Bewitching You(29)

He loved her. It had to be love. He was drawn to her, wanting to spend every second with her. And in such a short time. Three days ago, he wouldn’t have believed this was possible, to care this much for a woman. But here he was, heart wide open and filled with what could only be love.

How could it be?

He didn’t want to question his heart; it felt so right. Yet he couldn’t tell her. What kind of man falls in love with a woman in two days?

Well, he had to admit the dreams had helped. He knew her, everything from what made her scream with pleasure to what made her laugh. That kind of closeness he’d never had with a woman. He was able to be himself, not the man his brother’s death had forced him to be, but the real Grayson Phillips. The woman in his arms had put the paddles to his chest and enlivened his dead spirit.

She sighed heavily underneath him. “You’re my hero, Gray,” she said in a little girl voice.

Laughing, Gray propped himself up and kissed her lips.

She blushed and smiled cutely. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

~ * ~

Rachel crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Where have you been?” she asked Hayes, who also had his arms crossed as he stood in the middle of her living room.

“You can’t sit around in your apartment all day, Rachel. It’s not good for you. What are you thinking?”

“I was waiting for you. I thought you were coming back.”

“I never promised that. I said I would if I could.”

Angry and desperate, she held her hand to her chest, wanting to ease the ache. “We don’t have much more time together. Where did you go? Who’s more important than me?”

He shook his head. “You know I have to take care of Gray. I hurt him and I want to fix it.”

“You hurt me too. You left me, Hayes.”

“I know.” He reached out, but seemed to change his mind. “But I can’t change the past. I can only attempt to make the future better.”

“For Grayson?” Rachel let go of the tears welling up in her eyes. “Is he with that waitress?”

“Yes, but you don’t need to worry about that.”

“I knew it.” She tried to keep her hands from shaking. “Did he f*ck her?”

“Rache, why do you care?”

“He was going to be my husband. I was going to spend the rest of my life with—”

“Because I wasn’t here,” Hayes yelled, startling her. “If I hadn’t died, he never would’ve proposed to you, and you never would’ve accepted.”

“But you did die,” she yelled back. “Grayson was all I had left, and you took him from me. Now I have no one.” Her legs grew wobbly, and she collapsed onto her knees. How absolutely pathetic. But if she couldn’t have Hayes, what was the point of ever getting up?

He knelt beside her and disappeared as he wrapped his arms around her. “You have you, baby. Don’t ever forget that. You’re too good to be trapped in a loveless marriage. Life has too much potential. And you…”

Rachel felt him lift her chin with his finger and kiss her lips. She savored the nearness, the honey taste of his lips, the soft yet firm caress.

He released her too soon and reappeared before her. His eyes were reddened. “You are too beautiful and intelligent and sweet to sit inside this apartment and act like life is over. If you really want someone to love you, then love yourself, baby. You deserve that.”

His words stung. Was he right? In her heart, she knew he was. She couldn’t remember the last time she could look in the mirror with pride, knowing she was the woman staring back at her.

“Will you promise me something, Rache?”

She nodded, swiping the tears from her face.

“Do something for yourself with no one else in mind. Not Grayson, not me, and most definitely not your parents. Make it special. Make it count. Something you’d never give yourself in a million years. Can you do that?”

“I could try.”

“Good.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “I love you, Rachel. You can always hold that in your heart. I can’t give you happily ever after, but you can find it on your own.”

“Hayes?”

“Yeah?” He held her close. She could tell he was struggling to be all there for her because of the way his body trembled.

“I love you too. I always will.”

“I know. I have to go. Don’t forget your promise to me.”

He faded slowly from her touch and her sight.

Then he was gone.

Rachel let the last tear fall from her cheek. That was it for crying. She’d be strong. She had to be. For herself.

The white envelope her mother had left her was sitting on the coffee table. She picked it up and glimpsed inside at the plane tickets.

Something she’d never do in a million years? Oh, yeah, this was it.

~ * ~

Gray helped Sofia into the boat. She shook out a blanket and dropped down with the picnic basket and her sketchbook. There was only one seat for the rower, so Gray sat there with a fishing pole he’d found in the basement. He’d try some bologna for bait, like his dad had shown him many years ago.

He glanced at their surroundings. Trees lined over half of the lake’s bank, but it seemed most of them were removed or didn’t grow on this half.

Only a few stood, shading the water. It was beautiful all the same.

The skies had patches of clouds here and there. No major threat of rain. They’d have a couple of good hours out on the water, at least.

The boat seemed like it’d had its day. The red and white paint was chipping and some parts of the wood were splintering. But the boat was sturdy, and the water looked tempting. Speaking of tempting, Sofia had on a white tank top, no apparent bra, and khaki shorts she’d changed into after they’d showered together. Originally, he’d wanted to take her right back to bed to satisfy the growing need to have her as close as possible. To hold her and make love to her until they couldn’t stand it anymore. Sofia convinced him otherwise, reminding him of the boat and what a fun time they’d have.

He still wore his jeans and that was it. Sofia had insisted on washing his clothes again. They were hanging on the line next to some bed sheets and a couple pairs of her panties she’d blushed about after he’d noticed them.

“Okay, Captain Phillips, I’m ready.” Sofia pulled a large pink-flowered floppy hat out of the basket and stuffed it on her head. She looked adorable.

After launching the boat away from the dock, Gray grabbed the oars and started rowing to the middle of the lake. He couldn’t help but wonder if in an alternate universe, he’d be out on the ocean with Hayes in a much larger boat. They’d drink beers and fish, not caring if they caught anything because they’d be laughing at a stupid, pointless joke—the best kind—and having the time of their lives.

Of course, now Gray would want Sofia to be there to laugh along with them. She’d fit in perfectly with her down-to-earth sweetness and sense of humor.

Snap out of it, Gray. Hayes isn’t coming back.

But he did have Sofia. “You ever come out here before?”

She glanced at him from underneath the ridiculously large brim. “When I was a kid. I used to visit Nana during summer break, and she’d send me out here if I started whining about being bored. The Amish kids would come over and swim with me. There were tons of them, and they all seemed to be related in some way. The girls, for the most part, just stared at me as if I were some sort of specimen to analyze and whisper about. The boys were bolder. They stripped down to their underwear and jumped right in. Needless to say, I had more fun with the boys. Actually, I had my first kiss out here.”

“Really? Tell me more.” If only to hear the sound of her voice.

“I was twelve, just starting to fill my training bra, if you know what I mean. His name was Elijah, and he was sixteen. He was really cute, despite the bowl haircut and suspenders.”

Gray laughed. “I can’t believe your first kiss was with an Amish kid.”

“What’s so funny? He had game like you wouldn’t believe.”

“What did he do? Woo you with his horse and buggy?”

“No, he cornered me in back of the shed.”

“Hmm.” Gray didn’t know how to respond to that. His shoulders tensed at the thought of how naïve Sofia must have been at the age of twelve. He pulled the oars in and laid them out behind him. “Did he do anything else besides kiss you?”

She smiled up at him, the shadow from the hat covering her face. “Jealous?”

“Of you getting taken advantage of by a sixteen-year-old Amish kid? Where was your grandmother during all this?”

“Taken advantage of? Please. He kissed me. That was all. And maybe brushed his hand against one of my boobs accidentally on purpose. It was all innocent.”