Page 88

No matter what.

27

Iwatch the spray leap from the bow of the boat as we cut through the afternoon water, heading back to our island. The sun is high in the sky, and with it reflecting off the water, I can already feel my shoulders starting to burn despite the massive amounts of sunscreen I put on. I love the island and the quiet, and I love being here with Loomis, but part of me isn’t sad about having to go home to Boston at the end of the week.

Loomis cradles Fen against his chest, one hand cupped protectively over his ear to shield him from the growl of the engine. The sight of them together like that, so sweet and peaceful and tender, never fails to make my heart pitter-patter and my chest squeeze. I steer the boat, already so much better at this than I was when I first did it, but I think from now, I’m going to leave the sailing to Stone.

My phone buzzes against my thigh, no doubt another message from my girls who haven’t stopped blowing up our group chat since I told them this morning about me and Loomis. And because apparently Loomis had told Tinsley that he loves me, so now it’s just insanity with them.

“Everything all right?” Loomis asks, his voice rising above the noise of the motor and the wind.

“Just my girls,” I tell him, glancing at my phone. “They’re relentless. You know, because someone had to tell his bestie that he used the L-word.”

He smiles. “And I make no apologies for it. Though Tinsley’s words to me were, “It’s about f-ing time!”

I laugh. “I doubt she said f-ing.”

“No. She used the full word, but I have small ears here, and I won’t be that father. Like mine was. You should have heard my mouth as a lad. Worse than a pub during a Liverpool-Manchester match.”

“Now you sound like Katy around Willow. We can’t say any bad words.”

“Then you should be used to it because that will be the new law of the land.”

He shifts Fen slightly in his arms as his eyes grow heavy with the motion of the boat, lulling him toward sleep. Plus, it is his naptime, and Fen does not like to be kept from sleeping.

I quickly look down at my phone to hide my smile.

Kenna: Keegan, did you know that my socials are covered in your face?

Wren: Same! So same. It’s like all Keegan, Loomis, and Fen. Oh, and the headlines and speculations… *Shocked emoji*

Katy: For the record, I win the pool. My bet was closest.

Me: You all placed a bet?

Tinsley: *Eye roll emoji* Of course we did. We called this last year. Loomis was just Loomising, and yes, that’s now a verb, but we knew weeks alone on a secluded island only ended one way. Just ask Stone.

I snort a laugh. Tinsley ran away from her life and hid on Stone’s boat, except Stone was doing the same thing at the same time, and the two of them ended up sailing around the Bahamas together. Did I mention she’s his younger brother’s ex? Yeah, it was messy for a bit.

Wren: Remember when you said “He’s just a friend” and “Nothing will happen” and we all laughed in your face? In a happy, totally supportive way of course.

Heat rises to my cheeks that has nothing to do with the eighty-five degrees of blazing sun on me. I focus on steering us toward the island and not out to sea, and after I get us safely against the dock and the boat is tied off, I linger for a moment, my fingers hovering over the screen as I try to formulate a witty response that doesn’t betray how completely right they all were.

Then again, they all knew I had a massive crush on him and was hoping for something to happen between us this past fall, so it’s not like I can play the totally shocked and annoyed card here.

Me: And yet you all failed to predict that we’d be heading home early and abandoning our private island lifestyle, so clearly you don’t know everything.

Sorel: Ten minutes too late, Keegs, and that was the lamest response ever.

She’s not wrong. It was pretty bad.

Wren: Speaking of details that you have yet to give us, how is island life with the sexy British tattooed actor? Is the sex as hot as I imagine it would be?

Tinsley: EARPLUGS! I do not want to hear this. Or read this since it’s a text. *Vomit emoji*

Me: Stop. I’m not saying anything.

Katy: So the sex is that good.