I folded my arms and glanced up at him. His expression was determined. “I signed an agreement, Reed. A marriage contract. It’s all in black and white.” I knew I could get out of that; it would be expensive, but not impossible. I couldn’t tell Reed that, though, as that wasn’t what was holding me to my word. Reed’s continued success and safety were.
“Is he blackmailing you? Does he have something on you or your family?” My breath caught in my throat as he brushed my face with his thumb and lowered his head. “Tell me. I can help you. I’m no longer the boy from the wrong side of the tracks with fuck all to his name. I have resources, money, and power. Trust me, Storm, as you used to…”
“Excuse me, Sir. Are you Reed Prescott, the new QB for the Patriots?” Two identical-looking boys interrupted us, and we both turned. I dropped my hands by my sides, trying to look less defensive. Their mother and father were also making their way towards us. Possibly to stop the boys from rudely interrupting us. I took their appearance as a good thing.
“Yeah, I sure am. Hi. Do you follow the Patriots?” Reed said, putting some distance between us. He didn’t jump away, but I felt it nonetheless.
“Yes! My entire bedroom is decorated in the team colors.”
“Impressive.”
“Mom, we told you it’s him.” One shouted to his parents.
“Please, could I get a picture?” the boy who’d mentioned his Patriots sheets asked with a bright look.
“Why not?”
I watched as Reed posed with the two boys, and their mother snapped some pictures on her phone. Listening to the way he spoke with the kids washeartwarming; it gave me a funny feeling in my belly. The mother was beaming from ear to ear up at Reed. He and her husband were now talking about the future playoffs as their boys raced up and down the sand. You could tell Reed had been coached on how to behave with fans and members of the public.
The sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, painting the sky with stunning shades of orange and purple. Irrespective of the conversation becoming too personal, I was pleased Reed had brought us there for our date. It was a refreshing change being away from the bustle of city life. I had always enjoyed the peacefulness of that part of the coast.
I glanced over at Reed, who was now signing a couple of autographs for the boys. The soft breeze carried the salty smell of the sea toward me, and I realized we hadn’t even dipped a toe in the water: our conversation switching so suddenly had put an end to that.
As I started to roll up the blanket, knowing it was time to leave, I heard Reed ask the boys’ parents, “Could you do me a little favor and not let them post the picture on social media for the next hour or so?”
She glanced over at me as I was pushing to my feet. “Yeah, sure.”
“Of course, Mr. Prescott, no problem,” the man added as they shook hands. “Good luck for Saturday.”
“Thanks.”
As the family walked away with their giddy boys in tow, Reed turned back and closed the distance.
“Where were we?” he said with a head tilt.
My voice wobbled. “We were having a pointless conversation about the past, dredging up memories, ones that are hard for both of us to deal with.”
Reed swept a hand across the bristles on his chin. “So why don’t we make new ones?”
Hope surged in my chest, but I thrust it back down. “As what, Reed? Another friends with benefits deal? Sneaking around behind everyone’s backs so they don’tlook down their noses at the most mismatched couple of the century.” I knew my words could have been considered cruel, as they suggested Reed wasn’t my equal, but I had to put that distance back between us.
Reed’s tone took on a hard edge. “You were never my friend, Storm.”
I dusted my hands off as he started to pull his biker boots on. “So, what was I?”
There was a pause as he readjusted his pants and grabbed his jacket, shrugging into it and zipping it up. The temperature was starting to drop.
I pursed my lips as Reed stepped forward and slid his hands around my waist, pulling my body flush with his. “You were a high-maintenance little princess who drove me nuts most of the time. An entitled society rich bitch who walked the halls as if she owned them.” He paused, threading some of my hair behind my ear with his fingers as his voice dipped. “But you were also my girl, Storm. The world didn’t know that back then. But I did.” Reed’s eyes were glazed and so certain as he watched me with a hooded look.
I placed my fingers over his and gently tried to push him off, but his hold stayed firm. I couldn’t think straight when he was touching me. “Can’t we just enjoy the moment and not rehash the past? I’m not the same person I was back then.” I remembered how Reed had always given me hope for things that had never been available in my world.
“But that’s where the best memories lie?” he explained. I could see from his body language that he was wound tightly and trying to hide it.
“What? During those years when we had to sneak around. Hide the truth from our family and friends. Those days when we were living a lie?”
“You didn’t care about all that bullshit at the time. We were together. We knew it, and we had nothing to prove to anyone else. Or was I right in what I said in your office then? That you felt nothing and that you just used me?” he said, repeating what he’d said that first day we had spoken in years.
My face crumpled as he was half right. “We used each other, Reed.”
