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“You’re not making any sense. You could’ve just done that to begin with.”
There’s a reason why I asked Hayes to help me and it was because I didn’t think he would ask questions. Clearly, that was the wrong assumption. I should’ve called a car; it was stupid not to. My mistake is glaringly obvious now.
“Please, just trust me to get home safe, okay Hayes?”
He stares at me like he’s trying to figure me out, but he finally takes a step back and nods. “Okay, if you say so, but call me if you need anything.”
This is a level of maturity I haven’t seen in a seventeen-year-old boy before. I really expected him to keep pushing the issue. “Thanks, Hayes. I owe you one.”
I head off in the direction of the yachts, finding dock number seven that Cooper told me about. I have no idea what Ethan’s sailboat looks like or where to find him, or even if he’s here today, but I don’t have his phone number and there’s no way I’m going to his house. I’m just going to have to hope that Cooper was right and I could find him here.
The ocean breeze wraps around my bare legs and the sun beats down cruelly. We’re eight days into our two-week trip and this is by far the warmest day we’ve had. I’m glad for the breeze but it does little to cool me, let alone to settle my nerves. There’s no turning back now though, so I head toward the last slip, searching for Ethan.
Maybe this is a stupid idea.
Maybe I shouldn’t have trekked out here.
Maybe I should’ve told Sybil the truth.
Maybe I’m wrong about everything . . .
My hands start to sweat and I think back to this morning, mentally revisiting the moment I took my medication to make sure I didn’t forget. But I didn’t, I had it with breakfast like I always do. Slowly, I breathe in and then out, counting to keep it steady.
“Arden?” Ethan’s voice softens my anxiety.
I turn around and there he is.
He’s standing on the deck of a gorgeous white sailboat, the name Juliet scrawled across the side in blue script. My mouth drops open and something shifts in my chest.
“You named your boat Juliet?”
He’s quick, striding to the edge of the boat and jumping the few feet down to the dock. His hair is sticking up in places, like it’s either windblown or he’s been running his fingers through it or both. As he approaches, I catch the light reflecting off his eyes. They’re made even bluer out here by the water. Deeper too.
“Yes, I did . . . after you.”
“Why?”
“Boats are named after women and you’re my favorite one.”
Just. Like. That. I realize why I’m really here. I want this man back just as much as he wants me back. I’m putty in his fingers and he hasn’t even touched me yet. “Why me?” My voice cracks. I can’t believe this is happening.
I thought I would hate him forever, but I don’t hate him. Not even a little bit.
“Because you’re smart. You challenge me. You’re kind and strong. And most of all, because you’re so damn easy to love.”
I’m unable to speak.
He takes my face into his palms and stares down at me, voice intentional, eyes convincing. “I’m in love with you, Arden. I love you. I have for years but I was too immature and lost to realize it at the time. You don’t have to love me back. God knows I don’t deserve it.”
I told myself I came here to get clarity but that was a lie. I’ve been clear. I am clear. I’m not ready to confess those words but I want to anyway. Ready or not, I’m tired of denying myself the truth. “I love you, too.”
Everything changes. We’re standing on the edge of eternity, jumping off the cliff into the unknown together. He smiles and it’s time to show him exactly how I feel. No more speaking when words can’t express it like actions can. Rising to my tiptoes, my lips crash to his.
Kissing him is like falling, but in the best way. A rush of inertia that offers both relief and intensity.
He groans and takes me into his arms, lifting me up. My legs wrap around his center so naturally and he palms my ass. Need burns through me. It doesn’t matter that we’re in public or that it’s the middle of the afternoon. All that matters is him and us and being together. We’re not lost in this moment, but we’re not lost in each other—we’re found.
I feel so close to him but want to be closer. I never quite understood what people meant when they talked about emotional intimacy during sex until that day we spent at the pond and the night that followed. And now I’m about to experience it again because I have to have him.
