Chapter One
Reed
I listened to the music and laughter that filtered through the warm night.
The wedding reception was still going strong at the house next door.
I was surprised that my parents were still there.
My dad wasn’t a big people person, though his job required him to be around lots of them.
But since Mom was there, Dad would stay all night if she wanted.
That was just how he was. He would do anything for her.
I smiled as I pictured them together. Probably dancing and giving each other big moon eyes.
Even now, after years of marriage and four kids, they were crazy in love.
I would never admit it to them or anyone, but I hoped to find that someday.
Someone who loved me no matter what. Always.
Someone who wanted a house full of children, who loved me unconditionally, and was my shining light in the middle of a storm. Like my parents were to one another.
“Hey.”
I nearly fell off the dock and right into the water. “Holy shit!”
I shot up onto my feet, my palm pressed over my racing heart, and stared up at the stranger before me. He was holding a glass of champagne in one hand while loosening the tie around his neck with the other. My heart thumped loudly in my chest.
“You can’t just go scaring people half to death like that. My goodness.” I gasped out.
I peered up at him in the dark. There was something oddly familiar about him. Like I had seen him somewhere before. Or maybe we went to school together.
“I’m so sorry.” He grinned, and I realized how handsome he was.
All big and broad shoulders. His curly dark hair was damp and stuck to his head.
Dressed like that, he must have just come from the wedding.
“I just came outside to get some fresh air.” He hooked a thumb toward the house next door. “My dads just got married.”
My brows shot up. “Oh.” Oh. “Your dads?”
No way. This was crazy. I knew him. Even though we had never met in person and that had been a few years ago, we had been pen pals first and then talked over direct messages on Instagram.
I had a massive crush on him until, well, he met someone, and I stopped talking to him. Childish, maybe, but it hurt too much.
“Well, Beau’s my real dad, but he and Dean have been together for a few years now.” He finally managed to remove the tie, which he shoved into his pocket. He held out his hand. “I’m—”
“Cole Whitaker.” I finished for him. Damn, he had really grown up.
His brows shot up, and his eyes went wide. “Uh, yeah. How did you know that? Have we met before?”
“Reed Kelly.” I took his outstretched hand. It was big and warm as it engulfed my smaller one.
Cole stared at me for a second, then then he broke into a big smile when recognition hit him. “Holy shit, are you serious? I mean, I knew you lived in North Carolina, but what are the odds?”
“I live right next door.” I pointed to my parents’ house. “Which means that we’re now neighbors.”
“Mind if I join you out here? It was a bit crowded in there.” He jutted his chin at the dock where I was standing. “Unless you wanted to be alone. I totally understand.”
I shook my head. “Please.” I gestured for him to join me. “We should catch up.”
“I’d like that.” Cole sank to the wood planks beside me. “And you can tell me why you stopped responding to my messages three years ago.”
My cheeks heated in the dark. “About that...” Maybe because I got jealous when you told me you kissed someone else. “Sorry.” I dragged a hand through my hair as I sat next to him, and my eyes dropped.
His big thighs pushed the limits of the dress pants he had on.
“I meant to message you back. But one day turned into two and then it was a week. Before I knew it, it was a month, and I figured you had already moved on. That you probably hated me for not responding. We were young, you know?” I never forgot you. I thought of you all the time.
“It’s cool.” Cole raised the glass in his hand. “We were kids, right?” He didn’t sound mad about it.
He took a sip of the alcohol, and I tracked the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed, the way it bobbed up and down. That shouldn’t be as sexy as it was. He had only gotten hotter as he aged. Grown from a boy to a man since we last spoke.
When he held out the glass, I grinned. “No, thanks.” I shook my head. I was a lightweight when it came to booze, and I really wanted to keep my wits about me. “How long are you here for?”
“I’ll be here for the summer while my dads go on their honeymoon. I’ll be heading back to Boston in late August. Maybe we can hang out while I’m here,” Cole suggested.
He made it sound so easy and casual. Like we were just two dudes being friends. Not that...Well, Cole didn’t know he had broken my heart.
I nodded. “Sure.”
My heart raced a mile a minute, thinking about that crush I had on him.
How badly it hurt when he told me about that boy he had kissed at hockey camp.
I had cried over it; loud, angry sobs that had caused my parents to worry about me.
How sick to my stomach it made me. Even though we had never met in person, I had thought there had been something between us. But I was obviously wrong.
“This is so crazy, right?” Cole chuckled. “We were pen pals, and now we’re neighbors. Did you ever make it to New York? I’m at Boston U. Still waiting on the NHL, but someday...” He held up his middle and index finger, then crossed them for luck.
I watched him in the dark for a second, taking in his strong jawline. My eyes lingering on the dark stubble and his full lips.
“Yep, living the dream.”
Not really. I wasn’t nearly as talented as the rest of the ballet dancers. I struggled to compete with them. Down here, I was good, but in New York, I was barely getting by. But I didn’t say that because Cole was smiling at me like I was the best thing he’d ever seen. And it made my dick perk up.
“They your parents?” Cole asked softly.
My head swiveled around to see that it was, in fact, my parents. They weren’t even paying attention to us. They were just watching one another, holding hands, as they walked back to the house. My dad stopped to unlock the door, letting Mom go in first, then he closed it behind them.
“Yeah, that’s them.”
“They’re cute. I met them briefly at the wedding. They seem nice. Happy and in love. Like my dads.” Cole’s lips stretched in a big smile.
I smiled as I remembered Cole talking about Dean and his father. How happy he was for them. “My parents are disgustingly in love. Embarrassingly at times. I’m glad, though. Some of my high school friends’ parents hated one another.”
“I like that my dad found Dean. It can be gross, but I’m happy for them. He spent years alone after my mom died,” Cole reminded me. He lifted his hip and slipped his phone from his pocket, then rolled his eyes. “Speaking of... It’s my dad.”
I chuckled softly. “He’s just looking after you.”
“I guess I should have told him I was going to get some fresh air.” Cole climbed to his feet, and I followed. “It was cool running into you, though.”
“Come by tomorrow. I’ll show you around.”
I didn’t want to come across as too eager, but the chance to be friends with Cole again, to have him in my life, was right there.
Dangling in my face. I didn’t want it to be snatched away before it was gone again.
Maybe he’d get that NHL contract that he wanted, and poof, I would once again be a forgotten memory.
I had to shoot my shot while I had the chance.
Even though the last time it had broken my heart.
He nodded. “I will.” Cole turned to head back to his house, then stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m glad I ran into you, Reed.”
“Ditto.”
WHEN I WOKE UP THE next morning, it almost felt like I had made Cole up in a dream.
Like maybe he hadn’t been real. It was crazy to think that we had bumped into one another, his dads buying the house next to mine and us reconnecting again.
We were still following one another on IG, but I had stopped liking his posts because I didn’t want to seem like a stalker.
I found myself scrolling through his feed now, catching up on things I had missed over the past couple of years.
His high school graduation, moving into college, making the college hockey team, numerous photos with his new college friends, and frat parties.
There were also plenty with Cole and his father, Beau.
Not to mention the ones with Cole and Dean.
Ones of just Beau and Dean. It was more than obvious how much Cole loved both of them.
How they were a huge part of his life. I chose to ignore the ones with a beautiful woman with big eyes who looked at Cole like he was a million bucks.
I finally climbed from my bed, practiced a little in front of mirror, stretched my muscles, took a quick shower, and finally got dressed before I made my way downstairs.
My parents were gone. Dad was out with my younger siblings, while Mom was down at the ballet studio, so I made myself some coffee, mixed up some oatmeal with fresh fruit, and sat down at the table.
I tried to stick to a healthy diet, even during the summer, because I didn’t want to gain weight and be an embarrassment when I went back to school.
Sure, it would be okay to indulge now and again, but not now.
I might not be the best dancer back in New York, but I could at least look the part.
And even an ounce would make a difference to my instructor.
I pushed that thought aside and took another bite just as the doorbell rang.
I climbed to my feet, and when I opened the door, I found Cole staring back at me.
He was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and an old Boston Terriers shirt.
He looked like my wildest fantasy come true.
But it was the baseball hat he had on backwards that really did it for me.
His dark curls peeked out from beneath it.
It was really unfair how hot he had gotten.
He was cute when we were younger, but now he was a wet dream.
“Hi.” Cole smiled at me. “Is this a bad time? I can come back.”
I waved him inside. “No, I was just having breakfast. Did you eat? It’s just oatmeal. Or would you like a coffee?”
“I’m good, thanks.” He held up a can of Monster Energy before he followed me to the kitchen and sat down across from me. “My dads left for their honeymoon this morning. The house is weirdly silent now.”
I swallowed my food. “Did they go somewhere nice?”
God, Cole’s eyes were so blue. I could just drown in them.
“Hawaii. Apparently, that’s where Uncle Mav and Jax went, so Dad wanted to take Dean there, too. It’s like a tradition or something.” Cole chuckled. “I think if I get married, I might go there. But six weeks? That’s a long time to spend there, right? Wouldn’t you get bored?”
I could think of a few things they might do that would keep them entertained, but I didn’t say that to him. Maybe Cole didn’t think about his dads having sex. I know I didn’t want to think about my parents like that.
“There’s a lot to do there. Hiking, snorkeling, Pearl Harbor, and don’t forget, there’s more than one island.”
“Wow, okay, I didn’t realize you were such an expert.” Cole grinned and took a swig of his drink.
And now I was staring at his Adam’s apple again. Why was that so sexy? I had kissed plenty of guys before, and it had never been a problem. But for some reason, Cole’s really did it for me. Honestly, everything about him did it for me. He was my dream man.
I blushed when I realized he was waiting for me to answer. “Uh, well, we had to do a report on a state in school once, and I picked Hawaii.” I reached for my coffee. “What did you have in mind for today?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea.” He grinned at me as he took another sip of his Monster. “What do you recommend? I got here a couple of days ago for the wedding, and I’ve barely had time to breathe. I mean, I visited last summer. I went to Mav’s and Killian’s places, but I haven’t explored much.”
I chewed on my bottom lip as I climbed to my feet and put my bowl in the sink. “Let me just go change really quick. I have an idea.”
“Not even a hint?” Cole chuckled.
Damn, he was sexy. My poor little heart was not going to survive this summer with him.
He hadn’t mentioned that he was seeing anyone, but what if he was?
What if I fell for him all over again, and I had to endure another broken heart?
The first one hadn’t been easy, and we hadn’t even been together.
But I was young and stupid then. I was an adult now.
I knew better. I could chain up my heart and protect myself.
Lock the key and hide it so Cole could never find it. Maybe.
I pushed that thought out of my head. “Nope, but I think you’ll enjoy it,” I assured him, then hurried upstairs to change.