He was already waiting for her by the time she pulled into the parking lot. His posture was relaxed as he sat on a bench, quietly observing the waves, a pack of Peeps next to him. He didn’t look nervous at all. Maybe she was the only one who thought this was a big deal. As she walked up to him, Keeley noticed he kept glancing down at his hands and then rolling his shoulders.
“Hey,” she said hesitantly, slowing her steps as she neared.
His head jerked up at the sound of her voice and he exhaled. “You made it.”
“I did.” She rounded the bench and stopped, not sure what she should do. What exactly was the protocol for seeing an ex-boyfriend when you were about to get back together? Should she hug him? Not touch him at all? Offer a polite handshake? Make a joke?
He jumped out of his seat and shoved something into his pocket — her phone. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the screen. It was text messages from her. He’d been rereading their texts? He gave a sheepish smile. Suddenly the tight coil of nerves she felt eased and she knew everything was going to be okay.
“Why are you way over there?” he asked.
“Because I’m waiting for my hug.”
He took two long strides toward her and scooped her up in his arms, leaving her breathless. “I thought you’d never get here,” he whispered.
“I know the feeling,” she whispered back, blinking away tears.
Finally, he released her and they decided to take a walk along the beach.
“So what do we do now? Start over with a clean slate?” he asked, holding her hand.
“I don’t think there is such a thing as a clean slate.”
Talon’s nose crinkled as he pulled away from her and kicked a seashell. “What are you saying? That what I did will always count against me?”
“That’s not what I meant,” she told him, moving closer and linking arms. “I’ve forgiven you for keeping secrets from me. I just don’t believe we can go on acting as if it never happened. It did happen, but the difference is that we’ve moved on. Or at least I hope we have.” She felt a muscle in his arm jerk and her lips turned down. “Have we?”
Talon opened his mouth and just as quickly closed it.
“What?” she asked, casting him an anxious glance.
He rubbed his jaw. “I think we need to discuss something before we can fully move on.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled before replying. “Okay. What do you want to discuss?”
“I know you said you trust me, but do you really? Do you believe me when I say I won’t ever betray you? Because I don’t want to go through this again, Keeley. I need to know that you’re not going to hold this over my head every time something comes up.”
She tamped down the impulse to give a quick nod. He put a lot of thought into this and she needed to do the same. “I believe that you won’t lie to me again, but can I ask something first?”
“Of course.”
“I need you to promise you won’t make decisions for me again. I don’t appreciate the way everything came out about Claire. Can you do that?”
He looked into her eyes and nodded. “I can. I’ll be upfront from now on.”
She took hold of that promise and held it next to her heart. “Then yes, Talon, I trust you.”
“Good,” he murmured, bringing them to a stop, “because otherwise this could have been a really uncomfortable conversation.”
She laughed and looped her hands around his neck. “And what about you? Do you trust me not to walk away again?”
He smoothed a strand of her hair and then let his hands drop to her hips. “I trust you, baby doll. You more than proved that when you stole my phone.”
“I didn’t steal anything.”
He tugged her till she was flush against his body. Leaning down, he whispered, “Then what do you call us having each other’s phones?”
Tilting her head, she whispered back, “Great planning.”
“Hmmm,” he murmured, capturing her lips in a kiss that made her stomach flutter. Stretching her body upward, she closed her eyes and let herself be swept away by him.
A loud whistle pierced through the air, penetrating the fog that clouded her mind. Pulling her head away, she looked over Talon’s shoulder to see a group of middle schoolers watching them.
“We have an audience.”
“Who cares?” he muttered, trying to kiss her again. But she dodged his attempts.
Stepping to the side, she scolded him. “They’re kids!”
He rolled his eyes. “They could learn a thing or two.”
This time it was her turn to roll her eyes. She grabbed his arm and moved them farther down the beach, far away from impressionable young children.
“Uh, I think someone wants to get a hold of you,” Talon said. He held up her phone. There were three missed calls and four texts. She snatched it out of his hand. They were all from Zach.
When are you coming home?
Keels? You there? Need a time.
You coming back any time soon?
Stop making googly eyes at your boyfriend and pick up your phone!
“What’s wrong?” Talon asked, rubbing his hands up and down her back. She shifted closer and he started to massage her shoulders.
“Zach,” she sighed, leaning into his touch.
His fingers tightened. “What does he want?”
“Who knows,” she said, frustrated with her brother. Was he really going to resort to petty behavior? “He keeps asking when I’ll be coming home. Like he even cares. He just wants to ruin this moment ... and I won’t let him.”
She didn’t bother to read the next text. Probably some type of insult about Talon. She was putting her phone away when Talon grabbed her arm.
“You should text him back,” he told her.
Surprised, she angled her head back so she could look at him. “Really? You want me to respond?”
“He might be worried.”
“He knows I’m with you. He’s only doing this to bug us.”
“Probably,” he acknowledged with a nod.
“There’s no probably about it.”
“But,” he said, stressing the word, “there could be a small chance it’s something else?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why are you being so nice about this?”
He turned her around so they were facing each other. “Because if I’m going to be with you, he’s going to be in the picture. Just text him back and then we can forget about him.”
I don’t know when I’ll be home. Why?
Are you going to be past curfew?
She glanced over at Talon, who was a few feet away rolling up his jeans. He looked up and gave her a goofy grin, pointing to a plastic pail and shovel someone had left behind.
I don’t plan on it.
Do Mom and Dad know who you’re out with?
Before she could respond, he sent her another message.
I need to know what to tell them if I’m going to cover for you.
She blinked and then reread his text.
Cover for me? You’d do that?
Well, yeah.