Wrecked

by J. B. Salsbury

  “I know.”

  My gaze darts to hers only to find her eyes are firmly fixed on the tombstone. “How do you know that?”

  She squares her shoulders and looks up at me with all the assurance of a woman who won’t be intimidated. “Because I never told you, Aden.”

  “I’m sorry?” It’s as if her words knocked the wind from my lungs. “When would you—”

  “I lied to you.” She takes a step closer and I’m too frozen to back away, because what she’s saying can’t possibly be true. “My name is Sawyer Forrester. I came to San Diego to pack up my twin sister Celia’s house and . . .” She pauses. “I pretended to be her.”

  I take a step back, my stomach curling with revulsion. Could it be that she lied to me this entire time making me believe she’s someone she’s not? Who does that? “You’re . . . Celia?”

  She nods. “I’m Celia to you. But no, I’m Sawyer.”

  She’s Celia, my Celia. And she’s a fucking liar. “How . . . why would you do that?”

  Her face grows serious. “Because she asked me to, and when you love someone and they have a dying wish you do whatever it takes to make it come true even if it breaks your own heart in the process.”

  I stare up at the sky and try to make sense of what I’m hearing. “I don’t believe you. The woman I knew would never do something like that, the woman I loved was loyal and—”

  “Loved?”

  For a moment I wish I could draw back the words, but then realize that yeah, this is what I wanted, to tell Celia I love her so I nod. “Yes. I loved her. But you are not her.”

  She advances. “Aden, it’s me—”

  “Prove it.”

  Her big green eyes fix on mine. “You drink too much.”

  “It doesn’t take a genius to figure that—”

  “You have nightmares.”

  I freeze.

  She takes a step closer. “You eat raw fish straight off the line. You named a sea lion Morpheus.” Another step closer. “You don’t like crowds,” she whispers.

  I open my mouth to defend myself, but she cuts me off.

  “You blame yourself for the deaths of your men who died so you could live. You try to hide the fact that you’re hurting.”

  She closes the last foot between us and it hits me. Her scent. The sweet smell of her hair mixed with the natural scent of her skin that I’ve dreamt about since the last time I held her. “Cece . . .”

  “Sawyer.” Her eyes brim with tears.

  I cup her jaw and watch a single tear trace down her cheek. “It’s you.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re alive?”

  “I am.”

  Before I can barely think it, my lips find hers and her hands are wrapped around my neck and slipping into my hair. I nip at her mouth and when she opens to me I slide my tongue against hers. Her sweet flavor combined with her body pressed against mine is all the confirmation I need.

  This is her.

  The woman I fell in love with.

  God, but having her back in my arms, it’s like she never left. Everything about her feels like coming home.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Our foreheads pressed together, we breathe each other in.

  “At first I didn’t think it was a big deal, but then you told me about your past and after that . . .” She closes her eyes. “I knew telling you would hurt you, and I couldn’t bring myself to do that.”

  “So you left thinking I’d forget you and move on.”

  “Yes. Then I’d always be the girl you had fun with one summer.”

  I tuck a lock of her shining hair behind her ear. “Only one problem with that, freckles.”

  She blinks up at me.

  “I could never forget you.”

  Her lips quiver with emotion so I kiss her until I feel her fall limp into my arms.

  Looking back, I should’ve known, if I’d paid more attention to the differences between how she acted and those photos of her . . . and the photo of her and Cal. I think on some level I knew something didn’t add up but didn’t want to accept it.

  “Did Cal know?”

  “Immediately.” She shrugs and her eyes move to stare at nothing over my shoulder. “When it comes to Celia, I’m a lousy substitute.”

  I step back and stare down at the grave of the woman I thought I loved. “I wish I’d gotten the chance to know her.”

  “In a way . . .” She peers up at me. “You did.”

  “If you were pretending to be Celia, then . . .” I want to hold her to me, to force her to be the woman I came to know, but if I want a real chance with Sawyer I’m going to have to fall in love with someone I know very little about. “Who are you?”

  “Sawyer Elizabeth Forrester.” Her spine stiffens as if she’s waiting for my rejection.

  “Tell me more.”

  “I’m afraid of just about everything including the ocean. I killed my grandmother by giving her the flu and since then a lot of things have gone bad for me.” Her eyes fill with tears. “But in the last few months I’ve experienced the best possible feeling in the world coupled by the absolute worst. I pretended to be my twin sister Celia so that she could die with the knowledge that in the eyes of her friends she lived on, but in doing so I fell in love with a man who brought out a side of me I didn’t know existed. He helped me face what scares me, brought me to the edge of my comfort zone, and taught me that real living only happens when I walk through my fears. But he has a bad history of being lied to and there was no way I could break him with the truth so I gave him up, signing myself up for a lifetime of regret, and I’d do it again if I had to because in those two weeks I’d never felt more alive.”

  My thoughts scramble to understand what she’s saying. A jolt of hope swells within me and I hold still in expectation.

  “You changed me, Aden. I see it now, the whole point of all this. It was Celia’s last gift to me. And because of you she was able to deliver it in a way that has forever altered who I am.”

  I’m mesmerized by what she’s telling me. That she could see me as a person who could make her better when all this time I’ve been convinced it was only her who was helping me. How is it possible for her to view me as some kind of hero after everything I’ve put her through? And God, but up until five minutes ago she was dead and now she’s standing before me confessing her heart and making me believe that there’s a future for us.

  “I can bait a hook. Swim in the ocean at night. Make out with a stranger.”

  I hold back a growl.

  “But more than that, I’m not afraid to fall in love. I’m not afraid of getting hurt because you and Celia have taught me that two weeks of love are worth a lifetime of pain.”

  “No.”

  She jerks in my hold. “No?”

  I sift my fingers through her hair and love how her breath hitches when I bring her lips close. “No. Not a lifetime of pain. Because I’m a man who has felt what it is to be loved by a beautifully loyal woman, one who would sacrifice her own happiness to grant a wish to her dying sister. I’m a man who knows what it’s like to be selfish and lose the only person who brought peace into my life. One thing I am not, Sawyer Forrester . . .”

  She whimpers at the calling of her name.

  “Is a stupid man. I thought the woman I loved was dead, but she’s here, standing before me, in my hands, warm and breathing, and there is no way in hell I’m letting her walk away again. Understand?”

  “So . . . you’re saying—”

  “I’m saying . . . I love you. I’m saying I don’t want to wake up another morning without you at my side. I’m saying I’m willing to give up whatever it is I need to give up in order to be with you.”

  “But Celia—”

  “Is just a name. You’re the woman I fell in love with, the one I’ve been thinking about every second of every day since the last time I fell asleep in your arms.”

  “You want me? Even now, after I lied to you?”

  “More th
an I could ever say.” I press a kiss to her lips.

  “But . . . when you get to know me, the real me, not the one pretending to be someone else, you might not like what you see.”

  “You willing to swim with me at night? Go snorkeling with me out at some remote island? More importantly, you done making out with strangers?”

  “Yes, yes, and . . .” She chews her lip and I’m about to give her a punishing kiss for her delay. “Absolutely.”

  “What do you say, Sawyer?”

  She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a silver coin. I release her and she steps back. As if in slow motion, she flips the quarter, but as it’s spinning through the air, her eyes come to mine and she rushes into my arms.

  We kiss with all the passion of two people who lost each other forever only to find each other again. After long minutes pass and we’re tugging at each other’s clothes I pull away and whisper, “You didn’t wait for it to land.”

  “That’s because when I flipped it I already knew what my answer would be.”

  “Freckles . . .” My hands caress her delicate cheeks. “Sawyer.”

  Her eyelids close as she seems to bathe in the sound of her name. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you call me that.”

  “I’ll say it every day for the rest of our lives if you’ll have me.”

  She blinks up at me. “Really?”

  “Nothing will take you away from me again.”

  “Actually . . .” She checks her watch and those thick lips quirk so adorably I fall deeper in love instantly. “Right now, I do have to go.”

  I kiss her neck, soaking in her touch and scent that I’ve missed so much. “Where?”

  “I’m having dinner with a friend.” Her breathing speeds up with every brush of my lips.

  “Yeah? And who is this friend?”

  “His name is Mark.”

  My lips freeze on her neck and I pull back. “Mark.”

  “Yeah.”

  “A man?”

  Her hands caress my cheeks and damn but her touch moves me on a soul-deep level. I’d do anything she asked, grant her whatever she wanted. “He’s a man, yes.”

  “Any chance you’d be willing to cancel with Mark?”

  “No.” She kisses me. “But . . . if you haven’t eaten, how’d you feel about going out for sushi?”

  I tug her to my side. “Didn’t know you liked sushi.”

  We stroll to the parking lot. “A gorgeous guy introduced me to it awhile back.”

  “Oh yeah?” I stop and turn her to me. “And who is this guy?”

  Her expression grows serious. “He was in love with my sister, but I convinced him I’m a good second.”

  Now it’s me who gets serious. “You will never be second to me, Sawyer.” The name feels as natural as if I’ve said it a million times, moaned it, whispered it. “You’re my freckles. My love, and now . . . my life.”

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  SAWYER

  “Well . . . that was only mildly awkward.” I fish my keys from my purse just as Aden’s arm drapes my shoulders.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I thought it was great.”

  I stop walking and stare up at his handsome face as he tries to hold back his smile. God, I still can’t believe he’s here. “Aden.”

  He grins. “I’m serious.”

  “You told Mark you were Special Forces and then asked him how fast he could run!”

  He pulls me close and guides me to the parking lot. “He looked like a sprinter. I was just making conversation.”

  “You implied you were carrying a gun.”

  “No, I asked him if he was aware that in the state of Arizona it’s legal to conceal carry without a permit.”

  “Then told him about your gun.”

  He shrugs. “Yeah. But that was only after he told me you two lived together. I remember what you told me about the ex-boyfriend so—”

  I cringe. “I never loved him.”

  “I know.” He looks down at me and winks in a way that curls my toes.

  I can’t be mad at Aden. He was a perfect gentleman tonight, even picked up the tab when it came, but I couldn’t help but notice how all his attempts at conversation made Mark’s face drain of color.

  I stop at my car, uneasy about what happens next. About where we go from here. He seems to read my uncertainty, and if I’m not mistaken I’d say he’s feeling it too.

  Shoving his hands in his pockets he leans against my car and for the millionth time in the last couple hours it hits me that he’s here. Aden is here. In my life. And I no longer have to pretend to be someone I’m not. Insecurity rushes to the surface.

  “I’m boring.”

  His eyes jerk to mine. “No. You’re not.”

  “I drive a Volvo.”

  He slides his gaze from me to my car and then back. “It’s a safe car.”

  “Mark was safe.”

  He shakes his head and drops his chin to his chest. “And I’m not.”

  “No, Aden, that’s not what I meant, I just . . .” I’m messing this up. “I’m in unfamiliar territory. I don’t know where we go from here. I live in Phoenix, I have a job, I just paid a down payment and signed a lease on an apartment, I mean, nothing about us makes sense.”

  He tilts his head to meet my eyes.

  “Nothing about us makes sense except for what I feel when I’m with you.”

  A chuckle rumbles from his chest and he pulls me to him, opening his legs to drag me in close. I throw my arms around his neck and he nuzzles my ear.

  “I told you I’m not walking away from us, and I meant it.”

  “But how? How will we make this work when we live so far apart?” I pull back and stare into his eyes, searching for the answer. “Where do we go from here?”

  “The first thing we’re going to do is head back to my hotel so that I can make love to you until you pass out in my arms.”

  A full-body shiver takes over and that sexy, lazy grin pulls at his lips. “I’m heading back to San Diego tomorrow, have a few meetings with investors and then—”

  “Investors? For what?”

  “I’m starting a commercial fishing company, got a couple boats lined up, some men who want in. Seems you weren’t the only person changed by Celia’s gift.”

  “That’s wonderful!” I throw my arms around him and he follows suit by wrapping his tightly around my waist. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “After I sobered up and tossed all the booze, seems I started thinking more clearly, want my life to stand for something more than being a drunk. If I throw my life away it’d be like spitting in the face of everyone who died so I could live.”

  Tears spring to my eyes at his bold honesty. He’s never been so candid about what happened. I swallow my emotions, refusing to allow sadness to rob me of the joy of this moment.

  “So, what’s your plan?”

  He lifts an eyebrow but doesn’t loosen his tight grip. “Ahh, so this must be a Sawyer thing, huh?”

  Self-conscious, I struggle for a way to backpedal, to push Sawyer away and bring out the fun-loving girl he fell in love with. “No, no, I uh . . . I—”

  His lips press mine in a closemouthed kiss so tender it seems even more erotic than the hungrier kisses we’ve shared. “I love you, Sawyer.”

  Those four words leave me breathless.

  “And I could use someone to help me with a plan. Someone organized, good with numbers, someone to help me run the business side so I can run the boats.”

  “Are you offering me a job?”

  He sifts his hand through my hair, cupping my nape. “I’m offering you more than a job, freckles. I’m offering you my life.”

  “But—”

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  “I don’t—”

  “One day at a time.”

  I slump into his body and release all the worries and what-ifs, giving into Aden’s confidence.

  “I’m gonna take that as a
yes.”

  I nod, a freakish giggle bubbling up from my chest. “Sounds like a plan.”

  ADEN

  Walking hand in hand with Sawyer through the hotel lobby and to the elevator it feels like no time has passed between us. Those months of living in a drunken fog, and then thinking she was dead have dissolved to nothing more than what seems like a pebble in our path, something easy to step over and leave behind.

  “This is a nice hotel.” She looks up at me, those green eyes and big lips that I thought I’d never see again, enticing me to engage. “My parents’ house is just a couple miles from here.”

  I know. I found a listing for Tom and Darlene Forrester after reading their names in the obituary, which is why I chose this hotel. I’d planned on dropping by to give them the box I’d found in her cottage, and to introduce myself and see if I could get some information about Celia’s last few weeks.

  I was desperate to know if she thought of me.

  If she cared for me as deeply as I had her.

  “That reminds me.” I guide her into the elevator, bummed when two people follow us in because that means I can’t take advantage of the privacy. “I have something for you up in my room.”

  She turns to me with wide eyes and a smile.

  I grin back. “Sawyer . . . so you’re the little perv.”

  “Hey, you said it!”

  The women in the elevator with us make a weak attempt to hide their laughter.

  I cross my arms at my chest and watch Sawyer squirm with the discomfort, her cheeks flushed. Fuck, is it possible Sawyer is even more beautiful than she was as Celia? “It’s not that.” I shrug. “But after I show you what it is, I’ll wanna give you that too.”

  The girls explode with snorting laughter and Sawyer covers her flaming red cheeks.

  The door opens on the third floor and I grab my girl’s hand. “Good night, ladies.”

  They reply in unison and Sawyer shakes her head. “You’re so bad.”

  “You started it.” I get to my door and slide in the card key, opening the door and ushering her in. “I really do have something for you.”

  I click on the table lamp and she sits on the couch while I go into the bedroom and pull the box from my duffel bag. When I head back in she studies the box with skeptical eyes. I place it on the table in front of her, then sit close.