Out of Breath (Breathing, #3)(90)

‘Would it be okay if he stayed in the house with you until I get back? It would make me feel better if you weren’t by yourself.’

I smiled affectionately at her protectiveness. ‘I’m okay with that, but you’ll have to ask him if he is.’ Evan’s eyes moved from the conversation he was participating in with the guys to me. I knew he was listening.

‘Let me talk to him. I’ll see you on Thursday. And charge your stupid phone!’

‘Okay.’ I laughed lightly, handing the phone back to Evan.

Emma continued to watch me when I put the phone up to my ear. ‘Yeah?’

‘Could you make sure she’s not alone again until I get back?’ Sara requested. I raised my eyes to meet Emma’s.

‘I can do that,’ I responded, noting the slight colour change on her sunburnt face.

‘Evan, I have no idea what happened, but I don’t think it was good,’ Sara continued.

‘I agree,’ I replied, still holding Emma’s gaze. ‘Don’t worry though. We’ll find a good place tomorrow, and I won’t go anywhere until you kick me out.’

‘Separate bedrooms!’ Sara warned, making me laugh.

‘See you Thursday, Sara,’ I said before hanging up. I tucked the phone back in my pocket. Emma was still watching me. ‘Ready?’

Her expression changed to that of dread.

‘Here, Emma, you can squeeze my hand,’ Brent volunteered, holding out his hand for her to take.

She wrapped her thin hand around his large rough one, and he grinned.

‘Or you could just punch him if it hurts too bad,’ I grumbled, making Brent shoot me a scowling glance. Emma released a small laugh.

I proceeded to remove the coarse sand embedded in her feet.

‘Aahh,’ Brent complained, when Emma clenched her teeth and squeezed his hand. I chuckled.

‘Emma, you’re staying here tonight, right?’ TJ asked, chomping on the ice chips that were supposed to be for her.

Emma looked to me, ‘If that’s okay …’

Before I could answer, Brent blurted, ‘Yeah it is.’

‘Let’s sleep on the beach,’ Ren chimed in. ‘We’ll build a fire, and I’ll get my guitar.’

Before I could open my mouth to object, concerned about how she would get down there safely and then keep her feet clean, Emma replied with a glowing smile, ‘I’ve never slept on the beach before.’

I stopped. I wasn’t about to wipe that smile from her face. And besides … I couldn’t give up the opportunity to be a part of a new Emma experience.





28


Finding a Reason


‘IF YOU DROP HER, I’LL KILL YOU,’ EVAN threatened as Brent carried me down the steps on his back. I laughed at his warning. The way the two interacted when it came to me was pretty entertaining.

Brent was harmless, and Evan knew it. But he continued to be annoyed by Brent’s playful flirting – I found it funny.

My feet were wrapped in a mile of gauze and protected by a pair of Brent’s knee-high tube socks. I looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care. This had been the most emotionally exhausting and physically demanding day of my life. My stomach hollowed at the thought of how close I’d come to not existing.

I’d confronted my demons, and I walked – well, ran – away from a life that I preferred to never look back upon. I feared they’d eventually catch up with me. But right now, I was still here.

‘Emma, you okay?’ Evan asked, snapping my attention back. His stormy blue eyes searched mine briefly as he walked alongside us on the sand.

‘Uh, yeah,’ I said, trying to keep my voice even. ‘Just tired.’

Brent kept his hands secured under my knees as he carried me down the beach to where the guys had selected a spot along the hillside that blocked the wind. Evan dropped the bundle of logs and two sleeping bags on the sand. Nate set the cooler down to help Ren and TJ unroll sleeping bags, and place them around the fire pit that Evan began digging.

Brent knelt down and gently dumped me off on the black sleeping bag. I scooted my legs inside, my body chilled easily from the sunburn I’d earned during my tour of the California coastline that afternoon.

Ren tuned his guitar while Evan lit the fire. TJ handed out beers, offering me a bottle of lemonade, which I happily accepted. I’d had enough water for one day.

TJ waved a flask at me across the fire. ‘I could spike that lemonade for you, Emma, if you want.’

I laughed at the offer. ‘Thanks, TJ – I’m all set though. I swore off vodka.’

‘I did that with Beam,’ TJ said with a shiver. ‘Wow, that was a bad night.’

Brent laughed in remembrance, settling on his sleeping bag at my feet. ‘You woke up face down on the beach, naked.’

‘Yeah,’ TJ recalled, ‘I have no idea how that happened.’

‘I do,’ Ren interceded. ‘We were talking about that guy who liked to surf naked, and you decided that you were going to do it. But that didn’t work out so well for you.’

‘Did I crash and burn?’ TJ enquired, oddly ignorant of his own story.

‘You didn’t even make it into the water!’ Ren guffawed. ‘You fell on your face taking off your shorts and passed out right there.’