Page 78 of Coastal Runaway

I froze, unable to move as he approached me.

He reached out his hand, “dance with me?”

I nodded, taking his hand and letting my mind drift back to the first time that he asked me that question… the night this all started.

Luke placed the flowers on a small table before wrapping my hands around his neck. He stepped in closer as he wrapped his hands around my waist. So much of this felt the same, yet so much was different—I was different.

Kiss Me started playing through the outdoor speakers and I couldn’t help but laugh, “really?”

He squeezed me tighter, resting his chin on my head, “it was Maeve’s idea.”

”I’m sorry,” I blurted out, “I didn’t mean the words I said to you. I thought I was doing what was best for you.”

“I know, baby, but you know what’s best for me?” He pulled back to look down at me, “you.” He leaned in and placed a light kiss on my lips.

“You realize my entire family is staring at us through the window right now right?”

He chuckled but almost immediately schooled his features and looked serious. “Three years ago, I let you walk out the door. I’m never making that mistake again,” he whispered against my lips, “you can run, Tig, from coast to coast. But I’ll find you every time and take you home to me.”

I leaned up on my tip toes and kissed him harder this time, delving my tongue into his mouth with a groan. His hand found my chin and he tilted me back for better access.

“Oh, and Keegan?,” he pulled away and I managed to hum in response, “stop eavesdropping on my conversations. It ends poorly for me.”

I burst out into laughter, “I can’t help it if you’re terrible at keeping things private.” I shrugged.

“Next time, maybe I’ll just have to punish you for it.” He winked.

I scoffed, “Brute.”

“Brat.”

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.”

He lifted me off of my feet and spun me around cheering until I was laughing so hard that it hurt. When he placed me down, I looked up at the icy blue eyes that haunted me for so long. Except now they were looking back at me with nothing but love.

“Give me your phone.” He placed his hand in between us.

”Why?” I dragged out the word—suspicious.

”Just trust me?”

I handed him my phone and he opened TikTok, pointing the video right at us.

”Hey everyone, I’m Keegan’s boyfriend, Luke. I just wanted to come on here and tell you that you’ll be seeing a lot more of me and that I am shamelessly in love with this woman.” He smiled and placed a kiss on my lips before turning back to the camera, “oh and thanks to everyone who voted that I was ‘fire.’ Kisses, talk soon.” He winked and pressed post.

I laughed, “I cannot believe you just did that. My phone is going to blow up with comments about how hot you are now.”

“Yeah, but it’s all yours, Tig.”

“It’s always been you,” I whispered.

We kept dancing and making out on the patio until Nolan shouted out the door that we’re disgusting and that dinner was ready.

We sat around the table in the house that I grew up in, laughing and talking more than we had in years. Luke didn’t drop my hand the entire night and snuck kisses in every few minutes, right out in the open. That night he wrapped me in his arms and whispered how much he loved me into my ear before I drifted off to sleep.

I might have changed when I ran away all those years ago, but deep down, I was still that shy little girl who fell for the jock. Luke loved every part of me, and I was starting to love those bits of me too.