Page 56 of Summer Ride

“I suppose I owe you an apology,” she said.

He stopped her by touching her cheek. “It’s not necessary. Your past doesn’t excuse it, but sure makes it easier for me to forgive you. I’m just thankful there are no more secrets between us.” He leaned in and kissed her, and once more she felt guilty.

“There is one more thing I’ve been keeping from you,” she said softly against his lips.

“Hm?” He rested his forehead against hers.

She pulled back slightly and waited until their eyes focused on one another. “I love you. I have for years.”

She watched his eyes and enjoyed his gut reaction as he pulled her back into his arms.

“I know,” he said next to her ear.

The rest of the cake was forgotten as they made out on the sofa on the deck.

When Carter covered her body and started removing her clothes, she arched into him.

This. This was how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. With him. With the man she loved.

When they were both naked, she wrapped her legs around him and willed this night to never end. Trying to hold onto the feeling of him deep inside her, she closed her eyes tight and felt tears of pure joy rolling down her cheeks.

“Say it,” Carter growled next to her ear. “Tell me now, while I’m deep inside you.”

She opened her eyes and looked up at him through blurry vision. With the firelight dancing over their naked bodies, she knew that no matter what happened in the future, she would hold onto that moment for the rest of time.

“I love you,” she said softly.

She saw his white teeth flash in the darkness just before he started moving again, and she once more gave herself over to him.

Later, their bodies cooling in the night air, he pulled a blanket over them both. She felt him drifting off to sleep seconds later and lay there watching the flames for a while as she thought about their future.

She’d never thought about her wedding. Never imagined she’d ever get married.

In the past few years she’d attended plenty of weddings for her friends. But she’d never dreamed of her own. What it would look like. What she even wanted.

Now, with the sound of crickets buzzing somewhere in the darkness and the crackling flames consuming the last of the logs, she started to dream.

The wedding would be simple. Nothing like the extravagant wedding Hannah and Owen had in Destin. She leaned more towards the country vibe of Elle and Liam’s wedding. She’d also enjoyed the beach wedding Zoey and Dylan had at the campgrounds. It had been easy since all of their out-of-town guests had stayed at the campgrounds.

Then again, she wouldn’t have any out-of-town guests. Actually, she wouldn’t have any guests at all, outside of her coworkers and friends.

Still, a wedding at the campgrounds would be perfect.

What did Carter want? She knew he had family—his parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. She’d met most of his family when she’d attended one of his family reunions a few years back.

He’d tricked her into going with him after telling her that if she didn’t, his family would try to set him up with any available woman in attendance.

She was smiling at that memory when she noticed something strange. The night was suddenly perfectly quiet. At first she assumed it was because the fire had finally died out, leaving only red embers in the base of the firepit. But then it dawned on her that the crickets and frogs had stopped making sounds as well.

She was just about to wake Carter up and suggest they go inside when she saw a narrow beam of light directly across the yard at the edge of the beach area.

She felt a sharp pulse of fear spike through her as a strange sound came from her chest. Fear caused her body to stop responding to her brain as she watched the light move across the pool deck, then disappear under the deck they were lying on, heading towards the back steps.

When she heard the sound of the wood creaking on the bottom step, she finally screamed. The sound burst from her chest like a cannon.

Carter jolted up, almost dislodging her from the sofa.

“What?” he asked, glancing around.