Page 44 of Beginnings By the Sea

My heart filled with warmth at the thought of a future with Miles and maybe even children of our own, but I quickly shook the idea out of my head when Everleigh’s face froze and she gasped, her eyes locked on something across the way.

“Oh, my God.”

My heart stopped. “What?”

I turned to see what she was looking at, and that was when I saw him. Dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a light blue polo shirt with his dark hair perfectly coifed, Cohen had the biggest grin on his face when our eyes locked. My stomach swirled with nerves of dread, and it wasn’t a good feeling. It was only a matter of time before Miles returned.

Were they going to be civil with each other? Or would they let their testosterone take over and act like cavemen? All I knew was that I wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Hey, Cohen!” Everleigh shouted, waving a hand in the air.

He hurried over and leaned in to kiss me, but I was able to shift quickly so he kissed my cheek instead of my lips.

“You made it,” I said, hating the guilt that weighed down on my chest.

Cohen was such an amazing man, and I was about to let him go, only I didn’t want to tell him at the Spring Fling.

Cohen released a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face. “I was beginning to think I wouldn’t. Every time I tried to leave, something else would come up that needed to be handled.” He peered around at all the people milling about. “There are a lot of people here.”

“It’s way more than we’ve ever had,” Everleigh said. “The local businesses love it. All the tourists help keep them afloat.”

Cohen smiled over at Everleigh. “That’s good. I’m hoping Freddy reaches a point where he can buy back the surf shop from me.” The only thing keeping Cohen in town was that surf shop.

“If he does buy it back,” I wondered, “what does that mean for you? Isn’t that the only reason why you moved here?”

Cohen’s eyes flashed with need when he looked at me. “It was at first, but I have other reasons to stay.” It would be so much easier if he had to move back to New York. Cohen nodded down at the ticket roll by Everleigh’s hand. “So, how many guys have come by wanting a date with my girl?”

Everleigh chuckled nervously. “It’s not just guys, Cohen. A lot of people want time with the town’s hero.” She draped an arm over my shoulder. “This lady helped save two people in a horrific car accident yesterday. It was on the news and everything.”

Cohen’s mouth gaped. “That’s amazing, Nyla. I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s my job. Working as an ER doctor for all those years prepares you for stuff like that.”

He pulled out his wallet and pointed at the roll of tickets on the table. “I’d like to buy three hundred tickets, please.” I stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“That’s fifteen hundred dollars, Cohen. You don’t have to do that.”

He smirked at me. “I know, but I want to. The more I buy, the more chances I’ll win.”

He gave Everleigh a wad of cash and she hid it with the rest of the money, while I gave him his copies of his tickets and put the rest in the box with all the others.

Cohen peered around at the crowd again and sighed. “So, is he here?” he asked, still looking at all the people.

A rock formed in my stomach; I knew he was going to ask. Everleigh glanced at me sheepishly and bit her lip.

When Cohen focused back on me, I nodded. “He is,” I said, rubbing a hand over my aching chest. “I’m sure he’ll be back in a minute.”

Everleigh cleared her throat and nudged me. “Your minute is up. He’s here now.”

I followed her line of sight and time seemed to stand still as I waited for Miles to see Cohen standing by the table. When his eyes turned our way, it wasn’t me that caught his attention first; his focus went straight to Cohen. His smile completely disappeared, and all that was written on his face was confusion . . . and anger. I didn’t expect that strong of a reaction from him.

When I looked over at Cohen, he had the same look. The tension in the air was palpable, and it looked as if something was going on that I had no clue about.

Miles marched over to us with a determined stride, his eyes burning into Cohen’s. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Cohen squared his shoulders and returned the hard gaze. “I could ask you the same question.”

My heart paused in my chest as Jensen leaped between them. “All right, guys, let’s take it down a notch.”

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