Page 90 of I'll Keep Her Safe

He orders us both large salted caramel cones, and we step off the boardwalk onto the sand as we enjoy them. The beach is busy, but we find a secluded spot to sit. I stretch my legs out in the sun, kicking my shoes and socks off so I can dig my toes into the sand, watching people in the surf.

“We should have packed our swimsuits,” Wyatt muses, kicking his boots off to feel the sand on his toes, too.

“Next time.” I shrug, licking up a dribble of ice cream snaking down the cone. The truth is, I couldn’t care less about the beach. It’s Wyatt who has my attention, the way he came alive after being on his bike again. I pull my phone from my pocket, needing to capture the moment.

When I look for my camera icon, it’s not where it usually is. That’s weird. I swipe to the next screen and find it there, noticing a couple of other apps have moved too. Typical Apple and their constant updates.

Holding the phone in front of us, I capture an image of Wyatt and me on the beach with our ice creams. Then he pulls me close, pressing his lips to my cheek as I lick my cone, laughing, and I snap a shot of that, too. Then, because I want to be reminded of this moment often, I set it as my lock screen.

With a happy sigh, I slide my phone away, listening to the crash of the waves, the laughter drifting from the swimmers, the call of seagulls circling overhead.

“So what did you think?” Wyatt asks after a while. “Did you enjoy the ride?”

“It was awesome.” I grin. “A little scary to begin with, but… yeah. I’d definitely do it again.”

“Good.” His eyes sparkle. “Because that’s how we’re getting home.”

A laugh rushes up my throat, joined by a wry chuckle from Wyatt. It feels so good to be here with him, eating ice cream on the beach, riding his bike. Then I remember my kitchen, and honestly, I have to stop and pinch myself. Life feels too damn good right now.

Wyatt’s laughter dies away, his gaze falling from mine as something in his expression shutters. It’s almost as if he’s realized the same thing, and instinctively pulled away.

“Hey,” I say gently, wiping my hands as I polish off my cone. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He finishes his own ice cream and goes to stand, but I place a hand on his arm, tugging him back down.

“What just happened?”

He stares at me for a long moment, then lets out a huge sigh, lying back on the sand to gaze up at the sky. “Poppy…” he begins, then trails off into silence.

I lay back on one elbow, gazing at him. His amber eyes are almost gold in the sun, filled with something I can’t quite read.

“Talk to me,” I murmur. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

He’s quiet for the longest time, watching the clouds drift across the wide expanse of sky, then eventually rolls onto his side to look at me.

“I’m in love with you, Poppy. I don’t…” He blows out a long breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in love before. But I’m so in love with you, and…”

I swallow. I knew he loved me, but hearing him declare it like that, so definitively, makes my pulse whip through me in exhilaration.

“And what?” I whisper.

“And… it makes me want to rush into this headfirst.”

My breath catches in my lungs. “And you think I don’t want that?”

His gaze slides to mine. “Do you?”

Yes.

“What does headfirst mean to you?” I ask, too scared to say what I’m really thinking.

“It means… I’m thinking about the future. A future with you.”

“I think about that, too,” I breathe.

“Yeah?”

I nod. “A lot,” I admit at last, and Wyatt’s expression softens.

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