No Love Allowed(39)

“But?” she whispered, taking his face in both hands and drying his tears with the pads of her thumbs.

He swallowed. “I would very much like it if you came.”

In response, a soft smile graced her lips before she leaned down and kissed his forehead. Then she whispered the three little words he had been waiting for: “Count me in.”





Seventeen


THE EVENT FOR the Fourth of July involved games. Couple-centric games. Set against the pretty backdrop of Dodge Cove’s man-made lake, with its tall pines and luxury homes surrounding the perimeter. The day couldn’t have been more geared toward romance if it were Valentine’s Day and not the middle of the year. Standing side by side with Caleb, Didi looked up at the perfect concentration on his face—brows drawn tight and all.

“You sure about this?” she asked with equal seriousness.

He nodded once, then hooked his arm around her waist to grip her hip. The strength of his hold gave her the confidence she needed to grab the back of his shirt. Someone yelled “Go!” In one heave, Caleb lifted her against his side and they took off at a gallop in the three-legged race he had convinced her to join.

Squealing in delight, she let him do most of the work, content to hang on for dear life. The spectators cheered, including Preston, who was jumping in place. He cheered for Nathan and Natasha, their only real competition—according to Caleb. The excitement in the air spurred him to kick faster with the leg currently tied against hers.

Laughter boomed out of her when they reached the finish line at the same time as the twins. They all tripped over one another, but before she could fall, Caleb wrapped her in his arms and twisted so she landed on top of him. Curses and giggles abounded.

She pushed up against his chest, her eyes immediately locking with his. Like standing beneath the eye of a storm, a pause happened between them amid all the excitement and congratulatory shouts. Beneath her hand she could feel the rapid beats of his heart. He sucked in a breath, and in a quick move heaved them both to their feet and began untying their legs.

“Do you think we won?” she asked.

“Yes, we did,” he announced.

“I object!” the twins said in unison, already untied.

She still got a kick out of seeing the female version of Nathan. Her femininity put their family’s signature dark hair and blue eyes to devastating effect. The female Parker argued with Caleb for the win animatedly, a gleam in her eyes, hands in the air.

“We clearly won by a toe!” Natasha pointed out.

“I have longer legs than you,” Caleb rebutted. “So if anyone’s winning by a toe, it would be me.”

“Yeah, you.” Nathan poked his shoulder. “Don’t think I didn’t see you doing all the work, hauling Didi like a sack of potatoes.”

“Hey!” she joined in, unable to help herself. Everyone was having so much fun.

Nathan grinned at her. “A pretty sack of potatoes.”

She executed an exaggerated curtsy. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”

“That’s still cheating,” Natasha challenged, loud enough for everyone gathered to hear.

According to the mix of jubilation and objection, the crowd was clearly divided. The energy in the air sent tingles of excitement over Didi’s skin. She had never enjoyed herself this much. Maybe she had been wrong about these DoCo elites.

“Preston!” Nathan called. “You be the tiebreaker here.”

“Boo!” Caleb said through cupped hands. “You know Preston is biased.”

“Let’s call it even,” Natasha suggested, having been reduced to giggles.

“Never!” both Caleb and Nathan shouted at the same time.

Preston suggested a pie-eating contest. This went over well with the mob. In under a minute, Caleb and Nathan sat beside each other on a picnic bench with a pie tin on the table in front of each of them. Natasha walked among those gathered to watch, taking bets, of all things. Didi put herself down for ten on Caleb.

“All right,” Preston said. He stood at the other side of the table in front of the competitors, who bumped shoulders with each other. “The rules are simple. No use of hands. The first one to finish eating the pie wins.” Then he gave the floor to Didi.

Biting her lip, she glanced at Caleb, who gave her a wink and grin. The combination evoked flutters in her belly. “Ready,” she said. Caleb and Nathan shared a look. “Set.” She raised her hand and dropped it at “Go!”

The Parker cousins plunged their faces into the pies. Cherry for Caleb and blueberry for Nathan, going with the red, white, and blue color scheme of the party. The crowd cheered for their respective bets.

She danced on her toes, egging Caleb to chew faster. She clapped when half his pie was gone in what seemed like seconds. He moved his face around the tin until nothing was left, then pushed off the table and raised both arms above his head and roared. Half his face was red.

Everyone screamed with him, including Didi. She caught the naughty spark in his blue eyes too late because he was already on her, smearing cherry sauce all over her face. She shrieked and laughed at the same time. His arms around her waist kept her from getting away. In her struggle, Caleb tripped, sending them both to the grass. The breath in her lungs came out in an oof and giggles.

Thirty minutes later, with faces washed, she and Caleb entered another game. They came away from the egg toss with second place. Nathan and Preston had joined that one and won uncontested. By the third game, which involved a version of blind man’s bluff, where a guy was blindfolded and had to find his girlfriend in a group of girls by listening for her calling his name, Didi had gotten a sense of just how competitive the Parker cousins were.