Page 34 of Anchored Love
Everly
That Awkward Moment When You Realize You’re Falling In Love And All You Can Think Is … ‘Oh Crap.’
It wasour last full day and night of the cruise. After Saturday we’d return to port in Miami and then board a plane back to Idaho. We were at port for a perfect day at CocoCay. We were just given the all clear to leave the ship, and I was still floating from the past few nights.
Things with Mason had taken an interesting turn. He asked me to see where things could land for the rest of the trip. The idea excited and terrified me, but I wanted to know if the spark I felt was real, or if I saw what I wanted to.
I’d never been the type of girl to go falling head over heels, and I wasn’t dumb enough to think Mason and I could have anything when we got back home, but playing pretend with him had been the best time of my life.
He made me feel wanted, desired. Something I’d never experienced in my twenty-nine years. There was no two ways about it—I wanted him. I craved his touch. His sweet kisses. I could feel myself falling for him, and it scared me. I felt absolutely giddy when he smiled at me. I wanted to giggle like a freaking schoolgirl, and I wasn’t a big giggler. But when a man like Mason Jones kissed you stupid, well you went a little dumb in the head and started thinking with your lady bits because he made them tingle.
I had to push those thoughts aside, though. It was family fun day, and my mother expected us all to be on our best behavior. Great. The fun was already beginning. Me? I was going to ignore all the drama and focus on my time with Mason.
We descended to the pier, welcomed by bright banners in all colors of the rainbow, white sands, and gorgeous blue and green water. CocoCay waterpark was filled with waterslides, zip lines, food, and fun.
There was a little something for everyone. The first thing we booked for the day was the hot air balloon ride. We stowed our belongings in the rentable lockers before going to our destination. It was something I’d always wanted to do. As soon as I saw it as an option, there was no denying my excitement.
Luckily, Mom and Herbert had gone to snorkel at Chill Island since they had missed out on it last time. They needed some time away from the rest of us. After all the bickering the day before, we all needed a break. Family day spent away from them. Whatever worked.
I felt Jess’ pain of Mom’s interference, and it would be good to spend time with my brother and sister.
We set off for Up, Up, and Away which was easy enough to find. They had it all set up with signs pointing in the different directions to help us tourists.
We had nabbed the first ride and didn’t have to wait in line by some miracle. Even though there were thousands of passengers on our ship, the island didn’t feel crowded. Hell, I didn’t even see anyone I recognized from the boat.
I entered the round basket first with Mason, followed by Kelsey and Drake then Jess and Casey who were still in a lovers’ quarrel. They wouldn’t even look at one another, and I hated that for my sister. I knew she loved Casey, but she also could be stubborn when she wanted to be. I only hoped she didn’t let that trait come between she and Casey because if ever two people were made for one another it was them. They needed to talk and get on the same page. Not throw everything they’d built down the toilet.
“Welcome, guys. My name is George, and I’ll be your balloon pilot this morning. I ask you to spread out to give us some balance. You’ll feel some normal bouncing and movement as we begin, but don’t let it scare you. We have a clear, beautiful morning and light winds.”
The ride up was smoother than I had expected. There was a light breeze, but nothing that would hinder our adventure.
Beauty surrounded us. I stared out in awe through the rope netting that made up the sides. Surprisingly, I felt safe enough to let go of the railing.
The view of the aqua water and white sands was out of this world gorgeous. I could see everything on the island. Daredevil’s Tower. The Oasis Lagoon. The neighboring island in the distance. The crescent shape beaches. People zip lining across the lagoon.
We went up four hundred and fifty feet. Music pumped loud from the bar below as I took it all in with Mason by my side. He squeezed my hip and shot me a breathtaking smile. There went all my bits tingling and warming at the sight of that tempting smile and his gorgeous lips that I had tasted plenty the past two days.
I needed to get a grip. Mason wasn’t my boyfriend. Truthfully, he wasn’t my anything, but part of me wished he could be.
Thumb under my chin, I stole my attention away from the view as he touched my lips.
“Beautiful,” he muttered, gazing at me with burning intensity. I sucked in a breath and shook my head, noting this really could be reality.
“You know my mom isn’t here.”
He smirked. “That wasn’t for her. I wanted to kiss you. Therefore, I kissed you. And, Ev. I’ll be doing that a lot today. Be prepared.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I stayed quiet and took in the view of the park as we descended, my heart beating almost out of my chest. It wasn’t because we were so high; it was because of Mason.
The ride only lasted a total of twenty minutes in the air, but the breathtaking view made it worth every second.
“Currently, there are five hundred employees who inhabit the island. When CocoCay first opened there were only around thirty-five,” George informed us as we came back down to earth. “On clear days you might see sharks if you look to the left.”
I gazed out at the water. Water so vibrant and clear I could see the outline of either a stingray or a shark swimming.
A cable attached to the bottom of the basket winched us back down slowly and smoothly. Doing the balloon ride gave us all an idea of the outlay of the island to give us our bearings on where everything was located, so we could plan our day accordingly.
After the balloon ride ended and we exited, I wanted to test the waterslides. Jess and Kelsey took off to the lounge at the pool since Kelsey was pregnant, leaving us with Drake and Casey.
