Page 48 of Summer Escape
I dropped my head between my hands. "Will he ever forgive me?"
"Only Hudson can answer that, but I'd like to think so."
I wanted Saylor to touch me, but we weren't in a relationship. "It sucks."
"Maybe you should ask to talk to him one-on-one when no one else is around. He might be more inclined to tell you how he feels."
I raised my head. "That's a good idea actually."
Saylor smiled. "I have lots of great ideas when it comes to other people's lives. It's mine that's a mess."
"That's not true. As soon as you realized what was going on with your ex, you got out of that situation."
"It took me a while to figure it out. I thought I was going crazy, being paranoid and jealous when I've never been that before."
"Not every man is like that. In fact, most aren't."
"I'd like to think that's true." Saylor sighed. "We're going to get through this and be stronger on the other side. It's just going to take some time."
"Hayden seemed to enjoy being around our family. I wasn't seeing as many of the eye rolls tonight." I kept an eye on her, ready to swoop in if she gave my family any attitude, but she'd been polite all evening.
"She's a great kid. You're doing a good job with her."
"I'm finally making some headway with her, but I have you to thank for that."
She shook her head. "Oh, I don't know about that."
"You connected with her first." Maybe because she was another woman who didn't have a stake in our family. But it cleared the way for me, and I was grateful.
She rested her hand on my thigh. "I'm glad I could help." Then she removed her hand and stood. "I'm going to head to bed."
"Good night." I wanted to follow her, but we hadn't established any rules or guidelines. Would we hook up when Hayden wasn't in the house? I didn't know if it was a good idea.
When she was gone, I felt restless, I dropped my bottle in the recycling bin and locked up. Then I headed upstairs and brushed my teeth. The light was off under the door to Saylor's room, but it was unlocked. It felt like an invitation.
I opened it, quickly turning off the bathroom light so it wasn't too bright.
"What are you doing?" Saylor asked, and I froze.
Had I made a mistake coming into her room? Was I stepping over a line? Did she not want me here?
“I need to be close to you,” I finally said, and she lifted the sheet in an open invitation for me to climb in next to her.
I pulled off my shirt and shorts, leaving me in boxer briefs. Under the cool sheets, I reached for her, and she curled against my chest, facing away from me. This wasn't sexual.
I breathed in her lavender scent, never wanting to leave, and in no time, I was asleep.
The next morning, I woke up early before the sun had fully risen. At some point, I'd moved to my back, and Saylor was curled into my side, her head on my shoulder. It felt good to hold her. It brought back memories of us spending hours in the bed of my truck gazing at the stars. Back then, we had a lot of time to be together. We'd cuddle and talk for hours about our dreams and desires.
Now reality had kicked in, and we didn't have that luxury anymore. I had a daughter, and Saylor had a job that would take her elsewhere. There were obligations that tugged us in different directions.
But I could enjoy this moment when the sun hadn't fully risen, and the world around us was quiet. Saylor left the slider open to the deck, and I could hear the waves crashing on the shore.
A few seconds later, Saylor stirred. "Are you awake?"
"Yes."
She shifted so that she could see my face. "You stayed."
