Page 64 of Actually Yours

We smile at each other.

“Now what?” I echo her earlier words back to her when the silence has stretched on a smidge too long and I worry she may leave me too.

She looks up at the entrance of the Brighton Beach Club, where this fancy shin-dig is being held, and then out at the stretch of coastline in front of us, the ocean glimmering like a beacon in the full-moon light. A more romantic setting I’ve yet to see.

“Well, I don’t want to go back in there.” She points behind her with her thumb. “Do you want to go for a walk on the beach?”

More than you’ll ever know.

“Sounds good.” I keep my voice even, reaching out to take her hand. She lets me and together we walk down the ten steps that lead to the sand.

“Hang on,” she drops my hand—grrr!—bending over to take off her shoes. “There, that’s better.”

With her shoes in one hand, she picks up mine again—yes!—and leads me down to the deserted beach. And I follow her, because that’s a given in my life.

Wherever Amelia is, that’s where I want to be.

CHAPTER 13

Amelia

He holds my hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world. And I’m concluding that it feels this way because it is. Being with Jake is as easy as breathing; easier, sometimes.

Is it time to do something about the way I feel about him?My heart thumps at the thought.

“It’s nice out here,” Jake says, filling the comfortable silence between us.

I watch the waves crashing on the shore, feel the soft sand underfoot, shiver at the slight breeze that brushes against us. It’s more than nice, it’s perfect. Like this moonlit walk on the beach was crafted especially for us, for us to finally speak our truth to each other.

“Here.” Jake takes off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders. “You’re cold.”

I pull the lapels of his suit jacket together, subtly sniffing as I do.Yummy, it smells like Jake. My new favourite smell.

“Thanks,” I mutter, avoiding his eyes, which I can feel peering at me.

We continue walking without a destination, my thoughts still a jumbled mess in my head. Before tonight, my reservations about Jake and how to process what I feel for him were still up in the air, but after that dance, after the words he said to me, after the way he made me feel, well, none of my reasons for not being with him seem…well, reasonable, anymore.

My stomach swirls.

“Do you think we should talk?” I look up at him, our gazes colliding. He’s giving me a soft look; a hopeful look and my heart takes off racing again at the sight of it.

“Do you want to sit?”

Without consideration for the fabric of my fanciest dress or what the sand may do to it, I sink down, grateful to be giving my shaky legs a break.

“So,” he blows out a big breath. “What do you want to talk about?”

I stare at him, at his deep green eyes, which seem to see me better than anybody ever has, and my tongue promptly ties itself into a knot.

“My mind is a little muddled.” I tap my forehead and roll my eyes at my absurdity. “Can we just sit for a bit?”

He picks up my hand again—I love holding his hand so much—and says nothing. His thumb draws lazy circles over the back of mine and I’m catapulted back in time. To a situation not unlike this, when he’d happily offered me quiet comfort.

*****

I’d been dating Robby for only a short while—less than two months—and we’d gotten into a fight. It had probably been over Robby being selfish or carelessly cruel. I’d stormed out of his room in a huff, stumbling into his big brother. The one I’d been avoiding seeing.

“Are you OK?” he asked me, his voice deeper with concern.

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