissed me. “Will you marry me, Snow?” “Yes! Yes! Yes!” I shouted, my hands on each side of his handsome face as I tugged him down for a kiss. “You sure about that? You want to do forever with me?” he asked, when he pulled back. “I’m positive.”