You Were Mine

by Abbi Glines

I nodded. “Sure,” I agreed, because I would. We’d both be at the wedding.

  Then I headed up the small incline toward the other side of the island where the huts were located.

  “You look like a man running from something,” Woods said with an amused smirk as he stepped out from a cluster of palm trees with a cup of coffee in his hands.

  I shot him a warning glare. “This shit isn’t funny.”

  Woods chuckled and took a sip. “I don’t know. Watching you dodge female advances is new. I was entertained.”

  “I’m putting up with this for Della. But if this causes me any issues with Bethy, it ends. Charity’s nice, and I know she’s been through a shitty time. I feel bad for her. But I’m making some headway with Bethy, and nothing is standing in my way of that.”

  Woods’s smirk faded. He stared out at the water for a moment, and I knew his thoughts were with Jace. This should have been a day that Jace stood by his side. It should be Jace handing him the ring and giving a toast at the reception. Today Woods would start a new journey in life, and he would do it without his best friend there to cheer him on. It was all there in his eyes. “She seems better,” he said.

  After last night, I had to agree. Anger and pain were no longer boiling out of her. “Yeah. She does.”

  Woods took another drink of his coffee. “Don’t push her. You weren’t here for most of it, but she loved him. They were good together.”

  I already knew how much she had loved Jace. That hadn’t been hard to miss. “I’m being careful. I don’t want to take Jace’s place. He’s got that spot in her heart, and he always will. Right now, I just want to be there for her. To see her smile again. A real smile.”

  “He would have wanted her happy. And he would have beaten my ass for treating her the way I did. I doubt he would’ve forgiven me for what I said to her that night on the beach.” His voice sounded pained.

  I hadn’t been there, but I knew from the silent treatment he’d given her for more than a year after Jace’s death that he’d blamed her. He was right—Jace wouldn’t have been able to forgive him for that. He’d loved Bethy. But that wasn’t what Woods needed to hear right now. This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of his life.

  “He may have been my cousin, but you were like his brother. He loved you,” I told him.

  “I let him down,” Woods said.

  “No, you didn’t. You saved her. That’s what he asked you to do, and you did it.”

  Woods finally moved his gaze back to mine. I could see the emotion I understood so well. Jace had left an empty place in all of us.

  “He died knowing that his best friend made a sacrifice for him that would mark him for the rest of his life. You were his hero.”

  Woods studied me for a moment and then turned his attention back to the water.

  After a few moments of silence, I stepped around him and made my way toward the huts once again.

  “Thanks,” Woods called out. I glanced back at him. “I needed to hear that. Especially today.”

  I managed a smile. “That’s what a best man is for,” I replied, and left him there with his thoughts.

  Bethy

  Tripp trailed soft kisses up and down my body while he held himself rigid above me. The pain from his entrance had taken my breath away, but he had stopped the second I cried out. He hadn’t pulled out, which was all I wanted him to do, so I could curl up in a ball and whimper.

  But then he’d started kissing me gently and whispering in my ear.

  “It’s OK. I won’t move. Just let me feel you. God, Bethy, nothing has ever felt like this.”

  Hearing the pleasure in his voice as he kissed me, as if he couldn’t get enough of me, eased the tension. Slowly, he sank deeper, until he let out a loud groan and closed his eyes. He was beautiful, and I was completely fascinated.

  “I’m going to move,” he said against my ear, and then he sucked in a sharp breath as he pulled back until he was almost out of me and then rocked his hips back.

  The movement hadn’t caused me pain this time, at least not the searing kind it had the first time. Just a little discomfort. Watching Tripp made everything else fade away. The veins in his neck were standing out, and the muscles in his arms were bulging as he held himself up so that he didn’t put all his weight on me.

  With each move of his hips, it got easier, and Tripp’s face became more breathtaking. His mouth opened slightly, and his pupils were so dilated the green was almost gone.

  Our gazes locked.

  “I love you. I won’t leave you. I can’t.”

  My eyes opened, and I stared at the ceiling. I hadn’t dreamed about that night in a very long time. My heart was racing, as if I was still there underneath him, losing my virginity to the boy I loved and hearing him proclaim his love for me for the first time. He’d made a lot of promises that night that he didn’t keep.

  I sat up and shook my head, not wanting that image to replay in my mind. I had pushed it away a long time ago. I had used other guys in hopes of washing it from my memory. But no one ever did. It always ended with me crying myself to sleep.

  Last night, I had let Tripp get close again. Even though we hadn’t spoken, I had allowed him to sit with me, releasing long-suppressed emotions and images. No wonder my dreams played out more like memories.

  Getting up, I grabbed my black silk wrap and put it on before raising the walls around my hut. I didn’t want to leave until it was time to help Della get ready. She had said we would meet in the bride’s room at one. I would have breakfast brought to me and enjoy my solitude until then.

  “Hungry?” Tripp asked. I spun around to see him holding a tray of food.

  With the memory of our first time still fresh in my head, I did not need this right now. My eyes, however, had other ideas. His arms were bigger now. Thicker than they had been before. His hair was shorter and looked damp, as if he’d just stepped out of the shower, although the board shorts suggested that he might have been swimming. Then there was the fact that he was shirtless. All those defined muscles, tanned and decorated with a few well-placed tattoos, would make any woman stop and stare.

  “I was going to eat outside of my place, but you opened yours before I could sit down. I figured I had enough to share,” he said, snapping me out of my momentary lack of good sense.

  I jerked my eyes back up to meet his. I had to hand it to him—he didn’t look smug, even though I knew he noticed I had just given him a once-over. He was being careful. “I, uh, OK,” I managed to stammer out.

  He grinned and stepped inside, then placed the tray on the round high-top table, which had two bar stools underneath it. “I’ll even let you have the eggs,” he said, as if he needed to sweeten the deal so I wouldn’t change my mind.

  His arms didn’t have to be flexed for his muscles to stand out. They did that all on their own now. I could even see veins in them as he went about fixing us both a cup of coffee and setting out all three plates of food he’d brought with him.

  He needed to put a shirt on, dammit. How was I supposed to eat and not stare at that?

  God, Bethy, nothing has ever felt like this.

  I closed my eyes tightly and blocked out Tripp’s words replaying in my head.

  “You OK?” he asked in his older, more mature voice. I managed a nod and opened my eyes.

  “Sun’s a little bright. My eyes are adjusting,” I lied.

  Tripp frowned and walked over to adjust the shade. “Better?” he asked.

  “Mmm-hmm,” I replied, hoping my guilty thoughts weren’t all over my face.

  He walked back over to the table and pulled out a bar stool, then motioned for me to take it. I mumbled a thank you and climbed up. My wrap rode up my thighs and fell open, revealing almost all of my legs. I grabbed the edges to pull them together but not before Tripp noticed. My breathing hitched as I watched his eyes lock on my thighs. His nostrils flared, and his entire body tensed.

  If the veins on his neck popped out, I was done for. I
had to get control of things. Grabbing the edges, I tucked them around me. He tore his gaze off me and moved over to the other side of the table, faster than normal.

  Clearing his throat, he slid a plate filled with eggs, fruit, some cheese, buttered toast, and a few slices of bacon toward me. “As promised, the eggs.”

  My face was warm from the many emotions whirling around in my head. In an attempt to make things less awkward, I smiled at him. “Thank you. But I don’t need all the eggs. I can share.”

  He shrugged. “I’m good. You eat what you want, and I’ll finish off what you don’t eat.”

  Like we used to do.

  Ugh. Why was I doing this? He hadn’t meant that. He was just referring to the eggs. He wasn’t trying to remind me of how things had been once. That was all me. Stupid dream had me all hot and bothered.

  “OK,” I replied, hoping my reaction appeared normal.

  He took a bite of his toast. As his jaw moved, the muscles in his neck flexed. Shit! What was wrong with me?

  I dropped my gaze and grabbed something off my plate. I didn’t even care what. Luckily, it was a strawberry. I popped it into my mouth and began to chew.

  We ate in silence for a few minutes. I wasn’t sure what to say and hated that it was just getting more awkward. But every time I looked at him, I saw my dream replaying again in my head.

  “Is everything OK? I just thought you might want to eat. If you want me to, I can take my plate and go next door.” Tripp’s eyes were on me, and I had to meet his gaze to respond.

  I started to say that it was OK but realized that wasn’t the truth. Tripp knew me well enough to know I was lying. If we were going to be friends again, or at least attempt it, then I had to be honest with him. Well, not completely honest. I didn’t want him knowing I’d dreamed about our first time in extreme detail. “This is going to take some adjustment,” I said as I finally met his gaze. “I want to move on from everything. Like we discussed. But I’m not sure how. I’m trying to figure it out.”

  Tripp pulled his bottom lip through his teeth as a frown creased his brow. He didn’t need to bite his lip; that was taking an unfair advantage. He had to know that was sexy. I didn’t need sexy Tripp faces. “Fair enough,” he replied. Then a naughty grin touched his lips, and he dropped his eyes from mine to look at the table. “Maybe next time, I’ll give you a sec to put on something other than a little silky piece of fabric.”

  He was teasing me. Friendly teasing. I could do this. “Maybe next time, you could wear a shirt,” I countered.

  His gaze shot back up to mine, and for a second, I wasn’t sure if I should have said that. I might have given him the wrong idea. But then he surprised me and laughed. The deep chuckle that used to set butterflies off in my stomach and make me light-headed.

  And it still did.

  “Fair enough. We’ll dress more appropriately next time.”

  I nodded as a smile settled on my lips. I relaxed and reached for my fork so I could eat my eggs.

  Tripp

  Keeping my focus on Woods and Della during the ceremony was difficult. The pale blue dress Bethy was wearing clung to her curves, which proved extremely distracting. I had the ring, and I didn’t want to miss my cue, but damn, it was hard not to watch Bethy.

  The loose curls that hadn’t been pulled up on her head brushed her face as they got caught in the breeze. I wanted to walk over and pull out whatever was holding her hair up and watch it all fall down in a tangle of curls. I had never seen her hair curled before, and although I liked it just fine when it was straight, I wanted to wrap those curls around my fingers.

  “You became my safe place after you stole my heart.” Della’s words brought me out of my Bethy fog. That was my cue. I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out the ring, then handed it to Woods. It was his turn to say the vows he’d written for her.

  Grant had tried to get him to rehearse them earlier in front of us, but he wouldn’t. He’d said he didn’t need to rehearse. He didn’t even have a cheat sheet to give me in case he needed any help.

  “My life lacked purpose and meaning. I was going through the motions, unaware that I was hollow inside. Then one night, this gorgeous brunette lit up the bleakness within me. She was only in town for a night, but luckily, fate gave me a second chance and placed her in my path one more time.

  “You changed everything for me, Della. When you’re beside me, I can do anything. I can face any challenge and walk through any fire. As long as you’re the one holding my hand. You tell me I’m your safe place, but you have more strength and courage than anyone I’ve ever known.

  “No one will ever come before you. I’ll spend forever making sure you always feel safe. Never doubt for a second that you own my heart. You’re my life.”

  Della’s sob was followed by several others. My gaze moved back to Bethy, and I watched as she wiped away her own tears. Fate had given Woods another chance. I sure as hell hoped fate gave me one, too.

  The crowd roared, and I turned back to see Woods dip Della back as he held her in his arms and kissed her. When he was finally done making out with his wife in public, he took her arm, and they walked back down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Woods Kerrington.

  Thad stepped forward from behind me and took Braden’s arm as they followed the couple out. I waited for Bethy’s move. When she walked forward, I met her in the middle of the aisle and held out my arm for her to take. She slipped hers through mine, and I tucked it close to my body. It wasn’t the way the drill sergeant had told us to do it, but I didn’t give a shit. I’d just spent the last thirty minutes wanting to touch Bethy and not being able to. This was my excuse to get close to her, and I was taking it. She didn’t fight me; she let me keep her against me as we followed the others.

  “You smell good,” I said as I bent my head down to inhale her sweet perfume.

  She tensed but only for a moment. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  I watched as Thad dropped his arm and Braden moved forward, looking around for her husband with a bright smile on her face. We were all supposed to go to the large tent set up for the reception in the center of the island. But unless Bethy pulled away from me, I wasn’t letting go.

  Woods had stopped up ahead and was cradling Della’s face in his hands and kissing her. Again.

  “Damn, man. Stop sucking her face off. You got the rest of your life for that. Let’s go party!” Thad called out.

  Woods ignored him.

  “I’m so happy for them,” Bethy said.

  I was, too. “Yeah,” I agreed.

  “Honeymoon starts after the reception. Brides are funny about that shit!” Rush called out.

  This time, Della broke the kiss and looked back at us with laughter in her eyes. “You’re right. I want to dance with my husband,” she said.

  The look of possessiveness on Woods’s face as she called him her husband didn’t go unnoticed by anyone.

  “Wait until she realizes what happens every time she refers to him as her husband,” Blaire said as she and Rush stopped beside us.

  Bethy laughed, but it wasn’t a full laugh. There was a sadness there. I fucking hated that. I didn’t want her sad. She’d been sad for so long.

  “Let’s go party,” I said, stopping the blissful married sex talk and tightening my hold on Bethy as I led her toward the reception.

  Once we reached the tent, Bethy pulled away and gave me a small, embarrassed smile. She hadn’t realized I was still holding on to her until that moment—it was obvious from the look on her face. She’d been comfortable with me holding her, and damn, I liked that. “You’ll be at the bride and groom’s table over there.” She pointed to the table closest to the dance floor, with the most elaborate centerpiece.

  I hadn’t realized I wouldn’t be able to sit by her again. Did this mean I had to sit next to Charity? Shit.

  “We’re here, Bethy,” Blaire called out to her from across the dance floor. They were also close to the dance floor but on the other side of
the room.

  “Enjoy the dinner,” she said before turning and walking away from me. I watched as her hips swayed and her satin dress moved over her ass. God, she was gorgeous. But then, she always had been.

  “I believe you’re my dinner partner again tonight,” an unwelcomed female voice said, interrupting my thoughts.

  I glanced over at Charity. She was beaming a little too brightly. Almost as if she was forcing her joy. This probably hadn’t been easy on her, either. She’d thought she would have a happily-ever-after once, too. It hadn’t turned out that way.

  “Yeah, I’m sure we are,” I replied with a halfhearted smile, and motioned for her to lead the way.

  Bethy

  The tinkling sound of the spoon hitting the champagne glass quieted the room, and I turned around, knowing who had caught everyone’s attention. It was time for the maid of honor and the best man to make their speeches. I had tried to keep my eyes off that table since I sat down. I wasn’t a fan of the beautiful blonde, Charity.

  Was I jealous?

  Yes. Yes, I was.

  Tripp grinned, and I was sure every single female guest melted a little. “It appears I’m going first,” he said, then cocked a teasing eyebrow at Braden. Laughter filled the tent.

  “First of all, I’d like to take all the credit for this,” he said, waving a hand at Woods and Della. “I was the one who sent Della to Rosemary Beach, or back to Rosemary Beach. I had no idea she’d passed through months earlier. But regardless, she came back because of me.”

  More laughter. It was no surprise Tripp was good at this. He had always been able to charm a crowd.

  “I didn’t realize the infamous Woods Kerrington was in deep until the night he walked into my apartment for my welcome-home party. It’s a wonder I’m standing here today. The man had staked his claim, and he was prepared to take down anyone in his way.” He paused again while everyone laughed. They all knew exactly what he was referring to.

  “Della’s special. I knew it the moment I met her. But I could see in her eyes the same lost soul I saw in my own mirror every day. We were kindred spirits. All I knew was that if I could go back to Rosemary Beach, then maybe I’d have a chance of finding myself. But I wasn’t ready. So I did the next best thing. I sent Della. If I wasn’t ready to help myself, I wanted to at least help her.” He stopped and looked down at Woods. “And I was right. When I look at Della now, that lost look is completely gone. There’s joy and love shining in her eyes.