“You look great.”
We got into my truck and I pulled out onto the main road.
“I thought we could go down to the beach at Hunter’s Cove, then have dinner later if you’re up for it.”
Her gaze snapped over to mine. “We haven’t been there since we were kids.”
“I know. That okay?”
A small smile graced her lips. “Sounds cool.”
This was nice, this easygoing sense of peace I felt near her. Things had been way too tense lately, but I knew when I told her what was really on my mind, that sweet smile on her face would fade quickly.
I pulled into the gravel parking lot beside the beach, and we climbed out. A few minutes later we were strolling down the lazy stretch of beach.
“Remember when we carved our names into that tree?” she asked, and I followed her gaze down to the small clump of trees at the other end of the protected beach. “I wonder if it’s still there.”
We started toward the small grove of trees. It took us a few minutes, but soon we were standing in the same spot we had fifteen years ago, running our fingers over the rough initials I’d carved with my pocketknife.
“Things were a lot different back then,” Chloe said sadly.
“Not that different. It’s still me and you against the world, Sunshine.”
She nodded and let me take her hand, leading her down toward the beach, where we sat in the sand.
“There are a lot of things I’ve been putting off saying to you,” I told her. “I know you tried to get me talking a few times, but what can I say? I’m a stubborn ass.”
“I understand, Shaw. You’ve been through so much this year. Getting married and then losing Samantha like that. I’ve just wanted to know that you’re okay. And yeah, sometimes I’ve wanted to understand what you and I were doing.”
I nodded. “I know. And I’ve been selfish. But tonight I want to get some things off my chest.”
She stayed quiet but nodded subtly for me to go ahead.
“First thing you don’t know is that Samantha became pregnant shortly after we graduated from college.”
I felt Chloe’s gaze on me, could see her mouth open from the corner of my eye. But I kept my focus on the water, unable to face the pity I was sure would be reflected in her features.
“I proposed because it felt like the right thing to do.”
This time I looked over at Chloe, and it wasn’t pity I saw. It was a mix of shock and confusion.
“And then she miscarried right after I proposed.”
“But you still went along with the wedding?” she asked, hesitation in her voice.
I nodded. “We tried to make the best of it. We fought sometimes, and we struggled to adjust to our new forever. In a lot of ways, we weren’t compatible. We wanted different things. She wanted to move to LA and pursue an acting career. I wanted to come back to this sleepy little island that had everything I held dear—you and all our memories from growing up, my parents’ marina, the sea that always felt like home to me.”
“I never knew any of this,” Chloe said softly.
I nodded. “Samantha resented you in my life. And I’m sorry I pushed you away the last couple of years—but I was trying to do what I thought was the right thing as a married man.”
Chloe nodded. “I understand. You don’t have to explain that.”
I took a deep breath. “But then I found out she was cheating on me. I didn’t know who he was. At first I didn’t care because I was ten thousand percent fucking done with it all. But then I got curious and started piecing everything together. The new hairstyle, her new obsession with the gym, her preoccupation with her phone. One night she went to take a bath and left her phone on the counter. I read her text messages from someone she’d saved as Mr. Midnight. They met up at the Coral Reef Inn on Wednesday nights.”
Her jaw dropped. “Wednesdays?”
I nodded somberly. “I get it if you hate me, if you think I’m a total fucking prick.”
She shook her head. “I don’t. Not at all.”
“Well, that’s a start, at least.”
“Is there more?” Chloe asked.
“Yes, but let’s get some dinner first.”
“Sounds good.” She rose from the ground, brushing the sand from her butt, and led the way to the truck.
This next part was going to be the hardest.
Chapter Fourteen
Chloe
Sitting across from Shaw at the expensive oceanfront seafood restaurant felt a little surreal. Not because we hadn’t been out to eat together before, but because this felt like a date. A real date with cloth napkins and linen on the table, and a little white candle flickering between us.
We’d finished our meal and I was on my second glass of merlot when Shaw leaned closer.
“You’ve been here for me in so many ways, and I’ve never even said thank you.”
I shook my head. “You didn’t need to. I’ve been here because I wanted to be. You’re my best friend.”
“That’s the thing, though. Sometimes I get fucked up in the head and I don’t just think of you as a friend. I think of you as mine. Sorry if that’s fucking weird or creeps you out or whatever, but that’s just the way it is. It’s the way it’s always been.”
My heart started to pound, and I couldn’t mistake the look in his eyes. It wasn’t sexual or suggestive or dark, like I was used to. It was filled with pure love and adoration.