Allie’s eyes drifted out over the water. I could tell she was deep in her thoughts.
“Hey,” I called after she had been quiet for a few minutes. Alex turned back to look at me, her eyes a little glossy. “No pressure. I just want you to know that it’s an option.”
A slow smile moved across her face. “Thank you.”
“Come here,” I growled, moving both of my hands to the rope in the center so I could lean my body toward hers. Alex’s face brightened, following my lead. Her mouth found mine in the space between us. Our teeth clashed amid lips that couldn’t keep from smiling. It was such an adrenaline rush, our bodies firing on all synapses. I knew that nothing would ever compare to the taste of her laughter on my lips.
We were still kissing when Ryker dropped us down, allowing our feet to skim the water. Still kissing when he lifted us back into the air and began towing us in. Only when we landed on the boat’s deck did our lips part, and instantly I wanted hers back.
“Thanks, man,” I said to Ryker as he pulled up to drop us off at the dock.
“No problem,” he answered with a knowing smile. “Hope you two had a good ride.”
We left our bikes tied up there, walking a couple of blocks to Third Street Promenade, where we grabbed a bite to eat, and Allie shopped ’til she dropped.
“We’re going to have to grab a Lyft to get this all back.” I laughed. Alex and I had completely forgotten the fact that we’d biked out there. “We can swing back for the bikes with the car when we leave and drop them at the beach house.”
“Do we have to go home?” Allie whined. “I love this place so much, Colt.” Her eyes drifted around the outdoor courtyard lined with shops and street performers. “It feels like ours—like we belong here, doesn’t it?”
“We’ll come back again soon,” I promised, not wanting to leave either.
“How soon?”
Biting my lower lip, I stared into her brown eyes. As soon as you move in, I thought, but I stopped myself from saying it aloud. I’d told her I wouldn’t pressure her, but it wasn’t easy. “Next visit,” I answered, placing a kiss on her forehead.
When our car arrived, we loaded the bags into the back before climbing inside. Allie sat right beside me, her leg pressed against mine. She smelled like sunshine and coconut lotion. The apples of her cheeks were rosy, kissed by the sun. I spent the five-minute ride to the house memorizing every detail of the way she looked tonight. It had been the best weekend of my life, and I didn’t want to forget a thing.
Before leaving the house, Allie and I paid one last visit to the rooftop cabana, making love by the ocean to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.
ALEXIS
RING. RING. RING.
Jeez. Whoever it was, was persistent. After the third call in a row, I’d decided it was probably important enough that I should answer. “Hello?” I groaned, my voice still drunk with sleep.
“Alexis,” Dean breathed out, his voice cracking. “I’m so glad you picked up.”
We hadn’t spoken in weeks. Not since the morning I broke up with him. I couldn’t tell for certain, but it sounded like he’d been crying. A huge knot formed in the pit of my stomach. Immediately, I started imagining all of the many horrible things that might have happened. “Hey, Dean,” I cooed. “Is everything okay? You sound upset.”
“Yeah, uhh. It’s Dad...He was in an accident.”
“Oh God, Dean. Is he—Is he going to be okay?” Memories of Mr. Ryan, who was like a second father to me, flashed in my mind.
A loud sob broke my thoughts, nearly ripping my heart in two. “They don’t think he’s going to—” He couldn’t finish. My entire body began to shake as I broke out in a cold sweat, his words ringing in my ears. His cries suffocating my heart.
“Dean,” I cried, clutching my hand to my chest as warm tears streamed down my cheeks. “No.” I gasped for breath, but it was no use. It was as if the air had been sucked from the room. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t real.
Dean cleared his throat, taking a moment to compose himself. At his next three words, I began shoving my belongings into my suitcase. “I need you...” He needed me.
I jotted down the hospital information, promising him that I’d be there as soon as I could, and booked the next flight home. All I could think about at that moment was getting to the hospital as fast as possible. I needed to be there for Dean. I had to see Mr. Ryan before he— No. I wouldn’t even think that way.
After packing the last of my things, I attempted to call Colt, but the sound of his ringtone came drifting through the bathroom door. He’d forgotten it on the counter. Brilliant. There was no time to wait. My plane would be departing in two hours. My only option was to leave a note.
Dear Colton,
I miss you already, and I haven’t even left...
As soon as I finish writing this, I’ll be on my way to the airport to catch the next flight home. Dean’s dad was in a bad car accident this morning, and it doesn’t look good. I know that you understand how much Mr. Ryan means to me, and why I need to be there right now. Still, I hate leaving without saying goodbye—truthfully, I hate leaving at all. The past few weeks, especially last weekend, were the happiest I’ve been in years.
This is a conversation I hoped we’d have in person, but I don’t want you to come back, find me gone, and assume the worst. So, this letter will have to do. I’ve made my decision. Hell, if I’m honest, I made it the minute I hopped on that plane to come to LA—to come to you. You’re the reason I couldn’t say yes. I know that now, without a doubt. There’s no way that I could ever marry Dean feeling the way I do for you. I’m in love with you, Colton Fowler. I think maybe I always have been.
Thank you so much for everything. The summer, this weekend, your big cock—the shirt, you perv. I’ll call you later tonight when I get settled.
Love always,
Allie
xoxo
After folding the note in half, I wrote Colton’s name really big on the outside, then set it on the nightstand, placing his cellphone on top. There was no way he’d miss it. Colt would come straight for his phone the minute he got home, and he’d find my letter.
The three-hour flight back to Texas felt more like three days. It was crazy how time always seemed to stop at the most inopportune times. I’d gotten myself so worked up by the time we landed that I was ready to bowl over the line of slow-moving passengers just to feel my feet on solid ground. God, I hated flying.