Ursula sat back in the chair, a look of total shock sweeping across her face. “No. Frigging. Way. I can say with absolute certainty that we’ve never had that happen before. And you had no idea he was going to be here?”
“If I knew he was going to be here, there is zero chance I would have planned my vacation for the same week, I can promise you that.”
“So, it was a bad breakup,” Ursula said, more of a statement than a question. Aria thought for a minute, and suddenly, she realized why she’d been so upset. Why, for all these years, she’d never been able to shake the pain of what Reid did to her.
“It wasn’t a breakup at all,” Aria said softly. “He never talked to me about. He didn’t give me a choice, or a voice. He just cut me off without so much as a word. After years together, and promises, and plans. Reid was my life. He was a part of me. And he left me without letting me have a say in it. I think that was what hurt worse than anything else.”
Ursula crossed her arms over her chest, and shook her head. “That was a dick move, for sure. But did you ever wonder why he did it?”
“I can’t say that was one of my main concerns, no.”
“Of course, you are more than entitled to your anger. And plenty of it. But I have to ask… Was he a shifter when you were together? If you were kids, I doubt he was,” Ursula questioned, her eyebrows raised thoughtfully.
Aria shook her head. “No, he wasn’t. I didn’t know he was a shifter until I saw him on my matches here.”
“Something to ponder, then. I’m not telling you to forgive him. You go right on being as angry as you want. But maybe consider that there is more going on here than you know. And on that note, I am going to head back to the front desk. I am going to send you some breakfast, because you shouldn’t be drinking that scotch on an empty stomach. And then, you are going to enjoy the rest of your vacation as best you can. I saw you chatting with David the other day. He’s just the kind of tall drink of water that could help you get over Reid. Or at least get your mind off of him.”
Ursula gave Aria a firm, but kind, hug and left her alone in the bungalow. For a moment, Aria objected to her absence. It had been nice having someone to talk to about Reid, because god knew that her mother had heard enough about him to last a lifetime. If Aria had so much as called her mom and said the name, “Reid,” her mom probably would have hung up on her. But then she realized, Ursula was right.
She may never get over Reid, but he wasn’t going to stop her from having fun.
A few moments later, a waiter arrived with a tray, loaded with fresh fruit, pancakes, coffee, juice, fried potatoes, and a Bloody Mary, along with a note from Ursula.
A,
Andrew will be at the bar, waiting to make you something delicious. But first, make sure you get a food layer.
More importantly… HAVE FUN!
Love,
U
Aria laughed as she scarfed down all the breakfast, and relished every sip of the spicy liquor drink. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she started eating, and within minutes, the whole tray was empty. Once she’d brushed her teeth and dug through her suitcase for the sexiest bathing suit she brought with her. Then she slipped in on, grabbed her book and her sunscreen, and started for the beach.
This is still my vacation, damnit, and he’s not going to ruin it.
***
Aria spent the entire day on the beach, under a palm tree, sipping mixed drinks and reading her book. Every time Reid creeped back into her head, she would look out at the ocean, take a deep breath, and let the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the sand relax her. A few different guys came up to her and tried to chat her up, and she was polite, but at least for one day, she wanted to focus on herself, and getting back in to a better headspace. Aria had five days left at the resort and she intended to make use of it, in whatever way she could.
She didn’t realize how long she’d been out there, when she noticed the sun was starting to set. With a sigh, she started gathering up her things, begrudgingly preparing to head back to her room to get ready for dinner, when suddenly, a huge body plopped down on the sand next to her and stunned the hell out of her. It was David, and he looked amazing. In fact, he looked like a god.
He had a surf board tucked under his arm, and he was still wet from the ocean. His hair was sexily rumpled from the waves, and there were droplets of salt water in his beard. But as beautiful as his face looked, Aria was having a hard time not staring at his body. She had suspected that he was well-built, but now that he was sitting next to her without his shirt on, she could see that he was sculpted like a statue, or a super hero. And it was almost impossible to look at anything else.
David’s arms were huge, and perfectly sculpted, with veins ever-so-slightly raised from where his muscles were flexing from holding the surfboard. His pecs looked like they had been carved from marble, and she couldn’t be sure, but it almost looked like he had an eight-pack. His black and yellow board shorts were hanging low on his hips, which drew attention to the chiseled V leading down to his…
Aria shook her head, trying to clear away the stars that were forming in front of her eyes as she blinked away the fact she was swooning. David didn’t even seem to notice. She had a feeling he was used to being stared at.
“So, what have you been up to today?” he asked, as he drew shapes in the sand next to her leg. His pinky ever-so-slightly brushed against her thigh, and she had to force down a shiver.
“Oh, you know. Just sitting here, reading. Hiding from the sun. I’m guessing by the surfboard that you were out… kayaking?”
David laughed that warm, comforting laugh as he set the surfboard down in the sand. “Something like that. When you disappeared last night, I wasn’t sure I was going to see you again. At least, not alone…”
Aria winced as everything from the night before came rushing back. Reid, the way he’d talked to David, how jealous he’d been. She had almost forgotten about it, given everything that had happened after. Now, she was just embarrassed.
“I’m so sorry about that. It’s such a long story, and I don’t even know where to begin.”
David held up his hand. “Let’s just forget about it, huh? As long as that guy isn’t going to show up and try to start some macho bullshit with me again tonight.”
Aria scoffed bitterly. “I promise you. He won’t be back. Tonight, or any night. So, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“I won’t ask questions. Well, that’s not true. I’ll ask one question.”
Aria gave David a curious smile. “I’ll accept one question.”
“Will you have dinner with me tonight?”
The question surprised Aria for some reason. She still couldn’t quite fathom that a man who looked like David would be interested in her, especially because she’d gone to such great lengths to keep guys away when she first arrived at the resort. But now, as she looked at that insanely handsome, and surprisingly kind, man, she tried to force down her lingering feelings of anger and resentment toward Reid, and do what Ursula told her to do. Just have fun.
“Yes, okay. I’d love to have dinner with you tonight.”
***
Aria walked into the restaurant at Bear Ridge and tried to significantly even more confident than she felt. She had put on her favorite pair of jeans and a yellow flouncy peasant top, then let her hair fall down loose and wavy. She had only swept on a little bit of makeup, just some pale brown eye shadow and light lipstick, then she tottered over to the outdoor restaurant in her favorite beige heels. Aria took a deep breath as she stepped inside, and her breath caught in her throat.
David was leaning up against a palm tree that ran up through the center of the restaurant, and he looked like he’d just stepped off of the cover of a fashion magazine. He was wearing snug khaki pants, a plain white t-shirt, and a blue knit sweat that had an old man feel to it, yet he pulled it off. His sandy blonde hair was swept behind his ears, and the way he crossed his arms ov
er his chest as he leaned back made them look even more muscular. Aria almost turned on her heel and ran back for her room, but David smiled at her and started to stride across the lobby toward her.
“I thought you were going to stand me up for a moment, but I have to say. It was more than worth the wait,” David said with a grin as he kissed the top of Aria’s hand. Aria knew that she was supposed to feel something when he did, a thrill, the urge to swoon, something. But she didn’t feel anything. He was so beautiful, and so sweet… But she couldn’t summon up the desire to feel anything.
She took another deep breath and forced a smile. “The sun took it out of me and I ended up falling asleep. I’m sorry I’m late.”
David held on to her hand and led her to their table, then pulled out her chair for her. He was doing everything right, better than right, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t get Reid out of her head. She was so mad at him, madder than she’d ever been in her life, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what Ursula had said to her. What if Reid had pushed her away because he was being turned into a shifter? Not that becoming a shifter was an excuse, but it was impossible for her to focus on anything other than the questions that were plaguing her now.
“Aria? Did you?”
Aria’s eyebrows shot up. Did I what? How long was he talking? Oh, god, I have no idea what he was talking about.
“I’m sorry, what? Did I what?”
David chuckled. “Did you want an appetizer?”
Aria shook her head and ran her hands through her hair. “I’m sorry, David. I’m so sorry. You’re amazing. Beyond amazing. But I can’t do this.”
He reached out and took her hand in his with a smile, then squeezed it.
“I could tell you weren’t really here. Is this about the bloke from last night?”
Aria nodded.
“You should sort that then. I like you, Aria. But I don’t want to waste my time trying to steal a heart with no hope of ever being mine. Go get your fella,” David said as he let go of her hand. “I’m going to stay here and have dinner. See if looking a little extra lonely can pick me up a lady.”
Aria laughed as she got back to her feet, then crossed over to give David a hug. “You’re a good man. Don’t forget that.”
He winked at her. “I won’t. Now get out of here, you crazy kid.”
Aria gave him a last smile before she ran out of the restaurant and back to her bungalow. She’d have to pack in a hurry if she was going to make it to the last plane of the night…
Chapter 18
Reid
Reid walked back toward the hole he’d created in the fence, finally back in his human form.
“Aw, hell. Declan is going to kill me,” he said out loud as he stepped through the rubble of the wood from the fence. It had taken hours, but the bear had finally allowed Reid to take back over, and he’d had to creep out of the woods, completely naked and praying he didn’t run into old ladies on their nightly walks. Once he was back in the yard, he went to the shed where they kept some sweatpants and grabbed a pair, then slipped them on and made his way cautiously into the house.
H really wasn’t in the mood to be chewed out by Declan.
But when he walked into the kitchen through the back door, the first thing he heard was Kurt’s voice.
“Reid? Is that you?”
It was coming from the common room, and Reid suddenly realized it was more than Kurt… it sounded like the whole clan was in there. He inched his way to the main lounge, then poked his head around the corner to see that, yes, not only was the clan there, but so were their mates.
What is this? An intervention? Reid thought, slightly annoyed.
“Hey… everyone. Nice to see you. I’m going to go to my room now.” Reid tried to dart out of the room, but Kurt whistled at him through his teeth, and the bear shivered.
“Get back here, dude. You’re not going anywhere.”
Reid groaned, rolled his eyes, and turned around. When he got into the common room, everyone was staring at him, and it was making him, and the bear, a little crazy. “What is this about? If it’s the fence, I’m sorry. I’ll fix it myself.”
Kurt shook his head. “Forget the fence, Reid. Why the hell are you even here? Declan called me and told me you ran into Aria at the resort?”
Reid nodded.
“Okay, so you ran into Aria. That doesn’t explain why you came back.”
Scarlett leaned forward and patted Kurt gently on the leg. “Honey, let him talk. Reid, explain what you were feeling. Then. Now. What made you run. Help us understand.”
Reid groaned and leapt to his feet, as he tried to collect his thoughts. Everything was a haze; not just his feelings, but his reasons as to why he left. He wasn’t even sure how to explain it, but he knew the clan wasn’t going to let him leave without spilling his guts.
So, he did everything he could to synthesize the mess in his head.
“When I saw her, it was like being punched in the stomach. I wanted to protect her, and run away from her at the same time. I felt like I was going to go crazy, and yet I was desperate to be near her. But I was scared. So, scared. That I would hurt her. Kill her. I don’t know. This is why I didn’t want a mate!” Reid growled and collapsed down on the floor in a heap dramatically, making a few of the guys laugh. But Scarlett just smiled at him.
“Honey, that’s because she’s your mate,” Scarlett said as she crawled down on the floor next to Reid. “And you were fighting it.”
Reid sat up and scowled at her. “How is that possible? I’ve known Aria my whole life. What is she? My retroactive mate?”
“It’s possible,” Blair answered with a laugh. “Just because you knew her before you were a shifter doesn’t mean she’s not the person you’re meant to be with. It’s not that complicated. Your mate can be someone you’ve known since you were a kid, and it could be someone you met on the street. Fate decides, not you.”
“But you don’t understand. My bear is an asshole. What if he goes crazy? What if he hurts her? I don’t think I could live with myself. This connection I’m feeling, this pain… I don’t want to take a risk of killing her. At least now, I know she’s safe and alive, even if I can’t have her with me. If I selfishly made her stay with me, and then… No, I won’t do that,” Reid said stubbornly.
“Reid, you don’t seem to understand how this works,” Cash responded, taking Lani’s hand in his own. “When you’re around your mate, the bear is calm. Content. Your mate will be the one person in this whole stupid world who stops you from being dangerous. You will never be able to hurt Aria, because the bear will go out of its way to make sure nothing ever happens to her. Even by accident. I promise you that. This craziness you’re feeling now? It goes away when you admit to yourself that she’s the one.”
Reid dropped his head in his hands and moaned. As much as he was fighting it, deep down he knew they were right. How they hell could I have been so stupid? “I screwed up. I screwed up so bad. There is no way she is going to take me back a third time. She will never forgive me again. And she shouldn’t. I’m such a fucking idiot.”
“You never know until you try,” Declan said from the back of the room. “Third time is the charm, right?”
“What do I do?” Reid asked, his bear already stirring and excited at the prospect of being with Aria again.
“You go get her,” Lani said with a wink.
Reid squared his shoulders, and smiled.
That is exactly what he would do.
Chapter 19
Aria
Aria had been back in her apartment for a week, and since school was out, and she was still a month from starting back teaching, she felt like she was going to go crazy. She had been doing everything she could come up with to try and put Reid out of her mind, from hanging out with her friends, to spending every night at the movies, even if she had to go alone. But nothing as distracting her, and she didn’t know how she was going to go on like this forever.
It
was Saturday night, and her friends Cassie and Allie had invited Aria to go out for a drink, an offer she readily accepted. It was a bar she’d been to a thousand times in her life, since there weren’t a lot of places to hang out in their small town. Despite not feeling into it at all, Aria decided to try and dress up a little. She had put on a sparkly black long sleeve mini-dress, and she let her long wavy hair just do its thing. She was just slipping on her bright pink heels when a knock on the door scared the hell out of her.
Aria looked at her watch, and saw it was 8pm. She wasn’t supposed to meet the girls at the bar until 8:30, and they weren’t supposed to be at the house anyway. She walked over to the door in her bare feet and called out,
“Friend or foe?”
There was a laugh from the other side. A laugh she knew all too well. And all at once, Aria was overwhelmed with creeping anger, and dread. And rage.
She pressed her head to the door. “Go away, Reid. Seriously. Leave.”
“Please, Aria. Let me talk to you. Let me explain. In person, not through the door,” he called through the wood.
But Aria was unrelenting.
“Hell no. Get out of here before I call the cops. Or the national guard. Or a hitman. Whoever I have to call to get you off my porch.”
There was a moment of silence, and then another, gentler knock. “Aria, I just need five minutes. Five minutes to explain everything to you. And, if in five minutes, you think I’m full of shit, I’ll leave, and you’ll never have to see me again. I know I don’t deserve five minutes. But I would give anything for a chance. Just one last chance.”
Aria’s shoulders slumped. Reid sounded so sad. So very lost. She had never heard him sound like that before, and despite the anger she was feeling, she couldn’t leave him on the porch. So, with a hesitant hand, she pulled the door open just a little, and tried to stifle the rush of emotion she felt when she saw him leaning against the door frame. His eyes sparkled, and he’d grown a bit of a beard, which was surprisingly sexy. It didn’t help that he was wearing one of her favorite clothing combos: jeans, a simple white button down, and work boots. Aria had to fight to keep the scowl on her face, especially when he smiled at her.
Furever Always (Furever Series) Page 43
