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I roll my eyes knowing he isn’t wrong. My mom adores Shane, and the way he goofs off with Grant and plays football with my baby brother warms her heart. He shows so much love toward us that it’s hard to stay mad at him.
I push the visor back up and buckle my seatbelt. Right then we hear another car coming up and it slows right by our side. Shane slides his window down and Beau’s blasting "Black Hole Sun” while Ellie is by his side and Bradley is sitting in the back. “Hey lovebirds, what are you doing on the side of the road? Need help with the car?” Shane looks over to me, and the look on his face tells me without a word he’s going to mess with me.
“Oh no, nothing wrong with the car. Becs was feeling a little ill, so I pulled over to check on her. She’s a little hot and bothered, but nothing a little dip in the lake won’t fix.” Beau seems to read between the lines and starts laughing as he pulls away. My bestie waves her arms out the window and we begin to follow behind them.
I lightly smack Shane on his arm. He covers it with the opposite hand, feigning pain. “Shane Thomas, what is wrong with you?” I seethe through gritted teeth. “Now I have to show my face, and Beau is not going to let this slide. You’re such an ass.”
Shane just gives me that cocky-ass smirk and says, “Your ass!” and turns the music up. He doesn’t change the station even though my hour is up so I guess I won more than a little action from my guy.
* * *
Hours pass and I am soaking up the sun and laughter with my friends. Much like the movies, this lake is everything you’d imagine it would be. It has a huge cottonwood tree that provides the perfect amount of shade when we need a break from the blistering sun.
Some kids in summers past put a large rope that we used to throw ourselves into the middle of the lake. It has been replaced a few times as the rope weakens. The boys checked it before we started using it today to make sure it was sturdy enough for today’s adventures.
I’m sitting next to Ellie while the boys throw a football around in the water. Beau plays basketball for our high school team, but he doesn’t miss a chance to throw the football around with Shane and Bradley when possible. He’s got a good arm too, but this is as far as he’ll go in the sport. His true love is basketball and whenever he’s at school, he has a basketball in his hands and plays whenever he needs to let off some steam.
Right now, the football gets thrown to whomever is swimming out to the other end of the lake and if the ball is caught, they’re stating that’s a touchdown.
I take it all in. I feel like California was another lifetime. I have a significant line between that life and this one. I don’t feel that life seeping into this one in any way, except for the fact that I carry my father’s memory, and all the wonderful times we had together, along with me here in Nebraska.
It feels like I was not living before my time in Saddle Ridge. Sure, I had friends and a home back in California, but the memories I’ve made in this short time here will definitely stay with me as I move forward in my life. I have lasting relationships here that I know would not be easy to forget and leave behind. I still have my dreams of becoming a doctor, but I know that I will forever be molded by my surroundings and the people I love from Saddle Ridge.
Giggles pull me out of my little bubble, and I look over at Ellie, who is smiling at the way Beau is trying to hold Shane up on his shoulders.
“You like him, don’t you El?”
She looks at me, smiles wide, and nods. She’s never admitted it before, but you’d have to be blind not to see how she looks at Beau like he hung the moon.
I don’t know when it happened, but my best friend went from having an innocent crush to falling in love with Beau in the last year, and I can’t help but feel a little giddy because I can already see us going on double dates, getting ready for dances together, and making lasting memories as the four of us go through the motions of our lives.
“I don’t know when my heart skipped over from like to love, but I just look forward to my time with him, you know?” she says, her voice soft and full of adoration.
I squeeze her hand and nod because I know what she means. I pushed my feelings for Shane away for a little while, but the moment we had that first date, everything changed. Three months into dating, Shane brought over a rental from Yogurt & Video, a local movie rental spot on the main street, and we had a little date on my couch. My mom was visiting her sister for the weekend and left me babysitting Grant for the night.
I couldn’t leave so Shane took it upon himself to bring popcorn, Red Vines, and Hot Tamales—my personal favorite candy—and we pretended to be at the movies. Once the movie ended, the blockbuster hitSpeed, he turned to me and just blurted it out, “I love you, Becs.” I started to tear up on the spot and threw myself at him, kissing him all over his face, declaring my love for him as well. My world never felt so right as it did then, and it continues today.
The boys catch us staring and wave our way. We do the same and I begin to get up and walk my way to the cooler, where we’ve got some chilled sodas and snacks. I bend over to grab a Capri Sun because there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot day than that childhood staple of a drink. It’s then I feel a cold, wet body embrace me from behind.
I’d recognize those arms anywhere and start to laugh as I feel Shane squeeze me tighter. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Becs?” I look over at him, those green eyes engulfing me. They stand out even more now that he’s getting his summer tan back.
“What am I doing? I just came to grab a drink. I’m dehydrated with this humidity!”
He loosens his grip and I turn around and he kisses me. I grant him access and he deepens it, something a little more than a simple peck for our friends to witness. He doesn’t seem to care, but I stop him and look at him. “What’s this about, Shane? You miss me from all the way over there?” I point with my hand towards the lake.
Shane looks me in the eyes and lets his gaze trail down my bikini. “Becs, if you bend over like that one more time, I might need to punch my own friends. This bikini is leaving little to the imagination, and I don’t quite like everyone gawking at my girl.”
I can’t help but smile at this because as alpha as it is of him, I sort of secretly love it. I won’t stroke his ego too much by admitting it though. “Shane, you’re being ridiculous. Everyone knows I’m yours. Plus, I bought this for you, not for anyone else.” I wink at him and attempt to turn around to grab a snack while I’m up.
“Oh really? Well then do I get to unwrap this little gift of mine later?” he says as he nuzzles himself in my neck and kisses me right below my ear, which he knows is my weak spot. I have to stay focused and remember we have an audience.
“Maybe if you’re good.” I wink and successfully turn around.
He pinches one of my butt cheeks and gives me a kiss on the temple before running back into the water. I catch a peak over my shoulder and see everyone watching us. Ellie looks like she’s got hearts in her eyes, and I know a piece of her hopes Beau will look at her the way Shane looks at me. I hope the same for her too. I am throwing that out into the universe for her because she deserves to feel that kind of love.
The hours pass and the sun is starting to lessen in intensity. People begin to head out, and Shane grabs his clothes that he threw haphazardly near the water. I’m sitting on my blanket, reading one of my romance novels I love so much. Now with the free time summer allotted to us, I can get through a few that have been sitting on my bookshelf since Christmas.
I’m deep in this scene between the main characters when I feel Shane’s presence in front of me. He grabs my book and makes sure to set it down open to the page I was on so it isn’t lost. He lays himself over me and begins kissing me while I lay back on the blanket beneath me. I get lost in him, and it takes a few minutes for me to separate my lips from his. We’re both breathing heavily.
