Her eyes fell to the pavement. She pinched her lips together.
“Say something before you leave. Have a beer with me at least?” I realized I might be begging a little, but this was crazy.
“I think you’ve got that covered. Cece’s keeping a barstool warm for you, isn’t she?”
“What?”
“I saw you two. You don’t have to say anything else. We’ll talk another time. Just let me go, Blake.”
I laughed. Once it started, I couldn’t stop. I wiped the tears that started squeezing from the corners of my eyes.
“I’m glad my humiliation is so funny to you.” Sierra stood, looking disgusted as I tried to control the jolts of laughter.
“You-you’re mad, because you think I’m with Cece.”
“Aren’t you?” She sputtered the question.
“No, she’s my cousin. She’s here every week with her friends.” I stopped laughing long enough to brush a lock of her hair away from her face. “She heard I was here for tonight so she didn’t want to miss it. Don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Sierra’s eyes softened. “So, you’re not with someone else?”
My hand moved along her neck and snaked its way through her hair. “No, didn’t you hear that song I wrote about you? I am not with anyone else.” I was still trying to wrap my head around her being here.
“Just how many freakin’ cousins do you have?” I could see the blaze in her eyes.
I looked toward the sky to count. “You want a first cousin number or what?”
She shoved my chest. “That’s not funny. Oh my God, I thought you were with someone, and I flew here and I didn’t stop driving until I found you. I couldn’t stop and now…”
My wide eyes conveyed all the surprise I was feeling. “You were that serious to get here?”
She bit her lower lip. “Yeah.”
“Why? Why now?”
She shivered. “Do you think we could go inside, but maybe not here?” She rubbed the sides of her arms. “I don’t think I can face Cece after the death stare I shot her.”
I laughed. “I doubt she thought anything of it. Cece’s a tough girl.”
“We need to talk, Blake.”
Talking could wait. There was only thing I wanted right now, and the more I played with her hair, the harder it was to deny.
I didn’t need a second invitation. I pulled her into my arms and pressed my mouth against her. Sierra wrapped her hands around my neck and moaned. Had I let her walk away? I was a fucking idiot. She started to giggle as I picked her up, and her legs wrapped around my hips.
“I missed you.” I growled into her neck. “More than I can say in words or in a song. There’s only one way to show you, darlin’.”
Sierra leaned into my body. “So can we get out of the freezing cold and can finish this somewhere else?”
“Hell yeah, I wanna go.” I placed Sierra’s feet back on the ground and took her hand. “Come on.”
Sierra looked at her car and then back to me. “You want to take my car? I don’t see your truck anywhere.”
“Girl, you have been gone way too long. You know the best way to travel around here is by boat.” I flashed her a smile. “We’ll get your car later. Come on.” I tugged on her hand.
Sierra followed me down the boardwalk to the slip where I had tied up my boat.
“Let me untie the ropes, and I’ll shove her off. Hold on.” I held out a hand to Sierra. Before she boarded, she glanced down at the side of the nameless boat we had cruised on so many times over the summer.