AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Barefoot, I walk quickly away from the bonfire then break into a slow jog down the beach. What is wrong with me? Why am I so emotional? By the time I get to the rock jetty I'm sobbing.
It's as if all the challenges of these past few months are roaring through my brain right at this second. Mom's cancer. My nonexistent career. A proposal from a man who is willing to marry me for health insurance. My stupid genetic cholesterol problem that's like a shadow over my entire life.
The fact that I had unprotected sex and screwed up on my birth control, a decision that could change my life and Damien's forever.
My inability to say three little words to the person I adore.
I. Am. A. Loser. Maybe I should call this whole thing off. I'm clearly not mature enough for any of this.
As I begin to step on the jetty, I hear footsteps pounding the sand behind me.
"Girlie, what's wrong?"
I stop and turn. It's Damien. He looks genuinely baffled.
"Nothing. I'm okay. I need to talk to Lauren." That's it. I need time with my best friend. I need her advice. She's the smartest, savviest person I know. That's all. I need a friend, one I'm not having sex with. Probably I'm acting like a child, but if this is my moment to be a bridezilla, so be it. "Can you go find her? Please?"
"You can talk to me, you know." I'm close enough toDamien that I can see the muscles in his jaw bunch. It's the first time I've almost seen him annoyed, even angry, with me.
"No, I need Lauren," I respond firmly, then make my way down the rocks. "Don't come after me, please. I really need my best friend right now. Can you go find Lauren?"
kate
. . .
Lauren,God bless her, sets me straight in no time. We sit on the rocks side by side for ten minutes, our feet dipping into the warm, dark water.
"Thanks for listening. Sometimes I need my best friend, you know? I love him so much and I don't know how he feels."
"I think Damien feels the same way about you. When I got here, he looked like a man who was pretty damned lost without you."
I glance at Lauren and inside, my heart soars. This has been the best talk, out here on the jetty with her.
"Tell Damien how you feel, immediately. Don't wait another second."
"Really?"
"Yep. He's worried. When I walked up, he was sweating even. Had the most adorable little scowl on his face."
"Awww," I say. "Okay. Thank you for talking me literally off a ledge."
"Jesus, if you weren't nervous, anxious, and half-crazy after everything you've gone through these past four months, I'd have some serious concerns, lady." Lauren's mouth quirksup at the corners. "You're going to be fine. It's a hell of a way to start a marriage, but that's okay."
A winter breeze kicks up, and I stand, eager to get back to Damien and apologize for my brief drama. Lauren also deserves an apology, since she was apparently about to hook up with my soon-to-be brother-in-law.
"Sorry for interrupting you and Max," I call out.
The thought makes me grin, and I practically skip over the rocks back to shore. Once my feet hit the sand, I launch myself into Damien's arms. His brothers are standing a few feet away, but I don't care if they hear what I'm about to say.
"I'm sorry for all that. Just had a whole lot of emotions come up. It's been quite a week."
He kisses the top of my head. "I know. Was worried about you. Sure you're okay?"
"I'm one thousand percent okay." I look up, into his beautiful brown eyes. "Damien, I need to tell you something. I?—"
Right as I'm about to utter the three most important words in the world, I hear Lauren scream.
By the time I whirl around, my best friend's already in the water, thrashing and splashing and crying out like she's in the most intense pain of her life.
