Chapter 24 - Blakely
Blakely
Kai pulls up to the stunning California beach house we rented for the week. I slide out of the SUV we rented and inhale the salty air coming from the ocean.
“You ready to share a room with me?” I hear Kevin ask in the background.
I turn around, and he’s raising his eyebrows up and down at Paige. We could only find a four-bedroom house with the late notice of us booking it. So, Paige and Kevin have to share a room. It’s a kid's room with bunk beds, but it was the only thing that would work out.
“Ugh.” Paige groans and rolls her eyes at him. She walks closer to me. “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”
I giggle. “It won’t be that bad.”
"Listen, if he so much as dares to try anything, I’ll chop his balls off and feed them to the sharks,” she says as we walk into the home. It’s decorated with an ocean theme—soft blues and a light beige.
“Let’s all get situated, and then we can decide who goes to the grocery store to get food and drinks for the week,” Kai says.
That’s odd. He’s usually not one to take much control. When we’ve done our family trips, I’ve usually been the one who plans everything. This time, he and Kevin planned it. Which shocked me even more because Kevin is always going with the flow, never caring what we do.
“Let me take your stuff,” Liam says, grabbing my suitcase from me.
“Thanks, babe.” I thought after Kai and I talked, it would be awkward being in the same room with both of them, but Kai hasn’t made it seem awkward.
It’s as if the conversation never happened.
I catch him glancing at me here and there.
Which he usually always does, but this time feels different.
It feels like he’s waiting for an answer from me with every glance.
Still, all I can feel is guilt. It’s making me get into my head too much, and I’m driving myself crazy for no reason.
“Are you sure this vacation won’t bother you?
” I ask as we step into our bedroom. A light driftwood bedframe sits at the center, draped with a soft beige and white comforter.
I walk toward the sliding doors that lead to a balcony that overlooks the ocean.
I step outside, breathing in the salty air.
The soft chirping of birds makes the peaceful scene even more perfect.
I can’t wait to wake up in the morning, have my morning coffee out here, and watch the sunrise.
“No, I told you I’m fine with it.” He steps outside with me and wraps his arms around my midsection. “You seem to be more worried about it than any of us. What has you so worried?”
“Because you’ll be around Kai.”
“We’re always around him. What’s the difference?”
“Yeah, but this time you’ll be around him twenty-four-seven for an entire week.”
He leans in and kisses me on my lips. “I’m fine with it. You should be, too. He’s Amari’s dad. It’s not like I have a say on who comes on the family vacations. You guys have already established this yearly vacation. Who am I to change things?”
My chest pangs from how understanding he is.
He is such a genuinely good guy. Better than I deserve right now.
His kindness makes it harder, because I know he would never intentionally hurt me, and yet, here I am, torn between what’s right and what feels impossible to ignore.
Then there’s Kai, who worked around Liam's schedule to make sure he could come. I know he did it for me. But that goes to show what a great guy he is, too. He’s putting my feelings before his own.
“Mom!” Amari yells, running into the room with her pink-and-white striped swimsuit with strawberries on it. “Can I go into the ocean?” she asks, overly excited.
“We need to figure out who’s going to the grocery store first.” I grab her hand—and Liam's—and all three of us head out of the room. “Let’s go to the kitchen and see what’s going on.”
My mouth drops when we enter the beautiful kitchen.
There is a blend of whitewashed cabinets, soft blue accents, and wide sliding doors that flood the space with natural light, offering views of the ocean.
The gentle sound of waves fills the air through the glass doors that are open, bringing in a slight breeze.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” I mumble to myself while walking closer to the glass doors.
I step out onto the patio and breathe in the fresh, salty scent of the ocean.
As I stare out into the ocean, watching the waves crash against the beach, a bit of my tension eases away.
I’m not going to let myself ruin this vacation by worrying so much.
Liam and Kai are adults. If they had a problem with coming here and being around each other for a week, they could have stayed back.
I take one last deep inhale, letting the air fill my lungs before turning my head back inside.
Just as I do, Kai catches my attention. He’s standing there, his eyes locked on me, filled with so much love it almost stops me in my tracks.
The intensity in his gaze makes my heart skip a beat—there’s no hiding the depth of his feelings.
For a moment, everything else fades, and all I can feel is the warmth of his affection.
Liam pulls me into his chest, catching me off guard.
Did he notice anything? I turn around with my back against his chest and his arms wrapped around me as we both stare at the ocean.
“This is beautiful. We need to take more vacations,” he says, causing goosebumps to rise on my neck.
“You work so much; you need to take more time off.”
He sighs, resting his head in the crook of my neck. “After the wedding, I’ll start taking more time off,” he murmurs. “But for now, I’ve got to work all I can to pay for it.”
My heart sinks into my chest with the weight of his words. The reality of the situation tightens around me. I should be happy about the wedding plans. I do love him. So why do I feel all these conflicting emotions?
“So, do you and Liam have a wedding date yet?” Paige asks as she hands me a pina colada she made.
Paige and I ended up going to the grocery store because we couldn’t trust the guys to get what we needed for the week.
When we got back, we made them grill burgers for us while we lounged on the beach.
Amari has been out on the beach with my mom and sister since we got here.
Liam’s been inside working so he doesn’t fall behind on his reports.
“We haven’t talked about it much yet.”
Paige’s eyebrows rise in surprise. “Really?”
I squint as the alcohol hits me harder than expected. She definitely overdid it with the rum. “Yeah. Why?”
“Seems like you would have been wanting to plan the wedding soon, since you’ve been dreaming of being married since we were young.”
She isn’t wrong. I’ve always dreamed about my wedding and having a family. I’ve always dreamed about the flowers, the dress, and me walking down the aisle. It’s something I’ve always wanted. But now, I don’t feel as excited.
Paige sips her drink, glancing over at me. “Are you okay with everything?”
I pause for a moment, looking at the shore. Everything feels off now. I haven’t told anyone because I can’t quite put my finger on it. It felt off even before Kai told me how he felt.
“I don’t know,” I mumble. “I'm overthinking everything.”
Paige nods her head and doesn’t push any further, letting the sound of the waves hitting the shore fill the silence between us. But her question lingers, mixing with the doubts I’ve been trying to ignore.
Bryn walks back toward us, water streaming down her body as the sunlight catches each drop, causing her to glimmer with each step. She's dressed in a cheeky red bikini, which mom didn't approve of.
She grabs a towel from her beach bag and wraps it around her before sitting down next to us underneath an umbrella we set up to shade us from the sun. “Are you guys not going to get in?” she asks.
Paige scrunches her nose. “I’m enjoying my relaxation out here on the sand,” she says, lifting her drink in a toast to her decision.
“Same,” I say raising my own drink.
Bryn shakes her head. “Then what was the point coming somewhere with an ocean if you’re not going to get in it?”
“I’m only here to check out the California boys.” Paige chuckles.
I snort a laugh. “And have you found anyone?”
Paige turns to me, and I see her brows knitted together with her sunglasses shading her eyes. “I’m keeping my options open,” she says, leaning into her chair.
Bryn rolls her eyes. “Good luck with that.”
I chuckle, staring back at the waves crashing against the shore, watching Amari and my mom sink their feet into the sand. Their laughter echoes in the distance.
“We should find you a boyfriend.” Paige takes a sip of her drink, glancing between us while waiting for a response.
Bryn snorts rolling her eyes. “No, thank you,” she says flatly.
Paige’s eyes go wide as she nearly spits out her drink. “What? Really?” She leans up from her chair, staring at Bryn in concern.
“Yes. Really,” Bryn says with a stern tone.
It’s hard to wrap my head around Bryn having no interest in dating, especially at sixteen.
I mean, sixteen was the age everything changed for me.
It was when I met Kai. Back then, it felt like dating was this huge, unavoidable part of life.
Everyone was doing it. It was something you just did.
Especially at sixteen. But Bryn? She’s unfazed by the idea of boys.
It’s shocking. Maybe it’s because I always assumed she’d follow the same path as me.
I prayed she wouldn’t and cross my fingers she doesn’t.
Part of me admires her for it, like she doesn’t feel the need to be with someone.
Or maybe she’s worried she will end up like me, so she’s staying far away from boys.
Paige leans back in her chair, like she’s astonished by this.
“Good for you, Bryn,” I say.
She turns her focus to me. “No offense, but I don’t want to end up like you,” she says with a smug smile.
My mouth drops in shock, even though a part of me knew this was the reason she was staying away from dating.
I’ve never tried to talk to her about it, because a part of me was scared to know the truth.
Mom never talked to me about sex or protection.
She talked to Bryn a lot about it—especially after what I did.
I didn’t want to get in the way of their conversation with that topic.
But I’ve always been open with Bryn, letting her know she can always come to me if she doesn’t feel comfortable going to mom, and that I’m always here if she has questions.
Plus, she watched me struggle a lot with Amari and Kai, that alone should have been good enough birth control for her.
A heavy silence settles between us, and I glance at her as her gaze drops from me.
“B, I’m sorry. That came out to harsh,” she says, and I can tell she means it.
“It’s okay, Bryn,” I assure her.
“Sometimes I feel like mom takes a lot out on me from what you did,” she admits, fidgeting with her towel.
I drop my sunglasses from my eyes. Those words hit me harder than I imaged. “She’s just scared.”
She nods her head in agreement.
“She’s only trying to protect you,” I say. “I know it’s not fair, but you can always come to me.”
“I know.” She drops her towel and leans back on her elbows. “Thanks, B.”
A small smile tugs at my lips.
There is so much I can say to her, but sometimes the guilt is too heavy to know what to say. I don’t blame her, how could I? My wrongdoings certainly haven’t made her life any easier. Mom is strict on her, and I know it affects her a lot.