Page 26

I try my best not to make a sound as I slip out of bed, knowing Nate has got to be exhausted from his game and the heaviness of yesterday. Quietly, I creep downstairs, not wanting to wake anyone else up either.

Pouring myself a cold glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge, I notice movement on the screened in patio.

Nola and Willow are sitting across from each other with coffee cups in hand. Part of me doesn’t want to interrupt, but a bigger part of me wants to talk to Willow, one-on-one. So, I slide the glass door open and join them.

“Did you guys even sleep?” The bags under Nola’s eyes tell me the answer.

“There weren't any tattoo shops open, so Brody went for a midnight walk on the beach with me to clear my mind. We were just saying we should really go take a nap, at least.”

I don’t miss the way she says Nola’s real name. A name I’ve very rarely heard anyone even mention, much less use when speaking to him.

I smile at them both and look at Nola. “I can drive back to school later so you and Nate can rest.” I’m so glad Nola was here last night. I think it was important for Willow to have someone not in the family to talk to about the shit that went down yesterday.

Willow’s eyes fill with emotion as she looks at me and my chest aches with pain for her.

“Brody, if you want to go take a nap in my bed for a little bit before y’all head back, you can.”

He stands, likely reading that we need a minute together.

“Upstairs, second door on the right,” she says, passing her empty coffee mug into his waiting hand, and he gives her a reassuring wink before heading in.

The door closes behind him, and Willow is the first to speak.

“So how are you feeling about all this? I don’t think it really hit me what it meant for you and your childhood until last night.” Her sad eyes break my heart, and I’ll never forgive our parents for putting her through this.

“Willow, don’t worry about me. My fairy tale childhood was shattered the day I lost my mother. And then again, when I found out about his affairs. If anything, you’re the best thing I’ve discovered during the whole mess.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t quite hit her eyes. “It’s so crazy. I have always looked up to you and considered you as my sister. Thirteen-year-old me wanted to be just like you. And now to know all this time, we were more alike than I ever could have imagined.”

I squeeze her knee. “I loved you from the moment I met you. I think our souls knew what we didn’t.”

“I just don’t want you to resent me or cause more problems for you and Nate. He filled me in on the real reason he broke up with you during the drive here last night, and it only added fuel to the fire I’m feeling toward my mom and your dad.”

“I promise you, Will, not one fiber of my being resents you. I love you too much for that,” I say, standing and reaching for her. She joins me, and we immediately embrace, just holding each other.

I wish I could take the pain pouring off her body and wash it all away in the tide, never to return again.

“And as for me and Nate. We may not be perfect, but I think we’ve discovered we can’t live without each other. Us sharing a sister isn’t going to change that. I’m done letting their actions affect our happiness.” I kiss her cheek.

Our arms hold on to each other's and her eyes harden. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to face my mom again, and from the way your dad handled things yesterday, I’m not sure that I want to even attempt a relationship with him either…” She pauses, and the thought of him hurting her the way he’s hurt me makes my empty stomach sour. “I just don’t think I can take the rejection right now, but maybe one day.”

I nod and reassure her. “Whatever you decide, I’ll always support you, but I will tell you, the man I thought he was when I was a kid, he no longer exists, and I’m honestly not sure he ever did. But with that said, do what feels right for you, but just be careful, and please don’t shut me out.”

Willow smiles, nodding. “I won’t.”

Holding each other for seconds or maybe minutes, Willow whispers, “I love you, Sister.”

Tears well in my eyes. “I always prayed for a sister when I was a young girl. And little did I know, I had the very best one waiting for me right down the road, being loved and protected by the boy I would one day fall head over heels for.”

She leans back and smiles a genuine smile this time, one that brightens her eyes. “Sounds like destiny to me.”

Hours later, Nate and I have our legs tangled as we lie in each other arms under his sheets. The drive back was a quiet one, and the guys slept on and off. Nate insisted on me taking a nap while he drove part of the way. I think we were all decompressing.

When we got home, Graham, the twins, Bellamy, and Darby were waiting on us with a home-cooked meal from Gigi Leblanc. We had debriefed them slightly on Saturday night’s events after Graham called us, frantically searching the hotel for our whereabouts, but we promised to explain further today.

They’re all like family to us at this point, so we wanted them to fully understand what was going on. We explained the situation to all of them and they respected us not to pry deeper into things.

Nate squeezes me to him even tighter. “I know that our argument from the other night got lost in the chaos of things, but I owe you an apology.”

This is one of the things I digested on the quiet drive home.

I shake my head. “I would have done the same thing. And honestly, I’d been wanting to bring the situation back up so I could explain to you that nothing happened for a very long time after we broke up, but I never wanted the mention of his name to ruin our time.”

“After the bomb Willow dropped this weekend, Carter Graves seems a lot less important. As long as I’m who you want now, that’s all I care about.”

“You are what I always wanted, Nathan,” I whisper, nuzzling my nose into his chest.

“Even after everything from this weekend?” he asks, but doesn’t give me time to respond before he continues, “I’ve been anxious since Willow told us, and I think a lot of that is because of what happened the last time a revelation like this occurred involving our parents.”

I tilt my head up, kissing his chin. “Baby, you have nothing to worry about. I’m not going anywhere. I barely made it through the last time I had to live without you; I don’t ever want to do it again.”

Nate’s hazel eyes blur with unshed tears. “I’m not sure I can put into words how much hearing you say that means to me,” he smiles through the emotion. “Maybe I’ll write about it later when I can get all my thoughts out.”

“I’d like that,” I whisper, running my fingers through his hair.

I love this man so much.

“It shouldn’t have taken me so long to say this, but…”

The anticipation shining in his eyes makes my heart skip a beat.

I kiss his chest. “I...”

Then I shimmy up the bed and kiss his cheek. “Love...”

Trailing a line of kisses across his jaw, I whisper, “You,” across his lips before I fuse my mouth to his.

He kisses me back, and it's hard to describe, but I feel his love pouring into me. Since the moment he stepped foot in Mountain Ridge, his actions have shown me nothing but the purest love. I just wasn’t ready to see it.

We break apart for air, but he keeps his forehead against mine. “I love you, BB.”

I smile, my lips barely centimeters from his own. “Thank you for coming back to me.” My thumb finds the spot on his skin where my initials are etched.

He glances down at the octopus inked on his arm. “Want to know another thing I remembered from the aquarium field trip that day?”

I quirk my eyebrow at him. “Yes, please tell me, Mr. Marine Biologist.”

Nate grins, chuckling. “I learned that sea turtles can find their way home from anywhere in the ocean.”

He brushes a piece of my hair out of my face. “You’re my home, BB. No matter what, I was destined to always find my way back to you.