Page 30 of September’s Tide (Island Tales #2)

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Taylor, we need more coleslaw!”

Taylor stared. “Do you guys have bottomless pits for stomachs? I swear I brought enough to feed a rugby team.” Shane, Mikey, Jason, Eric, and David were sprawled on blankets on the beach, a fire burning in the middle of them.

Several empty beer bottles had been placed to one side like an arrangement of skittles.

The sun had vanished beyond the horizon, leaving behind a sky streaked with soft pink and purple.

Eric patted his belly with a smug grin. “Growing boys need their fuel.” He narrowed his gaze. “So, is there more, or are we talking mutiny?”

Taylor had just started to push himself up when David laid a hand on his arm.

“Sit. You’re playing host. I’ll grab the reinforcements.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss against Taylor’s temple. “Need anything else while I’m up there?”

Taylor considered. “Another jar of mayo—this lot slather it on like it’s dessert—and there should be Pringles in the cupboard, plus?—”

David gave a lazy smile that made Taylor’s insides do cartwheels. “Leave it to me.” He got to his feet. “Entertain the troops. I may be a while.” He winked, then turned and headed up the boat ramp toward West View.

Taylor watched him go, his gaze lingering on the long strides, the curve of David’s shoulders beneath his jacket, the way the evening light played along his profile.

Sex on legs. Actual sex on legs.

A burst of snickering pulled him back, and he turned to find four very amused faces trained on him.

“What?” he demanded.

Jason shook his head with a mock-serious expression. “Didn’t think I’d live to see the day…”

Mikey nodded solemnly. “Same.”

Taylor frowned. “See what?”

Jason grinned wide. “Tay-lor’s in lo-ove, Tay-lor’s in lo-ove…” he sang under his breath, loud enough for the others to dissolve into laughter.

Taylor glared at Shane. “You’ve been talking.”

Shane held up both hands. “Don’t blame me. I didn’t need to say anything. They’ve got eyes.”

Taylor stared at them all, caught off guard by how certain they sounded.

Mikey leaned back, resting on his elbows. “Taylor, he kissed you like it was the most natural thing in the world. And you just… melted. It was kind of beautiful.”

Jason nodded. “It’s more than that. It’s the way you are together. There’s this ease between you, like you’re already something solid. Like the rest of us are simply passing through.”

Eric chimed in. “So? Time to come clean, mate.”

Shane gave a smug smile. “ Told you it wasn’t just me.”

Taylor exhaled slowly, glancing toward the path David had taken. The top of the house was visible in the darkening light, quiet and still.

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

Taylor’s head snapped back to find Eric watching him with gentle eyes. The others had gone quiet. Taylor looked from one face to the next, these boys he’d known most of his life.

They know me too well. Lying wasn’t an option.

“Yes,” he said simply.

Shane slung an arm around his shoulder and hauled him into a warm, one-armed hug. “See? That didn’t kill you.”

Taylor laughed softly. “You’re a menace.

” He looked around the circle. “So… it’s that obvious?

I guess what I’m wondering is… if you all see it, can David?

” He hesitated, then took a breath. “The thing is, he’s leaving.

Monday morning, he’ll be on a flight back to the States.

I don’t want to ruin what time we’ve got left by making things weird. ”

Mikey blinked. “Why would loving him make things weird?”

Taylor gave a helpless shrug. “Because I don’t know how he feels about me.

Yeah, we’re close. We sleep together. We spend every day together.

But going from that to saying I love you .

.. that’s a leap. And I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance again.

” He glanced around the tight-knit group once more.

“None of you are telling me I’m crazy for falling this hard in three weeks.

Or for falling for someone twenty years older than me. ”

Eric chuckled. “I read this quote once: ‘The heart wants what it wants.’ Yours wants David. Who are we to argue?” He crawled over and planted a kiss on top of Taylor’s head. “I think it’s brilliant.”

Jason sat forward, his arms looped loosely around his knees. “So what if he’s older? The way you two look at each other? It’s real. I’d give anything for that.” Mikey hugged him from the side, and Jason gave him a grateful smile.

Shane squeezed Taylor’s shoulder. “Yeah, it’s going to hurt when he leaves. No one’s sugarcoating that. But you had this time. All these weeks? They mattered. Hell, you probably racked up more sex in a month than most people do in a year.”

Taylor groaned, his cheeks flushing as the others cracked up.

Eric’s tone softened. “And when he’s gone, we’ll be here. We’ll pick you up, remind you who you are, and help you get through it.”

Taylor swallowed past the lump in his throat. He looked around at the glow of their faces in the firelight, each one a cornerstone in his life.

“Heads up,” Shane said quietly. “He’s back.” He got to his feet and walked over to help David, who was balancing an armful of bags and containers. A chorus of cheers went up.

“Praise be—the slaw has returned!”

“Bow down to the Bringer of Snacks!”

David laughed as he dropped the loot onto the blankets. “You lot are ridiculous.”

Taylor gazed at his friends, his heart full. To be this age and still share nights like this with the boys he’d grown up with? That was rare.

I am so lucky . And Eric was right.

He was going to need them more than ever.

David settled beside him and cupped his cheek with one hand. “You okay?”

Taylor smiled, leaning into the touch. “I’m good.” He pressed a soft kiss to David’s lips, closing his eyes as he breathed him in: a hint of sandalwood, sea air, and something unmistakably David .

“Really good.”

David stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hands on a towel, only to find Shane waiting at the top of the stairs, one shoulder propped against the newel post, arms folded.

“You waiting for the bathroom? It’s all yours,” David offered.

Shane didn’t move. His dark eyes focused on David’s face, steady and unreadable. “Actually, I was waiting for you.”

David blinked. “Oh God. That sounds ominous.” He gave a grin, but it faded when Shane didn’t return it. The serious look on the younger man’s face made his stomach tighten. “Shane? What’s going on?”

Shane glanced down the stairs, his voice dropping. “Taylor’s still outside, clearing up the last of the stuff from the beach. This won’t take long.”

Something about the quiet intensity of his tone made David pay attention. This was nothing like Shane’s usual jokes and banter.

“You’re leaving Monday,” Shane said flatly. David nodded. “So, before that happens, you need to think carefully about what comes next. Because what you choose to do—or not do—is going to matter a lot. Especially to Taylor.”

David’s heart gave a faint stutter. This was no casual chat.

“I’m listening.”

Shane straightened a little, folding his arms tighter.

“When you leave, you might feel tempted to say you’ll stay in touch.

That you’ll message, FaceTime, maybe even come back someday.

And if you mean it—if you’re really going to make the effort—that’s great.

Taylor would want that. He’s not just some summer fling.

He feels things. Deeply. I hope you know that. ”

David swallowed. “I do. I really do.” His chest ached with the weight of everything unspoken between him and Taylor. He’d known for days now that what they had mattered. This was more than some transitory fling.

At least, that was how it felt to him, and he suspected Taylor might feel the same way.

Shane gave a sharp nod. “Then you need to hear this part. If you make those promises? You’d better follow through. Because if you ghost him—if you let the weeks stretch into silence—then I’m going to be the one picking up the pieces. And I’m not sure I’ll be able to do that twice.”

David didn’t flinch. He deserved this.

“And if you’re even a little unsure… If you think you might fade away, or just…

disappear, then don’t say a damn thing. No sweet words.

No false hope. Just end it clean, while you still can.

” Shane’s voice tightened. “Rip off the plaster. Sorry—I forgot, you’re American.

Rip off the Band-aid. Don’t drag it out. ”

David stared at him, his throat tightening. He saw now how much Shane cared. This wasn’t interference, this was love for his friend, for someone who clearly meant the world to him.

“I get it,” David said quietly. “And I’ll make you a promise, Shane.

” He stepped closer, his voice steady. “I won’t hurt him.

I can’t see the future, and I don’t have all the answers, but I will never walk away from Taylor carelessly.

He means too much.” His throat caught, and he let the truth settle between them. “He’s not someone I could forget.”

Shane held his gaze, and a long pause stretched out between them.

Then he gave a single, firm nod. “Good enough.” He held out his hand, and David took it.

Before David could let go, Shane’s grip tightened.

“Because if you do hurt him?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“You’ll have the whole pack of us to deal with. And we don’t forgive easily.”

David closed his other hand around Shane’s. “Message received.”

They stared at each other for a beat, then Shane’s expression softened.

“Taylor’s lucky to have friends like you.”

Shane’s mouth curved into a real smile at last. “We’re the lucky ones.”

Their quiet moment was interrupted by a burst of laughter and the clatter of voices downstairs. The others were piling through the front door, arms full of picnic debris and sandy blankets. Eric’s voice rang up the stairwell.

“Oh sure, leave us to carry everything, why don’t you? Slackers.”

The warmth in his voice dissolved any hint of accusation.

Shane tilted his head toward the stairs. “That’s our cue.”

“Yeah,” David said with a small smile. “Glad we had this chat.”

He followed Shane down, his mind turning over every word. He felt like he’d just been asked the kind of question that used to come with a father’s handshake and a warning glare.

And he wasn’t entirely sure the metaphor was wrong.