Page 29 of Hooked on Love

I smile, her laughter contagious.

“My brother here?” Luke asks.

I shake my head, peering around him to the only door to the roof. “Not yet.”

He nods, scanning our surroundings.

We make our way over to the railing, looking out over the bay. I can see The Tides, the marina, and a vast majority of the town itself set beside a breathtaking ocean view.

I sigh.

“Did you eat yet, Peyton?” Molly asks kindly.

“Not yet. I was hoping to wait for Jake, but…” I trail off the moment my stomach growls something fierce.

Luke grunts. “No sense on starving while you wait.” He wraps an arm around Molly to lead her over, lifting his chin for me to follow.

The moment I turn away from the rail, I’m faced with the hunky boat captain Danny promised me. He’s wearing his sun-bleached jeans and a loose white button-down with a tattoo or two peeking out. His hair wind swept and messy, but he’s handsome all the same.

“You’re here,” I breathe, my pulse jumping with excitement as I take a hurried step toward him. He made it.

Jake grins, his thick forearm encircling my waist and dragging me against him. “Hello to you, too, sweetheart.”

He leans in for a kiss and a not-so-quiet awe has me smiling against his lips.

The evening sets off from there.

Drinks, food, friends, and so much laughter my face hurts. The whole while Jake is at my side, right up until the music stops and the sound of a live, acoustic guitar fills the cool, darkening night air.

A crowd forms around the mayor of all people as he sits perched on a stool with a classic, wooden guitar in his hands. People shift as couples start pairing off and a dance floor is quick to form. Molly is one of the first ones to drag her man behind her.

Jake and I chuckle at the look of pure torture on Luke’s face, yet he doesn’t stop her. He simply wraps his arms around her and they start to sway to the music.

Jake shifts to stand in front of me, palm extended between us. “Care to dance, sweetheart?”

I gush dramatically. “I thought you’d never ask, darling.”

Jake throws his head back with a bark of laughter, then leads me out onto the impromptu dance floor. His strong, sure hands land on my hips and I bring my arms up and around his neck as more couples decide to join us.

We sway together while the mayor’s guitar fills the warm night air, and I think I could stay right here forever. Jake’s hands are steady on my hips and I feel it the way I always do with him.

Safe. Held. Home.

“I owe you an apology,” he says quietly, above the music.

I pull back just enough to look at him. “For what?”

“For making you wonder whether or not I would show up tonight.” His jaw works. “Whether I was serious.”

The guitar plays on around us.

“Jake.”

His hands tighten at my hips. “I’ve been so caught up in the boat coming back together that I didn’t stop to make sure you knew where we stand.”

I search his face. “And where is that?”

He looks at me for a long moment, steady and sure, all the walls he walked in with that first night are gone.