I squeeze the hand I’m still holding. “I do. I think we feel like we’re the only family we’ve got.”
She’s nodding, her lips pressed into a thin line.
“There’s nothing going on. She feels like a sibling. Maybe. Not sure what that’s like but it doesn’t feel . . . We’re just friends.”
“I know. I believe you.” She rolls onto her side, facing me, and props her head on one hand and draws circles in the sand with the other. “She was nothing but kind to me, even after. I just couldn’t . . . It was too hard to see her, talk to her.”
“I know. She knows.” I feel a line of sweat run down my temple. The sun is baking. I see the fine beads on her upper lip. “Wanna go for a swim?”
“I do. It’s warm. But we’ve gotta make it quick. Can’t be late for the party.” She springs off the sand and holds a hand down to me. I take it, a smile tugging my lips upward, and let her pull me off the ground. She jogs into the surf up to her waist and dives in, popping out of the surface a few feet away.
I mimic her and pop up next to her. My mouth waters at the sight of her tanned skin dripping wet. Impulsively I reach for her.
She wraps her arms and legs around me, and I pull her against me till we’re nose to nose. She dips her head and kisses me, long and lingering. “Salty.” She smiles against my lips.
“You too. I like it,” I say against hers.
She rewards me with another kiss, this time pressing her tongue past my lips, stroking it softly. “Mmm.” My body responds instantly. I break the kiss before I take her right here in the shallow surf. “We better go get ready for the party.”
She nods her agreement and swims for the shore.
“Right behind you,” I call. “Just need a minute here.” Her giggle trails behind her as she hits the beach and scoops her board off the sand.
Standing in the sand, feet slightly apart, board tucked under her arm, with the sun glistening off her wet body she looks like a goddess. It’s doing nothing to calm my raging hard-on. She cups her free hand over her eyes and squints against the sun, tracking me as I bob in the surf.
I can see her wheels turning from here. “What’s going on in there, pretty girl?” I project my voice over the pulse of the tide and toss my head at her, moving my arms back and forth to keep it above the surface.
Her nose wrinkles as her lips curve. She shakes her head, sending wet locks swaying across her shoulders. Shrugging, she calls, “Are we really doing this?”
I let the waves bring me closer to shore and ground myself in the wet sand, sloshing through the tide toward her. She props the board upright next to her and leans on it as I walk to her, adjusting my clinging swim trunks. “Doyouwant to . . . do this? Be together? I didn’t want to ask until I was sure I could be what you needed. What you deserve. I know we should’ve waited to . . . for . . .” My fingers itch to tuck her wet locks behind her ear, but I refrain from touching her.That seems to be where we stop talking and start . . . My body wants to finish that sentence.
“That’s on me. I missed you. Missed touching you. Kissing you.”
I shake my head at her. “Not all you, Ever. Chemistry has never been our issue.” I reach out now and touch only her hair until my fingers graze the shell of her ear as I wrap the rusty lock behind it. Her skin already feels warm again from just the few minutes out of the sea. “I want this. Us.” I wag my finger between us. “But I want to always show you the best version of me. I’m doing the work.”
“You already said that.” She taps one fingernail on my lips and smiles. She leans in and places a light kiss on them. “I can tell, Julie. And I’ve been working on my shit, too. All we can do is try our best, right?” She smiles again, and I nod once, holding my breath. “Besides, we owe it to the chemistry. Don’t ya think?” She looks at me under her lashes as my jaw drops on a bark of laughter.
“Yeah, sassy girl, I do.” I reach for her board and tuck it under my arm, clasp her hand in my free one and we move toward the stairs in sync.
Chapter 25
Everly
As anniversary parties go this one is flawless. To be fair I don’t have a frame of reference, but the twins do. Their parents are Hollywood royalty, so they know parties and even they’re impressed. They float around charming everyone they talk to. The more I hang out with them, the more effortless it becomes to do the same, much to Allie and Ashley’s delight.
I’ve drawn the line at running my social accounts but regularly agree to in-person events and promotion. It’s becoming muscle memory and not as grueling as I once feared. Plus, the twins moonlight as my stylists, so that goes a long way to making me feel comfortable in my skin, less awkward.
Speaking of skin, the dress they insisted I wear is by far the prettiest I’ve ever worn. They call it the naked dress, which I must admit is quite accurate because it hugs every piece of my body it covers, which isn’t much. Hitting just below my ass cheeks and the color of muted flesh, it makes quite a statement. That I’m not drowning in self-consciousnessis a testament to my inner growth. The fitted slip dress style drapes over my torso and leaves no room for a bra. I’ve also never felt prettier.
Standing at one of the tall bar tables scattered around the backyard patio, the twins, Lilly, Noah and Seth and I clink our champagne glasses together on cue at Ashley’s anniversary toast. He, Allie and Julian stand on the makeshift stage, rolling out future plans for the guests—mostly investors, employees and influencers.
“One more announcement before we let you eat, drink and be merry. Ever, can you join us up here?”
I smile for the crowd and set my glass down, swinging my eyes between my friends.What was I just mentally bragging about?Self-confidence? Yeah, sure, okay.“Uh, unexpected,” I mumble to them through smiling lips. Louder, I say, “Be right back.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, friends, colleagues. May I present Ever Tate, the face of our next phase—fitness psychology. At ASH, we want a complete picture of health, so this next year, we’re delving deeper into the mind-body connection. A concept that was brought to us by this intelligent and innovative young mind, Ever Tate.”
The heat on my cheeks tells me they’re flaming, but I step onto the raised platform to the applause from our guests, smiling—hopefully—like I do this every day. I raise my hand in thanks and hopes of subduing the ovation. “Thanks, everyone. I’m not big on public speaking, so I’ll just say it means the world to me that Ashley and Allie embraced my ideas. A year and a half ago, I found myself in a dark place and found solace in fitness. The thing that surprised me most was the change in my mental state. The more I exercised, the clearer and calmer my mind grew. That took me down a rabbit hole of discovery that I felt compelled to share with others. I’m excited for this next phase andso grateful to ASH for the opportunity. True transformation starts in the mind. Train your body. Rewire your mind. That’s what we hope to achieve with Ever Fit. Cheers.” I move across the small stage to hug Allie and Ashley. As I retreat to leave the stage, I hug Julian, too, mostly because it would look awkward not to. His hand on my hip is searing, his touch electric. It shouldn’t surprise me—it’s always like this with us—but still I suck in a quick, sharp breath at the contact.
