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“He’s in Angel Sands. Which as we both know is only a couple of hours from L.A..”
The seatbelt light went off, and Harper released hers and leaned forward. Sitting on Catie’s right was a businessman who was doing his best not to listen to their conversation.
“But that doesn’t mean anything,” Caitie told her. “He’s a friend, that’s all.”
“He was the love of your young life, Caitie. The one who got away. Don’t you think you should work out if there’s still something between you?”
“There isn’t.” Caitie shook her head. “He sees me as Lucas’s little sister. Someone to be friends with and take care of.” She wished it was different. That her heart didn’t ache every time she thought of him.
“Are you sure?” Harper sounded disappointed.
“Yeah. He was like another older brother to me growing up. He’d tease me the same way Lucas did, and he’d take care of me in the same way, too. There’s nothing more than that between us. I just need to get used to it.” And she would. As soon as her heart realized the truth.
“God, he really did a number on you, didn’t he?” Harper tipped her head to the side, her eyes soft with compassion.
“It wasn’t his fault. It was a childhood crush. He didn’t even know I had it. He didn’t encourage it, didn’t tease me over it. I just sat there and suffered in silence.”
“Until you kissed him,” Harper said.
“Yeah. And wasn’t that a weird thing to do? Creepy even.” Caitie grimaced. “I’ve no idea why I did it.”
“It’s not weird. You were in love with the guy.” Harper folded her arms across her chest. “I for one think you did the right thing.”
“I think it was more than that,” Caitie admitted. “His mom had died and I could see he was full of pain.” Caitie took a deep breath, remembering that Christmas. “I wanted to make things better. I only went in his room to check if he was okay, and there he was laying in bed. I walked over to
check if he was breathing, and that’s when I felt the urge to kiss him.”
Harper’s eyes sparkled. “That’s so romantic. Tell me more.”
God, this was embarrassing. Even if Harper didn’t think so. “The curtain was partially open,” Caitie continued, her voice soft. “There was a shaft of moonlight across his hair, making it look golden. I reached out to touch it, and it was so soft. I thought I’d woken him up, he murmured something before breathing out. But when I looked, his eyes were still closed.”
“Is that when you kissed him?”
Caitie nodded. “I was only going to kiss his cheek. I leaned down, ready to press my lips against it, and he turned his head to face me.” She blinked. “The next thing I knew, I was kissing him.” Soft lips. Even softer breaths. And for a moment it felt as though he was kissing her back, his mouth moving beneath hers. It sent a spark of electricity down her body, shooting through her legs and making her toes curl.
It was delicious. And she could still remember every moment of it.
“Are you sure he was asleep?”
“Yeah. He still had that rhythmic breathing going on. That’s when I realized what a creep I was. So I scurried back to bed, and I must have been exhausted because I didn’t wake up until late the next day.” She took a sharp inhale. “By morning, him and his brother were gone.”
“And you’ve never loved anybody since,” Harper said softly.
“I know how stupid that is.” Caitie tried to smile. “Believe me, I think I’m an idiot, too.”
“It’s not stupid. It’s beautiful. And if you don’t tell him how you feel I’m going to cry myself to sleep. Caitie, maybe this is destiny. Meant to be. You need to be brave and put yourself out there.” She leaned back in her seat, a smile on her face. “And if you don’t, maybe I will.”
* * *
“Lucas said he’d meet us in the pick-up zone,” Caitie told Harper, as they pulled their suitcases through the airport exit. “He didn’t want to try parking. It’ll be even crazier than normal with it being Thanksgiving and all.” There hadn’t seemed much point in renting a car when they were staying with family all weekend.
She wasn’t exaggerating about the craziness. LAX was jam-packed with passengers, making personal space a luxury nobody could afford. Even the sidewalk outside was three-people deep. Over in the taxi lane, two guys were arguing over who was there first. So much for being thankful, they’d be lucky if they got out of here alive.
“Hey, Cait. Over here.”
Caitie and Harper turned their heads in unison, looking at the silver-grey truck parked on the other side of the pick-up lane. The driver’s door opened, and Brecken Miller climbed out. His long, muscled legs were encased in dark blue pants, paired with a long-sleeved white shirt. He was wearing those familiar aviator sunglasses, and his hair was brushed back from his face. His skin held the natural sort of tan you only found in California, the evidence of long days spent riding the waves.
“That’s not Lucas. Not unless he’s had plastic surgery.” Harper was staring, open mouthed.
