Ex on the Beach (33 page)

“That’s good, babe.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and she rested her head against his shoulder. He felt so good next to her. “Having your mom in your corner will be nice,” he said.

Just like Celeste had always been there for him and his brothers, Andie remembered. She’d once been so jealous of what Mark had with his family. He’d even had the fatherly support she’d never known.

She took the goggles and lifted them to her face. Instead of scanning the dunes, though, looking for a nesting loggerhead, she watched the crowd, as Mark had. It was a relaxed group tonight. The men had played golf most of the day while the women had enjoyed a spa day. They would end tonight with a fire pit, s’mores, and more than likely, too much beer.

The majority of the wedding guests had arrived, but tonight was a wedding-party-only event — though a tour for other guests would follow this one. Tomorrow would consist of the rehearsal dinner, and then the bachelor and bachelorette parties.

And then the wedding.

There was little time left to do anything but wedding activities, but Andie would be finished with her duties for the day at the conclusion of the walk. She only hoped Mark wasn’t interested in s’mores. She was itching to get him alone.

She was also upset with herself for making the decision not to mention Rob’s lack of love to his soon-to-be bride.

The thought that she was the kind of a person who worried more about herself and her business than to help someone see the truth caused a weight to settle heavily in her chest, but she consoled herself with knowing that she was merely the service provider. It was not her job to counsel the couple on the intelligence of their decision to marry.

And maybe she wouldn’t rot in hell for helping send a sweet girl like Penelope into a marriage with a cad like Rob.

“You okay?”

She could sense Mark looking down at her in the dark, and she pulled the glasses far enough away so she could see him. She nodded. “Just thinking about Penelope,” she said. “And Rob.”

Mark grunted. “He do anything else stupid while I was gone?”

“No.” Though nothing would surprise her at this point.

She lifted the goggles again and focused on Rob and Penelope. They were walking hand in hand, but from what she could see, they weren’t talking. Rob called out to one of his groomsmen and they talked a bit, but he said nothing to his bride.

The man was an ass. She should have maimed him years ago when he’d come on to her.

As she scanned the group, her gaze zeroed in on her mother and aunt, and she noticed something about Aunt Ginny that she hadn’t before. She zoomed in on the woman’s ankle and sucked in a short breath. She was wearing the matching ankle bracelet. The one that supposedly had a star to go with the moon on hers.

Apparently old wounds could heal.

She didn’t know if she and her mother would ever completely get there, but knowing that the gap between her mother and aunt was being bridged did good things for her heart.

“I have a surprise for you,” Mark murmured in her ear.

She glanced over and gave him a wicked smile. “Does it involve me and you and none of our clothes?”

Heat suddenly burned in his eyes, and she couldn’t wait to get him alone. They might still have a tough conversation or two ahead of them — she deserved to know about his past after all they’d been through together — but talking was not the priority tonight.

She just wanted him.

He pulled her closer and heat from each of his fingers burned into her waist where he kept a tight grip on her. “That’s a given, sunshine.” His voice was low and throaty, and she began to tingle from the inside out. “But I actually had something else I wanted to give you first.”

He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small Ziploc bag. “I shouldn’t have it,” he said as he held it out. “So I’m giving it back.”

Curious, Andie exchanged the night-vision goggles for the bag, and she and Mark separated as she worked to see in the dark. There was something small and hard inside the bag. “What is it?” she asked.

She held it up, trying to make out the contents in the dark night while rubbing her thumb and fingers across the small shape. Then she realized what she was touching. It was the sea turtle charm he’d once given her. She caught her breath. The one Aunt Ginny had not returned with when she’d come back from Boston.

Andie turned to walk backward in the dark so she could see Mark. “You kept it? I thought it was lost.” Then she whispered, “I thought it was fate telling me I didn’t need the reminder.”

He gave her an embarrassed shrug. “I didn’t want to let you go. So yes, I kept it.”

His words hurt. He sure had an interesting way of treating someone whom he didn’t want to let go.

She faced forward again, thinking about the day he’d given it to her. It had been the beginning of their relationship. She’d taken a look at the small charm and had seen a man who “got” her. He’d asked her out a few times before that but had gracefully accepted her nos and backed off. Only that night he’d brought her something that had touched her heart.

He’d said her moon charm looked lonely, so he’d wanted to give her a new one to add to it. Then he’d looked at her as if he’d made a decision. One that meant he was in her life to stay. She’d known he wouldn’t be hearing “no” that night. And that had been okay with her. She’d been so ready for him.

The fact that he’d picked the loneliest day in her life to do all this had seemed like a sign.

She’d probably fallen in love with him that very day.

Tucking the sadness from all they’d lost back inside, she gave him a tight smile. “Thanks for returning it. I always loved it.”

The thought struck her that the first time he’d given her the charm, it had marked the beginning of their relationship. This time, it felt like the end. They might have a couple of days left, but that would be it.

She wouldn’t do anything long-distance, and she especially wouldn’t drag out a relationship that in the end would hurt her. Because whether she lied to herself or not, she knew that deep down she’d never gotten over him. She still loved him.

Her chest squeezed hard.

Life was so freaking unfair.

Mark hadn’t changed… and she still wanted more out of life. Nothing was different. She would enjoy what time they had left. Then she would say good-bye.

They walked in silence a couple more minutes before Mark lifted the glasses and peered through them once again. She could tell he was people-watching instead of seeking out the elusive turtles.

“You’re totally not getting the hang of what we’re doing out here, you know?”

She saw his mouth curl up in a smile, and her heart thumped heavily.

Oh god, she loved him.

It already hurt.

Mark stopped walking and brought his other hand up to hold the goggles steady. Andie noticed his stance was feet shoulder-width apart, chest out, as if ready to defend against a threat. He seemed to have grown in size right before her eyes. And he looked intimidating. Before she could ask what he’d seen, he lowered the lenses and stared at her, his expression blank.

“What?” she asked, her voice a worried whisper.

He handed her the goggles and motioned with his chin. His jaw was clenched tight.

When she looked, she saw the problem immediately. Rob had separated from Penelope and was now walking alongside Wendy, several people back in the group. He kept bumping his shoulder into her as they walked, his head bent close. And Wendy was not shy with the giggles in response to whatever Rob was saying.

Andie sought out Penelope, up ahead of Rob and Wendy. She walked alone, her arms crossed over her chest, with the occasional worried look back as if trying to find Rob. Her looks coincided with the laughs bubbling from Wendy.

This did not look good at all.

EPISODE NINE

CHAPTER TWENTY

T
he screech of table legs scraping across the floor made Mark cringe. He then caught sight of Kayla hurrying from the back room at Gin’s and shooing the man who’d made the noise out of the way.

“Pick it up,” she told him. “Like this.” She and a khaki-shorts-clad server hoisted the table and aligned it with two others where the bride and groom and their parents would later sit. “Pay attention to what you’re doing, Owen.
Please
. We don’t have time to scrub the scuff marks from the floor that scooting will cause.”

Owen appeared sufficiently chastised. Poor guy. He looked to be about twenty, and as if he couldn’t care less about marks on the floor. But the censure from Kayla did sting, apparently; the kid went back to work with his gaze lowered and an embarrassed glow burning from his ears.

Mark smiled. Young crushes were tough.

Kayla had to be at least ten years older than Owen, but Mark had caught him watching her every move each time she’d hurried through the room to direct the servers how to set up the dining area.

It was Friday afternoon, and Gin’s had just shut down for a private event — the Masterson-Jordan rehearsal dinner.

That had to cost a pretty penny, shutting down the entire bar and restaurant. And from what he understood, the meal wasn’t only for the wedding party but for all guests who’d shown up for the next day’s wedding.

Which included his brothers and their families.

Mark looked at his watch. He sat at the bar, waiting for his cell to ring to let him know that the rest of his family was on the island.

He’d come over to the bar to offer help — since he’d been unable to get a minute with Andie all day due to her preparations for tomorrow’s ceremony and reception. She’d been busy since the moment she’d climbed from his arms that morning, so he’d enjoyed time on the beach with the assorted wedding guests before deciding to head over to see if he could do anything here. Kayla had taken one look at him and suggested he have a seat and enjoy a beer.

Grinning, he’d done so. He liked the OCD woman. She got a lot done, and didn’t mince words as she did it. Though he had yet to witness her being anything but polite. Even when she was lecturing Owen on the proper way to rearrange tables, she’d said
please.

He leaned back against the bar and watched the action, thinking about the upcoming wedding. He’d avoided Rob since returning from Boston, and especially after seeing the man practically making moves on one of the bridesmaids last night.

There was so much wrong with what was going on with this wedding.

Rob was — had been? — his friend, but that didn’t mean he felt right about not warning Penelope away. He wouldn’t do it, of course. Doing so would hurt Andie. And he’d hurt her enough for a lifetime.

Now he was all about
not
hurting her — and instead, figuring out a way to do just the opposite. That meant Rob and his pathetic ways were being pushed to the side. Including the bachelor party scheduled for that night. Best man or not, Mark was skipping it.

Kayla had everything planned out anyway, including limos to take their drunk selves back and forth to wherever the party took them. Given that Mark and Rob had spoken no more than the stilted pleasantry since he’d knocked the guy on his ass, it seemed a good plan to make an excuse and sit this one out.

Plus, he intended to spend every minute he could with Andie.

They’d returned to the house the night before having seen no sign of a sea turtle. Nor had they joined the group at the fire pit for s’mores. The instant her bedroom door had closed behind them, they’d had each other’s clothes off.

Then they hadn’t come up for air for hours. And again, this morning. He closed his eyes as he thought about it.

They’d made love in total silence as the sun had risen, with her balcony doors thrown wide to the welcoming day. It had been one of the most intense experiences of his life.

He intended to have a similarly intense moment tonight.

He’d been moved out of the house earlier in the day, having been asked to stay in one of the bungalows for the remainder of his visit. He wasn’t sure of the need for the move, but with the added privacy, he could see it only as a good thing. Given the way Andie clung to him each time they were together, he couldn’t imagine not being able to persuade her to stay at the cabin with him.

They had less than two days left. He would make the most of the time.

He also intended to make sure
they
didn’t end when he boarded a plane on Sunday.

Andie hadn’t said anything about love yet, but he had to believe she still cared for him in that way. It came through in her every touch, her every look. And he was definitely still head over heels for her. He was pretty sure that had never changed. He’d only ignored the fact for the past four years.

That being the case, he was going for a commitment tonight. Before it was too late.

He had a moment of pause as he thought about the past with Andie, and then even further back to his teen years. Andie had accused him of having problems with marriage. Rob had reminded him he’d been responsible for Tiffany’s death — as if he’d needed reminding.

Had that come into play in any way with him and Andie before?

He’d asked himself that several times over the past week. But no, it hadn’t. What had happened to Tiffany was unforgivable. And it would always be there. Always be his fault. But it wasn’t holding him back. He’d gotten beyond it. He’d moved on.

He and Andie would soon move on, too. They had to. He couldn’t picture a world without her in it.

Maybe she wouldn’t be able to follow him back to Boston immediately. She did have a business to run here, and she would need to take care of getting that in order before she could do anything else. But he wanted her with him as soon as possible. He’d missed her when he’d been gone earlier in the week. He wanted to love and protect her as he should have years ago.

It was all still there between them. He simply had to prove that he was the man for her. No matter how terribly he’d
not
proven that very thing years before.

“You planning to take up space here all afternoon?”