Page 58 of The Other Plan

“Walk with me?” I lifted an elbow.

The tension returned to her body as she glanced at my elbow and stiffened.

“Oh, come on,” I sighed. “I’m not going to molest you. I just want to walk with you on the beach like we used to.”

Her lips twisted as she glanced at the house.

“I know they don’t need you up there tonight. I heard Cameron, so don’t try to pretend you have work to do. Just a walk. A little quiet time on a beautiful night.”

Finally, she exhaled a sigh and stepped forward, slipping her arm through mine.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

A soft shake moved her head, and it dislodged a piece of dark hair from the band holding it in a loose ponytail at her nape.

The sand squished between my bare toes as we started down the beach. Not wanting to spook her, I let the silence travel along with us as we walked.

“Nothing can happen between us, you know,” she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Nothing more, you mean?” I teased.

“Carter.” She pulled me to a stop and blew out a breath. “I’m serious. You have to stop pursuing me. This will never work between us. It can’t.”

“Never say never.”

“I’m saying never.”

I clucked the side of my cheek and stepped forward into her space. She didn’t back up, instead closing her eyes and inhaling a deep breath.

“You’re scared. I get that.”

“I’m not scared. I’m smart. Smart enough to know exactly how this thing between us is going to end.”

“Oh, yeah? And how is that, Einstein?”

She opened her eyes, and I saw the embers of pain burning inside them. “With me here in Door County broken-hearted. Devastated. Destroyed. With you in New York just going back to your life and moving forward after we inevitably don’t work out.”

“Wow.” I chuckled. “Boy, you surely do have it all figured out, don’t you?”

“I do,” she said with certainty. “There’s no other way.”

I edged closer to her. “I know you like to plan everything, and clearly, you’re pretty damn good at it, but some things you can’t plan out. Life isn’t some clear, straight, easy path where you follow a map to get to the end. It’s messy and complicated. You get lost sometimes, wandering around in the dark. You lose your way, only to find it again. You take detours and wrong turns. Long ways and shortcuts. But what matters the most is who you’re with while you do.”

I leaned closer to her.

“I don’t know where our final destination is, but what I do know is that I want to find my path with you.”

Her eyes shimmered as she blinked up at me.

“I’ve never gotten over you, Jenna. I’ve thought about you every day for a decade. We may have been young when we met, and we didn’t know each other long, but I know enough to know that you’re the only one for me.”

Her mouth opened and closed as she searched for the words. Finally, she whispered, “You don’t even know me anymore.”

My smile deepened as I reached forward and brushed the pad of my thumb against her cheek. “Oh, I know you, Jenna. I may have been away from you for a decade, but I still know you. Knowing someone isn’t just about the amount of time you spend with them. It’s about the feeling you get when you’re with them. The way you can’t stand to spend a minute apart. How their laugh lights up your soul. How suddenly you’d do anything for them. And I would, Jenna. I’d do anything for you.”

I saw the powerful mix of emotions collide inside her eyes.

“I’m still crazy about you. Always have been and always will be. So, while you stand there with your big brain trying to formulate a plan, tell it to plan on this. Plan on my feelings for you never changing. Plan on me doing anything and everything to make you happy. Plan on me never being the guy to let you down. Plan on us figuring this thing out together. Plan on that.”