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She really has no idea how wonderful she is and it’s my job to tell her.
“You are the most beautiful woman here. If you’d stop comparing yourself to others, you’d see how many guys are jealous of me right now.” I carefully remove her arms from her body and place them around my neck. “I’m so lucky you’re mine.”
My words may not be the cure all end all, but they do make a difference. She smiles brightly and pulls me down into a passionate kiss. I lift her up by her waist and groan as she wraps her legs around my hips. Usually, she would never kiss me like this in public, but the way her lips move against mine – it’s like no one else is here.
AN HOUR LATER, SHE’S starting to become fidgety. Her fingers tug at her hair and at different sections of her skin. The logical side of me tells me it’s her crashing from being high but I shake the thought away and try to enjoy our time together. A few minutes later, she turns to me.
“I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
Jo overhears and perks up. “Do you want me to come with you? It’s a zoo out here.”
She shakes her head too quickly for it to not be alarming. “No, that’s okay. You have fun. I’ll manage.”
It’s then that I see it – the familiar locket hanging around her neck. She kisses me once more then walks away, leaving me to watch her disappear into the crowd. She’s going to get high.
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, I’M completely terrified as I go to wake her up. After finding out she’s so hooked on coke that she snuck it on an airplane, I know I need to make this last attempt. Still, that doesn’t make me any less afraid. I’ve never said those three words to anyone. It’s taken me this long to not freak out when I think them, let alone say it out loud.
“Baby.” I whisper, shaking her lightly. When she notices it’s not morning yet, she groans and moves the pillow on top of her head. I chuckle, taking it away and placing it out of her reach. “Come on, wake up.”
She opens her eyes and narrows them on me. “Is this a thing you do? Wake people up at ass o’clock in the morning when you’re close to a beach?”
A small laugh bubbles out of my mouth as I think about how well she knows me. I nod to answer her question and help her sit up. We both get dressed and quietly make our way out of the suite, careful not to wake my siblings. I hold Kayleigh’s hand tightly as we walk out onto the beach and take a seat.
I sit behind her and pull her as close to me as possible, rubbing my hand on her knee. The sunrise is breathtaking but my mind is anywhere but on that. My heart is pounding so hard I’m surprised she can’t hear it, or even feel it where my chest is against her back. This is it – my last defense crumbles down as I admit to her the one thing I never thought I’d say.
“Kayleigh?” I ask with shaky breathing. She hums and turns her head to the side but still watches the sight in front of us. I bite my lip before letting the words tumble from my mouth. “I love you.”
She stops breathing and her head whips around to look at me. I can’t move. I’m stuck in a trance so I just stare into her eyes. This girl has the ability to crush me into a million pieces and all I can do is hope she won’t. As the seconds tick by slowly, I start to think she’s not going to respond, but then she smiles.
“I love you too, so much.”
A relieved laugh emits from the back of my throat as I do exactly what I need right now – I kiss her. Had I known hearing those words come from her lips would feel this good, I would have told her months ago.
IF I THOUGHT WE were all over each other before, after this morning – we’ve become inseparable. I can’t seem to wipe the broad smile from my face. It’s as if everything we have been through is more than worth it. I’ve never been so happy.
“Are you hungry?” I ask as we lie in bed, fresh off a make-out session.
She flops her head towards me. “I could eat. I want to shower first though.”
“How about you get in the show
er and I’ll run down to the café and get us something for lunch?”
“Sounds perfect.”
I stand from the bed and pull her with me, kissing her forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She blushes.
The two of us go our separate ways, her into the bathroom and me to go retrieve our meals. Just as I reach the hotel hallway, I realize I forgot my phone. I turn around and head back into our bedroom, only to hear something that makes my heart shatter. Stepping closer to the bathroom, I listen as Kayleigh snorts a line of coke and breathes a sigh of relief.
Every hope and dream I had for the two of us comes crashing down around me. Even expressing how much she means to me isn’t enough to get her to stop. I press my back against the wall and slide down until I’m sitting on the floor – allowing the tears to pour from my eyes as the love of my life does drugs on the other side of the door.
THE REST OF THE vacation, I do my best to enjoy the time we have left together. Knowing what I need to do next, I can’t be sure we’ll still be together when all is said and done. As soon as we get back to Maine, I get the information I need and dial the number of the one person I was hoping I’d never have to call.
“Hello?” The man answers.
“Mr. Hartman, it’s Holden Rivers.”
