Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
JASPER
I grunted with exertion as I loaded the last cooler onto the boat. The ice sloshing inside promised cold drinks and good times ahead. It was a perfect mid-summer day—blue skies, a light breeze off the water, and that golden quality to the light that only comes this time of year.
Days like this, it was easy to forget all the bullshit. The stress of the orchard, the wounds of the past, the uncertainty of the future. Out here on the lake with the people I loved most, it all seemed insignificant.
"Jasper! Heads up!"
I turned just in time to catch the tube of sunscreen Elliot lobbed my way. I grinned and saluted him with it. "Thanks, bro. Can't have that fair Everton skin crisping up."
Elliot rolled his eyes and hopped down into the boat. "Spend some more time working outside and you'd already have a tan, pretty boy."
I flipped him off good-naturedly. My attention was already wandering to the vision in the red bikini top and frayed denim shorts climbing aboard. Natalie looked like a dream, all long legs and sun-kissed skin, her dark hair piled on top of her head.
She caught me staring and quirked an eyebrow. "See something you like?"
"Always," I said, pulling her into my arms. She rose up on her toes to brush a kiss across my mouth. It was chaste, sweet, but I felt it all the way to my dick. Every casual caress from her was a live-wire straight to my heart.
"Ugh, get a room!" Chase swaggered up to the boat, a case of beer tucked under one arm. "You're triggering my gag reflex."
Natalie pulled away with a laugh. "Jealousy is a disease, Chase. Get well soon."
Chase gasped, clutching his chest. "And here I thought we were besties."
"In your dreams." But she was grinning as she said it. If anyone could give him his shit right back, it was my girl. And I fucking loved that about her.
Despite the bullshit that went down at the bar, there was genuine affection beneath their snark. I could've held a grudge against my big brother, but why?
I got the girl, and he got a black eye.
Plus, he'd backed off substantially since she put him in his place at dinner a few weeks ago. Since then, things had been comfortable. Normal.
Natalie had always been one of us in all the ways that mattered. It felt more and more like she never left with each day that passed, each night she slept in my bed.
The weird part? We were really just sleeping . We hadn't actually slept together. And now that it was a thing , I didn't know how to take that step. So we kissed and touched and got each other off, but damn, I wanted to fuck her so bad.
It was killing me.
"Charlie!" Natalie squealed, interrupting my trip down want-to-bury-myself-inside-my-girl lane. She broke away from me, hopping out of the boat and sprinting down the dock. I followed her trajectory and saw my baby sister grinning ear to ear, her arms already outstretched for a hug.
"Nat! God, I missed you!" Charlie laughed as they collided and spun. "How dare you stay away so long!"
"I know, I know. I'm the worst." Natalie squeezed Charlie tight. "But I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."
She said it lightly, but her eyes found mine over Charlie's shoulder.
It was a promise.
One I intended to hold her to.
It didn't matter if she was in Sable Point or in Chicago. She'd always be a part of this family, part of me. And I wouldn't let her go again.
"Alright, alright, enough of the mushy stuff," Elliot called out, waving us all aboard. "Let's get this party started!"
Whoops and hollers filled the air as we piled into the boat, jostling for prime seating and first dibs on the snacks. I slid behind the wheel. The hum of the engine vibrated through my bones as I eased us away from the dock and out into the bay.
The wind whipped through my hair and the spray from the wake was a cool mist against my skin. Natalie settled beside me, her hand finding mine atop the console. I twined our fingers together, bringing her knuckles to my lips for a quick kiss.
She smiled, leaning her head against my shoulder as we watched the shoreline recede. Chase sprawled out on the bench seat, already cracking open a beer, while Elliot rigged up the tube and Charlie queued up the speakers.
We spent the next few hours cruising the lake, trading off between tubing and floating, drinking, laughing, and soaking up the sun. Natalie barely left my side. Her skin was warm and slightly tacky with sunscreen every time I pulled her close for a kiss.
Having her pressed up against me in a tiny bikini was a special kind of torture. All I could focus on was silky skin and tempting curves. I wanted her so bad it was almost painful.
But I held back, kept my touches light and teasing. Because as much as I craved her, as much as I ached to bury myself inside her and never come out, I wanted to do this right. When I finally had her again, I wanted to take it slow. I wanted it to be something more than just a physical release.
So I contented myself with stolen kisses and heated looks, with the press of her thigh against mine and the tickle of her hair on my shoulder. It was enough, for now. A promise of things to come and a future I was finally allowing myself to imagine.
"Alright, lovebirds, break it up!" Chase called from the other end of the boat, his words slightly slurred. "Some of us are trying to enjoy the view without you two playing tonsil hockey."
Elliot snorted, flicking a bottle cap at Chase's head. "Like you're one to talk, man-whore. I've seen you swap spit with half the girls in this town."
"Hey, I'm an equal opportunity lover!" Chase protested, dodging the projectile with a grin. "I don't discriminate."
From her perch on the edge of the boat, Charlie rolled her eyes. "We know, Chase. You're a regular Casanova."
"Don't hate the player, sis. Hate the game."
"Ignore him," I said to Natalie, nuzzling into her hair. "He's just jealous he can't land a girl half as amazing as you."
She hummed, tilting her head back to look at me. "Oh, I'm not worried. I know I'm a catch."
"Damn straight, baby. And you're all mine."
Heat and hunger flashed in her eyes, sending my blood rushing south. Until a spray of water hit us square in the face, followed by Chase's raucous laughter.
"Oops! My bad!" He lowered his super-soaker and gave us an evil grin. "Just trying to cool you two off."
Natalie sputtered, wiping the water from her eyes and glaring at my brother. "Oh, it's on now. You just started a war."
She lunged for the other water gun, and then it was all-out chaos. Shrieks and battle cries filled the air as we chased each other around the small boat, ducking to hide behind seats, getting in cheap shots and drenching each other with cool lake water. Even Elliot and Charlie joined in, their laughter mingling with the thump of the music and the roar of the engine.
By the time we called a ceasefire, we were all soaked to the bone and breathless with exertion. Natalie collapsed against my chest. Her skin felt cool and slippery as I wrapped my arms around her from behind.
"Truce?" I murmured, pressing a kiss behind her ear.
"Truce," she agreed, melting back against me. "For now."
I chuckled, giving her ass a little squeeze. "I'll take it."
We lapsed into comfortable silence, watching the sun start its slow descent, bathing the lake in shades of gold and orange.
In the distance, I could make out the shape of the orchard, the neat rows of trees and the weathered red barn. My family's legacy, the land that had shaped and sheltered us for generations.
For so long, that orchard was my entire world. My past, my present, my future, all tangled up in the roots and branches of those trees. I thought I knew exactly who I was, exactly what I wanted.
But then Natalie blew back into my life like a summer storm, and suddenly everything was up in the air. She made me question things. My world had gotten very small after she left. Now I saw infinite possibilities stretching out before me.
Something beyond duty and tradition and following in my father's footsteps. More than just surviving. She made me want to live, really live. To chase my dreams, no matter where they led.
This woman, this love, was everything. And I'd fight like hell to keep her.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Natalie asked, turning in my arms to loop her hands around my neck.
I smiled down at her, brushing a damp strand of hair off her forehead. "Just thinking about how lucky I am. How grateful I am to have you back in my life."
"I'm the lucky one, Jas. I never thought I'd get a second chance with you. Never thought I'd deserve it."
"Hey." I tipped her chin up with a finger, holding her gaze. "None of that, okay? We're here now, and that's all that matters."
Her eyes shone with emotion and she brushed her lips against mine. It was a sweet kiss, soft and full of promise.
I let myself sink into it, into her, my hands sliding down to grip her hips and pull her flush against me. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat as she opened for me, deepening the kiss until I was drowning in her taste, her scent, her everything.
A low wolf whistle pierced the haze of desire, followed by Chase's slurred catcall. Natalie and I broke apart with a laugh, our foreheads pressed together as we caught our breath. I flipped Chase off over Natalie's shoulder, not bothering to look at him.
"Fuck off, Chase. We're having a moment here."
"Yeah, a moment of public indecency," he grumbled. " Seriously, bro, keep it in your pants. There are children present."
Charlie snorted. "I'm twenty-one, dumbass. Pretty sure I can handle a little PDA."
"Still my baby sister," Chase insisted, pointing a wobbly finger at her. "Gotta protect your innocence and shit."
Elliot rolled his eyes, snagging the half-empty beer from Chase's hand. "I think you've had enough, man. Why don't we head back to shore before you start puking over the side?"
Chase grumbled but didn't protest, slumping back against the bench seat with a heavy sigh. I frowned and exchanged a look with Elliot.
We'd both noticed the uptick in Chase's drinking lately, the way he seemed to reach for a bottle every time things got too real, too heavy. Not to mention the shady shit he was getting into at Andy's party. It was scaring the hell out of me.
I understood. Numbing the pain with whiskey felt like a great idea in the moment. I'd been there, in those first few months after Natalie left. When the hurt was so all-consuming that I would've done anything to make it stop.
But I also knew that wasn't the answer. Running from your problems only gave them more power over you.
Chase was my brother, one of the most important people in my life. And I'd be damned if I let him self-destruct like that.
"We'll talk to him," I muttered to Elliot as I slid behind the wheel, easing us away from our little cove and pointing the bow toward home. "At least get him to admit he needs help. "
Elliot nodded, clapping me on the shoulder. "Damn right we will. We're Evertons. We take care of our own."
The words were a soothing balm to the worry knotting in my gut. He was right. We were family, and that meant something. It meant we showed up, even when it was hard. Especially when it was hard.
The sun was just kissing the horizon as we pulled up to the dock. Natalie tucked herself into my side as I cut the engine, her head on my shoulder and her hand on my heart.
"Thank you for today," she said. "For making me feel like I still belong here."
I cupped her cheek in my palm, my thumb stroking over the satin of her skin. "You do, Nat. You always have. I'm going to make sure you never doubt that again."
She smiled and kissed my palm. "I'll hold you to that, Jasper Everton."
"You better. Now what do you say we round up the crew and head back to the house? I'm pretty sure Mom's got a peach cobbler waiting with our names on it."
"Lead the way, country boy. I'm ready to follow you anywhere."
As we gathered our things and herded everyone off the boat, as Charlie chattered excitedly about her upcoming semester and Chase slumped on Elliot's shoulder, as the crickets sang in the grass and the stars began to peek out overhead, I believed her.
I believed in second chances and fresh starts.
Rebuilt trust.
Renewed love.
Reclaimed roots.