Page 32 of Beginnings By the Sea

“Not nervous,” I said quietly. “More like desperate.” I peered over at Luke and Noah, who both looked at me expectantly. “There’s something you guys don’t know.” Their brows furrowed as they waited for me to continue. “I knew Nyla was here in Oak Island,” I confessed. “It’s why I suggested we come here for the bachelor weekend.”

They stared at me with shocked expressions. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Luke asked incredulously.

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed again. “I didn’t want to hear you say I was crazy. Even after our divorce, all I wanted was to work things out with her, but it was impossible after she signed the papers.”

Luke’s face dropped. “I know that was hard on you. We all thought she’d come to her senses.”

I nodded. “And when she signed the papers, I felt like there was no other choice but to go through with it.”

Noah shifted in his seat, catching my attention. “Does Nyla know you asked for the divorce in the hope that she’d focus on your marriage instead of her career?”

“Nope,” I replied, shaking my head regretfully. “And I can only blame myself for that. I never should’ve asked for the divorce in the first place. It backfired like hell on me.”

Noah leaned forward, his smirk full of mischief. “Hey, do you need me to stay in town as your wingman?”

That made me laugh. “No, I’ll be fine. I have two weeks to get her back, and I want to do it alone.”

Noah held up his hands. “All right, I understand.” He waved back and forth between him and Luke. “You have your best friends for two more days. After that, you’re on your own.”

“What’s really going to be awkward is meeting the other guy. It’s bound to happen.

Noah chuckled. “Just don’t beat him up.”

I turned my gaze toward the window. The ocean seemed so peaceful; its waves crashed gently against the shore and was the complete opposite of how I felt inside. A storm raged inside of me, and I had no clue if I would make it out.

“I’m curious to see what I’m up against,” I said more to myself than to them.

Noah snorted again sharply, involuntarily making Luke and I snap our heads toward him. “He’s definitely not going to be as handsome as you.”

Luke laughed at his response, but I could only stare at the ocean and think. One thing was for sure, I didn’t care who the guy was or what he looked like. I was going to put everything on the line to have her be mine again.

15

NYLA

The rental house Miles was staying in was on the opposite end of the island from where I lived. When I pulled up to the house, I parked beside Miles’s midnight blue 4Runner and hopped out. The oceanfront house was pale yellow with dark green shutters, sitting on stilts like the rest of the houses on the beach.

“Nyla!” two voices shouted.

I jerked my head up to see Luke and Noah at the top of the stairs, both with sunburned faces. I couldn’t help but laugh at Noah’s face.

“Nice sunglasses you got there,” I joked.

He didn’t have any on, but he had white circles around his eyes from where was wearing them. Noah beamed. “Hey, it gives me character.”

I laughed. “You already have enough of that.”

Unlike Luke, Noah was the party animal; he could make anyone around him laugh. They rushed down the stairs and Noah snatched me up first, twirling me around. I started to get dizzy and laughed.

“You might want to set me down before I throw up on you.”

He dropped me quickly. “Not today.”

Luckily, Luke was there to steady me. I hugged him hard and smiled. “I have to say I’ve missed you guys.”

Luke chuckled. “We’ve missed you, too,” he replied, letting me go and staring at me with his deep blue eyes.

A laugh escaped my lips. “You need to tell me about your fiancé. What’s her name?” My smile grew wider. “Does your mother like her?” His mother never liked any of the girls he brought home for her to meet.

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