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“Ha, I don’t get scared.” His voice trembles slightly, and I laugh more. He really did get spooked, and it’s adorable.
“But seriously, what are you doing sitting in the dark by yourself?” Rhett sits down next to me, and his scent fills the space between us. Salty ocean mixed with a touch of cologne. The familiarity of it is somewhat comforting in a weird sort of way. Not that I even see Rhett much anymore, but it reminds me of previous times our friend group hung out.
“And I could ask you, what are you doing talking to yourself in the dark?”
“Oh, nothing. Just family stuff,” Rhett answers with a shake of his head. “Never a dull moment when you have a thousand siblings.” He grins as some of his shaggy hair falls in front of his eyes. His look is all classic surfer boy, from his golden tan to his sandy brown locks. But I’m more focused on what he said than his looks.
Never a dull moment when you have a thousand siblings.
His words, his innocent words, tug at my heartstrings.
What I would give to have just one sibling, never mind multiple. But that’s not my reality; I’ve told myself this over and over. You’d think it’d stick by now. “Remind me how many you have?”
“Wow, you wound me, Maia.” He makes a stabbing motion over his heart while grinning. “I kid, I kid. I’m one of eight. Four older ones, three younger.”
“Damn. You must’ve shared a room, huh?”
“Yep. Never had my own room until I came here.” He shrugs like it was no big deal at all. “You get used to it. But privacy is nice.”
“Eight kids, that’s crazy. Your mom is a super woman.”
Rhett laughs. “That she is. She’s losing her shit right now planning my brother’s wedding.”
“Aw, he’s getting married? That’s exciting. I bet she secretly loves it.” Another tug at my heartstrings.
Oh to want what we never got. Does the want ever go away?
“Yeah, I’m sure she does. Chuck is the eldest and first to get married. So of course, it’ll be a bit over the top.”
I nod. “Makes sense. Her firstborn is leaving the nest. That’s hard.”
He says nothing, only shrugs. I study his face in the dim light, curious as to why he looks sort of sad. Is he not happy for his brother?
“What I really want to know is why you’re sitting here by yourself when Alex is inside.”
“He’s the reason,” I spill and instantly regret it. I barely talk to Len and Ev about my relationship, and now I’m oversharing with Rhett. Who also happens to be friends with Alex. “Forget I said that.” I backtrack, but Rhett’s definitely giving me the side-eye.
“Want to get out of here?” he asks.
His question throws me off balance, but a huge grin spreads across my face. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Rhett jumps to his feet and holds out his hand. I take it, and he pulls me to my feet. But he pulls a little too hard, and I bump into him. His chest is solid and with feet planted firmly on the ground, he doesn’t move. Except for his hands.
They land directly on my waist while our faces are mere inches apart.
Everything around us fades away.
Until a loud blow horn sounds from somewhere in the backyard, and I jump back.
“Ready?” I don’t make eye contact as I brush by him.
Whatever that was can never ever happen again.
Chapter 2
Rhett
“Do you want to let Alex know you’re leaving?”
