Inked Obsession (Montgomery Ink Fort Collins #2) - Carrie Ann Ryan Page 0,39

me had derailed that over the past couple of weeks, but in the end, I would find happiness.

I had to. I didn’t want to be the sad person everybody tiptoed around because they didn’t know how to be around them. I was so thankful for the Montgomerys and Brenna and even Lee, because they made sure I was always included.

The other women I used to know from the base and other parts of my life no longer invited me to things. I was the plus one they didn’t know what to do with.

I did not want to be that person anymore. I wanted to be me. I wanted fun. I wanted heat. I wanted attraction. And, damn it, I wanted sex. I really just wanted happiness.

And, once again, Beckett’s face came to mind when I thought about all of that.

He was just a friend—one who had seen me at my worst. Just because I’d had a slight crush on him in the past year, it meant nothing because it was just the result of emotional upheaval. It didn’t mean I had to keep thinking of him. I shook my head and looked around, people watching as the waves gently brushed my ankles.

There were families on the beach, couples, people walking and laughing. Just a nice, gentle day. I looked around again and frowned, wondering what on earth was wrong with my mind.

I had been thinking about Beckett for some reason, and now I had conjured him out of thin air in my brain. Because there was no way that Beckett Montgomery was on the beach. There was no reason he should be here. Nobody would send him to watch over me.

And yet, even as I kept blinking, the man who couldn’t be Beckett Montgomery frowned and walked towards me.

He stood three feet away, took off his sunglasses, and blinked rapidly. “Eliza?” he asked.

Oh, I knew that voice. The one I did my best to ignore. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said and shook my head. “They sent you here to watch over me?”

He narrowed his eyes. “What? I thought they sent you for me. What the hell? How are you here?”

“I’m here because I wanted to get away from everybody on the anniversary. And with everything going on, my brother sent me here. Did he send you to watch over me because they couldn’t take care of me themselves? What the hell?”

Beckett just shook his head and then threw it back and laughed. Why the hell was he laughing at a time like this? “Let me guess, Eli and Lee must know the same person.”

“What?”

“I’m here because I’ve had a really shitty few months, and my family thought I needed a fucking vacation.” He winced, then looked around.

“The little kids didn’t hear you, but maybe you shouldn’t curse while we’re out in public.”

“Fine,” he growled. “Anyway, I am here because I needed some time off. I had a really long, fucking day even trying to get here, and Benjamin and Lee and Archer sort of forced me. And now you’re here. Why are you here?”

“Because I didn’t want to be around everybody on the first anniversary of losing my husband when everyone’s trying to make sure I’m okay and not thinking about it, while they’re thinking about it. Even though I can’t even be truly broken anymore because I’m not even sure who I was when he cheated on me.”

“Oh,” Beckett said with a sigh.

“Yes, oh.”

“So, we’re both here, at the same resort, for completely different reasons.”

“I have a feeling the girls didn’t plan this because they would never be this way. Hell, this is a very unnerving coincidence.”

“One I don’t think the Montgomerys actually caused, which is something that should be commended,” he said with a laugh that sounded a bit hollow, even to my ears.

“You’re here, at this resort, at the same time as I am,” I said.

“Apparently.”

“Do you want to tell me why you’re here?” I asked as another wave came forward. This one was a little taller than I had expected. I let out a squeak and reached out. Beckett reached forward, gripped my hip, and kept me steady. Water splashed my wrap, making it stick to my skin, and his eyes darkened as he looked down at me. He had pulled back his sunglasses so I could see every expression on his face as he took in my bathing suit and the wet wrap clinging to me. I knew that I had to