Page 25 of Wish Me Home

Cody:I can be ready to go in 20 minutes?

I held my breath again as I waited for his response. It felt like it took forever for those dots to appear again. The oxygen rushed from my lungs when I saw the words on the screen and a grin spread across my face.

Emmett:It’s a Christmas date.

Itwascolderthanexpected when I got outside, so I was glad I’d worn long sleeves and the fleece jacket. My flip-flops slapped against the pavement as I ran to my car, pulling open the door and hoping inside. My hands shook as I turned the ignition.

Driving out of the parking lot, all I could think about was seeing his face in person again. The roughly twenty minute drive was going to be torture. The I-5 was predictably empty for it being a holiday and so early.

The long curve of the Coronado Bridge amped up my anxiety because it meant I was getting closer and closer to my destination. Before I knew it, I turned onto Ocean Boulevard and there weren’t but a few cars parked along the strip.

Once parked, I rested my head against the steering wheel for a moment and took a few steadying breaths. It wouldn’t do either of us any favors if I was a nervous wreck. I looked out the window and up and down the beach. There was hardly anyone here.

“You’ve got this, Summers.” The pep talk was probably unnecessary, but I still gave it to myself as I climbed out of the car. I locked my door and made my way into the sand. I kicked off my flip-flops and carried them, letting my toes sink into the cool sand beneath my feet.

I walked to the water’s edge, letting the waves wash up over my toes and soak the ends of my jeans. It would be a bitch to get all the sand out later, but I couldn’t care less at the moment. Taking a breath of the salty air I closed my eyes and listened.

“You know, you might catch a cold standing there like that.”

My eyes popped open and turned to find Emmett’s sexy face watching me. He stood several feet away. He wore cargo shorts, showing off the dark hair on his legs. I had to fight the laugh when I realized he wore that same college hoodie from the plane.

“What’s so funny?” he asked because obviously I was failing at containing my smile at the realization.

Leaving the water behind, I walked to him and grabbed the strings at the collar of his hoodie. It was good to see the faint smile ghost across his lips at seeing me so close. I pulled the strings, pulling his face closer until we were barely a breath apart.

“Can I kiss you?” It seemed so silly to ask at this point, but I’d done some damage and I wanted to make sure this was still okay.

The warm puffs of air against my lips were tempting. I wanted nothing more than to seal my mouth over his. He nodded his consent, and I fell forward, slipping my hand around his neck and pulling him to me in a heated kiss. The grunt he released at the contact opened his mouth for me, granting me access.

My tongue swept inside as his hands came up to grasp both sides of my head. Maybe we looked like two teenagers making out on the beach, but I didn’t care. I’d missed this man every moment I’d been away from him and was kicking myself for turning him down.

When the need for air became too strong we broke apart, panting for breath. His fingers combed through my hair as his eyes searched mine.

“Can we find a place to sit and talk, please?”

His request was simple, but it made me nervous all over again. I cleared my throat and nodded as I released him and motioned for him to lead the way to find a place. We walked further away from the waves and closer to the hotel that was such a standout attraction on this island.

There was an old concrete wall that jutted out of the sand and Emmett led me to that. He climbed up on it and sat offering his hand to help pull me up. The wall wasn’t very high, but I took his hand regardless just to feel his fingers grasped in mine.

I plopped down on the wall next to him and we both said nothing for a moment. He kicked his feet against the concrete and I wondered if it hurt his heels at all. He’d set his shoes on the wall next to him on the other side. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he broke the silence.

“I wondered if I imagined it. That what we experienced in Chicago was something special. That maybe you were just entertaining me by continuing to message me.”

I squeezed his hand and swallowed the lump in my throat, because that had been the last thing I’d wanted to do. Everything had been real, if not sudden. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be so attached to someone in so little time.

“That’s not…” I tried to explain myself, but he cut me off before I could.

“I know you didn’t do it intentionally. I think I’m just so used to basically everyone in my life giving up on me.” He ran a hand down his face with his free hand before turning to look at me.

Shifting in my spot, I felt inclined to apologize again but knew it would be inadequate. “I want to make it up to you. I wanted nothing more than to say yes…”

“Then why didn’t you?”

He was obviously hurt, and I winced at his harsh tone. “This was time you were here to spend with your aunt.”

“Cut this shit, Cody. You knew that before we got on the plane. I wasn’t the only one inviting you to join us. Some of those invitations came from her. You embarrassed me.” His cheeks turned pink, and not just from the breeze coming off the beach.

“I’m—I’m sorry. I know that’s not enough. Maybe this was a bad idea.” I released his hand and jumped off the wall, grabbing my sandals. Before I left, I turned to face him. “I had some of my own stuff to work through. You also knew that I don’t have the happy home life. Yes, I know that all you have is Aunt Sadie. I get it. I really do. You pushed me to work on my family. Before I go, I want you to know that I called them.”

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