Page 54 of Beachside Kisses With My Best Friend

And while I could easily reach for the rag that’s neatly nestled beside the sink, my heart has other plans. I set the jar down. “All right.” The moment stretches between us with palpable weight as I lean in closer and gently remove her glasses, placing them aside with care. Then my fingers move to cradle her face, taking in her delicate fragility, all the while knowing that beneath this surface lies the strength of the most courageous person I have ever encountered.

Perhaps one brave enough to step into the unknown with me.

And I know it’s time…

Time for arealmove. One that will leave her in no doubt of how I feel.

Slowly, I lower my lips to the hollow of her cheek, brushing them against her skin to kiss away the chocolate resting there. The sharp intake of breath that escapes tells me I’ve surprised her, but she doesn’t back away. Instead, she remains, and her silence encourages me to follow the sugary path to her ear, my tongue darting out to taste her.

And whether it’s the chocolate or Marilee’s soft skin, I learn she’s every bit as delicious as I hoped.

“Jay?” Her fingers rise to clutch the back of my neck, nails digging in, sending electric sparks through me. “What?—”

“You said to get it off,” I murmur as I trace kisses along the shell of her ear, feeling the warmth radiating between us.

“I did,” she responds breathlessly. Her throat tightens against my mouth as I skim off the chocolate that’s started to dry there, against the neck I’ve dreamed countless times of kissing.

The moment is so sweet, yet so complicated. And I want more. I want everything.

I just want Marilee. This. Us.

Forever.

“But…”

And that single word snaps me back to reality. I pull away slightly, resting my forehead against hers, our breath mingling in the charged space. My gaze slides down to the remnants of chocolate on her lips, a promise of what could be, but I won’t risk nudging her too far, not when hesitation hangs in the air. “But what, Lee?”

Before she can answer, a blur of energy darts into my peripheral vision. “My turn, my turn!”

Ryder, ever the exuberant little whirlwind, hops into the space between us, unintentionally pushing me back from Marilee.

She blinks and shakes herself, producing a smile for my son as she crouches down in front of him. “Your turn for what, sweet boy?”

“For a kiss!” Then he smacks his lips against hers with an innocent fervor that sends a shock of warmth through my chest. “There, Mommy!”

Oh, geez. I run my hands through my hair as he dashes away in a fit of little-boy giggles.

Marilee remains still for a brief moment, her eyes flicking up to mine, laughter vanishing like mist. “We’re confusing him, Jay,” she says, her voice quieter now, threaded with uncertainty. Then she sinks to the floor. “Maybe… Maybe we’re confusing ourselves.”

I kneel down in front of her, the gravity of the moment wrapping around us as I gently swipe the chocolate off her shoulders with my thumb. And then I speak the most honest words I’ve ever shared with her. “I’m not confused, Lee. I never have been.”

Her trembling hand covers her mouth, and I can see the gears whirling in her brain. “I just…I need some time. To think.”

“Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

And hopefully, even after a year’s up, neither will she. But it’s got to be her choice. So with a final squeeze, I stand and move back to the sink to grab her a clean rag for the chocolate still left behind, my insides jumbled from the intensity of what just happened, at finally making a move.

I pray that I haven’t ruined one of the best things in my life by being too hasty. But I can still taste the lingering sweetness of her on my lips—and I can’t find it in me to regret a thing.

sixteen

MARILEE

There’s nothing so funny—or so uncanny in its ability to distract me from my troubles—as seeing a gorgeous, legitimate princess shove her perfectly regal feet into hideous bowling shoes.

Chloe’s blonde curls fall in curtains around her as she leans forward to tie the shoes. The red and black monstrosities clash horribly with her creamy white slacks and blue wraparound blouse, but she doesn’t seem to care as she laughs while finishing up a story about the last event she coordinated through her business, Something Blue. “And then, the bride showed up with a replacement ring bearer—her pet piglet.”

“No!” April cackles from her spot on the bench beside Chloe. She pours herself a glass of Dr. Pepper from the pitcher Lucy set down moments ago. “That’s amazing.”

---