The Resolution of Callie & Kayden(61)

‘I love hearing you talking about your future.’ She turns her head and nuzzles into me. ‘It always worried me when you wouldn’t.’

I run my fingers through her hair and brush it out of her eyes so I can see her face. ‘I’m sorry it took me so long to get to that point, but I’m glad you waited for me.’

‘You’re worth the wait,’ she says, breathing me in. Then she starts grinning in amusement, shaking her head at herself. ‘You’ve also turned me into a walking romance novel, FYI.’

‘I’m not sure what you mean?’

Leaning back, she draws down her sunglasses to look at me. ‘I keep uttering these cheesy lines every time I’m around you. It’s becoming ridiculous.’

I chuckle softly. ‘I think it’s cute.’

‘Well, you do it, too,’ she says, amused. ‘All the time.’

I start to scrunch up my nose and protest, but then I realize she’s right. So instead, I get to my feet, brush the sand off my hands, and throw her over my shoulder.

‘Kayden, what the heck!’ she cries through her laughter, pounding on my back as I rush toward the water and wade in until I’m waist deep. We’re not in our swimsuits, but shorts, and the water is lukewarm, and still not comfortable. Still it’s fun.

‘This is for turning me into a sap,’ I tease, pinching her ass before I lower her into the water with a splash.

She lets out a squeal as the salty ocean seeps through her clothes all the way up to just below her chest. ‘You are a mean, mean boy.’

‘No way. I’m a sappy guy, thanks to you.’ I give her a lopsided grin as I grab the front of her shirt and pull her closer to me. Her hair is dripping wet, water beads her skin, and her clothes cling to her body. She’s ridiculously sexy and I just want to lick the water right off her skin.

So I do.

Dipping my head toward her neck, I lick a path across her collarbone, ignoring the salty taste.

‘Kayden,’ she gasps, her fingers tangling through my hair.

She pulls me closer and I smile against her skin as I drop my head lower as my hands glide up to her stomach. I kiss a path to the collar of her shirt then pull it down to suck on the curve of her breast. She struggles to stand upright against the intensity and the waves rolling toward us, so I reach down, grab her thigh, and hitch it around my hip. She gasps and rocks her hips against me, seeking more. The moment is perfect and I’m about to give our bodies everything they’re craving when a large wave slams against us and knocks us apart.

‘Holy shit.’ I struggle to get my footing as Callie comes up from out of the water.

‘Serves you right’ – she laughs and swims toward shore – ‘for throwing me in there to begin with,’ she says as she crawls out of the water and drops down on the sand exhausted.

I wade out and lie down beside her, completely unconcerned that the sand is getting caked to my clothes. Then we stare at the sky, getting lost in the peace of just being near each other. But it’s when the clouds roll in that I’m reminded why we’re here.

‘We should probably get ready to go,’ Callie whispers softly with her arm draped over her forehead.

I slowly nod. ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’ It takes me a minute to move, though, and in the end, I wish I could have stayed.

Just her and me.

Callie and me.

The warm sand.

The peaceful ocean.

That’s all I want.

But deep down, I know it’s time for me to go say goodbye.


Dylan and Liz show up at our hotel a few hours before the funeral to take us out for lunch. Callie’s wearing a black dress that looks a lot like Liz’s and Dylan and I are wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a black tie. None of our moods seem as sullen as our outfits, though.

‘I can’t believe you’re a writer,’ Liz says to Callie from across the table at the fast food place we’re eating at. ‘That’s so cool.’

Callie seems a little self-conscious with the attention focused solely on her. ‘Yeah, I guess. But I still have a lot of stuff to do if I’m going to make writing my career.’

I drape my arm around her and comb my fingers through her hair that still has the faintest scent of the ocean. ‘You are going to be one. It’s what you love to do.’

She scrunches up her face. ‘I just don’t want to think of it as a job, you know. The internship is great and everything, but I don’t know. It’s just not as fun as writing stories.’