Crosby pulled back so he could look me in the eyes. “She didn’t.”
“I think the sheriff’s department was so sick of her and her dad’s antics that they kept her overnight out of spite.”
Crosby barked out a laugh. “I’m not surprised.” He pulled me tighter against his body. “I’m in this for as long as it lasts. I might not be able to give you forever, but I’ll give you all of me while we’re here.”
Having all of him meant that it would hurt that much more when it was over. But I couldn’t seem to force myself to walk away.
30
Crosby
“Oh, hell no. Are you insane, Crosby? You climb this?”
I chuckled as Kenna peered over the side of the rock face. We’d hiked up the opposite side of the mountain, but this face was one of my favorite natural climbing walls. “I take it you won’t be going climbing with me anytime soon?”
“Not with that kind of drop.”
“You wear a harness. It’s completely safe.”
Kenna’s gaze turned away from the cliff’s edge and back to me. “Ropes can break.”
“Not if you care for them properly. Check for any wear or snags, and they are one hundred percent sound.”
Kenna gave an exaggerated shiver. “You go ahead and put your life on the line. I’ll stick with hiking, thank you very much.”
I grinned and tugged her to me, giving her a quick kiss. The warmth of her body pressed up against mine felt so comfortable, it should’ve scared me. Instead, I only wanted more. I turned her around so that we were both facing the view. “What do you think?”
Kenna eased back into me. She didn’t fight my casual affection anymore, she welcomed it. And the knowledge lit something deep inside my chest. “It’s breathtaking. I can’t believe I’ve never been up here before.”
“It’s my favorite spot on the island. It feels like we’re on top of the world.” The sea spread out in front of us, other islands in our small chain dotting the waters. It was impossible to stand at this point and not feel free, to feel like anything was possible and life could be whatever you wanted it to be.
“It’s so quiet. Almost like the world has gone still around you.” Kenna was quiet for a moment, just staring out at the view. “I missed so much.”
I pulled her tighter to me at the sound of regret in her voice. “What do you mean?”
Kenna reached up and held onto my arms that were wrapped around her. “I’ve been so worried about building this perfect, secure life that I forgot to enjoy the world around me. I was too consumed with trying to control it.”
I pressed my lips to her hair. The scent of something floral and uniquely Kenna filled my senses. “It’s understandable. A lot of your life wasn’t exactly stable.”
Kenna let out a sound of agreement. “I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to enjoy the life I’ve been given, everything about it, even when it’s messy and hard and painful.”
“Some of the most beautiful things don’t fit into a mold of perfection. Hell, I’d say perfection is pretty damn boring. Look around us. None of these islands are perfectly symmetrical, the ocean isn’t one color, that tree is growing sideways. It’s the imperfections that make them beautiful.”
Kenna squeezed my forearms. “Who knew you were such a poet?”
She was trying to make light of her realization, of our discussion, but I wasn’t going to let her off the hook so easily. “If you really want to live your life to the fullest, you have to let go of who you think you should be and let yourself become who you truly are.”
“What if I don’t like that person?”
The uncertainty in Kenna’s voice almost brought me to my knees. “Impossible.”
She turned in my arms, the fire I loved back in her voice. “How do you know?”
“Because you’re amazing. You let your true colors show when those walls come down a little. You’re strong and kind and fierce in your care of others. No one hurts the people you love and gets away with it.”
A slight tinge of pink hit Kenna’s cheeks. “There’s a lot of other stuff mixed in there, too. I’m stubborn. I don’t let people in. I’m judgmental as hell. Look how I treated you. I made assumptions about the man you were, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
I chuckled. “But it was so fun sparring with you when