Freezing my ass off in my white bikini wasn't exactly what I envisioned when I imagined myself spending a quiet night in one of Garrett’s cabins, away from my roommates. With Marcus constructing a studio for Cat, they've been staying at our apartment with Lily. One day, I'll be the only one in that apartment. Cat will eventually move in with Marcus and Ava with Dane, but for now, they’re paying rent for a room neither of them usually sleep in. Exactly why Ava didn’t mind giving up her room for Lily when Cat said they needed somewhere to stay for awhile.

Not only do I have the weekend off from Happy Daze, but I have the entire log cabin to myself. My wine glass sits on the counter, lonely without the bubbles of the hot tub surrounding it. Walking over to the counter, I gulp it down, as I wait for Garrett's maintenance guy to get out here.

Garrett Shaw. Him complimenting my tits and ass the other day still replays in my head. Sadly, it was probably the highlight of my year, besides landing my full-time gig at the school. That night at the mall was the old Garrett—captain of the rugby team, prankster who might have filled your locker with popcorn, but would have your back whenever you needed him.

The happy Garrett of yesteryear makes me remember the devastated one. The one I thought was never going to be functional again. I'm not even sure exactly when it happened, but it was a good few years before he really started putting his life back in order again. Still, that one night in my parents’ basement always ignites those butterflies in my stomach.

It was a graduation party for me, I’d just finished high school and my parents threw me an eighteenth birthday party and graduation party at the same time.

My brother, Vance, returned from Los Angeles for it, so I'm not sure who the party was really for, me or him.

Garrett had shown up, and that's when I first saw him with a beard. My nipples peaked and I clenched my thighs together.

“God, he's bigger than high school,” my friend, Bree, said from next to me.

We both stared at him as he strolled in with Sydney's hand in his.

“She's the spitting image of him except she's got those gorgeous big blue eyes,” Bree carried on and I would have responded if my mouth wasn't suddenly drier than Deb’s chicken down at Double D’s.

Garrett was in a pair of board shorts and a T-shirt with soccer slides on. There were a few of Melissa's friends there and they immediately circled Sydney who was clinging to her daddy's leg.

He picked her up and she seemed to fit so perfect in his strong arms. She pushed her head into the crook of his neck. Garrett tried to get Sydney to engage with the girls who were fawning all over her, repeating telling her how beautiful she was. No one mentioned what Bree had, that her eyes were Melissa's eyes because after she died, no one ever said her name unless it was a whisper and never to Garrett.

Then, Jane, Garrett's mom came over.

All she had to do was hold her arms out and Sydney left Garrett for her grandma. She carried her over to a table with my mom and a few others. They all cooed over her and Jane fed her.

My vision shifted from Sydney to Garrett who was now surrounded by women.

Vance and their other high school friends came over and they all hung around the loungers by the pool. The girls flaunting their chests, the boys took off their shirts, showing how much more muscle they'd developed since high school.

“Your brother's friends are so hot,” Bree whispered in my ear.

I sip the beer I snuck from the keg out of my red solo cup. Sitting down, I tried to concentrate on my friends, even Dylan, my prom date. We weren't official or anything but I knew he wanted to be a couple. But he was leaving on scholarship in the fall and I wasn't into a summer fling followed by a long distance relationship.

My eyes kept betraying me. They kept seeking Garrett out, wanting to know what he was doing.

Then I was on my way to the bathroom and a group of my friends were joking around and pushed me into the pool. My solo cup went flying, my body sunk into the cold water. I kind of wanted to stay down there a little longer in the silence, but two hands reached under my arms and pulled me from the water.

I surfaced and blinked, finding Garrett's gruff face in front of mine.

“You okay?” he asked and my head went fuzzy and light.

I nodded. “Thanks,” I managed to say.

To this day, I can remember the feel of his abs as my fingers brushed against him while I gained some stability. The smell of him. Not cologne, but just this manly scent that is Garrett. At that point in my life, he still intimidated me—big, gruff, standoffish Garrett. But in that moment, Melissa triggered in my mind. Mostly, it was his eyes…kind and gentle. That was the side she saw.

It made me wonder how he took her virginity. Was he gentle when he glided in that first time? I was envious of Melissa right then because I’d opted to give my virginity to Dylan who didn’t take care with me at all.

“Better lay off the keg for awhile,” he suggested and pulled away to go back to his water volleyball game. He picked up the beach ball and hit it over the net.

Dylan was standing at the ladder as I climbed up, his eyes pointed to Garrett's back.

“So, is that why you won't give me the time of day? You want Shaw?”

He said it louder than I'd prefer since a few heads turned in my direction.

“No,” I mumbled, heading toward the house since a change of clothes was now in order thanks to my friends.

“Get real, Charlie. He doesn't see you.”

Again with the loud voice.

I stopped, turned, and stomped over to him.

“Shut up,” I whisper yelled. It's then I smelled the alcohol on his breath. I knew some of the guys had brought flasks but hadn’t realized that Dylan had had that much to drink.

“Shut up? Don't talk to me like that. Garrett Shaw sees you as one thing only, his best friend’s little sister.” His eyes dipped down my body. “He'd never want you. Melissa was the complete opposite of you. She was thin and super girly and you're, well, not.”

My face heated as the crowd grew around us, their gazes feeling like a spotlight on a stage.

“Dylan, you're a fucking asshole. Get out.” I threw my arm out, pointing to the back gate of my parents’ fence.

He laughed. “I can't believe I wasted my time on you. Garrett Shaw. That's my competition? You're clueless, Charlie. Fucking clueless.”

He started walking at the persistence of some of his friends that had gathered near. Bree found her way over to me, sheltering my now tear stricken face in her embrace.

“There a problem?”

I turned from Bree to see that Vance was up and out of the pool, water dripping off his body as he walked over to us.

His chestnut hair that matched my own making him look like a model out of a perfume ad. Seriously, Dylan was right. I was curvy and looked nothing like Melissa. My brother somehow got the chiseled jaw, soft brown eyes, and the curl of his hair was wavier than my uncontrolled spirals. Many times I wondered how he won the genetic lottery, every great feature of my mom and dad bestowed on him and all I got was the leftovers.

“Your sister's a fucking tease.” Dylan threw the comment over his shoulder and I knew it was the alcohol that had given him the courage.

“What did you say?” Vance stomped over to Dylan and his friends.

“He's drunk, Rose,” someone called out.

“Let it be, Vance,” another said.

My brother looked at me and then to the pool, but he didn't have to call to his friends. Garrett and the three others still here were already climbing out.

Thank God all the real adults are in the house.

“No. Don't.” I left Bree to stand in between the two of them.

Dylan's chest pressed against my open palm.

“What are you gonna do, Rose? Hit me. I'm seventeen. Good luck with that.” The cockiness in Dylan's voice had me wanting to clock him.

“You think my uncle is going to throw me in jail?” Vance baited him. “Who's fucking clueless now?”

The weight of their chests was crushing my arms. Vance never once looked down at me, keeping his narrowed gaze on Dylan.

“Stop fucking with my sister.”

“You mean stop fucking her?” Dylan smirked and his intention of throwing Vance off his game was effective.

Vance's gaze shot down to my own. “Please say no.”

I saw the pleading look in his eyes and shifted my gaze to Garrett who was next to Vance. There were those soft eyes once more. He bit his lip.

Vance took me and shoved me to the side. “You fucking asshole.”

Then Dylan was on the ground, Vance standing over him and I somehow stumbled into Garrett's arms again, staring into those eyes.

“Stay the fuck away from her!” Vance yelled.

“I think you should look next to you, she's moved onto Shaw now.”

God, this idiot didn’t know when to quit.

Garrett's gaze shifted to my brother and he righted me. I wobbled as I tried to find my footing after feeling so secure.

“What the fuck man? She's your little sister,” Garrett scoffed. “Come on, we're winning.” He ran and jumped in the pool and I swear I felt as cold as that water.

“Do me a favor? Don't screw anymore assholes.” Vance followed Garrett and then all eyes seemed to turn away from me.

Dylan got up off the ground and cursed under his breath as he and his friends left.

Later that night, after everyone had gone home, I headed to the basement. I couldn't sleep after everything that happened so I thought I'd watch some television, but when I reached the bottom of the stairs and turned on the light, Garrett was sitting on our couch, his phone in his hands.

“Hey,” he looked over at me and then tucked his phone in his pocket.

“I'm sorry. I didn't know you stayed.” I shifted my body to head back upstairs.

“Wait. You don't have to go.” I turned to face him but stayed where I was, keeping a safe distance between us. “My mom took Syd so I stayed the night here after drinking.”

I nodded, rocking back on my heels. His eyes roamed up and down my body, but there was no sign of lust, just indifference. I mentally high-fived myself for wearing boxer shorts and a camisole. My breasts were practically hanging out. Maybe he’d like what he saw and wouldn’t think of me as Vance’s little sister anymore.

“You really screwed that douche?” he asked.

I walked toward the couch, but stayed behind it, my hands clenching the top of the cushion.

“Yeah.”

“Dylan Scott is an asswipe. Don't listen to him.”

I didn't know what he meant by that. Everyone at the party clearly heard him saying I was after Garrett.

“Yeah, I should have thought twice about him.”

“You can do a lot better.” The way he said it, like he was sincere and really believed it, like they weren’t just trite words he was throwing out there, only intensified my want of him.

I nodded my head slowly.

“Guys are so immature at your age.” He shook his head in disgust.

My head seemed to involuntarily move up and down.

“I was such a loser.”

I round the couch and sit down a seat cushion away from him. “You were great to Melissa at that age.”

His head flew up so fast, his eyes searching for something, I didn't know what.

“I'm going to give you some advice. Things aren't always the same once you're in your own house.”

I never understood what he meant when he said that.

“From what I saw, you treated her nice.”

He shrugged, his big shoulders looking so broad.

“I'm not sure I'll ever find out the kind of man I would’ve become with the right woman.”

I peeked over at him from the corner of my eye, my thighs pressed tightly together, hoping they didn't look too fat. “You'll find someone.”

He shook his head. “No, I'm done in that department now.”

It was like a vault door had been shut and locked. He's the rare jewel that sits locked away from everyone. No one would see the beauty of him, no one would know his value, no one would ever possess him again. He sealed himself closed and that's when I knew that Garrett Shaw would be the forever bachelor. Not because he was raising a daughter on his own and not because no one would ever compare to the woman he lost. I always knew it was fear that made that decision for him.

The doorbell rings and I shake my head and re-join the here and now. Placing my empty wine glass down, I tread across the hardwood floors, grabbing a towel to wrap around my waist.

Prepared for the pool man, I open the door, but my voice lodges in my throat.

There stands Garrett Shaw.