"It just makes you realize how short life is, right?" I reply. I can feel tears pricking the back of my eyes, the memory of my parents’ loss almost more than I can take. If I keep talking, I can’t do this without crying.
"It does," he agrees. "You know, I bought this villa in Spain a few years ago – I always planned to retire there. But now that I’m out of the game so much earlier than I thought I would be, it’s just sitting there. Needs someone in it to keep things ticking over."
I stare at him for a moment. He smiles at me. His grin has always been a little crooked, but I think it’s about the most handsome thing I’ve ever seen.
"Could use some company out there, if you’re looking," he remarks. I catch my breath. Can he really mean that? It feels crazy for him to even admit to it out loud. How many times have I imagined him coming back here, telling me everything, admitting to me that he wants me back? And now, he is sitting here in front of me, his hand on mine, smiling at me as he invites me to come across the world with him, to dive into the kind of adventure that we always swore we would have together.
I drag my eyes away from his. I need time – time to think. Time to deal with him being here in front of me again. I look back towards the hall, where all of our old classmates are gossiping and drinking together.
"We should go back inside," I tell him softly, and I mean it. I know that he wants an answer – and I know that I am not ready to give him one. At least, not yet. Not when the warmth of his skin on mine is still enough to make my head spin.
8
BAXTER
I’m not about to let her walk away from me like that.
I came all the way down here so that I could see her again, so that I could tell her that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her in all the time that we’ve been apart, and that I’m not going to be able to let go of her until I get the chance to make that right. I had no idea if she was going to listen to a damn word out of my mouth, but honestly? Honestly, I am going to tell her everything that I know she needs to hear.
Back inside the main hall, people are dancing, drinking, chatting, laughing. But they all glance around as soon as they sense the two of us in here together. It’s as though the whole place has come down with a great hush, and I know that people are curious – curious to know what the hell is going on here, how much I have been hiding from everyone all this time.
Bailey goes to get herself a drink, her back turned to me. Even just being this close to her is enough to make everything inside of me feel as though it is lighting up. I need her, need this – need everything that I can get my hands on. I close the distance between us, slide my hand over the small of her back.
She turns to me, leans into me, like this is what she has been waiting for. I can tell that she wants this, even if her brain is telling her that she shouldn’t. I don’t care. At this point, I just want to make sure that she understands how I feel for her. Then, I can leave this place knowing that I did what I came here to do.
She looks me in the eyes, and I can see how torn she is. How much she wants to just sink into my arms, but how fearful she is of letting it happen. Her face is soft, full of questions, and I know that I have answers for them if she is just willing to listen. Our mouths are so close that I can almost taste her, and it takes everything I have to fight the urge to lean in and plant a kiss against her lips.
"You remember what we were voted in the yearbook?" I ask her.
She nods, slowly. "Of course I do."
"Most Likely to Get Married," I remind her anyway. I slide my hand over hers, lift it to my mouth. I can see that she is holding her breath. I know that she wants this, the same way I do.
"So?” she asks. Everyone is looking at us. I don’t care. They could be recording the whole thing for all I give a shit about it – I just want this to be between us. All I care about is her hearing those words come out of my mouth, once and for all.