by Alison Ryan
She settled into the crook of him, laying her head on his chest.
“Me either,” she whispered.
That afternoon they were finally on their way, traveling slowly down the Intracoastal Waterway.
“So where are we going? And how did you learn to drive a boat?” Charlotte asked, leaning against Declan as he steered.
“I’ve grown up on boats,” he said. “My dad has always owned one and we spent a lot of time out on the water. Still do, when we can tolerate each other.” He smiled at her. “And where we’re going is a surprise. But it’s not far.”
Charlotte settled back on the bench seat on the stern. It was a beautiful Charleston afternoon. They waved at passing boats and water skiers. She couldn’t remember when she’d ever been happier.
“The main reason I decided to take you to this place,” Declan said from over his shoulder. “Is you’ll never see a better sunset than where we’re heading. You’ll remember it the rest of your life. And you’ll always remember you saw it with me.”
Charlotte’s heart swelled. She should have told him then, right then. That she loved him so much, that she couldn’t see herself ever feeling the way she did about him with anyone else. But she sensed it still wasn’t the right moment. It was on the tip of her tongue. He’d been able to tell her so easily, but that was the thing with Declan- everything was easy for him. But for Charlotte it was harder to articulate what she felt. She was still adjusting to the fact that this was happening at all with him. It scared her how happy she was. Being this happy made her nervous.
How could someone like Declan DeGraff ever understand that?
Nothing bad had ever happened to Declan that she knew of.
A breeze rustled through her hair as they sailed on. She was anxious to see what Declan had up his sleeve. She loved looking at the large homes they passed with their long piers and large live oaks with branches hanging over the water, Spanish moss swaying in the wind. This was the Charleston she loved so much.
“Almost there,” Declan said a little while later. “Have you heard of Capers Island?”
Charlotte shook her head. “Nope. Tell me about it.”
“Well, it’s one of the barrier islands. We’re going to explore it,” he said. “And I brought some food so we can have dinner out on the beach. And catch that sunset I was telling you about. You brought your bathing suit, right? Might want to change into it.”
“Sure,” Charlotte said, standing up. “Too bad we can’t swim naked.”
“As much as I would love that, Capers isn’t that secluded. I only wish,” Declan said. “I can’t think of anything sexier than you naked on an island with wild hair and not a single tan line.”
By the time she’d changed, Declan was stopping the boat to dock it on a long wooden pier, right off the shore.
Charlotte walked out onto the stern. She’d put on a lavender bikini with strings that tied on her curvy hips. As soon as he saw her his eyes about popped out of his head.
“Jesus,” he said. “You’re so fucking hot.”
Charlotte blushed. “I feel like maybe I have no business in a bikini.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? No one has more business being in a bikini than you do,” he said, sweeping her up into his arms. He kissed her. “The bikini was invented with you in mind.”
“I’m tempted to take you again on this boat before we disembark, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t have the self- control to stop myself, and we’d miss the sunset.”
Charlotte grinned. “Have me on the beach. What could be better?”
Capers Island is uninhabited and as undeveloped as it gets. Declan had bought up all the permits for the night. He wanted to ensure no one would run into them, not that he’d told Charlotte that. The county usually allowed 50 campers a night, but Declan wanted them to be as isolated as possible.
He set up their tent while she walked around the island, climbing the large branches jutting out from the sand.
“I’ve never seen anything like this!” she called to him. “They look like bones!”
“Yep,” he shouted out to her. “They’re bleached white by the sun and the salt air. It’s called Boneyard Beach.”
Charlotte walked back toward him. “Makes sense. They’re like tree skeletons. They’re beautiful.”
Declan wrapped his arms around her. “I’m glad you appreciate it. It’s my favorite place in all the world.”
“Thank you so much for bringing me here,” she stood on her toes to kiss his mouth. “I love it already. And thank you for putting up the tent. You did that fast.”
“Well, I’ve camped out here a time or two,” he said. “You hungry?”
Declan wasn’t kidding. Once they finished eating the sandwiches he’d packed, they sat side by side on one of the larger tree skeletons and watched the skies change from blue, to lavender, to purple, and amber. The sun set on the horizon and Charlotte couldn’t believe she was here to witness something so striking with someone she loved.
“Declan,” she said, touching his hand. Her voice was shaking. “I love you.”
He looked at her, surprised.
“I love you so much,” she continued. “I wanted to tell you the other night, I really did. I’ve felt that way for weeks now. And it gets more intense every time I see you. It’s like… It’s like I don’t just love you. A word doesn’t exist for it, for how this feels.” She looked out at the ocean. “I sound so ridiculous.”
“No,” he said. “I’m just so damn lucky you feel the same way I do. All I wanted was for you to feel half of what I feel. Hell, even just a quarter.” He stared out at the ocean. “It’s just like the ocean is at the mercy of the moon. I’m the tides and you’re my moon, Charlotte. And I can only hope to be your moon too.”
He leaned over to her then and they kissed, the long kind. There was something about kissing someone for the first time after telling them you loved them that made Charlotte love it more than any kiss he’d given her yet.
“Make love to me,” she said. “Please. I want to end this perfect day doing the thing I love more than anything else in the world.”
“As you wish,” he said, jumping from the branch and holding out his hand to help her down. “You’ll never have to ask me twice when it comes to that.”
Chapter 18
Charlotte wasn’t sure what to do now.
She was torn. It was the common theme of the day, apparently. She felt so many emotions at once after reading that letter and seeing his name signed at the bottom. It brought so much back all at once.
She needed to talk to Vanessa.
Charlotte fumbled around her purse looking for her phone. When she finally found it, it took her a few moments to keep her hands from shaking so she could dial Vanessa’s number.
God I hope she answers, she thought. She might be at work.
Fortunately, she did. On the third ring.
“Char!” Vanessa’s cheery voice answered. “I was waiting for you to call me and tell me you made it okay.”
“I texted you, didn’t I?” Charlotte asked.
“Yeah, but I was hoping you’d call,” Vanessa said. “But its okay, you’re calling now! How’s Charleston? How are you?”
Charlotte sighed. Where to even begin? She told Vanessa everything, the incident on the beach, the letter, her running away from him.
“What do I do?” Charlotte asked. “I don’t know what to do. Should I just leave in the middle of the night? Go somewhere else? Maybe Isle of Palms or Folly? Or Mars?”
Vanessa was quiet on the other end.
“Charlotte,” she finally said. “You know how strange this is, right? That you go to Charleston for the first time in ten years and you not only run into him but you end up renting the house right next to his? Isn’t this… Kind of how it always is when it comes to him?”
Charlotte sighed. “Yes. Coincidence is not my friend.”
“You know I don’t believe in coincidence,” Vanessa said. “I’m the
one who believes other forces are at play when it comes to these things. I mean, this is crazy, Charlotte! It’s kismet. It’s fate!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “It is not. Declan DeGraff is not my fate.”
“Well, the universe sure seems to want to push you two together whenever it has the chance,” Vanessa said. “And I don’t know what you’re running away from when it comes to Nashville, but I know that running away from Declan is not what you actually want to do. That’s why you’re calling me, right? To get permission to reach out to him.”
Charlotte guffawed. “It most certainly is not. I called you just to tell someone… I mean. Okay. Maybe I did call you to get your opinion, but I really don’t feel like reaching out to him is necessarily the best course of action. I mean, you know how hard it was for me…”
“I know,” Vanessa said. “And Lord knows he doesn’t deserve a damn thing from you. But I also know what you look like whenever he’s mentioned. Like you’ve just been hit. Like it’s painful. And the past is muddy but maybe this is a way of making it clear again.”
“So what are you saying, V?” Charlotte asked.
“Go to him,” Vanessa instructed. “Just this one last time.”
Declan had never been so anxious. Not even during the sale of his company. It was nothing compared to this.
He’d left the envelope on her front door right before the pizza delivery guy had shown up, and he was relieved to know he’d timed it perfectly. He’d watched from his window as the kid picked up the envelope and handed it to her. So Declan knew for sure she had it.
He wasn’t sure what to expect now. He was afraid of two things. First, he was afraid there was a husband or boyfriend in the cottage with her that would not take too kindly to another man sending her a letter like the one he’d left. Not that it was anything intimate, but he could figure how it might appear. The husband or boyfriend might march right over and threaten to kick his ass.
The second thing he was afraid of was that she would do nothing. That he would hear nothing.
That made him more scared than anything else.
He needed to talk about this with someone. Someone who knew the Charlotte situation, which was a very small circle of people.
Winston Ravenel.
Declan dialed his number as he continued to glance out the window.
God I look like a creeper, he thought.
Winston answered on the first ring.
“DeGraff,” Winston said. “You callin’ to make plans? Because I was thinking of heading your way tonight. Maybe hit up Poe’s Tavern.”
“No, I’m not calling to make plans,” Declan said. “Believe it or not, I’m calling for advice.”
Winston paused. This was something Declan never needed from him. If anything, Winston was the one that always needed the counsel.
“Well, I’m all ears,” Winston said. “I can’t even possibly begin to fathom what you’re about to ask me.”
“Well, it’s Charlotte,” Declan began. He filled Winston in on what had happened on the beach and his letter.
“You left a letter?” Winston said. “Isn’t that kind of… juvenile? I mean, it reminds me a little bit of middle school.”
“Fuck, man. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to scare her by knocking on her door,” Declan explained. “So it was lame. I can admit that. But it’s done. What do I do now?”
“You let it go,” Winston said. “You broke up with her. And clearly it did a number on her. I still don’t even know why you dumped her in the first place. I know you didn’t want to. Did your dad make you or something?”
Declan grimaced. “Hell no. I wouldn’t break up with a girl because my parents told me to, are you kidding? No, it was… complicated. And no, it wasn’t something I wanted to do, but it is what it is. And I was just thinking that maybe this is destiny’s way of getting me back with her again. Or at least it’s pointing me toward her so we can get better closure.” Declan slumped down on the kitchen floor. “She’s probably taken anyway. But if she doesn’t respond to the letter, what should I do?”
“Nothing,” Winston said. “What did you always tell me? See things as they are and not how I want them to be? Well, buddy, it’s time for you to hear the same thing. See things as they are. Charlotte has moved on. She’s got her own life now. Besides, you’re the same guy that was hooking up with hot co-eds just a couple days ago. You’re in your element now. Forget about Charlotte. Enjoy the present. Leave the past exactly where it should be left. Behind you.”
“You’re right,” Declan admitted. “Completely right. I’m going to let it go. Shit, now I wish I hadn’t written the damn letter at all.”
“That whole move was pretty out of character for the Declan I know,” Winston said. “You sure you don’t want to meet up? Get some drinks?”
“Nah,” Declan said. “I’m wiped. I think I’m gonna go to bed early, have a chill night. Thanks, man.”
“Any time,” Winston said, and they both hung up.
Declan looked at the wall in front of him for a long while, considering what Winston had advised him to do. Winston had a good point. The past was better laid to rest.
But God, he wanted to see her. Just talk to her. Maybe explain things… That part would be tougher. Telling Charlotte why he’d broken up with her would possibly cause her much more pain than breaking her heart had, years ago.
Fuck. He didn’t know what to do.
He stood up and looked out the window. To his surprise, he could see her front door opening, followed by the slam of a screen door.
It was Charlotte.
And she was heading straight for his house. Her walk was determined and she was coming quickly.
Without a second thought, Declan was out the door and walking toward her. When she saw him approaching, she slowed down a bit, but kept walking.
They met almost exactly halfway between their properties.
Up close, she was still just as beautiful as she’d been on the beach. And even more beautiful than he remembered her being a decade ago.
“Declan,” she said. Her expression was impossible to read.
“Charlotte,” he said.
This was it. No matter what was best for either of them, he knew what he wanted to do.
Before she could say a single word, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him.
His mouth was on hers and she wasn’t pulling away.
It was all he needed to know.
It wasn’t over. Not yet.
Ten Years Ago
“Are you sure about this?” Charlotte asked as she and Declan walked up to the main house entrance.
“About what? Having lunch with my mother? Sure! My dad isn’t here, so we can actually have a nice time,” Declan replied as he opened the door for her.
“No, I mean,” Charlotte’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Moving in together? It’s so fast… And I just don’t want to upset your parents. I feel like they already don’t like me.”
“First of all, yes. I’m sure. I mean, we’d be at each other’s houses all the time anyway. There’s no point in both of us paying rent. And my father doesn’t like anyone. Seriously. He doesn’t. And my mom likes you. She just wants to get to know you better. She didn’t get much of a chance last time,” Declan assured her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her head toward him so he could kiss the top of it. “I love you, Char. I can’t wait to see you every day. I’ll probably never go to class, but waking up to you every morning will be worth repeating a semester or two.”
Charlotte smiled. “I love you too, but I am not failing out for your punk ass.”
He laughed as they entered the dining room. This time there were just place settings for three and a tray of sandwiches and another of fresh cut fruit were already laid out.
“Hello, darlings!” Anna said as she came in from the kitchen. “I’m so happy to see you again, Charlotte!”
“Good to see you, too,” Charl
otte said. Anna walked over and pulled her in for a warm hug.
“You look pretty as a picture,” Anna told her.
“Thank you.”
The three of them sat down, this time Declan and Charlotte were across from each another and Anna sat at the head of the table.
“Let’s dig in,” Anna said, grabbing a small cucumber sandwich from the tray. “I didn’t eat breakfast.”
They began to eat, Charlotte and Declan stealing glances at each other every now and again. Charlotte couldn’t believe this handsome boy was all hers. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since their afternoon on Capers. Declan had made love to her twice that night. The first time had been gentle, his hands running up and down her body. She felt like she was being worshipped. She’d come while on top, calling out to him.
“I love you!” she’d cried.
Later that night he’d taken her more roughly, waking her up in the middle of the night to fuck her from behind while she looked out at the tide pools. She’d come violently, making her beg him for more.
And now he was sitting across from her, looking like the picture of southern gentility. She wanted to crawl under the table and put him in her mouth. She could feel herself getting wet just thinking about it.
“So, Charlotte,” Anna said. “Declan tells me you’re from Nashville.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Charlotte replied, blushing. She was sure everyone could tell she was thinking filthy things.
“It’s a wonderful town,” Anna said. “One of my sorority sisters is from there.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Charlotte said.
“Mom, I hate to interrupt, but I’m anxious about something and you know how it is, I think it’s better just to lay things out on the table,” Declan said, looking over at Charlotte. “But Charlotte and I are moving in together. In the fall.”
Anna froze. She had half her sandwich in the air, about to take a bite but after Declan made his confession, she’d slowly put it back down on her Hermes plate.
“Do you think that’s such a good idea?” Anna said. “I mean, I’m a broad- minded person, I don’t think there’s anything terrible about living together before marriage, but y’all just started dating. And you’re so young. You’re not even done with school yet. Why the rush?” Anna glanced over at Charlotte. “It has nothing to do with you, Charlotte. I would ask these things if it was anyone. This is very unlike my son, so you have clearly become someone very special to him.”
