I stood in the mirror and used my fingers to comb out my wet hair. Rebecca had turned on the radio, and I sang along with Mick to Wild Horses. I thought about how appropriate the song's lyrics sounded. Dylan, the past, the whole fucking world could tell me this was wrong, but nothing had ever felt so right. Rebecca and I had fallen into each other's lives and arms so naturally. It was impossible for me to come up with a reason why we shouldn't be together.

Rebecca knocked politely before poking her head into the bathroom.

I laughed. "Are you the shy, coy girl, or the beautiful woman I just had bent over the kitchen counter?"

"Well, in that case." She walked into the tiny bathroom and stood behind me. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed my wet shoulder. "I was listening to you sing Wild Horses and I was falling in love with you all over again."

Her confession stunned me. I gazed at her reflection in the mirror as she reached past my arm for a brush. She began brushing my hair.

"I always thought you should be the singer in the band. Or maybe that was because I only saw you when your band was practicing. I used to sit on that old, rat chewed couch Evan had in his garage and I'd pretend to be listening to the band, but I could only hear and see you. To me, even standing in that cluttered, hot garage, you were a rock star."

She smoothed her hand over the hair she'd just brushed and put the brush down on the sink. I turned to face her. "And I always knew you were there. Sometimes you were an annoying brat, a cute little shadow that just happened to always be nearby. Then I watched you grow up, and I thought, some lucky fucking guy is going to land Rebecca. Some lucky asshole is going to get to hear her laugh in the middle of a funny movie. Some lucky undeserving jerk is going to see her face first thing every morning. Some lucky guy is going to get to have Rebel in his arms any time he wants."

Her eyes grew glassy but she smiled. "You forgot one. I make really good guacamole." She took hold of my hand and led me out of the bathroom.

"Shouldn't I at least get dressed?" I asked.

"Nope. This guacamole tastes even better in the nude." She patted the kitchen chair for me to sit and then circled around to her chair.

"Then shouldn't you be naked?" I looked pointedly at her panties and bra.

She picked up a chip and dipped it into the avocado. "No, I meant it tastes better to me when I can look across the table at a naked you." She pushed the chip into her mouth.

I grabbed a chip and did the same. "Hmm. You're right. I have to add excellent guacamole maker to the list of traits." I drank from the bottle of beer she'd opened for me. "I'll probably regret asking this, but you mentioned you nearly married someone in Europe?"

She wiped some guacamole off her bottom lip with her pinky. "Yes. Peter was handsome and fashionable and successful, considering he was only twenty-six."

"See, I knew I'd regret it, and yet, I let my big mouth fall open with the question." I picked up the beer again.

"You didn't let me finish. And Peter was vain, and too serious, and frankly, he was kind of boring in bed."

I grabbed another chip. "I like him already. But you let it get all the way to an engagement."

Rebecca shrugged and sat back with her beer. "Had the dress picked and everything. I was young. I was still feeling so lost, so ungrounded, and Peter offered some stability. Plus he had this adorable little summer house near a lake in France."

"Well, I don't have one of those. But I do have a house." I sat forward. "If you ever want to come back to Camden Beach, you could work at the bar."

She laughed and covered her mouth to keep from spitting out beer. She caught her breath. "That sounds like a terrible idea. You'd be my boss."

I nodded. "You're right. Don't know what I was thinking. I guess I just want you near me, Rebel."

She stared down at the beer bottle, picking at the label. The smile had evaporated from her face. "I can't, Josh. I can't ever go back there." Some of the pink had left her face as she lifted her gaze to me. "I'm sorry. I know your whole life is there but I can't go back."

"I understand," I said, but was still trying to understand.

She hopped up from the chair. "Another beer?" It was obvious that Camden Beach was a topic she preferred to avoid.

"Sure."

Rebecca returned with a beer. Instead of sitting on her own chair, she sat on my lap. She reached forward and scooped a chip and fed it to me.

I swallowed and smiled up at her. "Best fucking guacamole I've ever eaten."