Returning to Rockport: A Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Kelsey Clayton

  “How long have you been standing there?”

  He chuckles and takes a step inside my room. “Long enough to watch you freak out. What’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing if you’re this upset about it.”

  I shake my head. “It’s embarrassing.”

  “McKenna.” He gives me a knowing look. “I’ve known you since you played pretty, pretty, princess.”

  “Oh god, don’t remind me.”

  What he doesn’t know is that I’ve had a crush on him since the day he first came over to hang out with Maverick. I was seven and they were ten. I can still remember the way he rode his skateboard without a helmet. He looked so dangerous and carefree. I was mesmerized.

  “I don’t know how to slow dance.” I confess.

  His eyebrows raise. “Is that all?” I nod and he picks up my iPod from my dresser. “I can teach you.”

  Teach me?! Just the idea of Colton’s hands on me causes me to feel something so intense I can barely handle it. “Y-you don’t have to do that.”

  “Nonsense.” He presses play. From the Ground Up by Dan and Shay fills the room. “Come here.” I step closer. He lightly takes my wrists and places them on his shoulders before putting his hands on my hips. “Now just follow my lead.”

  The two of us sway back and forth. Every time I’ve tried this with anyone else, I’ve messed it up. I’ve stepped on the guy or moved too fast. With Colton, though, it’s different. I let him control my movements as I get lost in the lyrics. Every word they sing is everything I wish would happen between us. Is there a reason he chose this song? Yeah, right. What would a twenty-one-year-old Adonis want with a high school senior?

  The feeling of being this close to him is better than anything I’ve ever imagined. I mentally will the song to never end and wonder if maybe I should mess up on purpose so I can say I need more help. Unfortunately, the last note plays before I have a chance to try it.

  “See? You’re a natural.”

  I look up and my eyes lock with his. The room is so quiet I can hear the pounding of my own heart. The music is gone but neither one of us moves. Then, as if we don’t any control over it, we both start to lean in. My eyes close and I can feel his lips ghosting across my own but not touching.

  “Colton.” I whisper, afraid I’ll ruin the moment if I speak any louder.

  “I just…”

  He cuts himself off my pressing his mouth against mine. My stomach is taken over by butterflies as I get exactly what I’ve wanted for the past decade. He tightens his hold and pulls me closer, using my gasp to slip his tongue into my mouth. He tastes like mint toothpaste and heaven. My fingers lace into his hair as I try to find something to ground me. Lifting me up by my waist, he sits me on my dresser and slots himself between my legs. Our lips don’t separate for a second as the kiss turns heated.

  “Colton?”

  In the worst timing ever, Maverick’s voice echoes down the hallway. Colton breaks the kiss, placing his hands on either side of my body and taking a deep breath with his eyes still closed. When they finally open, his pupils are so blown that I can barely see any of the turquoise blue that surrounds them.

  “Colton? Where’d you go?” Maverick calls out again.

  “Coming.” He answers before backing away.

  Just as he reaches the door, he spares one last glance at me and smiles. In another second, he’s gone. I raise my hand and touch my bottom lip with the tips of my fingers. The feeling of his kiss still lingers.

  “McKenna, are you even listening to me?!” Parker goes on but I’m not paying attention.

  Colton looks away from his conversation with Tatum and directly at me. The smile that appears tells me he knows exactly what song this is, and then he winks. I can’t handle anything anymore. With being angry at Parker and all these feelings for Colton flooding back, I just need a minute to breathe.

  I turn to leave but don’t get very far before Parker is stopping me again.

  “Where are you going?”

  Again, I pull myself from him and take another step back. “I just need some time to myself. Don’t follow me.”

  Without giving him a chance to say another word, I walk away. I go down the back steps and onto the lower patio, far enough from prying eyes and people who want to make small talk with the ‘bride to be’. I sit on the ledge and take a deep breath, rubbing my hands over my face. Only a few seconds later, I can hear someone coming up behind me.

  “I thought I told you not to follow me!” I shout, but as I turn around, it’s not Parker behind me. “Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

  “Are you okay?” Colton asks carefully.

  I shrug. “Define okay.”

  He comes closer and stands in front of me, placing his hands in his pockets. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “You could say that.” It’s probably not something I should talk to him about, but this is Colton. Word vomit comes naturally with him. “He promised me the whole summer just the two of us, then today he goes and enrolls in summer courses without telling me.”

  “Well, that’s messed up.”

  “You’re telling me.” I look at the starry night sky as my eyes tear up. “Is there something wrong with me? Is that why he’d rather take classes than spend time together?”

  Within seconds, Colton steps closer and pulls me into his chest, rubbing my back soothingly. “No, McKenna. You’re perfect.”

  “If I was perfect, he would want to spend time with me.”

  “Well, he’s an idiot then. Anyone would be lucky to spend time with you.”

  I give myself a moment to breathe in his cologne. He’s always worn the same kind and I’ve missed it. I remember the way the scent used to coat my pillow long after he left my bed. Shit. What am I doing?

  Using as much force as I can manage, I push him away from me. “We can’t do this.”

  “Do what, exactly?”

  “This.” I motion between him and I. “It’s dangerous.”

  “Mac.” He moves to come closer again.

  “No, stop. It’s way too easy to fall back into old habits with you and I can’t risk that. I’m engaged.” I swallow before allowing the words to leave my mouth. “We need to stay away from each other.”

  His eyes widen at the idea and he lets out a choked laugh. “That’s not possible.”

  “Yes, it is. I’ll try to stay away from Maverick’s while you live there. I’m moving out of my parent’s house on Sunday. We don’t have to be around each other.”

  He opens his mouth to argue but stops as Tatum cuts him off.

  “McKenna, people are leaving. You have to come say goodbye and thank them for coming.”

  Sparing one last glance at Colton, I give him an ‘I mean it’ look, then walk up the stairs to join Tatum. The two of us leave him standing there alone and head back to the party.

  “Do I even want to ask what that was about?” She asks.

  I shake my head. “I’ve got it under control.” Or at least I hope I do.

  5

  In the past couple weeks, I’ve learned one very important thing about myself - I hate packing. First it was my dorm room, which was hard but tolerable. My childhood bedroom, however, is a totally different story. All the memories that fill every inch of this place make leaving it so hard. I’m about to move into a house with my fiancé; the man I promised to spend the rest of my life with. I should be less scared and more excited, but I’m not.

  “Knock, knock.” My mom interrupts my mental freak out. “Can I come in?”

  “Of course.”

  She comes beside me and helps fold the clothes I have in a pile and place them in the box. “Where’s Parker? Shouldn’t he be helping you?”

  “He went to pick up the keys.”

  “Ah. Those would be useful, wouldn’t they?”

  I chuckle. “Just a bit.”

  After folding a couple more shirts in silence, she sighs and sits down on
my bed. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “What? Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Because I saw you two at the engagement party. Aunt Rachel didn’t even know which one was your fiancé.” Worry is evident in the tone of her voice, but I don’t dare to look at her. “What were you two fighting about?”

  I shake my head. “It was stupid.”

  “It didn’t look stupid. It clearly upset you.”

  She’s right. It did upset me. It still does if I’m honest, but there isn’t much I can do about it now. He starts classes on Wednesday because that’s what he wants to do. My opinion didn’t matter when he made the choice to enroll, and it doesn’t matter now. That’s just something I need to accept.

  “He signed up for summer courses without talking to me about it first.”

  “You don’t want him to get a head start?”

  “It’s not that.” I will myself not to get emotional. My mom will go all protective mama bear and I don’t need that right now. “Since we met, one of us has always had some kind of obligation. We both promised to spend this summer together.”

  “That’s not very considerate of him. If you two are going to get married, he needs to know that he can’t make all these decisions on his own anymore. You’re supposed to be equals.”

  “Yeah, well.” I toss the shirt into the box with a little more force than necessary. “It’s a problem but it’s not going to make me leave him. I’ll get over it.”

  “And what about Colton? Will you get over that, too?” My whole body tenses and my eyes fly up to see my mom staring right back at me - not judging, just the soft gaze I’m used to. “I saw the way you looked at him when you were dancing.”

  “That-”

  She holds up one finger. “I also saw the way he chased after you when you ran off. So, I’m going to ask you again. Are you sure this is what you want?”

  Running my hands over my face, I take a deep breath. “Yes, I’m sure. I love Parker. Colton was just being a good friend.”

  “Honey, I’ve known that boy since he was ten years old. If you think the way he looks at you is like a friend, you’re not as bright as I thought you were.”

  “Mom!” I laugh in disbelief. “We’re not talking about this. There’s nothing going on between me and Colton. I’m moving in with Parker and in four months, I’ll be marrying him. That’s all there is to it.”

  “I just-”

  I shake my head. “That’s all there is to it.”

  “Okay, I get it.” She stands from my bed. “Let me know if you need any help.”

  Without another word, she leaves me alone to process my thoughts. After I walked away from Colton on Friday night, he didn’t try to talk to me again. I caught him looking at me a couple times but he left with Maverick shortly after.

  My eyes move to the picture on my nightstand. I walk over and take it into my hands, looking at it for the millionth time since I got home. Like a habit, my finger rubs right over Colton’s hair and down his face as I remember what he feels like. It’s been two days since I saw him and while I know it was my idea to stay away from each other, I’d be lying if I said I like it.

  “Hello love.” Parker greets me as he comes into the room. I startle but it’s too late. “What are you looking at?”

  I shrug to seem apathetic and hand it to him. “Just a picture from a few years ago.”

  “Is that Maverick and Colton with you?”

  “Mhm.”

  He looks up at me and smiles. “You all look happy.”

  I take the picture as he passes it back to me and glance over it one more time. “Yeah, we were.”

  The sun beams down on me, warming my body as I relax on the beach. Waves crash against the shore and just barely kiss the dry sand before retreating. The sound of seagulls and the ocean provide a feeling of calmness that can’t be beat.

  “If you stare any harder, your eyes are going to dry out. At least blink, jeez.”

  I chuckle as Colton jumps off his surfboard and into the water. “Shut up, Ivy.”

  “I’m just saying, with the way you look at him, I’m surprised Maverick hasn’t caught on yet.”

  “How do you know he hasn’t?”

  “Because Colton’s still in one piece.”

  My eyes roll instinctively. “Oh, please. He wouldn’t hurt his best friend.”

  “No, he wouldn’t hurt him. He would kill him.” She looks around to make sure the coast is clear before turning back to me. “You’re his baby sister. His best friend is boinking his baby sister.”

  “Okay one, don’t ever use the word ‘boinking’ again. And two, I’m not anyone’s baby anything.” Glancing back at the water, I see Colton and Maverick coming toward us. “Now zip it before you accidentally let something slip.”

  The guys drop their boards onto the sand and grab towels to dry their faces. Colton smirks when he notices me staring at him. He reaches back and pulls the zipper on his wetsuit down, peeling the top half from his wet body. I need to stop myself from moaning at the sight of his perfectly sculpted abs.

  “I’m going to rinse off. You coming?” Maverick asks him.

  “Nah, I think I’ll stay here.”

  Not thinking anything of it, my brother nods and heads for the showers. Once he’s out of sight, Colton plops himself down next to me. He puts one hand on my cheek and pulls me in, pressing our lips together. It’s not long, but enough to make my knees weak and my body tingle. Ivy mocks disgust but the two of us ignore her. When he breaks the kiss, he rests his forehead on mine.

  “I have wanted to do that all morning.” He whispers.

  I don’t stand a chance in fighting the smile that comes from his words. “Me too.”

  Ivy grabs a bottle of water from the small cooler and hands it to him. He thanks her, then pours the liquid into his mouth. I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. When he’s done, he flings it toward me. I gasp as the cold water splashes against my heated skin. He smiles guiltily and winks at me.

  “Seriously?”

  His grin widens. “Seriously.”

  Knowing how much he hates when the sand clings to his body, I grab a handful and press it against his chest. He bites his lip and closes his eyes. When he reopens them, my breath hitches.

  “You really just did that?”

  “Yup.” I reply, popping the p.

  He hums and then nods. “I’ll give you five seconds to run.” At first I think he’s kidding, but then he raises his eyebrows and starts to count. “One, two…”

  “Shit.”

  I get up to run but within half a second, he catches me - wrapping his arms around my waist and digging his fingers into my sides. A squeal leaves my mouth as he tickles me and no matter how much I beg, he doesn’t let go. Ivy laughs until a voice makes us all freeze.

  “What are you doing?”

  Colton releases me instantly and the two of us turn to see Maverick looking at us like he’s trying to solve the worlds hardest puzzle. He glances from his best friend, to me, and back again - waiting for an answer. Thankfully, Colton snickers and runs his fingers through his hair.

  “Just messing around. She threw sand on me.”

  My jaw drops as I turn to him. “You splashed me with cold water!”

  “I would’ve thrown you into the ocean if big brother hadn’t come to your rescue.”

  I roll my eyes, but nothing can stop me from giggling. Maverick’s eyes narrow at my reaction and he turns his attention back to Colton.

  “Is there something going on between you two?”

  “Between me and Mac?” He asks, as if the idea is absurd. “Dude, are you really asking me that?”

  Ivy, being the godsend that she is, grabs her phone and stands up. “Maverick, go stand next to McKenna. I want to take a picture of you three.”

  Her idea to distract him works and Maverick shakes himself out of whatever internal debate he was having. He comes over and stands next to me. Him and Colton both place an arm ar
ound me and the three of us smile brightly for the picture. In that moment, with the two most important men in my life, I feel content.

  I SHOW IVY AROUND my new house. It’s empty but still beautiful. Parker and I had only looked at three before seeing this one. I instantly loved it. It’s two stories, with all the bedrooms upstairs. The kitchen has all top of the line appliances and looks out into the living room. It’s the perfect home for a family.

  “McKenna, your brother is here!” Parker calls from the front yard.

  Ivy and I quit pondering what the point is of fans on a vaulted ceiling, and head to the door. As soon as we step outside, I stop. My best friend bumps into the back of me from my sudden halt but I barely notice - too stuck on the sight in front of me.

  Colton is leaning up against the side of Maverick’s SUV, laughing at something Parker said. His arms are crossed against his chest and his smile makes my heart skip. This is exactly why I told him to stay away. I can’t handle the way my body comes alive when he’s around, especially when my fiancé is in the same place.

  “Well, well, well. If it isn’t little McKenna Taylor.” Another voice pulls my attention away from my ex.

  I turn my head to see Roman, my brother and Colton’s friend since freshman year. He’s grown since I saw him last. He has probably gained somewhere near thirty pounds of pure muscle. His shirt clings to his body, the white fabric contrasting with the dark tone of his skin. The smile on his face reminds me of why it’s so nice to be home.

  “Rome!” I greet him excitedly, wrapping my arms around him. He lifts me up and squeezes. When he puts me down, I run my fingers through my hair. “How are you? It’s been forever.”

  “I know. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your engagement party. There was something at work I had to tend to.”

  “Don’t you work for Colton?” My eyes narrow. When he glances at him with a nervous look on his face, it becomes clear. He dealt with the work issue so Colton didn’t miss the party. Was going really that important to him? I don’t have time to question it further because Maverick speaks up.