Page 36 of Reaching Roland

As much as I loved it, he sent so many feelings coursing through my body that the butterflies fluttering around in my belly had gotten out of control. I knew I was quickly approaching the time when I’d have to take a step back from him. I didn't want to lose his friendship, so the only thing that made sense would be to move back down to Little Beach Bay so we’d be able to stay in contact without it looking weird that I had to stop spending time with him.

It was one of the reasons I hadn't made time to go down and visit my family and friends in the LBB. I knew my time with Roland was short, but it would also be severing the strong connection I’d made with so many others. Especially Michaela, Austin, andtheir families. They'd truly become my family, and I’d miss them so much.

“Are you okay, shortcake?” he asked, reminding me that I was still sitting here staring at him like a weirdo.

Shaking off my thoughts, I smiled brightly. Change would have to come sooner rather than later, but it wasn't right now, so I was going to enjoy every moment of this man's attention and store up all of our adventures together away in my mind to reflect on later. If nothing else, Roland had raised the bar on how I wanted to be treated. I’d never settle for less.

“I’m not sure yet,” I teased, wanting to get back onto solid ground. “I can’t believe you let that guy call me a Benny and then gave him our snacks!”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Can I make it up if I buy you a funnel cake?”

“Hell ya.” I threw off my seatbelt, my mouth already watering at the thought of that doughy, sugary goodness.

We got out of the car, and Roland grabbed my beach bag and reached for a bag of his own. It was pink with rose gold handles, but larger than mine. I wondered if it had been Rhonda’s. “What’s in yours?”

“My towel and a blanket for us to sit on.”

Roland smirked. “I brought us a sheet since it’ll be cooler, and it’s been such a hot day.”

“Is there room to consolidate everything into your bag?”

He nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Since you obviously plan to get into the water, maybe we’ll bring your blanket, too, since you might get chilly once the sun goes down?”

I inspected him from the top of his sexy silver hair, all the way down his long-ass legs to his shoes. As usual, he looked hot as hell in a pair of olive-green shorts with a black short-sleeve button-up and black slip-onHey Dudes. But unlike me, he wasn’t ocean-ready. “Do you have a suit in your bag, Daddy?”

He barked out a laugh. “Heck no. I’ll watch you from the sand.”

I pouted out my bottom lip. “But it’ll be more fun if we go in together.”

A weird expression crossed his face before he forced a strained smile. “Maybe next time.”

Not wanting him to be uncomfortable, I let it go and asked, “Then what’s in your bag besides the sheet?”

“A towel in case you wanted to go in and forgot one. Cornstarch to get the sand off our feet before we put our shoes back on once we’re done, bug spray, and some antacids in case you give yourself a stomach ache gorging on boardwalk food.”

I sputtered out a laugh. “You have no faith in me.”

This time, he smiled naturally, the skin around his eyes crinkling in that way I adored. “I do, but I know how excited you’ve been about this, and you’ve listed twenty different things you wanted to eat tonight.”

He wasn’t wrong about that. “You’re right. Let’s go.” Thankfully, he was done making the transfer to everything in his bag, so as soon as he swung it over his shoulder, I grabbed his hand andpulled him along. He allowed it until we stood at the top of one of the ramps up onto the boardwalk.

“Holy shit. It’s even more packed than I thought,” he muttered. There were people everywhere. Couples, families with children, groups of teenagers, and others wandering around alone. The crowd was so thick that it would be tough to walk side-by-side, and we still had a few hours until the fireworks, which meant even more people would show up.

I knew Roland saw chaos, but I loved the energy of a multitude of people all in the same place anticipating something. It was like a rejuvenating hum in my soul. “Funnel cake?” I asked hopefully.

Roland nodded indulgently. “Yes, but let’s stay together.” His hand made it to the small of my back, and we stepped into pandemonium.

“Ugh.”I held both hands over my stomach. “I’m so full, Daddy. Can we go out onto the beach and sit down?”

Roland smirked. “Hm. I can’t imagine why you have a belly ache. It couldn’t have been the funnel cake, the pizza, or maybe the fries.” He held a finger to his chin like he was in deep thought. “Maybe it was the two friedOreosor the cotton candy you just had to have an itty-bitty taste of, and then proceeded to devour over half the bag.”

“Daddy,” I whined. “I can’t believe you let me eat all that.”

“I warned you, shortcake. Today was your one and only pass to eat like a heathen. After today, maybe you’ll think about your actions next time.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Have you met me?”

Roland laughed, urging me toward one of the entrances down onto the beach with a hand at my back. Despite letting me overeat, he really was ridiculously wonderful. He’d stood in every line with me without complaint, held my drink while I crammed food into my face, and hadn’t uttered a sound of protest. As usual, I didn’t get to pay for a thing, but I’d grown used to that at this point. Roland was a gentleman to his core, and let’s face it, I enjoyed being treated like I was special.

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