Page 98 of Restrained

I grin as I take the bread she places in front of me and start to help make the sandwiches.

“Always equal?” Looking vulnerable in that moment.

I look up at her with a grin. “Nah, you’ll always be better, but I’ll try to keep up.”

She laughs and shakes her head as we finish making sandwiches to take back to her room, hopefully before Viv and Baz get back from their walk on the beach.

Some men may hate sharing the woman they love with so many family members, but that only makes her more appealing to me.

Yeah, she wants to fix everything and drives herself crazy, but that’s just Lola. She’s a fixer. She makes everything in this world better.

And I meant what I said, I'll be spending the rest of my life trying to keep up because all I want is her.

42

LOLA

I’m afraid to be this happy. It’s almost scary. But I am. It’s spring, almost summer, and I’m lounging with Hayden out on my deck.

Viv and Baz seem settled here, and Baz is sleeping over at Nora’s tonight because Sawyer and Viv had a date tonight.

I heard them come in earlier, but Hayden and I stayed out here, giving them privacy.

It’s a beautiful night to look out over the ocean. “I think I prefer the ocean to the lake.”

He smiles, his arm wrapped around me. “I think I do too. But I wasn’t ever one for the lake anyway.”

I’m getting more and more used to going swimming with Baz here in my pool and with Hayden at his house.

I still think about Colt every single day, but it doesn’t seem to be as crippling as it once was. And I still make sure I say his name out loud.

“Asher call?”

I shake my head, my throat tight. He didn’t come to Thanksgiving or Christmas despite Mom offering for all of us togo there to him for Thanksgiving. He withdrew from the family even more and only really talks to Baz.

But true to his character and his word, he does call Baz at least once a week, so we know he’s alive.

His college graduation was yesterday. We have no idea if he actually graduated. Mom wanted to go so badly, but he told her not to.

He’s angry and alone. I hate it, but I have to keep faith that he’ll come to me because telling him what to do only backfired.

“No.”

He squeezes me tighter, knowing this is killing me. There’s a flash of lightning in the sky, and it starts to pour, encouraging us to get off the deck and go inside. The rain is pelting down, seemingly coming from nowhere, and we quickly find shelter in the kitchen.

“Damn, I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain.”

I laugh and grab a bottle of wine. “I didn’t either. I guess we should just go to bed.”

He grins, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling my body to his. “I guess so.”

The doorbell rings, and I look at the clock. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Maybe Baz wanted to come home.”

I hope not for Viv’s sake, although he might let me put him to bed. “I’ll get it.”

I walk toward the door and look through the peephole, my heart nearly stopping when I see Asher standing in the dark with rain falling down his face.

---