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I wanted to open up to Rylee about it all, but it wasn’t easy. I was used to putting on a show for people, even my mom, who I was close to. I didn’t like to feel too vulnerable around people, which I could also trace back to my dad’s emotional distance. Expressing real feelings around him only led to disappointment and his rejection.
While I tried to gather my thoughts, Rylee was silent. She didn’t push me for information. She just kept holding my hand as we walked, providing silent support. She didn’t have any expectations of me, and that made it easier to answer her question.
“When I was a kid, I got into the habit of using humor and teasing all the time,” I finally said. “I needled people, especially easy targets like my brother, Logan. I really didn’t put much thought into it at the time, but looking back, I think I was trying to get attention, even if it was negative. That was better than nothing, you know?”
Rylee squeezed my hand, and just that small gesture provided comfort I didn’t even know I needed.
“I know you’re not like him,” she said, her voice genuine. “I’ve only known you a few days, but I can tell that you’re a better man than he was.”
“It’s funny you say that, because it’s what I strive for these days.” I smiled at her, and opened up a bit more. “You know, I probably don’t seem like the type for this, but I’ve always wanted kids, and it’s because I want to be a better man than my father. I want to be the kind of dad that gives his kids unconditional love and support. The kind of man that would never cheat on his wife, because I loved her and the life we’d created together too much to even think of that possibility.”
I hadn’t meant to share that last part when I brought her out here. My hope for the future was something I’d never told anyone. Maybe the salty air was just clearing my mind and loosening my lips. Or maybe there was something about Rylee that brought the deepest truths out of me. All I knew was that I’d only been with her on this island for a couple of days, but I felt like it had softened me, in a good way.
Maybe crash landing here with Rylee was what I needed all along.
“I think that’s great,” she said, her voice soft. “All kids deserve good, loving parents. My own dad died when I was only a few years old, and I spent a long time wondering what kind of relationship I could have had with him if things were different.”
“What happened to him?” I asked curiously.
“A drunk driving car accident,” she said softly.
I shook my head in anger. “People that get behind the wheel while intoxicated are terrible. They don’t give a shit about who gets hurt by their stupidity. Sons of bitches.”
“My dad was the drunk son of a bitch, actually,” she replied in a wry tone. “And you’re right. It was terrible. He died for nothing and ended up seriously injuring a teenage girl that was driving her first car home from soccer practice after school.”
I swallowed hard. “Did she…”
“No,” she assured me quickly. “She made it. We’ve actually developed a friendship over the years, and she even told me she forgives my father. I wish it was that easy for me.”
“I understand that. All you can do is appreciate the family that was there for you instead of dwelling on what you’re missing,” I said, realizing just how broken the two of us really were from things that had happened in our childhood. “For me, that’s my mom and my brothers. And my grandpa, but he…he won’t be with us for too much longer.”
“It’s that bad?” she asked, a sympathetic tone to her voice. “I read in the papers about him being sick, but no one has printed any of the details.”
“We pay a lot of money to keep certain things quiet. My grandpa doesn’t want the world to know what he’s going through until after he’s gone.” I glanced back out at the moonlit water. “He says that people will waste time and money sending him gifts and all that, and he doesn’t want or need it. He’s dying of cancer, and he just wants to spend his final days with his family.”
God, I hoped he was doing okay. I had tried not to think too much about him since we arrived here because there was nothing I could do to get back home until help arrived. It also made me sad and anxious, emotions that were best avoided.
“We’ll be home soon,” Rylee said, as if she read my mind.
Or maybe it was all in my expression. Either way, I appreciated the words. Stopping with the waves running over my bare feet in the wet sand, I brought my hand to the back of her neck and pulled her close.
“Until then, let’s enjoy ourselves,” I said, determined to do just that.
She untangled herself from my hold, her eyes suddenly sparkling mischievously. “How about a night swim?” she asked, pulling her tank top over her head before I could respond.
She was wearing a bikini top underneath, and I grinned. It was hot pink and barely covered her breasts.
I loved it.
So did my dick, judging by the way my body reacted. “Hell yeah.”
Rylee could say she wasn’t an adventurous person, but as she slipped off her shorts and went running into the water, I had to disagree. Maybe she just needed someone to bring it out of her, and I was glad to be that person.
Removing everything but my boxers, I ran after her with a grin on face.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Rylee
