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But that thought didn’t bring the comfort it should have.
That buzz had never been there before, not even as I’d chained myself to a sequoia and been threatened at knife point. What I’d felt then was nothing compared to whatever I felt now.
It’s not him. It’s the excitement of the weekend. Seeing my family for the first time in ages. Being near the sea.
Yes. It was being home again. Maybe I’d needed to be with the people who loved me more than I’d realized. To recharge.
After the initial encounter with Kane, I’d been counting down the seconds until the weekend was over.
Now, I didn’t want it to end.
I had important things to do, but I wasn’t ready to face them. I wanted to stay in the loving embraces of my grandparents and father.
I adjusted my scarf.
A nap. That was what I needed. The lack of sleep over the weekend was taking its toll. Short-circuiting my brain.
I settled into the chair and closed my eyes. The sun warmed my bones. A seagull squawked above. The waves lulled me with their soothing song.
I’d be fine. I just needed to rest. Center myself. Find the unflappable JoJo I’d been before I walked into the laundry room on Friday night.
“JoJo! Mommy! Daddy! Grandma! Grandpa!” Alma’s cry sliced through the air like a sword. “Come here.”
My feet hit the sand before I could think. So much for a restful afternoon.
I hurried up the boardwalk to the backyard where my family was gathered around Alma and Kane.
Alma beamed at him like he was the best thing that ever happened to the universe. She squeezed his hand and bounced on her feet.
“What is it, honey?” There was a hint of concern on Daddy’s face, even though his expression was pleasant.
Alma looked around at each of us, practically bursting with excitement.
Kane appeared as confused as the rest of us . . . and just as in Alma’s orbit as we all were.
The way she looked at him, no wonder he was mesmerized. Happiness wasn’t good enough to define it.
Her eyes sparkled as she kept us in anticipation. Maximum effect. Always.
She bounced on her toes and smiled bigger than I’d ever seen her do.
“We’re getting married!”
Her squeal was drowned out by the noise in my head as my whole world spun. My gaze went to Kane. And he was already looking at me. Seeing. Knowing. Hearing the no I’d screamed in my head.
Was that an apology in his eyes?
He was swallowed by my family, our connection severed.
One weekend.
After that, he was supposed to be gone.
I’m not going anywhere.
He was right.
He was going to be a permanent fixture in our lives.
