Page 107 of Beneath the Surface

“It’s so good to see you, girlfriend. You look...” She pulls back, her hands gripping my forearms, her emerald green gaze soaking me in. “You look damn good.” Her eyes zone in on my tattoos, and she smirks. “I always wanted to get a tattoo, but I’ve never had the nerve.”

She smiles wide, and a deep chuckle breaks out, the tall guy from earlier appearing next to her, a smile on his face. I take him in, wondering who he is and why I can’t place him, but there’s a tingle of familiarity that niggles at the back of my brain.

“Baby girl, you never told me you wanted a tattoo.” His blue eyes sparkle as he grins at her.

A beaming smile breaks across her face and she twists to look up at him, her eyes warming. The love flowseffortlesslybetween the two of them, and it makes my stomach cramp, wondering if that’s how I looked at Al—Mason.

“Yep.” She pops the p. “A big number thirty-three, right on my ass.”

He chuckles again, his palm reaching down and gripping said ass cheek, and my face flushes, feeling like a third wheel.

She smacks his chest but lets his hand linger as she turns back to me. “You remember Eli, Lily?”

My brows shoot to my hairline, surprise slamming into my middle, making me lose my breath. “Eli as in Elliot Carson? Lee’s brother?” My eyes take him in, recognition flaring to life. Last I heard, he had one foot out the door, ready to make it big in the NBA.

He grins, his dark blond hair bobbing with his head nod. “The one and only. How you doin’, Lily? You’re much older than the last time I saw you.”

A laugh bursts out of me, his demeanor instantly putting me at ease. Honestly, the two of them combined have an energy that reaches out and wraps around me, making me feel comfortable in their presence.

I grin. “Back at ya.”

He leans in closer, his arm moving from Becca’s waist to her shoulder. “Take deep breaths, everything will be okay.”

My brows draw in.

“You look nervous,” he continues. “I know, more than anyone else here, what it’s like to be terrified of coming back home. But I promise, we don’t bite.”

I huff out a laugh, embarrassment that my nerves are that obvious rising to my cheeks. “Famous last words.”

Eli winks, and I lose my breath just a little, caught off guard by his charm.

Becca’s still smiling at me, her eyes wide and friendly.Am I in an alternate universe?

“I heard you went and had yourself a baby while you were gone. That true?” She cocks a brow.

I turn around, looking for my baby, finding him in Chase’s arms, standing in front of the grill. I point my finger, that same warmth from earlier rising up through my chest and squeezing my heart. “Yep,” I say. “The only good thing I’ve ever done with my life.”

Becca’s eyes spark. “Well, now, I don’t think that’s the truth. You look like you’ve done some good things for yourself too, girlfriend.”

The corners of my mouth twitch. “Debatable.”

Eli smiles warmly before leaning in to kiss Becca. “I’m gonna go find my sister.”

I watch as he walks away and then turn back to Becca, my heart thumping against my ribcage. “You don’t hate me?” I ask softly.

Her finger curls into her wild hair as she appraises me, her eyes squinting. Finally, she sighs, shaking her head. “I don’t hateanyone.Life is too short, and I’ve learned that hate won’t do anything but keep you from learnin’ how to love. Everyone makes mistakes.” Her eyes grow dark as her eyes flit past me to Eli. “Everyone deserves second chances.”

My chest spasms and I nod my head, biting back the emotion surging from her words.

Becca steps farther into me, her hand resting on top of where my fingers are skating along my skin in a nervous rhythm. “No one here has any right to judge you for your past. We’re all just a big ball offuckedup, and learnin’ how to make the most of what we’ve got. Was I mad at you for a long time? Yes. But... life has a funny way of makin’ you see things from different angles. And your choices are your own, Lily. I’m just happy to have you back, and get to watch you raise that little boy.” Her head tilts. “Youarestayin’, right?”

The burn explodes from the back of my eyes, tears slipping down the apples of my cheeks, acceptance bleeding into my skin from where it seeps out of her pores. I nod. “Yeah.” I look around, feeling a bit of hope in the desolation that’s been my life. “I’m staying.”

She backs up, smiling. “Well, good.” Her eyes flicker behind me again. “But just so you know, Eli ismine.”

I purse my lips to hide my grin. “I could tell.”

She giggles. “Well, I’m just makin’ sure. I worked long and hard to get that man back in my life, and I’m still tryin’ every day to prove myself. I don’t need a cute little spritely thing like you comin’ in here and tryin’ to fuck up all my hard work.”

---