Page 82 of You Found Me in the Dark
“I’m not going to beg Cam,” I said dryly.
Dax clapped him on the back. “Come on, man. He doesn’t want to leave his girl. Or should I say… your sister.”
Cam rolled his eyes and took the cash.
Once they were out of earshot, I sat beside Wren and pulled her into me, wrapping an arm around her waist. She leaned her head on my shoulder without even thinking about it.
My world didn’t just feel full—it felt right.
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Cam and Dax had returned with a few bundles of firewood like they’d just conquered some kind of primal mission. Cam tossed the logs with zero finesse, while Dax stacked them with almost too much care. They got the flames going fast.
The fire crackled to life just as the sun dipped behind the trees, painting the beach in amber and gold. Dax kicked back into a folding chair he brought, cracking open a beer as he settled right next to Lena, who had claimed the log bench beside Wren, Harper, and me.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Lena warned, eyeing him sideways.
Dax just grinned. “Too late. You’re stuck with me now. I brought you fire and muscle. That’s at least a boyfriend-level effort.”
She snorted, shaking her drink before taking a long sip. “You think firewood and biceps are enough to win me over?”
“I think I haven’t even started trying,” he said, his voice low and easy.
Lena stared at him for a beat, then looked away with a grin so wide it was all teeth. “Well, damn.”
Harper, bless her, clapped her hands together and broke the silence with a cheerful, “Okay, I need chocolate and marshmallows in my life right now. Anyone else?”
She hopped up and went straight for the snack bag, pulling out the s’mores kit like it was sacred. One by one, everyone followed suit, grabbing sticks and crowding the fire in search of the perfect golden toast.
I felt Wren shift beside me, her knees bumping mine. She was already a drink in, and from the looseness in her posture and the lightness in her laugh, I could tell she’d finally relaxed. She felt safe. It was the first time in a long while I’d seen her drink. I sipped on a Dr. Pepper, not wanting to fall into old habits. Earlier, she had asked me if it was okay that she drink in front of me, and I swear I fell even more in love with her.
Wren caught me watching her and leaned in close, her voice soft and just for me. “I like this,” she said, motioning around the group. “All of us here.”
“Me too,” I said, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “You look so happy, pretty girl.”
“I am.”
That was all I needed to hear.
And when she passed me a marshmallow to roast and her fingers lingered just a second longer than they needed to—I knew we were building something real. One fire lit night at a time.
53
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The fire had burned down low, the logs cracking quietly as the night settled around us. Cam and Dax were trading stories, Harper and Lena were locked into some wild, giggly retelling of a party they’d once crashed, and Wren—God, Wren—was leaning back against the log bench, cheeks pink from the heat of the fire and the second Long Island Iced Tea she’d been nursing.
She looked too damn pretty like this—soft around the edges, undone in the best way, laughing like nothing in the world could touch her. But I saw the way she slightly swayed, just a little, when she stood to toss her cup.
I got up before she could reach for another. “Come walk with me?” I asked, keeping it light. She blinked up at me, then nodded with a smile that made my chest tighten.
We wandered down the sand, and the sounds of the fire and our friends were growing distant behind us. The stars were out in full force, and the water was lapping slowly and steadily againstthe shore like it had all the time in the world. I reached for her hand, and she gave it to me without hesitation.
“Reed look!” Wren pointed to the sky, “It’s Venus!”
She was so excited, it was adorable. I looked up to where she pointed. I made a mental note to download an app to help study the stars and planets.
