Reclaim - Aly Martinez Page 0,109
my mind. The cute boy who’d played Slapjack with me under the trees. A friend when I’d needed one more than ever. It was my escape from reality when life became more than I could bear.
Things looked different now. The grass in the field had grown and some of the banks had washed away in a flood a few years back, but our sacred spot of dirt and beach were still there as though no more than a few days had passed since we’d last visited.
We stopped next to his favorite rock, and I could almost still see him wearing those penny loafers and perched on top of it the first day. I’d loved that boy with my whole heart even before I had known what love truly was, but the man standing in front of me now was better—so much better.
“God, I missed this place,” he whispered, hooking an arm around my hips and pulling me in for a hug.
“Me too.” Smiling, I drew in a deep breath that was equal parts fresh water, trees, and Camden Cole. The perfect scent in my opinion.
“You know, for a lot of years, I never understood why you didn’t move away from Clovert. I couldn’t fathom that you had a lot of positive memories rooting you to this place. But then, when we’re here, all the good times come flooding back.”
“Get out of my head, Cam. I was literally just thinking that.”
He chuckled, but his smile quickly fell. “I don’t want to lose it. In New York, it’s different. It’s busy and chaotic. We’d have to travel for hours to find a place like this. When I moved away from Alberton, this kind of life was exactly what I was trying to escape. I needed to get away from the memories clinging to these trees or there was a solid chance I’d still be sitting at this creek, waiting for you to come back.”
My stomach knotted. It was both super sweet and crazy sad, and it made me feel wicked guilty. I slid my hands up his chest and circled my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare apologize. It took a while, but we got here eventually. The problem is, while I was trying to get away, I ended up creating a whole new life that can’t really be done in Clovert. I worked my ass off for a lot of years, and while I’m sure there are plenty of people who need an attorney for public intoxication after the Fall Festival, they aren’t exactly my target clientele.”
I giggled. “Oh, come on, Ed Lewis could keep you in business year-round all on his own.”
“Probably. But that’s not what I want, babe. And I also don’t want to strip all of this from you, either.”
“You aren’t stripping—”
“I am. You have family here. Friends and students who love you. A summer lunch program that, honestly… It fucking kills me to think you won’t be here to watch it thrive. I need you. I need you in every single facet of my life, but not if it means giving up your own. I want the best of both worlds, Nora. A few days ago, I finally figured out how we can make this work, but I need your help.”
“Anything.”
He chewed on his bottom lip for a second, his blue eyes locked on mine, and then finally announced, “I want to buy the creek.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
He chuckled. “I want to buy it. Come on. This is our creek. It might as well be named the Stewart and Cole Worm Farm. The house is shit. I did a walk-through with Sam a few days ago. I swear it hasn’t been updated since the seventies. But we have time to do a remodel. Make it ours too.”
I blinked. “Um, wait. I’m confused. Didn’t you just say you can’t do your job in Clovert?”
“I did. But my boss has a summer house in Maine. He takes his whole family and goes there June through August. We could do that, Nora. We’ll get something small in the suburbs and then we can come back here for the summer. I’d still have to work and maybe fly back a few times a month, but you could still oversee your lunch program.”
He released me and walked over to two trees, his voice filling with almost as much excitement as his face. “But, at night, we could hang a hammock up out here.” He swung his arm down to the deep