Page 73 of Reality With You (Arden Beach #1)

T he only people better at finding hiding places than criminals and secret agents are teenagers sneaking around with their lovers.

When Dylan and Lennon reached adolescence and began craving privacy, they found the perfect spot at the local baseball field where Dylan had played before going pro. The bonus of it being a little bit dangerous—and definitely off-limits—made it that much more appealing.

Though the field was empty and had closed in recent years due to lack of funding, Lennon still felt a rush of rebellion as she climbed over the rusted “Employees Only” sign to the metal ladder leading up to the back of the electronic scoreboard.

At the top, she hoisted herself onto the narrow walkway.

A fresh, salty breeze mixed with pine swept across her face as she peered through the trees to the ocean churning silently in the distance.

The wind rustled through the woods, birds singing among them.

Lennon simply listened to nature’s chorus for a while, letting it soothe her tired soul.

“Wow.”

The sound of his voice rustled her heart awake. She looked to the ladder where Dylan stood, leaning against the last few rungs, watching her with a lovesick look on his face.

“I’m glad you remembered,” Lennon said with a small, teasing smile.

Dylan climbed the rest of the way, joining her on the ledge. His forehead creased a bit. “What would you have done if I hadn’t?”

“Found another baseball player to invite up here.”

Dylan sank his teeth into his lower lip, tilting his head back. “I guess I would’ve deserved that.” He smiled softly as his gaze settled on her. “We said ‘I love you’ for the first time up here. There’s no way I could forget.”

Butterflies flitted through her like they had all those years ago.

It felt like it had happened both yesterday and in another lifetime.

Life hadn’t been perfect then either, but she’d believed it would all eventually work out exactly the way they’d imagined.

She no longer possessed that blind faith, but something new had emerged in its place.

“I read your letter. The one you sent me after the accident.” Lennon angled her body to his as the muscles in his face slackened.

He suddenly appeared strikingly vulnerable, and her heart squeezed in response.

“Thank you for being honest with me. I meant what I said. I really am proud of you, Dylan.” The corner of his mouth twitched upward, his brow stitching together over glassy eyes.

Her own filled along the rims. “I’m sorry for how I left earlier.

For running again. I was scared you’d resent me, like I thought you did when we were married.

I never want you to regret choosing me—”

Dylan took one long stride toward her, and in a second, his hands cradled her face, and his lips pressed against hers.

She grabbed his forearms to steady herself, then sank into the deep, slow kiss.

It wasn’t hesitant or exploratory, or lustful and passionate as the others had been.

This one was an expression of something too deep for language.

It had to be felt . He held onto her like she was something precious.

She curled her fingers into his forearms as their mouths melded to each other’s in steady ministrations, the last barriers between them gone.

“I love you, Lennon,” he declared quietly. “The only thing I could regret is not choosing you.”

Her lips curled into a smile against his as his thumb wiped a tear from her cheek, affectionately stroking her skin. Gone was the destructive interference. Her heart committed to one wavelength, falling in step with his. “I love you, too. I’m ready to be a team with you again. Cheese and all.”

The breath from his laugh tickled her chin before he kissed her again.

She hooked her arms around his neck as he circled her torso, pulling her close.

They stayed like that for a while until she slid her hands around his waist and laid her head against the hard planes of his chest, nuzzling into his warmth.

Lennon didn’t want to ruin the moment, but she knew he probably needed to talk about it. “So, how did Rhett and Eddie take the news?”

“You mean, you didn’t hear the celebration all the way across town?” Dylan’s chest deflated under her cheek with a sigh. He tightened his arms around her. “Neither of them are happy. Eddie especially. My dad took it better than I expected, though. He actually … complimented me, I think.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Said my mom would be proud.” He spoke hesitantly, like he was both overwhelmed and confused by it.

Lennon lifted her head to look up at him. “She would be. But I think that was his way of telling you he is, too.”

The edges of his mouth formed a faint smile, but his eyes held a trace of sorrow. “I know I made the right choice. I just wish it felt better.”

Lennon knew what he meant. Intimately. She pulled away slightly, keeping her arms around him.

“My mom found my apartment. Today.” Compassion flickered in the depth of his gaze.

His thumb began drawing comforting circles on her back.

“We got into an argument about my life choices—like we always do. I told her I didn’t want to speak to her anymore if she wasn’t going to respect what I want. And … she left. And I let her.”

Dylan briefly shut his eyes, the line of his jaw hardening. He dipped his forehead to touch hers. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he said quietly.

“Me too.” The wound ached, as she knew it would for a long, long time.

Probably forever. But one good thing had come from it; Lennon was more aware and appreciative of the unwavering support she did have.

“Thank you for always believing in me and loving me for who I am, Dylan. Especially lately, when I’ve had trouble seeing it myself. ”

His hands gave her back a gentle squeeze. “Ditto.”

Lennon lifted onto her toes and pressed her mouth to his. Love for him radiated through her unrestrained. The spaces left empty in his absence were filled with warmth, finally alive again.

They held the kiss until she needed a breath. She swept her hands around his torso and up the solid planes of his chest to cradle his face. Her thumbs brushed his scruff as she looked into his soulful, deep brown eyes, watching her with a sense of peace only found in one place.

Home.

They were both still in the middle of a storm, but they no longer had to bear it alone.

Lennon slid her hands back to his chest, resting them there. Feeling his heartbeat. “The wrap party’s tomorrow night. You planning on going?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. His answer would probably be the same as hers.

“I’d love to, but it was between that and setting myself on fire, and I figured I’d been to enough parties lately. What about you?”

“Wow, that was a tough choice. Unfortunately, I’m going to be busy at the Kelsey McCroy- Donaldson Fan Club meeting. By the way, can we borrow your batting cage?”

Dylan’s chest rumbled against hers with a deep laugh. “Only if I get the first swing.”

Lennon smiled, but the reality of the situation pulled her back down. “What are we doing to do about the show? We’re on our way to total character assassination when this thing streams.”

“I could take Nolan’s deal,” Dylan offered, his tone reluctant but willing. “One of the conditions was for me not to go back this season, which I decided not to do, anyway.”

“Yeah, but he also wants you to back his bid for the team, which you can’t do.”

“He only said I have to not get in the way of it.”

“What does that even mean, though? There’s no telling what he could end up asking for once you agree.”

“Well, I’m sure as hell not taking Kelsey’s deal, so what other choice do we have? I’d flesh out the details and have it all put in writing. Get my lawyers in on it before anything’s set in stone so he can’t throw any surprises at us.”

The fact that they even had to entertain the idea of getting into bed with Nolan made Lennon’s skin crawl.

But she couldn’t see another way out. Letting them edit the show the way they planned to only benefited Kelsey and the studio at Lennon and Dylan’s expense.

At least with Nolan’s deal, they got something out of it.

“If he asks for too much and expects you to betray the team completely, then don’t do it,” Lennon said.

“We’ll find another way to deal with the show, or if worse comes to worst, we’ll deal with the fallout.

” She ran her thumbs over the unbuttoned edges of his shirt, slipping them beneath the fabric to touch the smooth skin along his sternum. “I’m not afraid.”

A soft smile touched his lips. “Me either.”

“Let’s deal with this later. It’s been a long day, and I want to go back to our bubble for a while.”

“Deal.” Dylan’s fingers brushed along her spine, leaving an electric charge in their wake, coming to rest in the curve of her neck. He guided her mouth open with his, sinking his tongue inside and making her melt against him.

When they finally parted, they simply breathed each other in for a moment. Savoring it.

“So, now that we’re officially back together,” Lennon asked after a few seconds, “does that mean I get to keep the Porsche?”

Dylan bit his lower lip, seemingly fighting back a smile. “On second thought, I don’t know if I can be with someone who only wants me for my money.”

Lennon’s eyebrows jumped up. “Well, I don’t know if I can be with someone who can’t win a single game of ‘Name That Tune.’”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

Dylan’s hands slid to her torso, tickling her sides. She yelped, but she couldn’t escape his grasp in the tight space, so all she could do was laugh and curl her body against his. He buried his face in her neck, peppering it with kisses.

“Dylan, I’m going to fall off this thing.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” he said quietly, his breath brushing her ear as he stopped, circling his strong arms around her. “I’m never letting you go again.”

Lennon’s phone buzzed in her pocket, interrupting them. She almost ignored it, but something told her to look. Bruno. She smiled to herself.

“Hey, Charon,” Lennon answered. “Finally taking a day off?”

“I wish. I’m on my way home, though. Darius told me what happened at the wedding—that pendeja . How are you, mija ?”

Lennon looked up at Dylan. “Actually, having a pretty good day.” He gave her a gentle squeeze.

“Well, I’m about to make it even better—or worse—depending on how you look at it,” Bruno said. “You free to come over?”