Chapter Twenty
“Ijust had the best sex of my life,” I say with a big smile to Shay.
I just went over the weekly reports she sent me, which I’ve been diligently keeping up on. Shay is also abreast on how things have been progressing with Shane, but she doesn’t know the latest.
I felt it deserved a FaceTime call and not just a text.
So here we are.
“Girl, yes!” she exclaims, pumping her fist in the air. “I knew it would be good. Hell with all that ‘taking things slowly’ crap. I was never on board with it. I say fuck that boy as much as you can.”
I fall back on my bed, laughing. “Oh, I intend to.”
Sighing, she smiles and says softly, “On a serious note, Willa, I am so happy for you.”
I sit back up. “Thank you.”
Adjusting her phone on the little stand it’s on, she then asks, “So, what’s next? I mean, like, when you two get back to Phoenix. Are you officially a couple now?”
I realize then that I don’t really know what we are.
We’re friends, yes.
And now lovers.
But what are we status-wise?
Is this just a fun island fling?
Biting my lip, I say, “I have no idea what we are, Shay.”
She crosses her arms. “Well, that’s your assignment before the next time we talk. You sit that boy down and get him to tell you his thoughts on where you guys stand. You need to know if this is all just fun and games for him or what.”
One thing about Shay, she is a no-nonsense kind of gal. I love that about her.
I reply, “You’re right. In fact, I’m going to talk to him tonight. We found a bottle of really good champagne tucked away in the back of the fridge, and the plan is to drink some later out by the pool. I’ll ask him then what we are.”
“Good girl,” Shay says. “And Willa?”
“Yes?”
“Make sure whatever he wants is what you want to.”
“I will,” I assure her.
Her brow creasing, she asks, “What do you want?”
I shrug. “I don’t know exactly, but I know I want more. I don’t want to just hook up here on this island, then get back to Phoenix and that’s it.”
“Oh, girl.” She shakes her head. “Then you definitely need to talk with him.”
She’s right. After all, I just healed one broken heart.
I don’t need another.
“Pour me one last glass of bubbly,” I say with a giggle as I hold out my flute.
Shane and I are seated side by side on our favorite loungers out by the pool. The night is warm and a little muggy. Luckily, there’s been a light breeze that’s keeping things comfortable.
Still, I’m glad I have on thin navy shorts and a light blue tee. Shane is wearing shorts and a tee as well. Ironically, in the same colors.
As he fills my flute with champagne, I start laughing. Seems everything is funny tonight. I don’t drink too often, so the alcohol is really hitting me.
Good, I’ll be brave enough to bring up “us” and our status soon.
“What’s so funny?” he asks as he sets the bottle down on the ground on the other side of his lounger.
“Just…” I wave between us. “Don’t you think it’s kind of hilarious that we’re dressed almost alike? I mean, we didn’t plan it or anything. But we totally look like we work for some local bar and grill around here.”
Chuckling, he says, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It is kind of a coincidence.”
“Or maybe”—I point my flute at him—“great minds just think alike.”
That makes him laugh.
I love that I can always make him smile so easily.
He does the same for me.
Damn, we really are such a great match.
And that, along with my liquid courage, gets me to ask, “Can I talk to you about something?”
“Sure,” Shane says. “You know I’m always here for you.”
My heart skips a little beat.
This man.
I take a small sip of champagne, then set my glass down on the little metal table between us.
Clearing my throat, I ask softly, “What’s happening between us, Shane?”
His lips press together, like he’s thinking, and then he responds, “Well, we’re two people who have become pretty damn good friends, and now we’re lovers.”
I sigh and tell him the truth. “I think I need more clarification than that.”
“Willa.” He reaches over and takes my hand. “What do you want us to be?”
I turn to my side to face him more fully and say, “I don’t know exactly, but I want us to be more than what you just said.”
“Do you want to be my girlfriend?” he asks, and damn, there’s a vulnerability in his green eyes that I’ve never really seen before.
I know then that he’s as afraid as I am. Hell, we’ve both been burned. Me in my last relationship, and him through being unlucky in love in general.
But I know I’m ready to move on. My once-broken heart is fully healed, and it’s because of this man next to me.
So, smiling, I reply, “Yes, I’d like to be your girlfriend.”
“Well, then you are.” He lets go of my hand, leans forward, and gives me a sweet kiss, as if to make it official. Settling back in his lounger, he adds, “See how easy that was?”
“It is always easy for us, isn’t it?”
Shane nods. “It is, and I love that about us.”
“I do too,” I reply.
I kind of want to tell him I love him. Because I really, really do. I’ve fallen head over heels for this guy.
I won’t say anything, though. Not tonight. I’m not sure if he loves me back in the same kind of way. I mean, he clearly cares, and we have amazing chemistry, but the jump from just declaring ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend to being madly in love is big.
We’re still in the very early stages of this new relationship, after all.
“Whatcha thinking about?” Shane asks, breaking me from my reverie.
I’m partially truthful when I tell him, “Just thinking about us. I like that we’re a couple now.”
“I do too,” he says, looking genuinely happy. “Speaking of which, I feel like I’d like to take you out on a date.”
My brows shoot up. “A date?”
He laughs. “Yes, a date. Like a real, official one.”
I like the sound of that, but I ask, “Where would we go, though? It’s not like there’s a ton to do on this island.”
Shane grabs his fluted glass from the table between us and takes a small sip.
Setting it back down, he says, “True. But there are a few options.”
“Like what?’ I ask.
“Well, for one,” he begins, “there’s a little movie theater in town. We can always hit that up. I was also thinking of taking you out to a nice dinner. I did some research, and there’s a small but very good restaurant in town. They specialize in fresh seafood.”
Excited, I reply, “Oooh, that sounds wonderful.”
Shane smiles at me. “Then it’s a date. Want to go tomorrow evening?”
“Absolutely.”
I love that I’m going out on an official date with my new boyfriend, Shane Thoma.
Yeah, some days, life is just so good you can’t even believe it.
This is one of those days.