Paige turns to me, and I see her brows knitted together with her sunglasses shading her eyes. “I’m keeping my options open,” she says, leaning into her chair.
Bryn rolls her eyes. “Good luck with that.”
I chuckle, staring back at the waves crashing against the shore, watching Amari and my mom sink their feet into the sand. Their laughter echoes in the distance.
“We should find you a boyfriend.” Paige takes a sip of her drink, glancing between us while waiting for a response.
Bryn snorts rolling her eyes. “No, thank you,” she says flatly.
Paige’s eyes go wide as she nearly spits out her drink. “What? Really?” She leans up from her chair, staring at Bryn in concern.
“Yes. Really,” Bryn says with a stern tone.
It’s hard to wrap my head around Bryn having no interest in dating, especially at sixteen. I mean, sixteen was the age everything changed for me. It was when I met Kai. Back then, it felt like dating was this huge, unavoidable part of life. Everyone was doing it. It was something you just did. Especially at sixteen. But Bryn? She’s unfazed by the idea of boys. It’s shocking. Maybe it’s because I always assumed she’d follow the same path as me. I prayed she wouldn’t and cross my fingers she doesn’t. Part of me admires her for it, like she doesn’t feel the need to be with someone. Or maybe she’s worried she will end up like me, so she’s staying far away from boys.
Paige leans back in her chair, like she’s astonished by this.
“Good for you, Bryn,” I say.
She turns her focus to me. “No offense, but I don’t want to end up like you,” she says with a smug smile.
My mouth drops in shock, even though a part of me knew this was the reason she was staying away from dating. I’ve never tried to talk to her about it, because a part of me was scared to know the truth. Mom never talked to me about sex or protection. She talked to Bryn a lot about it—especially after what I did. I didn’t want to get in the way of their conversation with that topic. But I’ve always been open with Bryn, letting her know she can always come to me if she doesn’t feel comfortable going to mom, and that I’m always here if she has questions. Plus, she watched me struggle a lot with Amari and Kai, that alone should have been good enough birth control for her.
A heavy silence settles between us, and I glance at her as her gaze drops from me.
“B, I’m sorry. That came out to harsh,” she says, and I can tell she means it.
“It’s okay, Bryn,” I assure her.
“Sometimes I feel like mom takes a lot out on me from what you did,” she admits, fidgeting with her towel.
I drop my sunglasses from my eyes. Those words hit me harder than I imaged. “She’s just scared.”
She nods her head in agreement.
“She’s only trying to protect you,” I say. “I know it’s not fair, but you can always come to me.”
“I know.” She drops her towel and leans back on her elbows. “Thanks, B.”
A small smile tugs at my lips.
There is so much I can say to her, but sometimes the guilt is too heavy to knowwhatto say. I don’t blame her, how could I?My wrongdoings certainly haven’t made her life any easier. Mom is strict on her, and I know it affects her a lot.
Kai
The crackling of the fire pops as each log burns down. It’s not too cold here at night, even though we are on the beach. I’ve always wanted to have a fire on the beach. It’s something different. I’ve always had campfires in the mountains where temps drop low, even on summer nights.
“How did that one night go with Blakely?” Kevin asks.
It’s eleven o’clock at night, and everyone has already gone to bed. All the traveling wore them out. I haven’t spoken to Kevin about the night B, and I went to our spot. He hasn’t pushed about it, either. “It went good.”
Kevin chuckles, shaking his head. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
“Do you want every detail?” I furry my brows.
Kevin raises an eyebrow, looking at me as if he knows there is more to it. “Not every detail, but you could give me something. You’ve seemed lost for days. It must have been more than good.”
The memory of that night replays in my mind. The way Blakely looked at me, the hesitation in her voice when we talked, like she wasn’t sure of anything anymore. I had thought maybe, just maybe, she felt the same as I did. But then there’s Liam... and now this engagement. The only thing I have been holding onto is that she never flat-out said that she loves Liam, and she never said that she didn’t love me.
