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CHAPTER NINETEEN

Becca

“Are you ready?” he asks, interlacing our hands.

“Yep.” I haven’t felt happiness like this since we were secretly making out in college.

We never dated but did some heavy petting and grinding while we kissed.

When the hockey and baseball parties started to rage, and everyone was walking in a blur from all the liquor, we’d go to his room at the hockey plex.

To this day, it’s hard to believe no one ever caught us, especially Corbin.

We walk hand in hand to the conversion van Corbin rented that holds all of us.

The first to notice is Emmaline, and her smile lights up the world.

She nudges Bryce, and he winks at John. Adalee and Hagan come up to us, and Adalee whispers in my ear, “I knew there was something going on between you two when we were stunting yesterday.”

“It’s new.”

John peers down at me. “No, it’s not. I’ve been crushing on you forever.”

I blush, not used to a man complimenting me.

Hagan’s clearly amused. “He has. Everyone knew it back in college. ”

“I guess I said that a little too loud.” Adalee squeezes my arm. “Incoming.”

Corbin and Oakley push through the rotating door.

I take a deep breath, and John pumps my hand, silently assuring me that Corbin will be fine.

Instead of trying to hide it, I press to my toes, kissing John on the cheek.

He needs to know I’m not going to hide our relationship from my brother or our friends.

Oakley loses Corbin’s hand, rushing toward me. She attacks me, nearly knocking me over. “I’m so happy. He’s perfect.”

“What can I say?” John grins with his palms up.

My brow arches. “Maybe that you bribed her.”

“I’ll never tell,” he says cheekily.

Corbin folds his arms over his waist, tucking his lips against each other. His gaze bounces between John and me. “If you hurt her, you won’t just be losing her; you’ll lose me too.” He steps into John’s personal space. “Tell me you understand.”

“Got it.” John doesn’t flinch as Corbin continues to stare a hole through his head.

“Let’s go. I’m driving our Jeep,” Oakley says with the same excitement as Dane and Lettie’s toddler.

Luck rained on me when Oakley and Corbin got married, however unconventional it might have been.

She’s the embodiment of my Mamaw—a free spirit with a huge heart.

I’ve always wished I could be more like Mamaw.

Unfortunately, I inherited Dad’s obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I’ve managed to make it a positive. My work is always stellar, never leaving an “I” not dotted, or a “T” not crossed.

John releases my hand and places it on my back. “Do you want to ride with your brother and Oakley, or do you want to get a vehicle for ourselves?”

“Let’s ride with them.”

He seems surprised, but I step up into the van with John’s fingers skimming the bare skin on my back.

When I picked out this halter top this morning, it was intentional, knowing he couldn’t keep his hands off me—a foreign feeling to me.

Only on rare occasions did Dennis touch me in a possessive way.

He always said of other couples displaying affection, “They’re so fake. Or he’s feeling guilty.”

Scooting into a seat across from Harper and Logan, both smile. Everyone is happy for us, and no one is shocked.

Soon, we’re off roading in Jeeps across the island. Oakley gets in trouble over the walkie talkies for not observing the speed limit, so Corbin drives the rest of the way, and the others pass us up. She screams into the air, “Go faster. Have you never watched Talladega Nights ?”

“Of course, I have. John, remember when we watched it before the Frozen Four?” His words get lost in the whipping wind.

John says, “If you’re not first, you’re last.”

I peer up at John, admiring his smile, his jaw line, the manicured scruff on his face. He’s simply the perfect man. His nose is just the right size. His teeth are straight, and those eyes are deep hazel, maybe a little more brown than green.

His statement tumbles around in my mind. “I always thought that too, but I recognize that I learn something when I fail.”

“When have you ever failed at anything? You won national championships as a cheerleader, went to Worlds, and won that too. You’ve built a large client base because you can protect your clients’ assets and get the most for them at the same time.

” He runs his hand over my thigh as he gives me a lazy grin.

“Never failed? I’m divorced.”

“You didn’t fail. You married the wrong man. There’s a difference, Sunshine.”

Oakley’s head spins faster than a cat in a cartoon. “Awww, he has a nickname for you. It’s true…”

She stops before she says the L word, probably because my eyes widen, and I clench my lips together. Corbin looks in the rear-view mirror and shakes his head. Since I don’t put up with his shit, I say, “Sunshine is better than Little Thief.”

“Hey, I love it when Corbin calls me his little thief. ”

The discussion ends when we hit a pothole, and my body flies into the air.

On instinct, John throws his arm in front of me.

He’s so protective. Even when we were in college, he watched out for me at parties before we would sneak off.

He would hold my drink if I had to use the restroom, or I wanted to dance.

The line of Jeeps turns left into a dirt road with bits of gravel hitting the metal before we come to a stop. We meet up with the others and circle around the guide. He takes us to the locker room where we can store our belongings.

Next, he gives us our snorkeling equipment and safety instructions.

Lettie and Dane are the first to jump in. Bryce and Emmaline jump in while holding hands. The rest disperse around the entry area, but John puts me on his back, and we ease into the cold water, snorkel masks and all.

Wading in crystal-clear water, dozens of fish swim around us, unconcerned that another species is invading their space.

But the underwater rock formations grab my attention.

I reach for John’s hand and point under the water.

“Let’s dive down.” We close our breathing tube, so the water won’t get in.

We’re only diving a few feet down and can come up at any time.

“Let’s do it.” We go headfirst under the crisp, clean water, and the pointed rocks emerge from the ground, both big and small.

I can’t tell if they have a sparkling substance or it’s a reflection of the water that makes them glimmer.

The floor of this cave is a vibrant mixture of icicle-shaped sculptures.

When we come up for air, I say, “They’re beautiful.”

“So are the ones from the ceiling. The ones on the floor are called Stalagmites, and the ones that look like they’re dripping from the ceiling are Stalactites.”

“Aren’t you Mister Smarty Pants? You keep surprising me, John Basilio.”

“What can I say?”

“How do they form?”

John shrugs and says, "Stalagmites form when water drips down in caves. The minerals it leaves basically pile up on the cave floor and over time, they build up and form icicle-like structures.”

“It’s like the cave slowly decorates itself from the bottom up,” I say.

“Yeah, that’s such a girl way to describe it.” He pulls me into his chest, rewarding me with a quick peck on the lips. I made him promise not to overdo us today and give Corbin a chance to get used to us dating.

For a long time, our group sticks together, flocking toward an underwater treasure. We skim the surface with our masks on and end up with Brooke, Reed, and Austin going down a long tunnel in the cave that gets smaller and smaller.

A light flickers from below, resembling the brilliance of a diamond ring resting on a stalagmite—just like the silver elephant ring holder Mamaw gave me for my sixteenth birthday. I push the lever that doesn’t allow water to fill the breathing hole so I can dive down.

My hands push the water away as I close the distance between the sparkly thing and me. Having never been on the swim team or taken lessons, I’m not the best swimmer, but l’m strong and able to hold my breath for a good bit.

Grabbing the reflective treasure, I smile as I try to swim back to the surface, but something is tugging me down. My lungs burn, and I can’t hold my breath much longer. My body fills with panic, slashing around to free myself.

Why didn’t I show John? Why didn’t I hold his hand?