“Thank you, sir. Again, thank you for all your help on this.”
“Anything for Gunner’s little girl. Enjoy your stay at the beach.”
“Will do for sure. Have a great day.”
“You, too, Will.”
I hung up and sent Gunner a text message.
Me: Talked to Mr. Shelton. Everything is set to go.
Gunner: Are you nervous?
Me: Why do I picture you laughing right now?
Gunner: Probably because I am!
Me: Yes. I’m very nervous. I’ve already checked six times to make sure I still have the ring.
Gunner: Now, I’m really laughing.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. He was going to torture me for years to come. I could already see it.
Me: Remember who will be taking care of you when you’re old. It won’t be Colt.
Gunner: You have a point. Don’t worry, son. It will be perfect, Will. You know you could ask her anywhere, and she would be beyond happy.
No one but our friends knew that I had already asked Lex to marry me months ago. This engagement was just making it more official with a ring, and then we could go public afterward. As far as I was concerned, Lex had been mine since the day I put that promise ring on her finger.
Me: Thanks, Gunner. I promise to make it special for her.
Gunner: I know you will.
I quickly changed and started to make my way down to the beach. As I walked down the boardwalk, I couldn’t help but smile. Everyone was playing volleyball in the sand. Libby jumped and spiked the ball, and it landed right in front of Colt. Luke screamed out as he ran up to her, and he picked her up and spun her around a few times before setting her back down. Taylor high-fived Lex, and Grace was yelling that Libby couldn’t play because she was too good.
My mind was taken back to the days when we’d all played football. I looked at each of my friends. Because of our parents’ bond with each other, our bond had grown over the years. There wasn’t anything any of us wouldn’t do for the other.
Grace screamed, “Hayes! Get down here. Your damn sister is kicking our ass!”
I was snapped out of my daydream. I laughed and started jogging. I ran up and picked Libby up before throwing her over my shoulder as she screamed.
“Put our star player down!” Luke yelled as he took off after me.
Yep, this is going to be the best week ever.
“Have you had a chance to talk to Luke?” I asked Libby as we walked along the beach.
Libby let out a sigh. “No. He is treating me like his best friend again. I mean, we went running on the beach together last night, and I tried so many different times to talk to him.”
“Did he seem like he wanted to talk to you?”
Libby stopped and looked at me. “I think so. He started to say something, but then he ended up laughing. He brought up a time when we were in high school and pulled a stupid prank.”
I giggled and shook my head. “Why is he so afraid?”
She looked down and slowly shook her head. She looked back up and into my eyes. “I told him that I can’t wait any longer.”
“What? Wait, Libby. You love him.”