Chapter 19
Everly
I’ve been tracking Lilly for the last twenty minutes, so I see when she arrives outside my door.
I ignore the pull of the main house and who’s inside and focus all my energy on seeing my friends.
It’s been too long—since New Year’s Eve.
We talk and FaceTime regularly. I’ve been sending them surfing videos Tatum and Lennon capture.
I think Seth might be the most fired up about that.
If I stamp down the utter thrall of the tall, dark, blue-eyed piece of my heart just footsteps from where I stand, I find I’m beyond giddy to see her.
All of them. That they still function as a unit intrigues and puzzles me.
Lilly always evades any deep dives into the details, and because I don’t want deep dives into mine, I respect it. But it’s rare they are not all together.
Lilly throws open the door of her Bronco and hurls herself into my arms. We’re dancing in circles hugging each other, laughing when Seth and Noah pull us apart and pretend to fight over who gets to hug me next.
God, I’ve missed them, and now we can talk surfing and even go together before they leave.
I’m fucking stoked to show them my skills.
It almost usurps the weight of the other guest I’ve yet to see.
His Jeep being parked here next to mine is enough to keep him in the forefront though.
Once the hugs are done, Lilly wastes no time noticing it, too. She tosses her head toward it and asks cooly, “So . . .?”
I just shrug in response.
Seth, quite the closet empath, drops his arm over my shoulders and pivots toward the door. “So,” he says pointedly and swings his gaze to Lilly. “Give us the tour. This place is next level.”
“Well, this is my cottage,” I reply, grateful for the intervention.
Lilly and Noah grab the bags from the car and follow us inside.
“Don’t worry, Seth. We got the bags,” Noah deadpans from the rear of the car. To Lilly he says, “I miss J-man.” Though he says it for her ears only, I hear him. So does Seth because he tightens his grip on me and presses a kiss to my cheek.
His sweet gesture has tears pressing on the backs of my eyes. I blink rapidly to check them.
As we walk inside, I look up and over my shoulder, the pull undeniable.
The second-story window is empty but I felt it—him.
Did Allie put him in that room on purpose?
Not tonight. I wipe his face from my mind and focus my attention on Seth.
“What are we drinking? But we’re not getting fucked up. We have a party tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, I’m a professional.”
“Well, I am not. So be cool.”
“I’m aware.” He knocks me softly on the chin with his fist, pinches it between his thumb and forefinger and pulls me to him. Planting a peck on the tip of my nose, he smiles and says, “We got you, Ever.”
My heart pierces on his choice of words.
That he says we instead of I is a small lifeline I cling to with both hands.
“I know. I’m glad you’re all here. Let’s get to the reunion already.
” Steering him into the kitchen, I swing my hand wide, showcasing the display on the counter.
“I’ve got pizza, popcorn and brownies. Regular brownies before you even go there. ”
He chuckles and curls his arm around my neck in a faux chokehold and kisses my temple.
“Where should we put our crap?” Lilly calls from behind us.
“Second door on the left.” I point toward the hallway.
“Okay, this setup, Ever. They went all out for you. No wonder you don’t want to go home.” Noah leans on the kitchen counter as Seth elbows him over his comment.
Ignoring the home reference, I zero in on the first part. “Yeah, they’re too good to me. Ashley even pulled strings to get me into Pepperdine. He swears he didn’t, but I suspect he did. It’s not the easiest school to get into.” I shrug.
“Dude, let him.” Lilly slides next to Noah as they sit on the barstools at the counter. “Take all the help you can get. Besides, SoCal looks good on you. And you surf now. So fire.”
“Speaking of . . . when do we get to meet the new friends?”
“Tomorrow. They’re coming to the party. You’ll love them.”
“I’ve always wanted to date twins. Are they single?” Seth still has his arm over my shoulders.
“Dude,” Lilly and Noah blurt in sync.
“Yeah, dude. No hitting on my friends.” I bump shoulders with him as we stand across the bar from Lilly and Noah.
“Kidding.” He rolls his eyes. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
“Same,” Lilly agrees.
“Waves decent here?” Noah asks, stuffing his mouth with half a slice of pizza.
“I think so. Tatum and Lennon like it. I’m new, so I’m not sure I’m a solid judge. But you guys’ll see. We should go before you head back. I gotta show you my skills.” I fling my hair over my shoulder. “Not to flex, but I actually surf now.”
“Hey, can we check out Ashley’s beach right now?” Lilly shoves the last of her crust in her mouth as she asks.
“Totally. It’s beautiful. And”—I pull my phone out to check the time—“we’re just in time for the sunset.”
“Hell yeah.” Seth grabs my hand as Lilly and Noah slide off the stools, and we all move toward the door, taking our beers with us.