Chapter 49
WREN
The sun was dipping low, casting golden streaks across the driveway as I loaded the last few things into the trunk of my Civic.
The cooler—stuffed with booze, pop, water, and enough ice to drown a small village—was already wedged in next to a pile of blankets and a grocery bag full of s’mores supplies.
It was a little after seven, early enough to stop by the beachside shop and buy firewood before the place closed. Everything was coming together, and I was so fucking excited.
I bent down to rearrange the foldable chairs when I felt strong hands slide around my waist from behind.
“I got it,” I started to say, but the words caught in my throat as I felt the warmth of his chest press against my back.
“Didn’t ask,” Reed murmured against the shell of my ear.
He spun me gently in his arms, the trunk still open behind me, the scent of sunscreen and bug spray lingering faintly in the air. I looked up at him, heart skittering in my chest like it always did when he looked at me like this—like I was the most important thing in the world.
His finger brushed under my chin, tilting it just enough. “You’re so fucking beautiful, you know that?”
I rolled my eyes, but the blush that bloomed across my cheeks gave me away. “You’ve already said that today.”
“And I’ll say it again tomorrow. And the day after that. If you’re lucky, maybe I will get to tell you how beautiful you are forever.” He said, leaning down to press a slow, warm kiss against my lips. It wasn’t rushed or heated—just full of something that settled deep into my bones. Something real.
“I love you,” he whispered against my mouth.
It still made my stomach flip, hearing it out loud. I wrapped my arms around his neck, grounding myself in the quiet of his voice and the strength of his hold. And for the first time, I said it back.
“I love you, too.”
We didn’t pull apart until I heard the screen door creak open. I peeked over Reed’s shoulder to see Cam heading toward us. Harper had disappeared back inside to use the bathroom, but I figured we had a few more seconds of peace.
“C’mere,” I whispered, tugging Reed back for one last kiss before the moment slipped away.
He grinned against my lips and squeezed my ass one last time before letting go. “Let’s go, Little Birdie.”
The windows were down, warm wind tangling my hair as we drove along the coast toward the beach. The sky was painted in streaks of tangerine and lavender, and the music was just low enough to talk over. I had Lena on my lap, and we were both turned towards Harper’s as she grinned down at her phone.
“Okay,” she whispered, nudging me. “I’ve been talking to this guy on Hinge for, like, four days, and I need your honest opinion.”
I leaned in, letting my eyes scan the photo she pulled up. He was cute—tall, artsy-looking, with messy brown curls and a crooked smile. A little too curated, maybe, but not in a bad way.
“He looks like he ghosted a girl once over incompatibility with their zodiac signs,” I said, lips twitching. “But he’s cute.”
Harper snorted. “He owns a record player and three houseplants that he calls his babies.”
Reed’s voice cut in from the front seat, casual but listening. “Let me see this weirdo.”
Harper leaned forward between the seats, holding the phone out toward him. “No judgment, big brother. He’s sweet.”
Reed glanced at the screen, sunglasses still on but judging. “He’s wearing corduroy in June.”
Cam didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve taken shits more attractive than him.”
I burst out laughing, and Lena was in tears because of Cameron’s response.
Harper whacked Cam’s shoulder from behind his seat. “You’re such an ass.”
Cam just grinned. “I’m just saying, if you bring him around, I’m making him sit on the floor.”
Harper rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile, and I caught Reed glancing at me in the mirror—just for a second, like he was more interested in my laughter than the road. My heart tugged in that warm, fluttery way it always did around him.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered to Harper, nudging her with my hand. “If he ends up being a weirdo, we’ll pretend we never saw his picture.”
“I never agreed to that,” Lena said while still cackling.
Harper huffed out a laugh and shook her head.
We turned off the main road, the scent of saltwater growing stronger, and I let myself soak it all in—this early summer moment, this little joy. The people I loved all tucked into one car, heading toward the fire.
We’d just pulled into the gravel lot at the edge of the beach, quickly exiting my small car to stretch our legs. I was second guessing driving my Honda here. Cam’s Bronco would’ve been more suitable.
“I feel like it’s been forever,” Harper said, looking around at the little beach shop and over at the bay.
“To be fair, it has been,” Lena shot back. “It was just winter, Harp.”
Behind us, the boys didn’t say much. Reed leaned against the back bumper of my car with the trunk open, sunglasses pushed into his hair, arms crossed like he wasn’t watching but totally was.
Cam stood beside him, already sipping something from the cooler and pretending he wasn’t thrilled to be here.
Reed’s phone buzzed, and he glanced down at it before looking at us. “Dax just texted. He’s pulling in now.”
“Perfect,” I said, walking over to start unpacking the trunk. “He can help with all this crap.”
Blankets, the cooler, the bag of s’mores stuff—there was a whole small army of things waiting to be carried down to the sand.
But none of us moved yet. Not until Dax showed up. For now, the three of us girls just stood there, laughing and catching up, voices overlapping in that familiar, chaotic way.
I glanced at Reed out of the corner of my eye—he wasn’t smiling, not fully, but the soft look on his face gave him away. He loved watching us. Just like I loved having them all here. Together.