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As soon as I approached the cliff rocks, my heart sped up and my throat dried. Tattoo Surfer Guy emerged from the fog at the shoreline, his board tucked under his arm, and his hair dripping down his face. He was getting closer to where I was standing, paralyzed on the beach. My body sizzled immediately, and I knew my face was probably as red as a tomato. The downside of dark hair and light skin. When I got flushed, it was very obvious.
My body was torn between running the opposite direction like I was fleeing a crime scene or continuing the way I had been walking, which would put me directly in his path and would require me to use words, and right now, I couldn’t even remember my name, let alone get through a smooth introduction.
God, why did I have to be so awkward? Why couldn’t I be more like Genesis?
Tattoo Surfer Guy stole my chance to decide when he walked straight up to me.
“Hi,” he said, and my whole body melted instantly.
“Hi,” I responded timidly.
And then he flashed the biggest smile, showcasing the most magnificent dimple I had ever seen. I was definitely done for. Now I understood why the plot of so many romance movies centered around love at first sight.
I was in love.
“I’m Bridger.”
And that’s all I needed to know, because no matter what came next, I knew I had found my soulmate.
My connection with Levi wasn’t quite as instant as it had been with Bridger, but it was familiar from the start and grew exponentially over the days, exploding into the most magnificent nights of my recent life. I didn’t want to lose Levi, but I knew for my mental health, I needed to start over somewhere fresh. A whole new life with a whole new perspective. And I couldn’t do that here. Here, I was living in the memories of my past, and they were overcrowding any hopes of seeing a future.
Genesis and I started packing up the trailer the next morning. I was going to drive it back to my house, pack up some things I couldn’t live without, put the house up for sale, and move to Nashville. What I did after that was still to be determined, but for the first time since Bridger died, I didn’t feel quite as lost.
I walked up to the café with Midnight to say goodbye to Beverly.
Beverly cried as she hugged me. “I’m going to miss seeing you here every morning.”
“Me, too,” I said with a scratchy voice as I hugged her back.
When I pulled away, I handed her Midnight to snuggle. She lifted her up like Simba fromThe Lion Kingand told her how much she would miss her, too. Midnight responded with a face full of kisses.
“You keep in touch now, you hear.”
“I will,” I promised. “And you have my number, so when you come my way, make sure you call.”
She hugged me again, and I left her to the morning rush.
Before going back to the trailer, I walked over to the bluffs where Bridger and I got married and did our vow renewal and stared out into the ocean. The storm had cleared out in the middle of the night, and all that was left were a couple of thin wispy clouds. Midnight sat by my feet.
“You can’t even tell there was a storm yesterday,” Levi said as he walked up beside me as if he could read my mind.
My body heated up, and my heart kicked up a few notches. “Hi,” I responded with a raspy voice.
“Hi,” he responded simply. We stood there quietly for a few moments. “I noticed you were packing up.”
“Yeah. It’s time I go home.” I turned to him. “I was going to come by to say goodbye to you and Evie.”
“Evie left yesterday when everything happened. I didn’t want her energy to overwhelm you.” He smiled.
“Oh.” I dropped my head shamefully. “I’m sorry.”
He turned into me. “Please, don’t apologize. You have been going through a lot and you’re standing here, and that’s all that matters.” He stepped into me and placed his hands gently around my arms. “Look, I know we don’t know each other very well, but I’ve never felt like this about anyone and I want to explore it further when you’re ready.”
He was being so kind, and even after all I put him through, he still wanted to be with me. I sank into the warmth of his body, and he wrapped his arms tightly around me. I inhaled deeply and a familiar scent overwhelmed me.Cedar.I looked up at him curiously.
“What?” he asked.
“Are you wearing a new scent?”
