Snapping out of my fantasy, I threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. I did a little stomping dance because I’m angry with myself for thinking about him that way. I refuse to give my heart away; it’s mine, and it’s my job to keep it safe. It’s tucked away deep inside, and I won’t let it come out. It won’t be able to withstand any more pain. After I threw my hissy fit, I picked up my phone and sent a text message to Luke.
“Something came up, so I won’t be able to go to the beach today. Sorry, maybe next time.”
I waited for a response, but I didn’t get one. Maybe he’s pissed at me for not telling him who my father is or maybe he just doesn’t care whether I go or not. Whatever the reason, I don’t care. I can’t care. I won’t care.
I walked into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and threw my hair up into a ponytail; then I put on my bikini because I decided that, when everyone left for the beach, I was going to lay out by the pool. I threw on my jean shorts and a tank top. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I saw I still hadn’t received a message from Luke. I sighed and walked into the living room. The beer bottles from last night were still on the coffee table. As I was walking over to pick them up, there was a knock at the door. I looked out the peephole, and Luke was standing on the other side. My heart started racing as I turned the lock and opened the door.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Morning,” he replied. “Can I come in?”
“Oh sure,” I said as I stepped out of the way. “What’s up?” I could feel something was off between us.
“Grab your things. You’re coming to the beach,” he said.
“Didn’t you get my text? I told you something came up.”
“I got it, and I don’t believe you, so grab your things, and let’s go. The gang is probably already there.”
“I don’t appreciate you being so bossy,” I snapped.
He stared at me with his beautiful brown eyes that were making me weak in the knees. I had to turn away because I was starting to melt right in front of him. I walked over and picked up the beer bottles. As I walked passed him, he reached out and lightly grabbed my arm.
“I know you probably think things are weird now because of last night, but they’re not. You said that you would come to the beach with us. I don’t want you changing your mind over something that isn’t true. Things are fine, Lily.”
I stood there for a moment before looking at him. I could hear the sincerity in his voice. He let go of my arm, and I set the bottles on the counter.
“Let me go get my things. I’ll be right back,” I said as I headed towards my bedroom. I grabbed my bag that was already packed for the pool, grabbed my camera, and then I slid on my flip-flops and walked back to the living room.
“Ok, I’m ready.”
Luke looked at me and smiled. When we left the apartment, I walked towards the spot where he parks his Jeep, but his Jeep was gone. I looked behind me, and Luke was sitting on his motorcycle with a big grin across his face.
“Oh no! Once was enough. I’m not getting on that bike again!”
Luke started it up and rode over to me. “Come on, Lily, hop on,” he said as he handed me his helmet.
“Let’s take the Explorer!” I yelled.
“Hop on, Lily. Let’s not keep everyone waiting.”
I rolled my eyes, grabbed the helmet from his hands, and I put it on. Climbing on behind him, I put my bag across my shoulder and wrapped my arms around him.
Here we go again, I thought to myself.
***
The beach was crowded. I took off the helmet and handed it to Luke as I got off the bike. My heart was still racing from the nerves and excitement.
“Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asked.
I looked at him and smirked as I made my way through the parking lot. When I reached the end of the sidewalk, I stopped to take off my flip-flops. The minute my toes hit the warm sand, I felt serene. Luke and I walked across the sand and over to where Sam and a group of people were sitting around. Lucky jumped up when he saw me.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said as he lightly kissed my hand.
I smiled at him, and I saw Luke giving him a dirty look out of the corner of my eye. I said hi to Sam, and Luke introduced me to the rest of his friends.
“Isn’t Gretchen here?” I asked Sam.
“She’ll be here in about an hour. She had a photo shoot this morning.”
I smiled at him. They already sounded like a real couple, and it made me happy that Gretchen found someone. I couldn’t ask for a better man for her. Lucky put his arm around me and started walking me away from the others.
“Every time I look at you, I feel like I’ve died and gone to Heaven. You’re a real angel in disguise, aren’t you? I just know that we can make beautiful, angelic music together. How about we give it a try?”
I looked at Luke and winked at him. He could tell I wasn’t falling for Lucky’s bullshit lines.
“You know Lucky,” I said, pausing to turn around and face him. “Every time I look at you, I feel like I’ve died and gone to hell, so please do me a favor and back the fuck off so that I can go on with my day.” I smiled politely.
He looked at me for a moment with knitted eyebrows. Extending his hand to me, he said, “You are one awesome chick! Friends?”
I smiled and shook his hand. “Friends,” I said.
Sam and Luke both busted out laughing; then I looked over at Luke as he was shaking his head at me.
“What do you guys want to do?!” Luke yelled to everyone.
“I think I’m just going to lay in the sun for a while,” I said as I took off my top and shorts, revealing my bikini underneath.
“Hot damn!” Sam squealed as he ran towards me, picked me up, and ran to the water.
I yelled at him to put me down, but he just laughed and said he would, but not until we cooled off. We hit the water and he carried me out until the water stopped at our chest.
“Sam! You just wait!”
He was smiling at me, and suddenly, out of nowhere, someone had a tight grip around my waist and pulled me under the water. My heart started racing, but within moments, I was released and returned to the surface. When I turned around, Luke was inches from my face, smiling.
“You asshole! You scared the shit out of me!” I said as I splashed him.
“Watch your mouth, and I couldn’t resist! Please tell me you’re not mad.”
How the hell could I be mad at that face? He was having fun, and I’m all up for crazy, wild fun—at least I used to be.
“I’m not mad.”
“Good. Then let’s get out of the water,” he said as we swam back to shore.
Sam was standing at the shoreline with two towels. “Here, dry off, and let’s play some volleyball.”
I saw Gretchen waving to me as she sat in the sand, so I ran over to her.
“Look at you miss sexy thing in that teeny weeny bikini! You’ve gone and gave all the boys a boner!” she said in her fake southern accent.
I threw my towel at her and sat down; then I put my arm around her and laid my head on her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Looks like you and Luke were having some fun in the water.”
“He found out last night about Johnny.” I sighed.
“What did he say?”
“He was shocked, but then he raved about him like he was some sort of God.”
“Lily, he was a god to a lot of people, and one of them happens to be Luke. How weird is that? You move here to start a new life, and you live next door to a twenty-seven-year-old guy who worships your dad.”
I lifted my head and gave her a dirty look.
“I’m just saying.”
Sam walked over and asked Gretchen if she wanted to play volleyball. She jumped at the chance; little did the boys know she was the captain of her volleyball team and star player. She grabbed my hand and told me to come on, but I really just wanted to lay back in the sun and relax for a w
hile, so I told her that I’d play later. I looked around, and Luke was off to the side, talking to a group of people, and the volleyball game was about ready to start. I decided to wander the beach and take some pictures instead, so I put on my jean shorts, grabbed my camera from the bag, and headed down the beach. The sun was bright, the sand was warm, and the beach was filled with people enjoying a beautiful Saturday. I heard someone call my name, so I turned around, and Luke was running up behind me.
“Hey, where are you off to?” he asked as he caught up with me.
“I was just wandering around, taking some pictures.” I smiled.
“I know this great little area that has the best view that’s perfect for taking pictures. Come on, follow me.”
I followed him about half a mile down the beach. When we reached the area, I looked around. It was a cove with large boulders around one side, forming a small wall. There were a few sailboats in the water, but overall, there wasn’t anyone else around.
“If you climb those rocks over there, you’ll be able to get some great pictures looking out into the ocean,” Luke said.
I smiled as we walked over to the area. Luke climbed up first and then held his hand out to me. “I don’t want you to fall. These rocks are tricky, and you could slip.”
I took his warm, strong hand, and he helped me up onto the rock; then we climbed a couple more until we were at the top. Luke was right; this was a beautiful place to take pictures. I took my camera and began clicking. Luke was staring out into the water as I turned towards him and took his picture.
“I think I took enough pictures from this spot.”
Luke took my hand as we carefully stepped down onto each rock. Only when we reached the sand, did he let go.
“This is a quiet spot,” I said as I sat down.
“I come here when I need to think.”
“Think about what?” I asked.
“Life,” he replied as he stared out at the water. “There’s something that I want to ask you,” he said nervously.
I suddenly became nervous, and I had a sick feeling in my stomach. “Ok, ask away.”
“Why did you lie to me about your mom and sister being deceased?” he asked.
I felt a knot in my throat, so I closed my eyes. Did I owe him an explanation? Was I obligated to tell him everything? I stood up and grabbed my camera. “They’re dead to me,” I said as I walked away from him. He instantly jumped up and followed me.
“Lily, wait!” he called out to me.
He caught up with me and lightly grabbed my arm. “Please, don’t walk away from me.”
I sighed and stood there. Luke let go of my arm, and as I stared into his brown eyes, and he stared back into mine. I shook my head and pursed my lips. The last thing I wanted to do was dredge up the past, but I don’t think I had much of a choice.
“My mother and sister did horrible things, and as far as I’m concerned, they’re dead to me.”
“I read the article about you and your ex-fiancé. I’m sorry that happened.”
I took in a deep breath as I looked down. “Hunter’s an asshole, and my sister’s a whore. My mother knew they were fucking behind my back for a long time, but she didn’t say a word to me about it. She was going to let me marry that cheating bastard and ruin my life. Just because she stayed in a marriage where her husband did nothing but cheat on her, doesn’t mean everyone else wants that life. I hate them for what they did!”
Tears started to fall down my face. Luke stepped closer, and before I knew it, his arms were around me, embracing me, and letting me know everything was alright. My heart started racing. His arms were so strong. I wanted to push him away, but I couldn’t muster up the strength to try. My head was telling me to run, but my heart was saying it was ok.
“I had no idea that your mom knew. I’m sorry, Lily.”
I broke our embrace and looked at him. “Thank you, Luke. I moved here to start a new life and to forget about them as well as everything that happened. I’ll tell you more sometime over several drinks.” I laughed.
Luke laughed and put his arm around me. “Come on; let’s head back to the gang. They’re probably starting rumors about us.”
12
LUKE
As we walked back to the part of the beach where everyone had been playing volleyball, I couldn’t stop thinking about holding Lily. It felt right, and it scared me to think of us being more than just friends. My feelings were growing for her, and holding her the way I did to comfort her, intensified those feelings. Her warm skin against mine felt incredible, and it stirred up emotions that I haven’t had in a long time. We reached our friends as the volleyball game was ending; I saw Sam walk over to Gretchen and kiss her on the lips.
“Break it up, you two, or go get a room.” I smiled.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Matthews and Miss Gilmore. Where did the two of you go off to?” Sam asked with a smirk on his face.
“I showed Lily the cove. She wanted to take some pictures,” I replied.
Sam gave me a strange look, and I knew why; he was surprised because that cove was where I practically lived after the accident. I shrugged my shoulders and walked away. It felt right taking Lily there. I wanted her to get some great pictures.
“Let’s cook some lunch!” I yelled to everyone.
I started the grill, and Sam got out the hot dogs and hamburgers. I put them on and stood there, watching them cook.
“I’m proud of you, man,” Sam said.
“No big deal, bro. Leave it alone.”
He patted me on the back and smiled; then Lucky came walking over and stood next to me while I grilled the food.
“Dude, don’t forget about our gig tonight.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“What gig?” Lily asked as she walked up.
Lucky put his arm around her. “Lukey boy didn’t tell you that we have a band, and that we occasionally play at Bernie’s?”
“No, he didn’t tell me,” she replied as she shot me a look.
“To be honest, I really didn’t think about it,” I said in my defense.
“Tell me you’ll be joining us tonight and listening to the lovely Luke sing his heart out?” Lucky smirked.
“You sing?” Lily asked.
Shit, I wanted to kill Lucky. “A little.” I smiled.
“We’ll have to talk about this later; I see Giselle coming,” Lily said as she walked away.
“Hot damn! Another hottie coming my way. Later, man,” Lucky said as went to check out Giselle.
I rolled my eyes and continued to grill the food. Moments later, Lily came up beside me with a plate in her hand. “I thought you might need this,” she said.
“Thanks,” I said as I took it from her and put the hot dogs and hamburgers on it. We walked over to the picnic table, and as I set the plate down next to the other food, the gang started lining up, so I walked back to grill some more. Lily followed me.
“Go eat,” I said.
“I will. I want to wait for you.” She smiled. “I want to know more about this band you have.”
“It’s no big deal. Bernie’s is the bar Maddie works at. I play guitar and sing a couple of songs every once in a while. Sam plays on the keyboard, and Lucky’s the drummer.”
“That’s cool. I’m surprised you never mentioned it.”
“I guess I didn’t think about it,” I said.
“What’s your band’s name?” Lily asked.
I froze because I didn’t want to explain it. I wasn’t ready to open that door and walk down that road with her.
“Well?”
I took in a deep breath. “The band’s called ‘Love In Between’.”
“Cool name. How did you come up with it?”
“You know what, Lily; you really should go eat. Don’t wait for me.”
“Oh, ok,” she said before walking away.
I could tell by the look on her face that I had hurt her feelings, so I turned around and watched her wa
lk back to the table. Now, I felt like shit. Damn it. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but I just can’t talk about anything to do with Callie. It still hurts too much.
I finished grilling the second round of hamburgers and hot dogs then walked over to the table. I sat down and stared at Lily as she sat in the sand across from my friend, Jasper, who was playing guitar. They were talking, and then he handed her his guitar. I watched her as she strummed each chord. She looked amazing with a guitar. As I sat there, watching her, Gretchen came over, grabbed a hot dog and sat down next to me.
“She’s pretty amazing with the guitar. She gets it from her father,” Gretchen said.
“I’ve only heard her play a couple of times.”
“Well, I’ll ask her to play later. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m saying it anyway. Sam told me about the accident and Callie, and I’m really sorry for your loss. I was there with Lily when she found out about Hunter and Brynn. I saw the look of pain and betrayal on her face, and I was there the whole night, holding her and telling her that everything’s going to be ok. I’ve never seen someone so hurt in my life, that is, until I met you.”
I turned and looked at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“It means that the first time I saw you, I saw the same look on your face that I see on Lily’s every day. She puts up a good front, but deep inside, she’s dying, and not only because of what Hunter did, but because of her family, including her father. I see that in you.”
I turned away. I didn’t want to hear anymore, and I wasn’t in the mood to get lectured. I get enough of that from my mom and Maddie. Gretchen got up and left the table. I looked over to where Lily was sitting, but she was gone, so I got up and walked over to where Sam was standing.
“Hey, bro, have you seen Lily?”
“Yeah, she’s over there in the water.” Sam pointed.
“Thanks, man.”
I walked to the shoreline and into the water, and she looked at me. “Want some company?!” I yelled out to her.