Page 3

Kaitlyn shouldn’t be moving herself here. Alone.

I pressed my palms into the wooden railing. The waves beat the shore.

I knew what Ryan would think before he said it—I was failing her. How could I keep her safe when she was on the road without me? I promised him she’d always be taken care of. And look what she had talked me into doing. Fuck.

I shook my head and walked back inside. Grayson was curled on the couch. His favorite blanket was tucked in his fist. I scooped him in my arms and walked to his room. The toddler bed was close to the floor. I lowered him to the mattress and pulled his favorite train quilt to his shoulders.

It didn’t seem real that I had full custody now. But he was mine. No more back and forth on the weekends. No more two-hour playdates. Grayson had a room in our house.

There were books and crayons scattered on the floor. I had tried to convince him we had to clean up before Kaitlyn arrived, but he didn’t understand. It was a battle just to get him in the bathtub tonight. I choose to wrestle him in pajamas and worry about the floor tomorrow.

I turned off the light and closed the door.

The only thing I could do now was wait for her.

Wait for the girl I loved to come home.

3

Kaitlyn

I blinked. It didn’t seem possible that after twenty-three hours of driving, I was finally driving over the South Padre bridge. I was almost delirious from the trip. My eyes blurry, my neck and shoulders on fire, my foot falling asleep off and on. But, I was here. I had made it.

I pulled out my phone to call Cole. I gripped the steering wheel with my left hand as I tapped his number on the screen and hit the speaker button. It rang four times before going to voicemail.

I stared at the phone. Sure, it was after two, but I thought he would be up. I dialed again. Voicemail.

I exhaled. At the end of the bridge, I turned left and dialed his number for the third time. He probably just needed a wakeup call. Or maybe he had softened it so he wouldn’t wake Grayson.

The island felt different. It wasn’t the heart of the summer. It was almost deserted. Quiet. I reached Cole’s voicemail again.

I slowed as the lights of the Dune Scape glowed in front of me. The vacancy sign flashed neon red. There was only place to park this huge-ass truck. I debated on how to drive into the parking lot. There was no way I could cram this thing into the tiny beach driveway.

I cut the engine and opened the door. The ocean air hit my nose and whipped over my skin. I could hear the waves pounding on the shore.

I couldn’t do much about this outfit, but I flattened the creases in my tank top and smoothed the top of my shorts.

I climbed the stairs.

I knocked on the door. “Cole. Cole, you there?” Silence.

I stopped when I saw a note taped to the door.

K—

Welcome to Texas, baby. I have a surprise for you.

—C

I peeked in the kitchen window. Where was he?

Suddenly, Cole appeared from a nearby hallway. He rushed to the door and pushed it open.

“Kaitlyn, where in the hell have you been?”

“I—”

He picked me up, his lips smothering mine. I wrapped my heels around his waist as he carried me over the threshold. His hands tangled in my hair and I groaned as his tongue lashed against mine. I wanted to tell him about my flat tire. I wanted to ask why he didn’t answer his damn phone, but all that could wait. I needed this moment with him.