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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

John

The sun beats down on my chest as I lie back in the beach lounger with my hands cupped behind my neck.

It’s been two days since Becca burnt herself to a crisp, and I’ve rarely left her side, except yesterday, when she did another seaweed wrap with the girls.

Instead of doing it in a dark room, five of the women were soaked in mud on the veranda of the spa, partially covered with lightweight fabric woven through the wooden beams and hanging loosely.

The guys and I played another round of golf, then we met them on the veranda and had a few drinks.

The therapist said Becca could go back out in the sun today but stay covered with protective clothing that had UVA/UVB protection..

“How’s Becca feeling?” Corbin asks as he grabs the lounger to the right, and Reed sits sideways on the next one down.

“Better. We bought her swim shorts and a long-sleeve tee with sun protection. They want her to do one more oatmeal spa bath tonight. She’ll be here in a few. She kicked me out.”

Corbin’s smile nearly cuts his face in half. “Already tired of you, huh? That’s a good sign.”

“For you or for me?” I ask, raising my aviators from the bridge of my nose .

Reed cuts in, “Young love. It’s all consuming. Basilio, she went with the ladies to yoga.”

There’s so much I want to say, but I’m not sure my best friend is ready to hear it.

Like I feel lonely without her. Incomplete.

I also don’t respond to Reed using the L word.

But I do love her, always have. Who would have thought that a confident guy like me would be too scared fifteen years ago to tell her how I felt?

I let her rule, rule me. Took it for face value.

She stuck to the no-athlete rule, and now I understand why.

I change the subject to something that’s been bothering me ever since she told me about what happened with the hockey player and the other guy.

“Shearer, do you remember which guys lived in Flynn’s apartment when you were being recruited?”

“No, why?”

“Wynward was the first one to make it to the league from the Stallions, right?”

Reed says, “Yeah. What’s this all about?”

“I’m putting a puzzle together.”

“A puzzle from over a decade ago? Come on, Basilio, what’s going on?” Corbin asks, his tone careful.

I lie. “Just something my dad said to me a few times. Now I want to find the guy.”

“I’ll ask Coach.”

It’s funny we all still call Brooke’s dad Coach. Even though he’s Reed’s father-in-law, he continues to call him Coach out of respect.

“No, Bryce will know. I’ll ask him later.”

Corbin adds, “So, umm, you and my sister. It seems you’re getting along. Are things moving too fast?”

I scoff, straightening my back and taking off my sunglasses. “Fast? Are you serious? I’ve waited for her since college,” I say with a sharp, incredulous tone.

Reed smiles at me, then glances at Corbin for a reaction. Corbin slaps my leg. “I know. Sometimes I wondered if that’s why we became friends—why you wanted to hang out with a sophomore like me.”

“It was part of it,” I joke. “We kissed a few times back then, but your sister never let it go much further than that. But then she… well, she dated the president of the Student Council, and I didn’t see her much. She was sticking to her no-athlete rule.”

“And even The Godfather couldn’t change her mind?”

My eyes bore into Corbin’s. “Nope. Your sister was hell bent on keeping her word to herself.”

“Becca always told me that she had enough jocks in her life that she didn’t need a self-centered man who was always traveling and probably cheating,” Corbin says, crossing his arms across his chest, with a threatening glare.

“I’d never.”

“Fuck, man, you’re in love with my sister.”

I nod.

“I’m a fucking goner, but this probably doesn’t mean as much to her as it does for me. What if I’m her rebound? She hasn’t bounced any other balls, right?”

“Basilio, are you asking me if my sister has had sex since Dennis with other men? Because that’s not something you ask a brother about his sister. Besides, she’d be more likely to tell Oakley or Lettie than me. She’s always kept that part of her life hidden from me. Even Dennis.”

As his words sink in, I hear female voices in the distance.

“Do me a favor and keep my questions about the former hockey guy to yourself. No Brooke and definitely no Oakley. She has no idea how to filter herself.”

“I know. I love that about her.” He smiles.

“It’s funny how close they are, being complete opposites.”

Corbin blows out a puff of air. “Maybe on the outside, but the more they’re together, the more I think they’re the same person. Oakley has a gentle, caring side just like Becca. They both love wine, sports, and obviously, they both love hockey players. ”

A lump catches in my throat. There’s that love word again.

“What if she doesn’t want to be the odd girl out while here and she just wants a companion during the vacation?” I ask before the women get too close.

Corbin surprises me when he turns to face me. “I’d make a grand gesture. Make sure she knows what this is for you. And what exactly is this for you?”

“Everything.”

Every. Fucking. Thing.

Corbin’s expression holds steady before he smacks my arm. His eyes fill with sincerity. “Then don’t fuck it up. Don’t leave this island without making sure she knows how you feel.” He pauses. “Good luck. Dennis did a number on her.”

Not just Dennis. Hidden Hockey boy too.

Her arms are spread wide as she twirls in the sunlight.

The sand squishes between her toes. She’s the light I’ve never had in my life.

The only woman who I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that brings true happiness to my life.

In fact, it feels as if she’s the only thing that makes me happy.

Do I love hockey? Absolutely. Does hockey keep you warm? Quite the opposite.

“Hey! I’m in the sun!” she shouts. “I’m outside. It’s a beautiful day.”

“Looks like you’re feeling better, sis.” Corbin stands to lightly hug her.

“Yep, I have one more treatment tonight. But I have sunscreen, and John bought me this swim combo with sun protection. It’s cute, right?”

Adalee says, “So cute.”

Lettie adds, “Sometimes, less is more.” We raise our eyebrows. “Wait… I mean she’s more covered, so it adds to the mystery of what’s underneath.” Oakley dies laughing. They’re cut from the same filter-less cloth, and I have to admit they make everything more interesting.

Brooke shakes her head at her best friend .

I stand, grabbing Becca’s thick rubber beach tote. I kiss her cheek, keeping it PG in front of Corbin, per her request. Although Oakley has no problem grinding on her brother in front of her.

“Bryce has the cabana reserved, so shade every twenty minutes. Got it?”

“You’re bossy.”

I hang her tote bag on my shoulder and lace our fingers together as we walk to the cabana. In a hushed, seductive tone, I say, “I’m going to boss you tonight, and you’ll be begging me to do things to you.”

She rolls her eyes, but her cheeks give her away—the apples turning pink at the tip of her smile.

I open the mini fridge and show her the cool, damp washcloths I had concierge stock. Becca leans against my arm, releasing a sweet sigh. “I don’t deserve you, John.”

I’m not sure she’ll feel the same way when I share my secret.

“You deserve better than me. If anyone should have it all… it’s you.”

I lift the bill on my Stallions baseball cap she’s wearing so I have more access.

She’s absolutely stunning, just natural.

Her blond hair is pulled off her face. Her eyes are as clear and brilliant as the ocean in front of us.

And her tight, pint-sized body is perfect—strong, yet feminine.

But her mind drives me wild. She’s so fucking smart, rattling off correct answers one after the other last night when the gang joined us for trivia night in our pajamas.

The girls won easily. All graduated with honors, even Brooke, who was a single mom during college. And Oakley has street smarts that allowed them to answer questions we got wrong like:

What should you do if someone is stalking you in the street?

The guys chose answer D: Yell at them to fuck off.

Oakley chose Answer B: Cross the street and go in the opposite direction. After the girls raised their arms in triumph, Oakley said, “Then call the police and keep them on speakerphone. This happened to me once.”

“Was it Corbin when you stole his truck?” Flynn asks.

“Borrowed. He got it back, and he got me too. So, if you ask me, he should have been happy I took his truck.”

“I am, my little thief,” he said as he pulled her close.

As promised, Becca goes in and out of the shaded cabana on a schedule. We paddleboard beside each other. Then she and Harper lie in the hammock that skims the water. The next time she comes in, Harper, Brooke, and Emmaline are with her, opening their romance books.

I huff, “Why do you all read about romance with athletes when you’re all married to one?”

“To give them ideas,” Presley says like I should know.

“Oh, really?” I leave it at that. It’s time for the men’s beach volleyball tournament.

We break into two teams of five. Our true nature comes out, and it gets competitive as hell.

Spiking. Diving. Chest bumping. When the game is on the line, and we’re up by one and serving, the women watch the intense exchange.

No one wants to lose. Since this vacation is mostly all inclusive, we decide that the losing team has to pay for the fishing excursion tomorrow at one-thousand dollars a pop, so that’s ten grand.

Flynn, Dawes, and Austin are on my team, along with Reed.

If we lose, it will be me and Reed footing the bill.

We would never make the dudes working regular jobs pay when we’re worth millions.

Logan sets the ball to Dane, who is six-foot-eight or something ridiculous. Sweat drips down Dane’s forehead as he slams the volleyball over the net, and I dive into the sand, just in the nick of time to keep it alive, stinging my wrists.

By divine intervention, Flynn is in the right place, setting it high to Reed, who hammers the ball over the white net with bullet-like speed. Somehow, it slices through everyone and lands perfectly in the back corner. Game over. We erupt in shouts, adrenaline buzzing in my veins.

High fives feel good, but when Becca runs and jumps into my arms, it’s Game. Over.