7. Beck

S he liked him.

For some reason, that was a huge relief to Beck. She didn’t think she could stand it if Eddie were arrogant or demanding or flippant about his liaison with Lovely.

He was, in fact, none of those things. Eddie Sylvester—Eddie Sly, as he was known to everyone—had an undercurrent of gentleness to him, a calm air of wisdom, and a deep sense of caring about others that just pleased Beck.

After the emotions settled and the moon rose, she listened while he explained how his granddaughter, Lark, had started the whole chain of events by doing some DNA testing at one of the big sites. One discovery led to another, and soon, Eddie and his two daughters had enough information about Beck to find her.

“When we found out you owned a B&B, we thought we’d be super crafty and meet you as guests, so I didn’t have to knock on the door and go all Star Wars on you.” He leaned across the table where they’d been for what seemed like an hour since their heartfelt hug. “‘I am your father,’ Beck,” he said in his best Darth Vader voice.

She laughed. “My daughter figured it out,” she told him. “I told them how you’d asked all these off-the-wall questions. My youngest, Callie, a lawyer-in-the-making, went straight to ‘scam artists out to steal something from the B&B.’ But Savannah, the middle daughter, was the one who put two and two together.”

“And the oldest?”

“Peyton? Her concern is always how I’m handling anything.”

He beamed at her, wearing an expression she couldn’t quite interpret until he sighed and said, “You realize you’re telling me about my granddaughters.”

“Oh.” She gave a soft chuckle. “I guess I am. What would you like to know about them?”

“Every single thing,” he said. “I mean, if you’ll let me meet them.”

“Of course! And Kenny, my son. Oh, you have a great-grandson, Dylan, and a teenaged great-granddaughter named Ava, who is Kenny’s daughter. And Savannah and Peyton are pregnant right now. Peyton’s having a girl sometime in the next few weeks.”

He dropped back, clearly having a hard time taking it all in or keeping the names straight. “And…Lovely?” he asked. “What does she think?”

“She wasn’t there when we figured it out,” Beck told him. “I asked them not to say anything because I wanted to be sure first. And I thought you might want to tell her.”

His eyes closed on a sigh. “God love you for that. Thank you. I…I don’t really know how.”

“You can be honest. She’s strong and?—”

He held up a hand. “I don’t want to stir up bad feelings of shame or anger,” he said. “What I did was unforgivable. I never even asked her last name and…” He shook his head. “I don’t have a son, but I’d kill my grandson, Kai, if he behaved that way.”

Beck considered that, again struck by what a good man he seemed to be. “Kids make mistakes,” she said. “For instance, I had Kenny when I was young and unwed. I gave him up for adoption, but his daughter found me. Savannah says unmarried motherhood is our generational curse.” She gave a humorless laugh. “I can’t let you take all the blame.”

A slow smile pulled as he searched her face, studying it for a long time. “You remind me of my mother,” he finally said.

“Everyone says I’m a carbon copy of Lovely.”

“You are, physically. But there’s something steady about you that really makes me think of the late, great Willie Sylvester.”

“Willie?”

“Wilhelmina Sylvester,” he explained. “My dad died when I was young and she raised me alone, with my sister. She was a strong woman, fair and loving. She’d have adored you.”

The compliment warmed her, bringing another smile just as they heard two car doors closing from the front.

“Uh, your sisters are here,” Eddie said.

Beck put her hand to her lips. “Never had sisters, never had a father, never dreamed this could happen.”

He stood slowly. “Should I go give them a heads-up? I can tell you now that Melody is going to pounce. With love, of course. And Jazz will…examine you for flaws. Not that she’ll find any.”

“She won’t have to look hard. Please, if you want to warn them, you can. Otherwise…”

They heard the women’s voices, with Melody’s hearty laugh and Jazz hushing her.

Beck and Eddie shared a long look, then he shrugged. “Just…tell them.”

Nodding, she stood and took a few steps to the top of the stairs, seeing the two women walking up in the soft light from a wall sconce. Catching sight of her on the top landing, they both paused halfway.

“Oh, hello, Beck,” Melody said. “Everything okay?”

“Your father’s up here,” she said, gesturing them closer. “Or should I say… our father?”

Melody gasped noisily, practically leaping up the last two steps. “What? You know?”

Jazz joined her in a second. “How? Who? What?”

Beck just threw her head back and laughed, opening up her arms to the two of them for a group hug. “C’mere, sisters.”

Melody squealed and did a little dance as she hugged Beck. Jazz’s hug was less effusive but just as genuine, with lots of laughter, a few tears, and more hugs.

Eddie joined them as they both exclaimed, “What happened to waiting?” and, “I thought we were going to get to know them!”

After a few minutes, he got them all drinks and more snacks, and they huddled together to try and catch up on a lifetime of not even knowing this family existed.

Melody wanted to know everything about the people—Beck’s daughters, her son, the grands, and Beck herself. She wanted to know what everyone was like, how they’d take this news, and all the history of how they’d come together on Coconut Key.

She was a laugher, a big talker, and oozed warmth.

Jazz was definitely the quieter of the two sisters, asking far more about facts than personalities—ages, jobs, how long married, how many kids. Melody teased her about it, and Jazz threatened to get a notebook, but Eddie informed Beck that with Jazz’s IQ, they didn’t need one.

Beck looked from one to the other, still blown away by the whole thing.

“You know, you two are my daughters’ aunts,” she said. “And I can see a little of them in both of you. Savannah and Melody—you’ll be two peas in a pod. And Jazz? Callie’s already looked up your resume and pronounced you her next hero. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

“What’s stopping us?” Melody asked, pushing back from the table. “It’s not even nine o’clock. Let’s have a family reunion!”

“Hold your horses, Miss Impulsive,” Eddie said, patting her arm. “Lovely doesn’t know.”

Melody opened her mouth to reply, then closed it. “You want to tell her,” she said, obviously knowing her father well. “Okay, we’ll have to wait then.”

“How, Dad?” Jazz asked. “What’s the plan?”

“We were talking about that before you two showed up.” Eddie turned to Beck, a question in his eyes. “You know her best, Beck. What approach do you think will be easiest on her?”

“Quiet, personal, and…sweet,” she said, without giving it too much thought.

“Maybe a walk on the beach,” Melody suggested.

“Or take her out to dinner,” Jazz added.

“Or both,” Beck said, getting all their attention. “For special occasions, we set up dinner al fresco on the beach. A small table right down there on the walkway, lanterns to light the path, candles, tablecloth, champagne, the works. In fact…” She hesitated, thinking through the impulsive invitation. She’d planned to share that very beachfront dinner with Oliver tomorrow night for New Year’s Eve. But would he mind if she gave the special “Beach Table” to Lovely and this man? Not Oliver. He’d love that gift, in fact. “You can have a Beach Table dinner tomorrow night, and when it gets dark, there will be fireworks all over the Keys.”

“Oh, there’ll be fireworks, all right!” Melody cracked.

“It sounds kind of romantic,” Jazz said. “Won’t that give the wrong impression?”

Eddie shook his head. “This dear woman deserves a little romance. Frankly, I’m fifty-seven years too late.”

“I think the trick will be getting her to agree,” Beck said, already knowing Lovely would give her a side-eye and a hoot at the idea of a New Year’s Eve date with a guest. “I suppose I could figure out a reason that?—”

“I’ll handle it,” Eddie said confidently. “I may be old, but I think I know how to ask a woman to dinner. Will she be here tomorrow?”

“At some point,” Beck said. “She frequently walks her three dogs on the beach very early and heads over here for coffee.”

He held up a hand. “I got this,” he said. “And I promise I will break the news gently and do my best to earn her forgiveness and friendship. After that, we can meet the family.”

Beck smiled at him, touched by his caring nature. “We can do that on New Year’s Day,” she said. “My daughter Savannah is planning a beach party at her house for everyone. And I do mean everyone .”

“Sounds like a baptism by fire,” Jazz joked.

“Sounds like a dream,” Melody countered.

They all looked at Eddie to see what he thought it sounded like, but he leaned closer to Beck and put a hand over hers.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “I’m honored to call you my daughter.”

“The honor is mine,” she whispered, and meant every word.

A text from Oliver forced Beck to end the lively gathering, as much as she didn’t want to. It seemed they all had so much to share, but Oliver’s note was brief and direct, enough that it really got her attention.

I need to see you. Can you come over?

It wasn’t like him to ever ask her to leave the B&B in the evening, knowing she’d be getting ready for the next day of work and guests. So they all hugged goodnight, and she made sure they had what they needed, then made the short drive to Oliver’s rental house, still on a high from the new “family” she’d discovered.

She fairly danced up the stairs to the main floor of the stilt house, seeing lights inside, but no sign of life on the wraparound patio that looked out over thick palms and a narrow canal.

She hadn’t even knocked when the door opened to reveal the face of a man she fell a little more in love with every day.

As always, her heart swelled at the sight of his dark eyes, slightly tousled golden hair with a bit of silver in the temples, and a day’s growth of beard over a strong jaw and handsome face. But it dropped when she saw something in his expression that looked…troubled.

“Is everything okay?” Beck asked as he invited her in.

A silent response flickered over his features as he angled his head as if to say…maybe not.

“Oliver?” she pressed.

He let out a sigh and wrapped her in a hug, the strong arms of a former semi-pro rugby player and a man who made regular trips to the gym. Sinking into the embrace that always warmed her, she bit her lip, waiting for him to tell her what was the matter.

Instead, he slid an arm around her and walked her through the small kitchen and living area to the bedroom side of the house, rounding the corner to the master and pointing at the bed.

Where a suitcase lay open and packed.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Sydney. Tomorrow.”

“What?” She barely croaked the word. “Why?”

“The good news is I’ve sold my house for full asking and they want to close rather quickly.”

She inched back, ready to agree that was, indeed, great news. “What’s the bad news?”

He shrugged. “The agent said he could get a ten-day close, all cash, if I empty the house as quickly as possible. The bad news is I want you to go with me in the worst way and I’m not going to be happy if you say no. Only for a week, maybe ten days, Beck. I know the baby could be born any minute but…” His voice faded as he no doubt read her expression. “It’s a no, isn’t it?”

She heard the defeat in his voice and hated that she simply couldn’t remove it.

“I’d love to, Oliver,” she said, walking in and dropping on the edge of the bed next to the suitcase. “I really would. I might even take a chance of missing Peyton giving birth…” She made a face, knowing that probably wasn’t true. “But there’s a new wrinkle in my life. It seems I’ve got a father.”

“Pardon?”

She smiled. “Tear you away from packing for a few minutes? I’ve got an unbelievable story.”

“Only if I can have a beer. How about you?”

“Just water, but yes. Fortify. This one’s a doozie.”

A few minutes later, they were on the patio sofa with Beck’s feet propped on his lap. Laying back on a pillowed armrest, she told him every detail she could remember, pausing while he reacted with expected shock and questions.

She finished with her idea for a “date” when Eddie could break the news to Lovely.

“So you were going to give our romantic New Year’s Eve dinner away even before you knew I’d be on a plane over the Pacific?” He gave her bare toes a playful squeeze. “I’m crushed.”

“I thought we’d be right here, still able to see the fireworks, but secure in the knowledge that we’d done a good deed for Lovely.”

“Makes sense.” He took a final sip of his beer and put the empty bottle on the table. “Well, I knew the baby’s due date was working against me, but I can’t take you away from a brand- new dad and two sisters who are only here for two weeks. Not a chance.”

“I’m sorry, hon,” she said, and meant it. “I want to go, I really do. But does this trip to Sydney mean you won’t meet any of them?”

“If I get back before they leave. As far as tomorrow? The only decent flight I could get leaves at two from Miami, so I’d have to leave here by nine or so to make the drive and be at the international terminal on time.” He leaned all the way over and kissed her lightly. “All alone, sadly.”

“Did you really think I could pack and join you with that little notice?”

“A man could hope,” he said. “But, honestly, no. I knew you’d look at the calendar and Peyton’s belly and turn me down. I’ll miss you.” He kissed her again, a little less lightly. “But I will expect daily reports on the new crew, the baby arrival, and, of course, Lovely’s romance.”

“Romance?” She sputtered the word.

“Don’t tell me you’re not thinking about it,” he teased. “Your biological parents, reunited fifty-seven years later, rediscovering a connection that might bring them together in their golden years?”

She laughed softly. “I wasn’t thinking about that, but…” She lifted her brows. “Would that be so bad?”

“I think it would be wonderful,” he said.

“Well, I don’t believe that’s going to happen, Oliver. At best, I’m hoping my mother can let go of some decades-old guilt from a wild one-night stand. I want her to be content in the knowledge that her moral compass may have been a bit off that night, but her instincts led her to a good man.”

“Or she could fall flat on her face in love and be the next one dancing down the aisle in Coconut Key.” He leaned close again and whispered, “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if she beat us to it?”

Chills exploded from his voice and breath and the words he sometimes dangled to delight and excite her.

“Well, that would be the twist I never saw coming,” Beck said on a laugh. “Not that it would be the worst thing that ever happened.”

“Not at all. Unless…he wants to drag her off to California to live in his—what did you say? Seven-million-dollar ranch and a winery in Napa?”

Beck felt her eyes open in horror. “She wouldn’t!”

He shrugged. “I’ve seen people change their life for love. You, my dear woman, are looking at a man selling a beloved home that he built and lived in for many years.”

“Then if they fall in love, he can sell the ranch, take vacations at the winery, and settle himself in Coconut Key. Just like…” She walked her fingers up his arm, enjoying every inch of the muscle. “The man I love.”

A slow smile curled his lips. “You love me, huh?”

“Not enough to go to Australia but enough to lose my entire day and drive you to the airport. It gives us three and a half extra hours, even if they are in the car.”

“I’ll take them and that is true love. Thank you.”

For a long moment, he just looked at her, a strange, uninterpretable expression on his face. Wistful and sweet…but was there hesitation in his eyes? Was he second-guessing the decision to sell the house he’d built with his late wife? Uncertain about the move to Coconut Key? Unsure about Beck?

The momentary shadows lifted from his eyes as quickly as they’d come as he slid an arm under her and lifted her to meet him this time.

“I’m going to miss you,” he said on a rough whisper. “Very, very much.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

With one deep kiss, he erased all those flashes of doubt.