He swept her up in his arms and kissed her with all the love and desire he felt for her. And she returned his kiss with equal ardor.

Only the sound of Frank clearing his throat and Evan laughing had them breaking apart.

Alex let her slide down the front of him until she was once again standing, but he suspected it would be quite some time before their feet touched the ground.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The Seaside Inn in Yarmouth sat directly across the street from Seagull Beach. After lunch on the waterfront in Hyannis, Paul and Hope checked into their room. She was hit immediately by a bout of nerves that had her hands shaking as she unpacked. It had been years since she’d shared a hotel room—or a bed—with a man, and she hoped she remembered how to behave.

“What do you feel like doing?” he asked.

Hope knew a moment of pure relief that, despite the days of buildup, he wasn’t expecting to fall into bed the second they were alone. “Do you want to take a walk on the beach?”

“Sounds good to me.”

They left the room for the short walk to the beach, where they kicked off their shoes and left them by the stairs.

Paul reached for her hand, which was all it took to get her heart beating faster. It had been so long since she’d known the affection of a man, and before Paul, she’d been certain that this kind of excitement and anticipation was all in the past for her. Carl hadn’t liked to hold hands. He’d thought it was foolish. Only now did Hope realize how much she loved to hold hands—with the right man.

“It’s beautiful here,” Paul said. “Almost as beautiful as Gansett.”

“I’ve always loved this beach. We came every summer for a week with our grandparents, and we had the same room every year. It became almost a joke that we ate at the same place the first night, the same place the second night… We looked forward to that all year.”

“Where’s your sister now?”

“She lives in Oregon with her husband and kids.”

“Are you guys close?”

“We talk every week and text back and forth about the kids. I haven’t seen her in a couple of years, though. Ethan and I stayed with them for a short time after Carl was arrested. I had to get out of town, and she offered. The other side of the country looked really good to me right then.”

“I imagine it did. What’s her name?”

“Camille.”

“How many kids does she have?”

“Three boys—Sam, Michael and Josh. They’re a little older than Ethan.”

“Is she older than you?”

“Younger, actually. By a year.”

“How about your folks? Are they still alive?”

“Yeah. They live in New Hampshire where we grew up.”