Chapter Eighteen
Tyler
“You ready?” Mae asked, standing on the rocky shore with her paddle board.
“The question is, are you ready?” I teased, glancing at the calm water at the inlet.
She pulled a pink T-shirt over her head and tossed it on a large boulder before wriggling out of her board shorts.
“What are you trying to do to me?” I shook my head, trying to take in Mae’s gorgeous curves. The pale blue bikini left little to the imagination. “Aren’t you going to freeze?”
“Oh, come on. It’s not like we’re in the ocean. The water in this section of the bay is like lake water.” She fastened her life jacket and flashed me a wicked grin. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was taunting me.
This was what I loved about Mae. She’d always kept me guessing, and it looked like that trait was alive and well all these years later.
I chuckled. “Yeah. Maybe when we’re sixteen.”
“Are you turning into a pansy or were you born one?” she joked, kneeling on her board as she began to paddle away from the shore. “Besides, you’re supposed to stay on your board, not go into the water.”
I tugged my Polo over my head and tossed it with Mae’s before fastening my life vest on.
Slowly balancing on my board, I pushed away from the shore and paddled next to Mae as she stood.
She looked graceful and confident.
“It looks like you’ve done this a time or two.” I smiled, standing next to her on my own board.
Mae nodded. “It’s something I love to do when I need to clear my mind, and as long as we stay near the shore and in the inlet, we won’t freeze to death if we fall in.”
“That’s something to look forward to,” I said, smiling as she whisked her paddle into the water.
“Thanks for planning this.” My paddle glided through the water as I stared at the rugged terrain surrounding us. Homes peppered the shoreline, set back enough to allow the pebbled beaches and rugged terrain to take over. This part of the world was so unlike where I had places.
Wisconsin’s sandy beaches along the Great Lakes were spectacular, and the smaller ones were just as beautiful. It was their little secret. Absolutely nobody would expect to find pure sand beaches in a place that also made ice castles in the winter. It was why I loved staying in Wisconsin in the winter. I could take my kayak out on Buttercup Lake and forget about whatever the day had brought.
When I felt like a change, I could fly to North Carolina and feel like I’d suddenly landed where tropical met the East Coast. The sea breezes and warm weather were a fun change in the winter when I needed to thaw out. It was the best of both worlds.
But there were so many times when I wished I could share it with someone.
I glanced over at Mae, who looked deep in thought as her board bobbed softly across the water.
Today was amazing. Every day with her was amazing.
But I was still on Marigold Island. Curiosity Bay still held memories that I couldn’t shake. It was like two worlds collided into one blurry vision of my future. I loved nothing more than spending time with Mae, but I couldn’t imagine being at my parents’ beck and call only to be used as their target.
The thought made my stomach sick.
I liked the beauty that the Pacific Northwest had to offer. The solitude was unlike anywhere I’d been.
“Isn’t it relaxing?” she called over her shoulder.
I nodded with a smile. “It is, and the view is pretty incredible, too.”
She grinned and tilted her chin. “You’re staring right at me.”
“I know.”
“You’re such a boy,” she teased.
“Mayflower, I’ve been keeping it in for twenty years.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.” She paddled away, and I couldn’t help but fall a little harder.
Last night, after kissing her at the coffee shop, she drove home, and I returned to the hotel. I think we both knew if we followed each other home, we wouldn’t stop at merely kissing.
I let out a deep breath and couldn’t help but smile at the memory of her in my arms last night, seeing that tidbit of jealousy about Bethany.
It gave me a little bit of hope.
She glanced at me, and my heart skipped a beat. Things felt so right as long as I kept my parents out of it.
As long as I pretended my parents didn’t exist.
My teeth clenched at the thought.
This was precisely the problem. They did exist and would become an integral part of Mae’s life if this thing between us went somewhere.
I pushed my paddle through the water, quickening my pace to meet up with Mae. I just needed to spend time with her instead of worrying about our future. After all, I was only here for another week.
“You look like you’ve done this a time or two,” she said, admiring my skills.
“I have a paddleboard back in Wisconsin. My house is on a lake, so it makes it easy.”
“Sounds beautiful.”
I nodded. “It is.”
My eyes fell along the curves of her body, and she chuckled.
“Like something you see there, big fella, or…?”
I laughed and brought my gaze back to hers. “That obvious?”
She nodded. “And I kinda love it.”
Mae kept the paddle in one hand and held out her other.
I took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of calm and exhilaration as our fingers intertwined with one another.
“This is highly technical, you know. Not many could pull this off,” I joked as the water bobbed both of our boards in unison.
“Just don’t sneeze or make any sudden moves,” she warned.
“Right. I’ll try not to lean over and kiss you.”
“I dare you.” Her brows rose in a challenge.
I shook my head. “You know what happens when you dare me.”
She smiled and nodded. “I do. I generally get kissed.”
“Is that something you want?”
Mischief flittered through her gaze. “Yeah. I think I do. Let’s see if you can pull it off.”
I looked down at the paddleboards and attempted to gingerly move my board closer to hers as we dipped and swayed with each breeze. Keeping my knees relaxed and my core solid, my eyes caught hers when I was less than a foot away.
“Ready?”
She smiled. “Mm-hm.”
I barely leaned and gingerly craned my neck as I went to kiss her, but I missed.
The paddleboard shot out from under me as I crashed into the water. My head went under, and I bobbed up quickly with the life vest as laughter rolled off my lips.
“Oh, my word. Are you okay?” Mae asked between tears and laughter.
She held out her paddle, which I grabbed onto. Mae pulled me over and kneeled on her board as I crawled on between laughter.
“Now, I can kiss you.” Mae’s green eyes were wide and expectant as my lips found hers. The sweetness of her lips was intoxicating as hope and excitement coursed through my veins. Her fingers tangled in my wet hair as our kisses slowed until she broke free.
“Your lips are freezing.” She smiled. “Ready to grab your board and go in to shore?”
“Absolutely.”
She paddled us over to my board, and the paddle was floating next to it as she used her paddle to bring my board closer.
“Do I dare try to get on it from here?”
“I don’t know. Just don’t make me fall off.”
I playfully scowled. “I thought you said it wasn’t very cold.”
“Well, it’s not as cold as the sound, but it’s still nippy. I haven’t fallen in the water here for years for a reason.”
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Fine. I’ll be the gentleman.”
Before she could respond, I hopped into the water and crawled onto my board, kneeling as we paddled toward the beach.
As we pulled our boards with us, I looked over at Mae and couldn’t believe my eyes. The girl I’d had a crush on had very much become a woman, and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to hold her in my arms and make love to her.
She was so strong, incredibly gorgeous, and kind. The admiration I had for her was so strong it almost hurt. The thought of going another twenty years without her as a constant fixture in my life made my world nearly stop.
I didn’t want to imagine it.
I just… I couldn’t believe how much I was falling for her.
“You ready to go back to my place and roast some marshmallows for lunch?”
“Really?”
She grinned. “What? You wanted trail mix or something?”
“No. Marshmallows sound perfect.” I nodded. “So, who brought the paddleboards here? I doubt they’d fit on your car.”
Her brows lifted. “Brad.”
“So, he knows?”
“Well, I certainly didn’t broadcast things, but I’m assuming he could put two and two together.”
I smiled, slipping my shoes on. “Yeah. I probably owe him a call or…”
“You don’t owe him anything. We’re grown adults.”
“True, but I want to tell him that I respect him and trust your judgment.”
She smiled and nodded. “I get it.”
“I can put the boards in my truck and meet you at your house?”
Mae nodded and slid her hand into mine before swiping a quick kiss along my cheek. She pulled her shorts on and tossed me my Polo. I watched her scan the water and let out a slow sigh before she pulled her shirt over her head, the fabric skimming over her breasts. She put on her shoes and glanced at me.
But in an instant, she darted away like a pixie.
“Last one up the hill is a rotten egg,” she called, grabbing her board and making a dash for it.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” I dove for my board and hauled it up, chasing after her as she bounded up the skinny trail to where we’d parked our cars.
How she managed to haul her paddle and board up was beyond me. When I finally thought I’d caught up, I tripped over my paddle and nearly took a nosedive before steadying myself.
She turned around, offered her hand, and smiled. “Not bad for a guy who hasn’t climbed our beaches in a while. A little different from Wisco?”
“A little hillier, let’s say.”
We walked over to my truck and slid the boards in. They stuck out the back, but we weren’t going but a few miles across the island.
“Thanks for planning this, Mae. It was a lot of fun.”
“There’s more like it tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah?”
She nodded. “Unless you’re busy. You know, hanging out with Bethany or something.”
I chuckled and leaned against the truck. “You’re kidding, right?”
Mae winked at me. “Of course I’m kidding. You wouldn’t be that much of an idiot because you know I’d hunt you down.”
“And then what?”
“You’d just have to wait and see.”
She leaned over and kissed me, letting her hands fall along my chest. Her touch was like putting my finger into an electrical socket. Every cell in my body heated. All I could think about was kissing her again.
But before I had the chance, she gave a little wave and went to her car. “See ya at the house. Try not to get lost.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep up.”
“For now, but we’ll see how long it lasts.”