Chapter 41
FORTY-ONE
ANNIKA
He wasn’t supposed to come here. I was supposed to run away again. I collapse to my knees as soon as I realize it’s him. I am imagining everything. This is a daydream.
I flinch as I hear “Anni,” and Reid runs over to me. Is this real? Is he here? I look up and see him standing over me. He reaches down and tries to wrap his arms around mine and pull me up to him. But I can’t. I can’t leave the spot where I’m crouched on the sand. It’s safe down here.
He gives up quickly and joins me on the sand, pulling me against his chest and draping my legs over his left leg.
He’s holding me so tightly as I collapse against his chest. His hands are running through my hair and down my back while he rocks back and forth.
I think I hear him saying in a whisper, “Don’t go, please don’t go. ”
Against my better judgment, I pull back and look him in those green-marbled eyes. I should’ve learned my lesson these past several years and even since my failed attempt last night. But if he’s here, if this isn’t a dream, then I need to be honest with him, honest with myself.
I look up at him, tears falling on both of our faces. I reach up and cup the side of his face.
I take a deep breath and say, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but no one will ever compare to the way you make me feel. I love who I am when I am with you. You make me want to savor every moment. I’m not capable of being just friends.”
He grabs both sides of my face, using his thumbs to wipe away the wetness under my eyes.
One hand trails behind my head, and he leans in.
We rest our foreheads together for a moment and share an exhale.
Just like the first time we kissed, I feel a rush of relief.
The butterflies in my gut flutter up through my chest and finally release around me.
It’s as if I can feel them swirling around us as we embrace.
Every spot he’s touching me tingles, and I melt into his touch.
We close the distance and melt into each other.
He presses his lips against mine, saying a million words with one kiss.
He pulls away and pecks the corners of my eyes softly before grazing the edge of my jaw and my shoulder with his mouth.
We lean into each other, giving into all our pent up desires and cradling each other in the sand.
I don’t want this dream to end. This is how it’s supposed to be. This is how it’s supposed to end.
I open my eyes and realize it’s real. We are tangled around each other, sand in all the wrong places. He’s here. He came to me.
“You found me,” I say to him.
“Please don’t go, don’t leave anymore. I love you, Annika I-still-don’t-know-your-middle-name Gomes. It will always be you.” I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“How long has that been bothering you?”
“Too long. I felt like if I didn’t know it, I can’t love you.”
“Well, I don’t even have a middle name, so that’s a silly rule,” I say back to him. I feel the tears emerging again as we laugh. “What’s your middle name?” I ask.
“Taylor, after my mom.” I give him another soft kiss, running my fingers through his hair. He helps us stand up while I keep my arms wrapped around his torso. We shake the sand off each other.
He takes my hands and starts to sway us around the beach, dancing to the sound of the waves. He starts humming a song I don’t recognize, softly twirling me in the sand.
“I have something for you.” He fades our dance and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small black velvet bag.
“I got this for you after our second date. I honestly don’t know why I kept it after all these years.
We have a lot to catch up on.” He kisses my forehead as we keep swaying.
“But I’m happy I held on to it. It feels like this is the moment I was meant to give it to you. ”
He hands the pouch to me, and I untie the top knot pulling it gently open.
I tip the pouch over, and a gold necklace spills into the palm of my hand.
The pendant is a small rectangle, and I realize what it is before I flip it around.
A stamp. Like the tattoo on my back, but this one has a heart embossed inside.
I don’t know how many times I can fall in love with Reid Taylor Parker.
“Can you help me put it on?”
He gently sweeps my hair from my neck, kissing my skin as he does, and links the necklace. It falls to my chest, and I grab it.
“You’ve had this the whole time?”
“Honestly, I forgot about it for a while. There were a lot of times I was angry and frustrated about our relationship. About how I wished things had played out differently. The necklace was a reminder of all that. Everything that didn’t work out. I guess maybe I was hoping one day it would.”
“I wish we had done this earlier. I wish I wasn’t so clueless before.”
“Hey, hey, hey.” He pulls me back to him and sways with me again. “We can’t punish our past selves, but we can learn from them. We start now, right now. We do it right this time.”
“Reid?” I say while I tug at his arm.
“Yeah, Anni?” He turns to look at me, softly stroking the side of my face.
“I’m starving.”
Everything on his face brightens, and we laugh together. “Let’s get some food. Maybe we can find a hotel instead of driving back home,” he says while giving me a little wink. I still can’t believe this is real.
“Sounds good to me,” I say, pinching his butt.
He jumps at the reaction and turns to me. “Oh, you are going to surprise me a lot now, huh?”
“This is just the beginning, Parker.”