The way he gazes up at me is breathtaking. His eyes are such a gorgeous topaz color, almost matching Sadie’s hair as he holds her, petting her lovingly. He’s so handsome. He still hasn’t shaved, and I’m so glad for that. He’s so manly, so hot with the dark hair covering his jaw. He’s wearing a thin white tee and some basketball shorts. Through his shirt, I can see more tattoos, and I desperately want to free him of the fabric so I can examine his beautiful body.
I don’t know what the hell I am doing. I shouldn’t be talking to him. It’s trouble. I am supposed to be running, letting off some steam since I promised I would call my mom today. I know it’s gonna be rough, and I know we’ll argue. We’re both cut from the same cloth, and we tend to be a bit stubborn. I miss her, I do, but I’m still so hurt by how things went down.
He moves a lock of hair out of his eyes as he looks up at me. “I’m not even mad you blew me off back then.”
I tilt my head in confusion. “I didn’t blow you off.”
“You picked Drew over me.”
“Because you listened to my brother and wouldn’t go forward with things.”
“Because I respected him.”
“And I don’t fault you,” I say, folding my arms over my chest. “But when I realized nothing would happen between us and I was still caught up with Drew, I went back to what I knew.”
He makes a face. “Amelia.”
“What?”
“We may have been stupid young adults.”
A loud laugh leaves my lips. “You think?” He laughs too, his eyes bright in the sun. “So you aren’t worried about my brother now?”
“I am, but I don’t think I have it in me to stay away.”
His words hit me hard in the chest as I gaze up at him. “You don’t?”
“Nope,” he says simply, his eyes burning into mine. “But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is the fact that you gotta call your mom, and that’s a problem.”
I blink. “So I’m just supposed to ignore your comment and move on to my problems?”
He shrugs. “Duh. Keep up, Justice.”
I can’t help it, I grin. I slowly shake my head as I look out at the ocean. “Like I said, we haven’t spoken since I married Drew.”
“That sucks,” he says softly. “I know how close you are to your mom.”
“Yeah, it’s been rough,” I agree, and I hate the emotion that clogs my throat. My eyes tear up as I look down at the shore, ocean water lapping against my skin. “But I felt they should support me instead of dogging Drew and dragging his name through the mud.”
“Yeah, I wanted the same. It took my mom a solid year to accept Lana, but then everything went to shit. I think she wants to say she told me so, but she’s resisting.”
“I didn’t even tell my mom I left Drew because I didn’t want to hear all that.” Admitting it is hard. I haven’t even told Shelli that. Mostly because Shelli did tell me she told me so. “The way they found out was when my lawyer sent the paperwork to my old address instead of the one here.”
“Ugh, that blows.”
“Yeah, and then to my surprise, the email she sent said she just wanted to talk and see how I was. Unfortunately, I was so hurt, not only by what happened with Drew but also by how my family treated me.”
I fully expect him to ask what happened with Drew, and I hold my breath because I have no clue what I’ll say. Instead, though, he asks, “You said they didn’t support you, right?”
“Not only that, they told me I had to choose them or Drew. I chose Drew.”
He whistles in surprise. “Well, that’s fucked up.”
I blink. Everyone always takes my family’s side. That’s the problem with such a close-knit family. They all think they’re right. Sometimes, they aren’t. “Exactly!”
“I bet that was a knife to the heart.”
“It was, and when I left, I felt like I had no one. I mean, Shelli has always been there for me, but she defended our family. Said they were right.”
“But they’re not. You don’t say that to someone you love. Even if you think they’re making a mistake. It’s their life. They gotta navigate it.”
“Exactly!” I exclaim, throwing my hands up. “I know they hated Drew. I get it. I gave up everything for him, but I was in love.”
“Everything?”
“I had a full-ride scholarship for gymnastics at Bellevue, and I abandoned it to move to Philly with Drew.”
He makes a face. “Man, we were really stupid young adults. I marry a girl after a month, and you give up everything for a guy. Not the smart people we are now.”