His smile grew impossibly wider. “I’ve been ready, my love.” He squeezed me tighter, pressing my ear firmly against his hard chest, which caused his words to reverberate into me rather than be heard. “I’ve just been waiting on you.”
“Have you been waiting long?”
“It felt like a lifetime.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. As far as I knew, I wasn’t late. However, I couldn’t seem to remember how I got here or where I came from. I had no idea of the time or even what day of the week it was. But none of that mattered because we were together once again. Just like we planned a year ago in this very spot.
It was time for our forever to begin.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kenny
My stomach was in my throat as I made my way from the dirt-covered parking lot to the main office. It’d been more than two weeks since Drew left me standing in my front yard. And since then, there’d been nothing but radio silence from him. My texts went unanswered, calls left unreturned. I couldn’t fathom why he’d treat me as if I had done something wrong. So I decided to ask him that very question myself.
Face to face.
I pulled open the heavy door and took a step inside. I knew he didn’t work in the office very often, but this was the obvious first place to check. Had it been closer to dinner, I would’ve tried The Feeder first.
A middle-aged man stood and blinked a few times before saying, “You really do look exactly like her, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry?” I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Forgive me, I was talking to myself. It’s just that you look identical to someone else.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot. I think I just have one of those faces.”
The man chuckled to himself as he dropped his chin. “Nah, you can’t say that, darlin’. There isn’t an average pore on your face.”
As soon as he said nah, I figured he must be Drew’s dad. He sounded just like him. Not to mention, I assumed Drew had at least mentioned me, which would explain his reaction when I first walked in.
“I know you aren’t checking in, seeing’s how we don’t have any arrivals scheduled until tomorrow. So what may I do for you, young lady?”
I moved closer to the desk and smiled his way. “I’m actually looking for someone—Drew Wheeler. Any idea where I might be able to find him?”
He squinted at the clock on the wall. “He should be pulling up to the dock right about now. He had a water tour on the boat that ends in roughly five minutes. Do you need directions to—”
“No, thank you. I know where it is,” I said over my shoulder as I hurried out of the office. I knew it was rude to cut him off, but I could tell by his smirk that he wasn’t bothered by it. In fact, if anything, he appeared amused by my hasty exit.
I made it about halfway down the trail before questioning myself. I began to doubt that I was headed in the right direction, feeling as though nothing was familiar. Granted, I’d only come down here the one time, and honestly, I had no idea how I managed to stumble upon it. I was out for a walk, heading toward the water, and there it was. Hopefully, I’d have the same luck this time around.
As soon as I heard voices in the distance, I felt confident that I was on the right path. I just had to make sure I got there before he left. I more than likely held my breath until I made it past the no trespassing sign and found him near the end of the dock. That was the first time in weeks I felt at peace. It didn’t even matter that we still had to talk about things. Uncomfortable things. All that mattered was that he was right in front of me.
“Hey, you got a minute?”
Drew stopped mid-knot and froze. He didn’t even look my way.
So I continued to put one foot in front of the other until I stood in his shadow. That got his attention and made him move. He turned his head and slowly scanned me from my legs to my face. However, there wasn’t anything sexual about the way he regarded me. If anything, it was laced with confusion.
Meeting my stare, he stood upright and furrowed his brow. I couldn’t see behind his sunglasses, but I was sure his gaze was narrowed, too. “Is everything okay?”
That took me by surprise. Rather than anger or disgust, his question was riddled with concern. Concern for me. I had assumed this would’ve been much harder, especially considering how he’d refused to speak to me over the last couple of weeks. But this wasn’t a man who was pissed off by my surprise visit. Then again, he also wasn’t a man who appeared happy to see me standing in front of him.
“Uh, yeah. I just wanted to talk, if that’s all right. If you have time, I mean.”
“And what if I don’t?”
I shrugged, hoping this was nothing more than a simple test of my loyalty. “Then I guess I’ll hang around and wait until you do have time.”
“And what if I’m busy for the next week?”
“Looks like I’ll get to spend another week in my favorite place.”
“What if it takes me a month?”
I smiled, confident this was his way of testing me. “I’ll make this easy for you, Drew. I’m not leaving until we have a conversation. I’ve called and texted, and you’ve ignored them all. Well, I won’t let you ignore me now. I have some things I need to tell you, and if it takes a year to get you to listen, then move over, honey, because I’m moving to town.”
The corners of his mouth twitched, giving away his fight against the smile that tugged his lips relentlessly. If only I knew its intention, it’d be easier to read him. “Well, in that case, I think I can carve out a few minutes right now.”
I had hoped we could’ve at least sat down while we talked, but considering the way he leaned against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest, I assumed he wasn’t interested in getting comfortable. That was okay, though. As long as he gave me the chance to speak openly, I wouldn’t complain.
This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment trip. It had been planned for days, all the way down to what I would say to him if given a chance. Yet here I was, and I couldn’t remember the most important part of it all—the opening line. It seemed that Drew had the ability to clear my thoughts regardless of the situation.
Without a written script, my only two options were to walk away or wing it. I went with the latter, refusing to give up this opportunity. There was no telling if it’d ever come around again—not to mention, I didn’t just drive six hours to turn around and head home, simply because I’d forgotten a sentence. “I know it probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but my grandfather suffered another major stroke the night you were there, and he didn’t make it.”
Drew’s brows arched, conflict heavy in his eyes. “Oh, I’m really sor—”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to do that. I know you don’t mean it.”
“Don’t do that, Kenny.” His stern tone caught me by surprise and made me stop talking. “I didn’t know him, but from what I’ve been told, he wasn’t a saint. In fact, he was the furthest thing from a saint. But that doesn’t mean I can’t feel sympathy for your loss.”