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“You love me?”

My head moves up and down vigorously. “I do. But…”

“No buts! You love me, and I love you. The rest is brown noise, white noise, or whatever,” he says, laughing with an enormous, beautiful smile.

“The vacation is half over. We have to talk about the next steps.”

“Becca, my sweet thing, I’m not letting you overthink this. That Becca married an accountant she didn’t truly love. She loved the idea of him. That Becca was hiding from her past. This Becca trusted me with her pain and can still be organized. Darlin’, for the rest of this vacation, we’re going to do what we want, when we want, and how we want. We’ll figure the rest out.”

“We live ten hours apart. How will we...”

“Just know that we will.” He kisses me and carries me to the bathroom where he shows me exactly how he feels.

Again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

John

Sunlight reflects off the gentle waves. My arms ache—a delicious, lingering soreness from my all-nighter with Becca still humming through my muscles—but I grip the rod hard as it bends dangerously forward. The reel screams as the fish takes off. “I've got a big one, help!” I shout to the guys, both panic and exhilaration mixing in my voice.

“I’ve seen it. Not that big,” Reed erupts in laughter.

“Fuck off, Cross.”

The guys scramble from their spots, joining me to help reel in this monster. Sweat slicks my palms. Adrenaline shooting through my veins.

I’ve been distracted all morning. I wasn’t thinking about when we return home, and it’s obvious that Becca has. All I cared about was winning her over. Making sure she knows how I feel and enjoy each and every moment with her.

Suddenly, the rod bucks again and practically bends in a u-shape. Maybe I’ve hooked a shark as it drags the line behind the boat. Corbin grabs the base of the rod, and Bryce holds onto my waist to keep me from falling in. The line hisses and sips, slicing through the water in a frantic tug-of-war with the hidden beast below. With every hard-fought inch, we haul it closer, the waterturning and churning, then finally the beast shows his glittering, gleaming skin.

Perspiration drips from my face as we haul it closer and finally tug it over the boat’s edge. The tuna isn’t as big as I thought it would be. The tuna’s muscle flex and its scales catch the morning sun, glimmering as it thrashes wildly on the boat’s floor. The guide weighs it, measures it, then we take the picture. I’m in the middle of the ten-person photo, holding a magnificent trophy. Strong and resilient. Beautiful and sleek.

Just like Becca.

She’s been through so much, and she’s a type-A personality. She’s not bossy, but she likes a schedule. Knowing in advance what she needs to do. She always wants to be in control, except when I tied her wrists. She had finally stopped squirming and gave into the feeling.

“Hey, where’s your mind?” Corbin asks after we toss the tuna back in. “Until you got that nibble, you seemed a million miles away. Hope you’re not having second thoughts about my sister.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, rotating my Stallions cap backward. “She’s already bringing up the long distance. Already looking for excuses for it not to work.”

“She loves you.”

My head whips around. “What did you say?”

“She texted me this morning.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and shows me the message.

Becca: I love John. Just thought you would want to know… being my bestie and my brother.

Corbin: That was fast.

Becca: Not as fast as you and Oakley

Corbin: True.

Becca: Accept it.

Corbin: If Basilio makes you happy, then I’m good.