“Daddy. Have you met Luke? He’s Stella’s hot Navy SEAL boyfriend,” Tess said with a wide smile.
“Tess!” Stella said in a scolding tone. She didn’t know where Tess got the nerve. Luke had a huge smirk on his face. Clearly, he thought Tess was charming. Fast forward six years and her parents really needed to be on their toes with Tess and the boys in town.
Tess shrugged. “What? I’m only repeating what everyone else in town is saying.”
“Well maybe you should stop repeating everything you hear and knock off the eavesdropping,” Walt said, shaking his head as he looked down at his daughter. He took a few steps toward Luke. “Hey there, Luke. It’s nice to see you again. It’s been a long time.” Walt shook hands with Luke and added, “Word on the street is that you’re dating my beautiful daughter.” He looked Luke up and down with a somber expression stamped on his face, then folded his arms across his chest.
“Dad!” Stella said with a groan. “Are you really doing this?” What in the world was going on with her dad? He was normally easygoing and sweet. Was this a result of Rafe treating her so poorly? Was he now being overly protective?
Luke chuckled. “It’s okay, Stella. It’s fine. Hi, Mr. Marshall. It’s great to see you again.”
Walt clapped Luke on the shoulder. “I’m just pulling Stella’s leg.” He leaned in and said in a loud whisper, “She can be a little uptight sometimes.”
Stella swatted in the direction of her dad, who grabbed her forearms and pulled her into a hug. “I’m just having a little fun, sweetie.”
The patio door opened, and Nick stuck his head in. “How about we fire up the grill, guys? I’m not naming any names, but a few people out here are getting hungry for burgers and dogs.”
“That’s my cue,” Luke said, rubbing his hands together. “I’m about to get my grill on.”
“Why doesn’t everybody grab some food to take outside for the grill master?” Stella asked, grinning at Luke. Why did it feel that she’d grinned more in the past few weeks than she had in her entire life?
Tess and Walt headed outside with platters in their hands while Luke reached for another tray to carry.
“Oh, wait. I have something for you,” Stella said, holding up a finger. She dug around in the kitchen counter drawer, letting out a cry of triumph when she located what she’d been searching for. “Ta-dah!” She held up the red, white, and blue apron with the wordsGRILL MASTERemblazoned on the front.
Luke let out a hearty laugh and took the apron from Stella. He put it on as Stella went behind him to tie it in the back. “Thanks. This is great,” Luke said, turning around to face her.
“You’re welcome,” she said, her eyes moving over him from head to toe. “You look pretty good for a hot Navy SEAL.”
“Oh, really?” Luke asked. “I never get tired of hearing you call me hot.”
“You know there’s a grilling tradition you have to uphold, right? In order to ensure grilling success someone has to kiss the grill master.”
“That tradition sounds right up my alley,” Luke said as she reached up on her tiptoes and pulled his head down toward her. Stella placed a tender kiss on his lips, one that came straight from her heart. She really liked kissing him. And she hoped there would be many more kisses in their future.
Luke placed another peck on her lips. “More of this later on, okay? I need to start grilling the food before there’s a rebellion out there.” Luke reached over and picked up a tray of burger patties from the counter.
“I’ll be right out,” she said, shooing him away. “I need to put some ice in a bin for the drinks.”
Stella watched as Luke headed outside. She peeked through the window and saw him laughing and joking with Nick and Dante. He fired up the grill and playfully wielded the spatula like a sword. Tess and Miles were enthralled by his every move. Her heart was filled almost to overflowing. If she could, Stella would capture this moment in a bottle and tuck it away as a forever memory. Happiness—true joy—wasn’t something she would ever take for granted again. She just hoped she could hold on to this feeling and that it didn’t slip through her fingers like sand through her toes.
***
As night fell, everyone headed to the beach with blankets and flashlights. The sky was perfectly clear with a scattering of stars twinkling brightly above them. Luke and Stella had both put on sweatshirts due to the cool breeze that always settled in by the water, and Stella had liberally sprayed bug repellant on all of them as they walked out the door. The mosquitoes in Mistletoe were vicious this time of year.
Luke led Stella to a secluded area where they would have a clear view of the fireworks. Although the rest of the group was nearby, Luke wanted to spend some private time with his girlfriend. The emotions bubbling up inside of him took him completely by surprise, like a random thunderstorm in summer. His feelings for Stella were epic. He knew it was far too late to backtrack. Everything between them now was genuine. And his feelings weren’t like anything he’d ever felt for any other woman.
Stella Marshall was in a league of her own. And despite his best intentions not to date anyone until he’d sorted his life out, Luke had been irresistibly drawn to her. Just like right now. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. Her natural beauty was illuminated by the soft glow of the moonlight. He placed his arm around her, and she nestled into him with her head against his chest.
A buzz of exhilaration filled the air as an announcement came over a loudspeaker that the fireworks would begin shortly. The crowd clapped and cries of excitement rang out across the beach. Luke hadn’t felt such a thrill since he was a youngster sitting on this very beach awaiting the holiday festivities. There hadn’t been a single thing about this night he hadn’t enjoyed.
“Oooh, this never gets old,” Stella said, rubbing her hands together and grinning. She looked like a little kid at the moment, full of excitement and pure joy. She was the living breathing embodiment of what the fireworks display always made him feel like on the inside.
A hissing sound emanated as the first of the fireworks burst into the air and lit up the sky. The moment he heard the fireworks and the sounds filled his ears, Luke flinched. He shifted his body so that Stella was no longer resting against him. His immediate reaction was to recoil from the intense noise and retreat. It sounded like an explosion. Suddenly his breathing became shallow and it felt as if he couldn’t get any air. Growing up, Luke had always loved Fourth of July fireworks. The popping sounds. The myriad colors bursting to life in the heavens. Now it felt like he was under attack. As burst after burst turned the sky into a rainbow of colors, Luke felt as if his world was crumbling around him. For the life of him he couldn’t get his bearings.
“Luke! Are you okay?” He heard his name being called through a haze. Stella reached out and touched his arm. He lightly shrugged her off as she made contact. Luke couldn’t have her touching him right now. He couldn’t bear the contact, which made no sense since he loved Stella’s touch.
Her shock and confusion were illuminated on her face with each explosion of color lighting up the sky. And with each flash of fireworks Luke was catapulted back into a hellish nightmare. Fire. Ash. The smell of burnt flesh. Agonizing screams. With every crack, pop, and hissing sound Luke thought he might be dying. His chest felt as if someone were sitting on it. Was he having a panic attack? He opened his mouth to respond to Stella, but nothing came out.
