Back to the Beach (Hunt Family Book 4) (10 page)

Chapter 15

I ran for what must have been a few miles before turning around. I did a lot of soul searching as I ran. I don't know how many times I had to remind myself that Nico lived in California and I lived in Carolina. By the time I was done sweating it out, I had come to one simple conclusion. Trust God. Period. If it wasn't meant to be with Nico, then God had something better waiting for me. I made a conscious decision to have faith in that even though my brain couldn’t fathom anyone being better for me than him.

Evan, Cody, and Paige (along with a few others) were down at the beach when I got back, so I stayed with them, swimming and making sand sculptures. We were planning on leaving the following afternoon, so it was our last full day. Ryan reminded us of that every time one of us mentioned abandoning the sandcastle in favor of heading to the house.

It was after noon by the time we went inside for lunch, and since I hadn't eaten breakfast, my stomach had been growling for at least a few hours. I didn't have much of an appetite, but I pretended to enjoy half of one of my dad's famous grilled cheese sandwiches.

It was nearly 2PM when I went upstairs to check my phone. I had been so discombobulated by Nico's departure that I hadn't even looked at it all day. I took it onto the third floor balcony, assuming I'd have a few emails and texts to read.

I almost stopped breathing when I looked at the screen and saw that I had a missed call from Nico earlier that morning. I had other missed calls and texts, but I completely blocked them out once I saw Nico's name.

You might be wondering how I had Nico's information programmed into my phone, and the answer is that Charlotte gave me his number one time when I was visiting L.A. and we thought we might need to call him for a ride. I had never contacted him, and he had never contacted me, but I had carried his number around with me for years.

My stomach was churning as I pressed the appropriate buttons to listen to his message. Well, I pressed
almost
all of the appropriate buttons, at least. I had one last button to push and I stood there with my thumb hovering over it as if it might detonate some bomb.

"Do it," I said out loud even though I was talking to myself.

I did it.

I pushed the button and held the phone to my ear.

"Baby girl," I heard his deep voice say, making me instantly gooey inside. "I did
not
want to leave you without saying goodbye, and I'm so sorry it worked out that way. Denise and Rob assumed we set an alarm, so by the time they got downstairs and saw that we were still sleeping, we only had about five minutes to grab our stuff and get out the door. I wanted to wake you up, but there just wasn't enough time…
I'm coming
!" He yelled all of a sudden in an annoyed tone as if someone was urging him to hang up. It startled me, and I pulled the phone away from my ear for a second. "Mia, I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry and I wish we had more time. I'll call you again once we land in L.A." He paused and sighed as if unsure of what to say next. "Take care, okay? I'll talk to you soon."

I heard the familiar beep that meant that was the end of the message, and I pulled the phone from my ear as I stared blankly at the expansive ocean in front of me. I smiled and bit my lip imagining how rushed they must have been to get out of the door that morning. I still hated the fact that he was gone, but his message made it a little easier to swallow.

I looked at the clock on my phone to see what time it was. It read 2:24, and I wondered where Nico was at that very moment. They must be in California by now. Logan had to be back for some event, which was why they had to leave early in the first place. They were flying on a private jet, and I had heard them mention a number of times (this year and in the past) that it was a five-hour trip. If their flight left at eight o'clock this morning… I stopped and ticked off the hours one by one on my fingers… that meant they were in L.A. by now.

I checked for another message. I thought he said he would call once they landed in L.A., and I felt a pang of disappointment that I hadn't heard from him again. I listened to his message again. Not only did I love the sound of his voice, but I also wanted to double check that he had promised to call me when they got to California. He did promise. He said he'd call again once they landed in L.A., and my heart sank, wondering if and when I'd hear from him again.

I took a deep breath and told myself to calm down. After all, they had probably only been there an hour or so, and they likely had tons of stuff to do when they first got back.

I had two texts and two voicemails from Charlotte, so I took a look at those. The texts had come in an hour before and both of them said I should call her. She must have gotten tired of waiting, because five minutes after she sent the texts, she called. I pushed the buttons to listen to her first voicemail and put the phone to my ear.

"Mia, it's Charlotte. We're home. I, uh, just wanted to give you a call to tell you… I'm not really sure how to say this, but, well, I don't know what went down with you and Nico, or if it had anything to do with it, but something happened with him on the flight home."

My heart sank when she said, "something happened". My brain automatically went to some type of disaster…
maybe that's why he hadn't called.
I paced the balcony as I continued listening to her message.

"He, uh, I mean, like I said, I don't know if it has anything to do with you or not, but on the way home, he started asking us about—"
BEEP!

The message cut off abruptly and the beeping noise startled me.

I obviously wasted no time getting to the second message she sent. My hands were shaking and I was breathless as I pushed the buttons to listen.

"Sorry, I got cut off," were her first words. "Anyway, I was trying to say that Nico started asking mom about God on the trip home. He was really sincere, and he seemed to understand that he'd been missing something." She paused and sighed. "It was really special, and I'm thankful I got to be a part of it."

I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was tearing-up just talking about it. For goodness sake, I was tearing-up just listening to the message.

"I just thought I'd call and let you know," she continued. "Like I said, I'm not sure if it had anything to do with whatever's going on between you guys, but I wanted you to know. Call me when you get this. I love you, and I had fun this week. Okay, bye."

The phone beeped again, and I took a deep breath as I stared blankly at my feet, or the chair, or whatever was in front of me. I took a few seconds to stop my tears and calm my nerves before calling her back.

She picked up on the second ring. "Did you get my message?" was the first thing she said when she answered.

"Yes," I said. "That's so awesome."

"It was," she said. "He was really chill about it like Nico is, but he's the one who brought it up. We all started talking to him about it, and before I knew it, his life was changed just like that."

"That makes me want to cry," I said.

She laughed on the other end. "Oh, you should have seen me and my mom, we were crying like little babies."

"That's amazing," I said.

It was probably the last thing I expected her to say when she called, so I still felt slightly dazed by the news. Ultimately, I knew it was the best thing that could have happened for him, but unfortunately for me, it only made me want him even more. As if he wasn't tempting enough before this, now he had salvation working in his favor. I let out a long sigh at the thought.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she heard me.

"Nothing," I said. "That's awesome news."

"I know. I'm so happy for him."

"Me too," I said.

"Have you talked to him?" she asked.

"He left me a message this morning to say he was sorry for not saying goodbye."

She laughed. "That was crazy. My dad was ticked about us forgetting to set an alarm."

"I'm glad y'all made it in time and had a safe trip," I said. I wanted to ask where Nico was right then, but I didn’t. I figured he'd call if and when he was ready.

"I love you," she said. "And I'm glad we got to hang out."

"I love you, too," I said. "I had fun."

"Me too. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay," I said. "Thanks for calling and letting me know."

"Of course. Bye Mia Beans. Have fun tonight."

She hadn't called me Mia Beans since we were kids, and it made me smile.

"I will," I said. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

I hung up the phone and sat in a nearby patio chair with a sigh. That was a crazy bit of news to follow a crazy, emotional day. Obviously, I was happy for him, but hearing the news was sort of bitter sweet for me since it only made me miss him more.

I immediately started thinking about when I could plan a trip out west for a visit. I thought maybe I could make it happen within the next few months. I wondered if he would even want that or if he would get home and be swept away with his life and forget all about the connection we had.

I let my head flop onto the back of the chair, closing my eyes as the bright sunlight hit my face. I stayed like that for ten or fifteen minutes before heading inside. I kept my phone in my pocket just in case Nico tried to call, but he never did. I figured he might have had to go with Logan to whatever event they had to get back for, and that he would call when he could.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and before I knew it, we were going out to dinner. We ate at one of our favorite, family-style Italian restaurants, laughing and telling stories about things that happened all through the week.

More than once, I was tempted to bring up the news about Nico's newfound faith because I knew Dee-dee and my mom would love hearing about it, but I didn’t say anything. He still hadn't called me, so I figured it was best to leave the subject alone.

"Can we please go to Kirk's?" Ryan asked, giving her parents puppy dog eyes as we walked out of the restaurant.

"No baby," Cody said. "We have to get home so you mom can feed Izzy."

"She can feed her at Kirk's," Ryan said, smiling like that idea would solve everything.

Cody shook his head. "You don't need to go out for ice cream. We have some chocolate at home. We might even have some ice cream there."

"We do," Paige said.

"Yeah, but not a banana split," Ryan said.

"Ryan, don't beg," Cody said in a fatherly tone. "We just had a nice meal. You need to tell Dee-dee thank you for the spaghetti."

"I could go for a banana split," I said, since that's just what aunts were supposed to do in this situation. Cody shot me a
please don't
look as Ryan cheered.

"I'll take her," I said. "It's Saturday night. You guys can head back so Paige can feed Izzy, and Evan and I will take Ry in the Subaru to Kirk's."

"I could go for some ice cream," Dee-dee said.

Everyone else went back to the house, but Dee-dee rode with Evan and me to Kirk's to get ice cream with Ryan. We had already been there two other times that week, but it was one of our favorite places and this was our last night, so it was our duty to go again.

Ryan got a whole banana split all to herself; we just made her promise to stop eating before she got a belly ache so we wouldn’t get in trouble with her parents.

Dee-dee and Evan both ordered a sundae, and I got a strawberry milkshake. I sipped on it, but I had an unsettled feeling in my stomach wondering why Nico hadn't called. I knew it was silly for me to worry about it, but knowing it was silly and actually forgetting about it were two different things.

I told myself I'd hear from him tomorrow, and if I didn't, then I'd send a casual text so that things wouldn't be awkward.

Chapter 16

Nico

For the first time in his life, Nico Torres was straight with God. One of the downfalls to being born rich, handsome, and intelligent was that it was almost more difficult to understand the need for God in your life. But being around the Hunt family all week made Nico realize he was, indeed, missing something—something he couldn’t provide for himself.

He had a heart-to-heart with Denise and the other Ritchies on their way back from Myrtle Beach, which gave him a greater understanding of what he'd been missing. It seemed odd to him that confessing and believing could be such an easy process, but it was, and he did it with no shame or regrets.

They were flying in a private jet that Logan had chartered, and were just about to land at LAX when he made another decision. This one was about Mia. He felt so terrible about leaving without saying goodbye to her that, while they were traveling, the words sort of just randomly came out of his mouth for no reason at all. There was about thirty minutes to go before their arrival in Los Angeles when he said, "I feel sick about not saying goodbye to Mia."

He hadn't even meant to say it, but he was literally feeling physical symptoms from it, so it came out of his mouth unwittingly.

"Why don't you just go back?" Charlotte asked.

Nico sent her a look like she must be crazy for saying such a thing.

"What?" she said, giggling at his face. "They're still at the house till tomorrow. Why don't you just go back and tell her goodbye if it's bothering you so bad."

Nico stared at her unflinching expression, wondering if she could possibly be serious. "I have a huge closing on Monday," he said.

She shrugged. "It's just Saturday. You could turn around as soon as we get to L.A., go tell her goodbye, and easily be back in California for Monday."

The corner of his mouth turned up as the idea sunk in. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it himself. The sick feeling he was experiencing vanished the instant he made up his mind. He had to get back to her—even if it was only to give her a decent goodbye.

It took some major shuffling, but Nico found a flight plan that worked for his schedule. He would hop on a commercial flight from LAX to Charlotte—there was one scheduled to depart just a half-hour after they touched down. Then, for the short trip from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach, he would charter a small private jet. It would cost him an arm and a leg, but at this point there was no other choice. Money was no object. His itinerary had him arriving in Myrtle Beach at 7:15 that evening, and he would fly home the next day at noon so that he could get back for work on Monday as planned.

This would give them the chance to have a decent farewell and talk about when they could see each other in the future. Because, honestly,
not
seeing her in the future wasn't an option. There was no way to be certain about how it would all work out, but Nico knew he needed to see more of Mia than just on the occasional family trip.

He rented a car at the Myrtle Beach airport and drove it to Dee-dee's beach house, feeling like he was in a haze after doing so much traveling. He expected to find the whole family there when he arrived, but instead he found an empty house. He knew they weren't planning on heading back to Charlotte until the next afternoon, so he was perplexed about no one being there. He had planned on surprising Mia in person, but he almost broke down and called her to make sure they hadn't gone home early. He glanced through one of the windows and could see that their stuff was still everywhere, so he decided to wait for them to come back instead of ruining the surprise.

Nico told himself he'd give them half-an-hour, and if they didn't return, he'd call her. He sat in a chair on the front porch in an expectant position with his elbows resting on his knees as he answered a few work emails. He absolutely couldn't wait to see her. The feeling of relief he had from simply knowing they were in the same town was undeniable.

It was just after 7:30 when a few cars pulled into the driveway. Nico stood on the front porch and watched as the family got out of their vehicles and approached the house. There were a lot of them—Willow and Andy, and their kids, Dan and Dave, and their wives along with Cody, Paige, and the baby. There were plenty of people headed toward him, but none of them were Mia.

The front porch came off of the main level of the house, which meant it was set up on piers. Nico could clearly see the whole family from his higher vantage point as they approached, and it was clear that Mia was not with them.

"Where's Mia?" he asked.

All of them looked at him when he spoke.

"What are you doing here?" Cody asked.

"I thought you left this morning," Christy added in a sweet but curious tone.

Nico waited until the family came onto the porch to respond. Dave and his side of the family greeted Nico warmly, but went on into the house as if assuming Nico would follow them. He stood against the rail, waiting for Mia's side of the family to ascend the stairs so he could talk to them before heading inside.

"Where's Mia?" Nico repeated once Cody came up the stairs.

Paige unexpectedly reached out and hugged Nico when she passed him. "I'm glad you're here," she said. "I know Mia's gonna be excited to see you."

He felt relieved at her statement since somewhere inside he feared she had gone back to Charlotte or she wouldn't want to see him, or both.

Paige reached out to take the car seat from Cody. "I'll let you boys talk and I'll take Isabel inside to eat."

Christy did the same thing when she came up the stairs. She reached out to hug Nico, although hers wasn't accompanied with any news about Mia. He was dying to know where she was.

Dan, Christy, and Cody let the door close behind Paige and the baby and stayed on the porch to talk to Nico. "Mia and Evan took Ryan to get some ice cream," Christy explained sweetly. "They should be back in just a little bit."

"I thought you were on a plane to California," Dan said jovially as he clapped a hand on Nico's shoulder.

"I was," Nico explained. "But then I got on another plane that was headed back here."

"Forgot something?" Cody asked.

"Yeah," Nico said, looking straight at him. Nico sighed as if he was contemplating what he should say next. "Listen Cody, I know you're just looking out for Mia or whatever. I have two younger sisters, so I understand completely. But I'm not gonna let you tell me I can't be with her."

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds.

"You told Nico he couldn’t go out with your sister?" Christy asked.

"I told him he doesn't deserve her, which he doesn't," Cody said, still staring at Nico.

"Cody Hunt!" Christy said. "That's not nice at all."

"What's not nice is that Mia gets her heart broken every time she sees this guy," he said, gesturing to Nico.

Nico held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not here to hurt Mia," he said. "It's the opposite, in fact. I love her, and I'd do anything in my power to see that she
doesn't
get hurt." He paused, but continued before Cody could say anything. "If anything,
you're
the one hurting her by telling me to leave her alone."

"Cody that's ridiculous," Dan said. "How would you feel if someone tried to tell you that you couldn't be with Paige?"

Cody shook his head. "They wouldn't. I wouldn't let that happen."

"Exactly," Dan said.

"It's not the same," Cody said. "I'm good to Paige. I don’t cheat on her."

"What makes you think I'm going to cheat on Mia?" Nico asked.

The question made Cody give him an incredulous look that Nico returned.

"Son, you can't go around ordering your sister's life around," Dan said.

"You're the ones who always taught us about being with someone who loves God," Cody said, trying to turn it back on his parents. "He just doesn’t have the same values we have."

Dan put his arm around his wife and kissed her on the forehead. They smiled at each other before focusing on Cody again. "Cody, when I met your mother, she was not the same woman you see in front of you right now. Where do you think Evan gets his wild streak?"

"Mom was wild?" Cody asked with a skeptical expression.

"As wild as they come," Dan said.

"What are you saying?" Cody asked.

"I'm saying that nobody's too far gone to experience change and forgiveness."

"Not that it's any of your business," Nico interjected, staring straight at Cody. "But I'm good with God now. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I understand forgiveness, and I'm definitely not looking to hurt your sister."

Christy Hunt let out a whimper and sank her face into her hand. It wasn't until Nico looked at her that he could see that she was tearing up. "That's so sweeeet," she said in a high-pitched tone as Dan squeezed her and hugged her shoulders.

"He's right about it being none of your business," Dan said, looking at Cody. "I'm glad you love your sister and you're looking out for her, but that's really not your job."

Christy sniffled and wiped at her eyes before reaching out to give Nico a big hug. He hadn't been expecting it, so he came across as a little stiff at first, but he wrapped his arm around her, patting her on the back.

"If you hurt her, so help me…" Cody said, crossing his arms in front of his chest like he wasn't yet convinced.

"So help me if
you
hurt her, Cody," Nico said.

"What do you mean by that? I'd never hurt her."

"You're hurting her by keeping her from me," Nico said.

Christy let out another whimper and squeezed her eyes shut as she sank her head into her hand. "Dave and Denise didn’t want your father with me, either," she whispered through the tears. "They said I wasn't right for him and it wouldn't last. They did everything they could to discourage me from going out with him."

"And look where we are," Dan said, holding his wife of thirty years by the shoulders.

Cody let out a resigned sigh as he stared at Nico. They shared some extended eye contact where a lot of words were exchanged in silence.

"I love her," Nico said, finally.

Another wheezing wail came from Christy's general direction as she continued to cover her face.

"I can't predict exactly what will happen in our future," Nico continued, still looking at Cody since Dan and Christy seemed to be onboard. "But I would do anything in my power to make her happy. It would make me happy if someone with my intentions wanted to marry one of
my
little sisters, if that makes any sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Christy said, smiling as she wiped at her eyes. She pointed at her son. "You need to apologize," she said.

Cody gave her a look of someone who was wrongly accused. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"I was just trying to protect my sister," he said.

"That's not your job," Dan said. "At least not in this capacity."

Cody sighed and regarded Nico as if trying to work up the nerve to say he was sorry. "I apologize for butting in," he said with a hand extended for Nico to shake.

Nico reached out and shook it. "Hey, I'm glad she has you to look out for her." A smile crossed his face. "She just doesn't need to be protected from me." He hesitated. "Maybe she needed to be protected from the old me, but she definitely doesn't need to be protected from me now."

Christy squealed with delight and hugged Nico again. "I can't believe you came all the way back."

"I can't either," Cody added, teasing him.

Nico reached out and punched Cody's shoulder, and Cody laughed and shook his head as if he might just deserve it.

"I'm gonna go down to the beach," Nico said. "Send her down there when she gets home if you don't mind."

"We will," Christy promised.