We followed at a leisurely pace. The back of his hand brushed against mine, and we glanced at each other. “Tell me what you’re really thinking.”
“I’m just…confused. I haven’t seen or heard from you in years, and suddenly…in a matter of days you’re buying a house and moving back? Permanently?” I stopped walking, turning to face him.
He stopped, turning to me, eyes sweeping down briefly to my hand as his fingers slipped between mine, before they rose to look beseechingly into my eyes. “I’ve wasted enough time, don’t you think?” he murmured.
“You can’t just expect things to go back to the way they were.” I huffed, pulling my hand free and stepping back, willfully ignoring my heart’s frantic pounding. Stubborn and scared, despite what I already knew to be true.
“I don’t. I expect it will be even better this time around.” Calum flashed me a grin that made my insides turn to mush, and moved a little closer, his eyes locked on mine.
“You’re infuriating,” I said, my voice betraying my exasperation. To say I wasn’t affected by the heat and desire surging in his irises would be a boldfaced lie.
He grinned. “I know. But I’m tired of fighting what I want.” His gaze turned purposeful, the longing evident. The pull was impossible to resist.
“And what is it that you want, Cal?” I asked breathlessly. He moved to stand behind me, his chest pressed against my back. He gestured toward the dock, where Asher was exploring.
“You. Him. Us. This.” He spoke into the shell of my ear, but when I turned to look at him, he was watching Asher. Sensing my movement, he looked down, a devout smile tugging at his lips.
I sighed, fighting a smile as I shook my head. I couldn’t help but relax into his embrace. “It’s a nice thought.” Trailing off, I pondered how I could word what I was feeling and thinking.
“You don’t trust me,” Calum said simply, beating me to the punch. He read the truth of it in my eyes and nodded with somber understanding. “Trust is earned, and that takes time. I’ll stop at nothing to earn yours back. I don’t care how long it takes.”
His blue eyes were determined, relentlessly prying into my soul. And still, I couldn’t look away, despite feeling so utterly exposed.
A splash in the water had both our heads turning to the dock, a jolt of panic electrifying me until I saw that Asher was still standing on the dock, tossing rocks into the water. He’d had swimming lessons, of course, and he knew not to go close to it, but accidents happened. When I saw he was safe, I let out a breath of relief, turning back to address Calum with furrowed brows.
“We’ll continue this particular conversation later?” he asked, and I nodded my agreement. His heady gaze lingered on me for another searing moment before he flashed me a smile and headed down to join Asher at the dock.
I remained standing on the lawn, the grass cold and brittle beneath my boots, watching him stroll toward Asher. When he stopped beside him, Asher passed Cal a rock, and he threw it. It skipped twice before sinking, and Asher’s laugh spilled across the lawn, making me smile despite my own hapless confusion.
That sound of laughter allowed the hope to overflow; it made me feel like this was the way things were supposed to be.
I took a moment to slowly look around—my gaze resting on the wrap-around wooden porch and French doors at the back of the house. As I took it in, I was transported to another time.
“I want to live on the water,” I declared, watching the sunset over Hirtle’s Beach with Calum’s arms wrapped securely around me. My back was pressed against his warm chest, and I could feel his silent chuckle as he pressed a kiss to the nape of my neck. “I want to watch the sun set every day over the water, from our porch.”
“And I want to rail you every night on our porch while we watch the sunset,” Calum whispered into my ears seductively, thrusting against me.
I laughed, pressing harder against him; he responded by holding me even closer. “How come all of our future talks involve you doing me?”
“Probably because I’m insatiable for you, and I always will be.” He shrugged, his hands slipped against my torso, toying with the hem of my bikini. “And when you paint a picture, of us on a porch watching the sunset…of course, my mind’s going to go there.” My skin erupted in goosebumps, and I shivered.
“Fair point,” I managed, turning and slipping my arms around his waist. I rested my head against his chest, biting down on my lip when I felt his arousal.
“What?! Talking about the future with you excites me.” He grinned, his fingers gripping my ass. “Ready to go?”
“Ready to go?” Calum asked, jarring me from the stroll down memory lane. I turned, startled by how close he was, Asher at his side. Cal’s gaze went to the porch I’d been staring blankly at, his eyes sparkling with remembrance.
“Yeah, come on, Mom! I wanna show Cal how epic Minecraft is!”
Lips twitching with amusement, I looked askew at Calum, seeing the hope plainly on his face. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Calum
Istayed until past ten again. The afternoon ended with me playing a videogame with Asher while Harper read in her cozy chair. Her socked feet were crossed and dangling over the arm. Every so often, I’d feel her eyes on me, but each time I’d turn to her, I’d find her focused intently on the paperback on her lap.
It would have driven me mad, but I was thankful that she’d let me hang around so long. There was nowhere else I’d rather be than here with them.
Asher seemed reluctant for the night to end. We ordered pizza for dinner, and then he pleaded with me to stay for a movie.
