Page 28 of One Night in Hawaii

My phone buzzed beside me. I felt a flicker of hope that it might be Shiloh reaching out to invite me for a ride on her boat. I eagerly picked up my phone, only to see that the text was from Ashley. That was disappointing. Part of me was tempted to ignore the message, to let go of the past and focus on the present. But curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the text.

How are you?

Reading those words brought back a rush of emotions, memories of a time when I had believed in forever with her. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. My first reaction was to laugh at the absurdity of her message. Seriously? How was I?

I put the phone down with no intention of answering her. She didn’t give a shit about how I was. If she did, she wouldn’t have left me standing at the altar like a dumbass. I knew Ashley. This was her rubbing salt into the wound.

The phone vibrated again. I rolled my eyes and snatched it up.

Can we talk?

“Woman, you are out of your damn mind,” I muttered.

If she wanted to talk, I did have a few things I wanted to ask her, like why the fuck she left me standing at the altar. If she wasn’t ready to get married, she should have said so. It wasn’t like I would have walked away. We could have postponed the wedding a couple of months. Why couldn’t she have had the common decency to let me know the night before or the morning of? No, she had to make it a big deal. She had to humiliate my ass in front of everyone.

“Fuck off.”

I left the phone beside me. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of replying. She wanted to play head games. I wasn’t in the mood. I hoped she knew I was in Hawaii, living it up with a beautiful woman. Shiloh was never far from my mind lately. Our connection had been instant. She was smart, funny, and adventurous—the complete opposite of Ashley. Shiloh made me feel alive and being around her felt like coming home.

But now, with Ashley resurfacing, I couldn’t help but feel conflicted. Shiloh was in Hawaii and there was zero chance she would leave the place she loved so much. I couldn’t very well pack and move here to be with her. My time with Shiloh was going to be coming to an end soon and I had to go home. Ashley and our failed wedding would be front and center. I was going to have to take the looks and ignore the whispers. People were going to wonder what I did. What was wrong with me? Why would a woman leave me hanging? I could only imagine the rumors that were already swirling about my failed attempt to get married.

“Fuck it.”

I got up from the chair. I couldn’t sit around and get in my head about the bullshit. I could get myself worked up into one hell of a spiral if I didn’t stay busy. It was one of the reasons I kept my life scheduled. Every minute of my day was planned. That way, I never had to stop and think and consider my life and my choices.

I grabbed my phone and Air Pods and walked down to the beach. I started to run, hoping the sound of crashing waves and the salty breeze would offer a momentary escape from my thoughts. I couldn’t shake the frustration I felt about the Ashley situation. Running usually helped clear my mind, but today, it seemed to be clinging to me like a stubborn cloud. Why didn’t I take more vacations? Shiloh chose to live doing what she loved while taking plenty of time to have fun. I was so focused on work, I wasn’t living. Before I met Shiloh, that wasn’t an issue.

Part of me had hoped I would see Shiloh while running, as if her presence alone could bring a sense of comfort. I wanted to see her bright smile. Maybe she’d be swimming. Unfortunately, she wasn’t there. I didn’t dare show up at her boat. That would be a little too stalkerish. If she didn’t want to hang out with me, I couldn’t force her to do it.

I turned back and ran toward the house. I tried to focus on my breathing and the rhythmic sound of my footfalls hitting the sand. My heart pounded and I could feel sweat dripping down my back. As I got closer to the house, I slowed down and walked the rest of the way. My mind was still racing, and I needed to calm down. I walked straight to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. My legs tingled. I felt better. Not great, but better.

Penelope was still asleep and I was still frustrated. The mansion was equipped with a gym, and I figured it might be a good way to channel my pent-up emotions. I needed to work through the frustration and come up with a plan for when I returned home. I needed to come up with a canned excuse to explain the situation.

I stepped into the gym, feeling the cool air-conditioned atmosphere embrace me. The familiar clinks of weights and the sound of upbeat music blasting in my ears helped shift my focus away from the negative thoughts. Every time I thought about how I was going to explain my failed wedding, I thought about Shiloh. I wondered how long that was going to happen.

I started my workout, pushing myself harder than usual. The tension in my muscles mirrored the turmoil in my mind. With each lift and each repetition, I felt a sense of release, a way to vent my emotions constructively. Back home, I spent a lot of time in my home gym. It was part of the plan. I had to keep myself in good shape. I didn’t want to have a dad bod. Ashley and I were going to be the perfect couple with our perfect kids. When our picture was taken, people were going to look at us and think we were the perfect family.

Yes, it was superficial, but that’s what I was brought up to focus on. We had to put on a show to prove that we were good, happy people. My parents were all about their images and I had learned to do the same. But then I met Shiloh and Ryder. They were two of the happiest people I ever met. They were who they were and they didn’t make any apologies. They didn’t have money or clout, but they were happy.

I moved on to floor exercises and tried to let go of the anger and hurt. The end of the workout was my chance to feel a sense of accomplishment, a reminder that I was stronger than my emotions. I pushed myself to do more crunches than normal. My stomach muscles burned. That was the goal. I wanted to feel that pain. It distracted me from the stuff bouncing around in my head. I kept pushing. I didn’t care about New York and Ashley. I was focused on the moment. I thought about what I wanted to do today. I didn’t give a shit about tomorrow.

I was in the midst of my crunches, and my heart skipped a beat when the gym door swung open and Shiloh walked in. She wore workout gear, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and her bright smile illuminated the room like a ray of sunshine. I was so used to seeing her in shorts or a bikini, the yoga pants were a new look. One I really appreciated. I pulled out my Air Pods.

“Hey,” she greeted me, her eyes lighting up when she saw me. “Sorry. Penelope said you were in here.”

I tried to hide my surprise as the gym mat crinkled beneath my palms as I pushed myself up. “Hey, I was hoping to see you today. I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I had a meeting I couldn’t get out of.”

“No worries,” she said, smiling. “Are you busy today?”

Sweat dripped down my face. I reached for my shirt and remembered I didn’t have it on. “No,” I said, slightly out of breath.

“I was hoping we could go out today, if you want. I’d like to show you something.”

I smiled, nodding my head. “I’d love to. I need to grab a shower and then I’ll be ready to go.”

“Perfect. Penelope was making coffee. I’ll wait.”

If I wasn’t a hot, sweaty mess, I probably would have kissed her. Something about the way she was looking at me had my libido kicking into high gear. Maybe it was the adrenaline after a long workout. “I’ll hurry,” I said.

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