nothing about being there that I would complain about. Suffocating heat awaited me back home. Cold sand oozed between my toes with each step. Austin had only grabbed one chair, so I wasn’t sure who would sit where.
The football came barreling toward me, and Austin dropped the chair, the bottle of wine and the blanket to catch it.
“Sorry, Phoebe,” Emma shouted. “My brother is a douche bag.”
I laughed. Part of me didn’t want to like her, but I had to admit she was likable. So far. It all made sense why Austin picked me. Her replica. A poor man’s Emma.
Austin burrowed the chair in the sand, unfolding it completely. Once he sat, he patted his lap, so I stepped on the chair and nestled down next to him, avoiding his lap. I wanted to be able to whisper to him if I had a question. Plus, I was still irritated and wanted him to know it. Unfolding the blanket, he covered us to help block the wind. Being there. Being on a beach in front of a fire with the most handsome man—nothing could beat this.
“What are you thinking?” he asked. “You seem lost in thought.”
I thought before I answered, then just decided to go with the truth. “I wish you would have warned me. At least that she has red hair too or green eyes like me. Something.”
Beneath the heavy blanket, his fingers intertwined with mine. “That’s fair. You’re right. I should have. I’m sorry.”
Taken back by his graciousness, I sat stunned. That seemed easy for an argument. Too easy.
“Something else is on your mind?” he whispered, nudging me.
“I think there’s finally a visual…” I shook my head not sure how to say it. “I mean an image of what I’d always dreamed.”
“Yes, it’s beautiful here.” He misunderstood.
“No, not so much geography,” I whispered. The roar of the ocean prevented anyone else from hearing our private conversation. “After all these years, there’s a face to the man I’ve always dreamed about.” I was scared the very second the words came out of my mouth. Scared that I’d scared him.
Surprising me, his fingertips brushed down my cheek, raked through my hair and he pulled me closer until our mouths melded together in the slowest, tenderest kiss of my life. The taste of me from earlier lingered on his lips and I, too, never wanted to hear any other name off his lips.
Chapter 8
AUSTIN
Clarifications
“TRUTH OR DARE?” Grant shouted, and Zach growled in his stupid my girl isn’t playing this with you sort of way. Some things never change.
“Would you drink some wine with me?” I whispered to Phoebe.
She nodded. “I’ve never really drank because of the kids.”
My father had an entire selection of twist cap wine. Always easy to take with you. No need for a corkscrew. Even at 60, he still took mom on drives, picnics and wine on the beach. I wanted that. As I twisted off the cap, I hoped this was the first of many bottles with Phoebe.
Phoebe’s green witch eyes cast a spell over me. It was too soon for her to love me; but desperation to make her forget her resemblance to Emma was behind me pleasing her earlier. There was no way I wanted to lose her over that.
“No glasses?” Phoebe whispered.
“Not down here. Taking it straight from the bottle.”
“We’re getting old,” Grant said, plopping down next to a girl who rolled her eyes.
The teepee fire blew high into the sky.
“A lot of memories on this beach,” Ryan piped up in his deep voice.
“Best summers ever,” Emma said, laying her head on Zach’s chest.
Weird how seeing the two of them together didn’t bother me. Not a single bit. Phoebe handed me the bottle.
“Do you like the wine?”
She nodded, laying her head on my shoulder. Those little mannerisms basically threw a net over my heart and completely captured it.
“There are so many different kinds. We’ll find one you like.”
I took a sip and realized she must have gulped because more was gone than I expected. There was no way I was going to hurt her feelings by explaining wine was a sipping drink.
“How’d you two love birds meet?”
Beneath my arm, her entire body tensed. We hadn’t really discussed this, dammit. We’d discussed a lot, but somewhere along the line I had gotten distracted.
“Please don’t tell them,” she whispered.
“We bumped into each other at Braums and started talking. The rest is history.”
“Sounds romantic,” Connor joked.
“It was,” Phoebe piped up, defending what I’d said. “Peppermint ice cream