Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
“Holy shit,” I blurt as we pull into the driveway of the rental property. The house is as beautiful as it is enormous, overlooking the beach and the ocean beyond.
“I know, right?” says Wes, shutting off the car. We step outside and stare up at the monstrous home. “It’s insane.”
Instead of opening the trunk to grab our bags, he takes my hand and starts pulling me down the pathway around the side of the house. He’s walking so fast I have to jog to keep up, but when we reach the end of the path, we come to a halt.
“Wow,” I mutter, taking in the stunning view.
“Understatement.” Wes flashes me a giddy grin and tugs off his sneakers and socks. I follow his lead, and then we step onto the beach, our bare feet sinking into the sand.
I take a deep breath, inhaling the briny air. “I can’t remember the last time I even saw the ocean.”
“Then we better get you a closer look.” His eyes flash with a mischievous glint, and I don’t have time to react before he scoops me up and slings me effortlessly over his shoulder, already running toward the shoreline. I scream through my laughter, beating playfully at his back.
“Wes, put me down!”
“Time for a swim!” he teases.
“You better not! That water’s freezing!”
My body still slung over his shoulder, he steps into the shallow water and darts back. “That water’s freezing, Ives! Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I did,” I laugh as he swats my butt. “Put me down, you giant. I have a fear of heights, and you’re like forty feet tall.”
“That is a vast exaggeration,” he says, but sets me on my feet. “And since when do you have a fear of heights?”
“I don’t,” I admit, and then take off sprinting down the beach, my heels kicking up sand behind me.
“You little liar!” he calls after me, already starting the chase.
He catches up to me so quickly it’s pathetic, wrapping his arms around my stomach from behind and swinging me in circles.
When we’re dizzy from spinning and our ribs hurt from laughing so hard, he releases me, and we both stumble in the sand as we regain our balance, our smiles infectious.
We spend the next half-hour walking along the shoreline, scoping out shells and dodging the crashing waves. I shiver against the ocean breeze, though I find the cool, salty air invigorating. After weeks of the uncomfortable tightness in my chest, I finally feel like I can breathe out here.
“There you guys are!” calls a voice, drawing our attention back up to the path. Kaden, Ben, and a girl I don’t recognize stand at the edge of the dunes, none of them as eager to get sandy feet as us. Wes waves back before taking my hand, and we walk up the beach to greet them.
Kaden gives Wes’s wet pants a pointed look. “You better change before you die of hypothermia. That water must be twenty degrees.”
“Ivy dared me to go in,” Wes says with a grin. “She has no concern for my health.”
My mouth drops open. “I did not.”
“You guys better wash off the sand before you trek it through the house,” says Ben, wrinkling his nose at our feet.
Wes snickers. “Yes, Mom.”
Ben rolls his eyes and gestures to the quiet girl beside him. She’s tall, with chin-length brown hair styled in a chic bob. “Ivy, have you met Chloe?”
I shake my head, my social anxiety flaring up around an unfamiliar person. I clear my throat and say, too quietly, “It’s nice to meet you.”
She gives me a shy smile in return. “You, too.”
Ben points to the man beside me. “And you remember Wes, Chloe?”
“Of course. Hi again,” she says, giving a bit of an awkward wave that has my body relaxing. I immediately feel a kinship to her, grateful to be surrounded by someone who’s not outgoing for once in my life.
“Hey, Chloe,” says Wes, flashing her his signature charming smile that instantly puts people at ease. “Great to see you again. I like the haircut.”
“Oh!” she says, clearly surprised. Her hand flies up to touch one of the shorter strands at her chin. “Thank you.”
“Should we check out the house?” asks Kaden. “Claim the best rooms before everyone else gets here?”
“I think it’s just us today,” says Ben. “Paul and Malorie aren’t coming until tomorrow. Did you hear from Ace and Cory?”
Wes nods. “Yep, same as Paul. Not until tomorrow.”
I can’t help my relief that it’s only the five of us tonight, allowing me time to ease into the socialization.
Sure, Chloe seems harmless, but I’m still nervous about making a good impression around her.
Maybe it’s irrational, this fear that I’ll say or do something to embarrass Wes in front of his friends, but I can’t reason it away no matter how hard I try.
Wes grabs our bags from the car and guides us inside the house, up to the second floor.
We peek into rooms until he finds one with a bed big enough to fit both of us and claim it as our own.
It’s beautiful, with a bay window overlooking the ocean.
Judging by the comforter, rug, and wall art, the owners decorated like they were worried you’d forget it was right outside.
“They went a bit heavy on the nautical, don’t you think?” I ask, eyeing the blue and white lighthouse-patterned bedspread and matching pillows.
Wes smirks. “Oh yeah. They ran with the theme and never once looked back. The whole house is coastal living on steroids.” I laugh a little, and then he draws me close to his chest and wraps me in his arms. I lean into him, my muscles relaxing as his lips press into my hair. “I’m glad you decided to come.”
I tilt my head up so I can meet his eyes. “Me, too.”
He dips his head a little, making it clear what he’s about to do. When I don’t protest, he slowly brushes his lips against mine, his arms flexing around me. One second. Two. Three. He pulls back, his mouth hovering an inch away from my own.
“I’ve been waiting all day to do that,” he murmurs.
“Then you should do it again.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. Wes kisses me once more, deeper this time than before, and I twine my arms around his neck, pushing up on my toes and pressing my body closer.
Unfortunately, Kaden’s voice cuts through the moment, drifting up the stairs. “Doc! Ivy! Get your asses downstairs and help with dinner!”
We reluctantly break apart, both of our faces flushed, and he rests his forehead against mine with a sigh.
“We’d better go down there,” I whisper.
“I guess so,” he murmurs back before letting his arms fall away from my body. Despite the interruption, I smile when he takes my hand and leads me out of the room.
Chloe and I end up on salad duty, chopping vegetables to throw into the giant wooden bowl procured by Ben.
I’ve just finished slicing the tomatoes when Wes appears at my shoulder, stealing one off my cutting board before planting a quick kiss against my temple.
Color rises in my cheeks at the public display, but my heart expands at the unexpected attention from him.
“You and Wes are so cute together,” Chloe says, once he’s out of earshot. “How long have you been a couple?”
My blush deepens as a I fumble for the right words to explain our relationship. “Oh, um, we’re not really. I mean, not officially, I guess.”
Chloe looks stricken. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I guess I just assumed…”
“It’s okay,” I’m quick to assure, already wracking my brain for something to keep the conversation flowing. “How long have you known Ben?”
She shoots Wes’s housemate an affectionate look across the kitchen. “Since Kindergarten. We grew up in the same neighborhood.”
“Did you two ever date?”
She laughs a little, shaking her head. “No, never. We’re just really good friends. He’s like a brother, honestly. More than that would be weird.”
I chat more with Chloe while we prep, and once the salad’s done, I slip out onto the balcony to get another glimpse of the ocean.
The temperature’s dropped with the setting sun, and a shiver wracks down my spine.
I jump a little when strong arms wind around me from behind, shivering now for an entirely different reason.
Wes’s voice tickles my ear. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
I lean back against his body, letting his warm skin and hard muscle engulf me completely. “It is.”
We stand like that for a while before I turn in his arms, pressing my back to the railing and staring up into his handsome face. Feeling brave, I push up on my toes and plant a quick kiss on his cheek. “You’re beautiful, you know,” I murmur.
He appears surprised by my openness, but hides it with a grin, pulling me into a tight hug. My skin warms as his body blocks the windchill. My heart warms, too, overflowing with affection for the man in front of me, and I focus on living fully in this moment.
So what if I haven’t slept soundly in weeks?
So what if my Public Speaking grade is slipping?
So what if I’m becoming reliant on Wes for peace of mind?
For now, I suppress those worries and promise myself I’ll deal with them later.
It might not be the healthiest way to approach my issues, but I already feel lighter.
Brighter. Invigorated. And I want to focus all that renewed vitality on the man in front of me—the man who deserves my one hundred percent more than anything or anyone on this planet.
“Alright, love birds,” calls Ben, poking his head outside. “Stop being cute. It’s dinner time.”
We reluctantly break apart and head inside to eat the amazing meal prepared mostly by Ben, though we all helped a little.
We spend the rest of the evening drinking and chatting, and it’s late by the time we call it a night, all of us retreating to our rooms. Wes is already in bed when I finish up in the bathroom, and I slide in beside him, relaxing beneath the cool sheets.
It’s only our second official sleepover in weeks, but I fold into his open arm like it’s second nature and settle my cheek against his naked chest.