A Love Song for Always - Piper Lawson Page 0,30

hell…”

He drops to his knees, searching in the shallow water until he produces the device. Hitting the power button again and again only makes him bellow in frustration.

The next moment, a sound in the distance has us looking toward a boat coming around the edge of the rocks. The catamaran is sleek, cruising toward shore. On it, I can make out Haley and my dad, plus Sophie’s hands waving in the breeze.

And on the back…

The knot in my chest releases.

I get what the birds feel, waiting for their mates. Knowing instinctively it’s better to go through hell for the one than try to find another.

My family steps off the boat, wading through the few feet of water to get to shore. Tyler’s last, and I take a moment to drink him in.

He’s wearing a black T-shirt, exposing the ink that curls down his strong arms and one of his hands. Board shorts cling to his lean hips. His dark hair falls across his face, his eyes squinting in the sun.

He’s fucking beautiful.

Especially when his gaze locks on me as he makes it to shore.

“I’m late,” he says, stopping in front of me.

“You’re here.”

Tyler does the same inspection of me, working up my legs under the shorts, my tank top, ending on my face. I reach for the hem of my tank top and strip it over my head to reveal the bathing suit underneath.

My fiancé glances past me at our friends and family greeting and chatting and remarking on the beauty of where we are.

“This my punishment?” Tyler says for my ears only.

“What?”

“You. Looking like this. Especially after spending my morning with a bunch of dudes. Mostly dudes,” he amends, reaching for his own shirt.

“How did it go?”

“I think we might have them.”

My attention drifts when Tyler tugs his shirt over his head, revealing his gorgeous body. The cut lines of his abs and pecs, his strong shoulders and biceps and forearms.

Groan indeed.

I take Tyler’s hand and wink. “I have a good feeling.”

He grins, pulling me against him for a hard kiss that has my whole body heated with desire. “So do I, and it has nothing to do with them. I spotted this secluded little cave over there”—he points toward an opening in the rocks near the forest’s edge—“that you and I might need to check out.” His arms band around my waist. “Clothing optional.”

Yes, please.

Over the next couple of hours, we play games, including Sophie’s impromptu “What superpower would you pick?”

Beck chooses flying.

Rae chooses invisibility.

Elle chooses seeing everyone naked.

My dad decides on chainsaw arms—so he can next-level the DIY projects around his house in Dallas. Haley quickly says the ability to heal anyone, shooting Dad a look that has him grinning.

“The ability to be two places at once,” Tyler says.

The answer comes so easily I can tell this week is weighing on him no less than it’s weighing on me.

After we finish lunch, Tyler and I wander down the beach to inspect seashells washed up on the sand.

“I have something for you.” He reaches into his pocket and produces a pink-striped murex, its spines perfectly intact.

I take the tiny masterpiece. “It’s beautiful. You found it here?”

He shakes his head. “Earlier this morning on my way to the meeting. I’ve been carrying it around all day.”

My lips curve. “Thanks. I have something for you too.”

I nod behind him, and Tyler turns, squinting into the sun as he spots the jet ski roaring toward the shore. “What the hell…?”

Then his jaw goes slack as recognition sets in. “Did you do this?”

I play innocent as I set the shell back on the sand. “It’s an early wedding gift. And you better like it because it’s too late to send it back.”

16

The man on the jet ski carves his way up to the shore, splashing as he goes. An attendant manning the cat takes it from him as Harrison King steps off.

I’m not sure what I was expecting. I knew he was a few years older, but it’s extra clear seeing him in person. He’s wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, unbuttoned, board shorts underneath. His dirty-blond hair is a mess, his designer sunglasses covering half his sculpted face.

He stalks up the beach with even, purposeful strides and stops in the sand with his bare feet. He tugs off the sunglasses, surveying us with narrowed eyes. Harrison’s attention cuts to my fiancé. Then his imperious face breaks into a grin. “There he is.”

He crosses to Tyler, clapping him on the back, and Tyler