by Taylor Hart
“Love you, too, Ocean.”
He pressed end and stared at the phone, wishing he could take a time machine back and tell the truth about Susan from the beginning. What was he going to do?
Moonlight beamed down, and the water was calm. He sucked in a breath. It’d been rough since Ty had told the family last year that he had ALS. Ty was his baby brother, the brother right beneath him, and the news had nearly ripped his heart out.
He tried to push all the anxiety away. It would be fine. All the Brady brothers were hitched now, except him and Ty. At least Ty had Luna, his girlfriend of the past few months. Ocean and his brothers worried about Ty having a girlfriend, but none of them ever mentioned it to him.
Ocean needed to run. He left his flip-flops on the patio and took off down the beach. It was almost eleven o’clock, but the dark didn’t bother him. Why should it? If someone was crazy enough to attack a six-two, two-hundred-fifteen-pound running back, they’d regret it.
He ran faster, loving the release he felt when he pushed hard. He thought of Rocky and Apollo running down the beach in Rocky. Briefly, he slowed so he could tug his phone out of his pocket, put on the Rocky soundtrack, and slip his earbuds in; then he took off again, letting the music swallow him. Faster, faster, faster.
He didn’t know how long he’d been running. He was a couple of songs in and “Hearts on Fire” was blasting his ears when he saw someone. It looked like a woman was crying on the beach, holding her ankle. He slowed to a walk and yanked an earbud out.
Curse words tumbled out of her. “I hate this!” she growled.
Athletic, blond, pretty face. Cute in a girl-next-door kind of way. Ocean stopped next to her. “Excuse me, can I help you?”
Chapter 2
Augusta Deluca had been warned not to run on the beach by her sister, Larissa, who had wanted her to wear a reflective vest and take pepper spray. Augusta hadn’t worn the clothing, but she had taken the pepper spray.
“Back up!” she shouted. The past six months with her psycho ex had made her leery of all things male. She’d finally had to file a restraining order against Jason.
The stranger gaped at her, but he didn’t go away. “Excuse me?”
Her heart raced as she tried to stand. “Just go away!” she shouted again.
The stranger took out his phone and put on the flashlight. “Hold up, are you okay? What’s going on?”
Her hand began to shake. The guy was huge. He could hurt her. She reached for her pepper spray tucked into her bra and sat back on the beach.
He put a hand up. “Whoa. Just hold it. I don’t know why you’re acting this way, but I can help you.”
After losing her father last June, and then everything that happened with Jason, the only people she felt she could really count on and trust were her sisters. “Back off or I’ll—” Fear pricked through her as she raised her hand with the pepper spray higher. “I’ll spray you.”
“Don’t spray me. I believe you.”
For a few tense seconds, they just stared at each other.
Finally, she dropped her hand down. “I hurt my ankle,” she said in a measured tone. “But please just go. I’m staying with my sister for Christmas, and I’ll call her.” She tried to dig a phone out of her pocket and cursed. “Where’s my phone?”
“You kiss your momma with that mouth?”
His words took her by surprise and she stared up at him. “What?”
He wagged a finger at her. “It’s not polite to curse.”
This took her aback. Sure, she knew that. She had been raised right, but she didn’t need this huge guy correcting her. She glared at him and then patted her pocket, cursing again. “Where is it?”
The man held up his phone, moving the flashlight around so she could more easily search the sand around her. “I’m guessing you can’t find yours.”
“No, no, no. I can’t lose my phone again. I just paid two hundred dollars to get it replaced, and I don’t have the money.” She literally had forty-nine dollars in her checking account right now, and Christmas was coming. She had no presents for anyone, especially not with tuition due at the beginning of the year.
“Seriously, why are you freaking out so bad? It’s just a phone.”
“Freaking out? You think I’m freaking out? I said get back!” She raised the pepper spray and tried to spray it at his face. When it didn’t work, she threw the can at him.
“Hey!” He jumped out of the way as if it was a loaded bomb.
She couldn’t believe she was in this crazy situation. “Just go home to your girlfriend or wife and complain about the crazy girl you found on the beach, okay?”
He grunted. “What? You don’t think I have problems?”
Her eyes drifted down to his feet. The buff guy wasn’t wearing shoes, so she assumed he lived close. “You are running on the beach. Probably have a house on the beach. I’d say you have plenty of money.”
He looked offended and pointed at her. “You think money fixes everything?”
Augusta reeled her anger in. She’d been raised by a father who’d reiterated to her and her sisters that just because they didn’t have a lot of money didn’t mean they didn’t have a lot of love. Just thinking of him made her blink back tears. “Please, just go.”
Now the guy crossed his arms over his chest. “Listen, my brother has a terminal disease, so don’t tell me that losing a phone is a big deal.”
Terminal. That word was always bad. Okay, so the guy had put perspective on this. She gave him a cursory up-and-down look. By the look of him, he was probably some type of professional bodybuilder or athlete. Definitely not the type who ever had to worry about money.
He threw up a hand. “A phone is replaceable. A fiancée, well, that’s not replaceable. And my mom is not going to be happy I’ve been lying about having one the past nine months. Plus, I have a stupid disco party to worry about!”
She grimaced. Okay. The guy clearly had issues.
“My mother is going to cry when she gets here, and I don’t have a fiancée.” He put a hand to his chest. A bit dramatic, she decided.
“Hmm.” She was a bit surprised at this guy, but he did have a situation. “Okay, I can agree that a crying mom is worse than a lost phone.”
His eyes met hers and his lips turned up. “Yes, it is.”
He was kind of cute when he smiled. She examined him more, trying to figure out if she’d seen him before.
A huge grin swept across his face. “Go ahead, check me out all you want.”
She glared at him. “Listen, you egomaniac, I wasn’t checking you out. I was—” She managed to cut herself off before she said something she’d regret. “Nothing.”
He grinned wider; then his face softened. “Listen, what can I do to help?”
The sincerity of his words surprised her. Out of the blue, she broke into tears like an idiot. She covered her face. “I can’t believe this. I just got into town and I just needed to run. I was going to work over Christmas break with my sister, but now—” She grasped her injured ankle. “—I might not be able to make money for tuition.”
The guy bent down, cautiously reaching out toward her ankle. “Let me see.” He waited until she nodded, and then his fingers brushed the skin.
“Ouch.” She winced and pulled her foot back.
His lips pursed. “I know sprains. Let me see.”
She hedged, but then moved her foot back out to him.
He touched around the bone gently. “It’s a bad sprain, but not broken.”
She tried to suck in air slowly. “I know.” She’d dealt with this ankle her whole life.
He stared at her. “Okay, you don’t have a phone, and it’s close to eleven thirty at night. Plus you’re injured.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious. You’re a genius.” Her ankle throbbed, reminding her that she was being rude even though he was only trying to help.
He cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Sorry.” She shook her head and stared
out at the ocean, trying to regain some composure. The water was lit up by moonlight, providing a gorgeous silver view. “I’m sorry, I just …” What could she say? That everything in her life had been thrown off since her father passed away?
The guy stood, reaching out a hand to help her up. “Let’s get you where you need to go.”
“I need to find my phone.”
“Do you know if you dropped it here or farther back?”
She bit back a snarky comment that she didn’t know where she’d lost it. “I don’t know.”
The guy crouched down again so they were on the same level. “Why don’t you let me carry you home?”
She scowled. “Uh, no. That would be creepy. You could be a weirdo who wants to hurt me.”
“C’mon, if I was a weirdo, I would have already hurt you, don’t you think?”
Her head jerked to face him. It was true. According to her research, if people got attacked by someone random, it usually happened fast. “Who are you?”
“I’m Ocean Brady.” He waited, like he was resigned to face an inevitable overreaction.
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
The corners of his lips tugged up. “Dang, you’re hard on this egomaniac, aren’t you?”
She didn’t know how to answer that, so she just stayed silent.
“Listen, I’m going to pick you up and carry you. So you need tell me where to go.”
She bristled at his offer to help. He was so much bigger than she was, and she hated feeling weak. “Why are you doing this?”
He shrugged. “Because you need help. I can help, and it’s the right thing to do.”
Tears misted in her eyes, and she tried to focus on something that wouldn’t make her a blubbering fool. “Okay.”
He was stoic as he picked her up, putting one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her lower back. “Just hold on to my neck if you need to.”
Tentatively, she put her arms around his neck. The guy smelled … expensive.
“Which way?”
She pointed. “That way. Her house is about two miles that way. Sorry.”
He took off at a jog. She held tighter, but he was strong and fast and he never indicated he might drop her. Dang if she wasn’t a bit attracted to him.
He grinned at her. “I don’t mind carrying you at all. You’ll just add to my workout.”
She laughed. “Right. So what do you do, Ocean Brady?”
“You really don’t recognize me? I play for the L.A. Wave.”
“Oh.” She thought she’d heard of them. “That’s a football team, right?”
He stared at her. “You’re killing me, Smalls.”
The way he spoke so casually to her made her laugh.
“So where are you from?” he asked.
She shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe it.”
“Try me.”
“Casper, Wyoming. But I’m attending the University of Wyoming in Laramie right now.”
“Really?”
“Yep. My sister married a computer guy, and they live out here. He works for a tech company, but she needs help this week for her catering company, so I came. Not that I’ll be able to work now.” She tried not to think of what would happen if she couldn’t walk all week.
Once they reached the edge of the beach, she pointed. “Two streets over.” She directed him around the back of the house. “My sister and her husband said they were going to bed, so I am supposed to go in through the sliding back door.”
He took her to the sliding door. On the other side, her sister was sitting at the table, folding flyers. Augusta shook her head. “Guess she’s not asleep.”
Larissa spotted them and jumped to her feet. She pulled the door open, gawking. “Oh my gosh. You’re Ocean Brady.”
Giving Augusta an I-told-you-so wink, he nodded.
“Kinda hurt here,” Augusta said, annoyed her sister didn’t realize there was a reason the guy was holding her.
“Right.” Larissa scrambled to move a chair out of the way. “Please put her on that couch.”
Ocean stepped inside carefully and put her down with care. Their eyes met as he pulled away.
“Thank you,” she said, embarrassed that she’d been so horrible.
Meanwhile, Larissa was in full caring mode now, helping with pillows. “Holy cow, you have sand everywhere. I’ll get some ice. It’s that ankle you always twist, isn’t it?” She hurried into the kitchen.
“Yes. Thanks.”
Ocean shifted, stretching out his neck and shoulders. “I didn’t get your name,” he said to Augusta.
His eyes were so vividly blue that she wondered if he was wearing contacts. For the first time, she thought about how awful she must look. She was sure that color would be creeping up her neck and toward her cheeks, as it always did when she got embarrassed. “Augusta.”
He put his hand out. “Well, I guess we should officially meet.”
Her heart thrummed as she shook his hand. He was a gentleman, too. Guiltily, she remembered that his brother was terminally ill. She hadn’t exactly lifted his burden tonight. “Thank you again. And sorry about all the cursing.”
Larissa walked back in. “Cursing? Oh my, Augusta.” She gave her a scolding look and shook her head. “Sorry about my sister’s bad language. She doesn’t do that all the time.” Larissa looked embarrassed as she fixed the pillows around her.
Augusta and Ocean met eyes, and they burst out laughing. “Yeah, he’s not gonna believe that one,” Augusta said.
Larissa stood, looking at Augusta expectantly. “You didn’t even introduce us.”
Augusta put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. She nodded to Ocean. “Larissa, this is Ocean. Ocean, Larissa.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ocean shook her hand politely.
Larissa gave him a nervous smile. “Crap, I have to wake up Dave to meet you.” She rushed out before he could respond.
Once again, it was just the two of them. Augusta felt a bit nervous, but that was pointless, right? He was a complete stranger, and they would never see each other again. “Sorry. I bet you get this all the time. Another reason for the ego.” She gestured to the chair next to her. “You can sit.”
“Naw, I’ll just stand.”
“She’s probably making Dave brush his teeth and comb his hair,” she chattered, the words spilling out of her awkwardly. “He’s a huge football guy.”
Ocean grinned down at her. “You’re really not impressed by a pro player, are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Only an egomaniac would ask that.”
He sputtered out a laugh. “Maybe so.”
“But you kinda saved me, so I guess I was the damsel in distress and I did need you.”
Her brother-in-law appeared just then, discombobulated but grinning. Larissa did introductions and Dave took over, asking Ocean a bunch of questions about the team and the game against the Destroyers coming up the twenty-fourth.
After a bit, Ocean excused himself. “It was really great meeting you all, but I’d better get going.”
“Thanks again,” Augusta said, laying her head back and closing her eyes. She was exhausted. Plus, even though she’d met a hot guy tonight, her ankle was raging and her phone was still missing.
“No problem.”
Larissa and Dave walked him out the back door. There was a bit of quiet conversation, and then the door closed and Larissa rushed back in. “Guess what?”
Augusta kept her eyes closed. “What?”
“Ocean Brady just gave me a catering job. He said he’d seen my flyer on his door earlier and it works perfectly for him.”
“What?” Augusta raised her head, confused.
Larissa beamed. “He said he needed help because he had his family coming in this week.”
Right. She scoffed, remembering his little freak-out. “Not the only reason the man is in a bind.”
“What does that mean?” Her sister put her hands on her hips.
D
ave walked in, moving past them. “I’m hitting the sack. Sorry you hurt your ankle.” He kissed his wife. “Thanks for waking me. That’s just crazy I got to meet Ocean Brady.”
Augusta flashed Dave a smile. “I’m always willing to sacrifice my body so you can fulfill your dreams.”
Dave smiled sadly. “Sorry again, favorite sister-in-law.” He then disappeared down the hallway.
Her heart warmed. Part of her was happy that Dave got to meet a pro player. Dave was a good brother-in-law and a diehard fan. “Whatever.”
Larissa sighed. “We met Ocean Brady.”
Augusta wasn’t feeling it. Her ankle hurt too much. “Yeah.”
Larissa sat next to her. “Tell me exactly what happened with everything, leave nothing out.”
“Not tonight.” Augusta laid her head back.
“Oh yes, tonight. What did you mean when you said, ‘That’s not the only reason he’s in a bind’? C’mon, I’ll bake you your favorite cookies while you’re here. The ones with Hershey Kisses in the middle and the peanut butter.”
Despite herself, Augusta perked up. Her sister was an amazing baker. “You promised to make those for me last time and you were too busy, so I don’t think I can trust you.”
Her sister gave her puppy-dog eyes. “Please tell me everything he said.”
Augusta knew Larissa wouldn’t give up. She sighed and opened her eyes. “I got hurt and the pepper spray didn’t work, so I threw the can at him.”
“What?” Larissa laughed and covered her face. “I can’t believe you tried to pepper-spray Ocean Brady.”
Augusta still didn’t know what the big deal was about this guy. “Yep. And then he had a freak-out after I freaked out.”
Larissa’s eyes widened. “Really? How come?”
Augusta proceeded to go through all the events for her sister, with as many details as she could remember.
“It’s so sad.” Larissa whipped out her phone and started texting. “Me and Dave follow the Brady’s and we’ve watched all kinds of stuff about Ty, his brother that’s sick.” She looked at her phone. “I’m asking him what their favorite foods are so I can plan.”
“I forgot to tell you the best part, the part you won’t want to repeat.”
