Chapter 34
River
I tipped my head back as I buried my toes in the sand just outside the blanket I sat on next to West. The sun warmed my body and tingles spread up my arms as he leaned over and kissed my shoulder. I cracked one eye open and looked down at him. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so his upper body in all its tattooed glory showed. He was laying back, perching on his elbows, so the scars that marred his back were hidden. I knew Tara had seen them when he lifted his shirt because her eyes went from wide in appreciation to her feet. West wasn’t self-conscious about the scars. They were simply a part of who he was. They were a physical reminder of his painful past.
My past was coming barreling straight at me chasing his girlfriend. Tara threw her hands up. “I give up, just don’t make me go in!”
“You two are sissies,” Adam said, stopping and then thinking better of it and tackling Tara to the ground.
Tara giggled as he tickled her, and I rolled my eyes. “Get a room!”
Adam rolled off of Tara, and she put her head on his chest as she made her eyes wide.
“If we needed a room, you’d be covering your eyes,” she replied, and I lifted my sunglasses before dropping them again.
“Get a room,” I repeated.
“So I’m assuming River isn’t the only one afraid of sharks?” West asked, sitting forward and leaning his forearms on his knees. His Japanese dragons stretched, screaming silently.
“Speaking of needing a room,” Tara said, sitting up and touching my lip. “Drool much?”
“Haha,” I shot back, and she winked at me before turning to West. She paused for a second cocking her head. I smacked her. “Drool much?”
Tara’s shoulders lifted. “FYI, I’m not afraid of sharks. The water is stilling freaking freezing.”
“Exactly my point,” Adam said, his eyes trailing lower on Tara’s body.
“Good point,” West said, leaning over to me. His breath was warm in my ear as he began to sing. “Duna Duna Duna Duna…”
A shiver ran up my spine as his arms wrapped around me and in one swift movement, I was lifted into the air.
“WEST!” I screamed, trying to get out of his arms as he ran towards the water. “Don’t you dare!”
I clasped onto him with my eyes closed as I heard the sound of water splashing up against his body, and then the cold feel of it just below me. It lapped up onto my toes, and I climbed higher into his arms, opening one eye. He smirked at me, green eyes twinkling.
“Do you really think I’d let a shark eat you?” he asked, blinking at me.
“If it eats you, I’ll get eaten bi-proxy!” I replied, breathless as a wave came up and splashed over us. I squealed as the frigid water rushed over my body. It always took longer for the water to heat during the summer and longer to cool during the winter because of the salt content.
West’s eyes dropped down my torso, and his lips twitched. “Well, that still worked.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Perv.”
He kissed my neck, moving up to my ear as he growled, “I can’t help it. You’re too damn sexy.”
“Not fair,” I said, my voice barely audible as his lips moved up to my mouth. He swung my body around so that I could wrap my legs around his torso and my heartbeat thrummed in my ears.
Adam whistled from the shore, and I glanced around to see him and Tara cuddling on the blanket. The sun was starting to set, casting their bodies in orange light.
A shiver rushed up West’s body, and I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at him.
“It is freaking freezing,” he said, and his teeth started to chatter.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re not putting me down.”
He tipped his head back, laughing and I nipped his exposed neck.
“You’re bad,” he said as he turned and headed back to the safety of the shore.
“And you thought we were bad.” Tara wiggled her eyebrows at us as West set me down on the blanket and grabbed a towel. “Cold?”
“You have no idea,” West replied sitting down and pulling me into his arms. He tucked his chin into my shoulder. “Good thing I have you to heat me up.”
“Or,” I said, pointing to our bag. “You could put your pants on.”
“Oh!” Adam’s eyes went wide. “Must be the first time you’ve heard that, man.”
We laughed, and my chest tightened as I glanced over at Adam and Tara. Tara’s eyes met mine, and a sad smile came to her lips. She leaned forward and squeezed my hand.
“We’ll be back in a few months,” she said. “And besides, you guys will be in South Africa for two weeks while we’re gone.”
My chest rose up as I leaned back deeper into West’s arms. He wrapped them around my shoulders, his hands rubbing the goosebumps on my elbows away.
“We’re finally in a good place.” I swallowed, looking down at my feet. “I missed you two for so long.”
“So in theory,” Adam said, and I glanced up. He smirked. “You can live a little longer without us, and besides, we’ll be able to talk whenever. As long as the time zones line up.”
“I like how you act like it’s not completely nuts when you’re on tour,” West said, his breath warm on my back. “I feel like I can barely breath when we’re filming.”
“That’s coming up again, isn’t it?” Adam asked, brows furrowing.
West nodded into my shoulder, sighing. “But at least we’ll get a break in the middle with our little vacation.”
“Speaking of things that will eat you alive…watch out for lions,” Tara said, and a shiver ran over her.
“That’s what you’re scared of?” I asked blinking at her.
She shrugged, looking out at the sunset and then shook her head. Her eyes came back to me and then drifted up to Adam. “There’s only one thing I’m really afraid of…losing you guys.”
My eyes watered as I stared at her and then finally gave in, reaching across and pulling her into a hug.
“Never again,” I whispered into her ear.
“Never again,” she repeated.
“Group hug?” Adam asked, wiggling his brows, and I laughed before he and West joined.
I sat back as West pulled away and went to our bag.
“So you’re actually going to put your pants back on?” Adam nodded at West.
West’s his eyebrows shot up as he looked over his shoulder at him. Adam’s eyes widened, and Tara elbowed him. West rifled through the bag and his muscles tensed.
“You lose something?” I asked, cocking my head at him.
West’s voice was muffled as he replied, “I hope to God not.”
“West?” I asked as he stood up with his face pale.
He slipped his hands into his pockets and looked up at the sky as it turned shades of purple and orange.
“It’s kind of perfect,” West said before kneeling down in front of me, except he only went down on one knee and my heart jammed up into my throat. “I wanted to fix everything for you, Riv…make all the bad memories good.”
“You have,” I whispered, watching as he pulled a blue box from his shorts. My throat constricted as I stared at its familiar shape. I’d know it anywhere. It was the box Adam had the night of Bobby’s death.
“There’s one last memory I need to fix. Bobby picked this out for you, and he wanted you to be happy because of it. I can only hope I can do him justice. ” He popped open the box, revealing a beautiful rose-gold ring with an oval stone that reflected blue and green all at once, encircled by diamonds. “Will you marry me, River Ahlers?”
My mouth dropped as he bit his lip waiting for my answer. My gaze flicked to Adam and Tara, who smiled at us. They had known. My body rushed with tingles as the wind picked up, drifting a familiar cologne over me.
Twilight Woods.
I closed my eyes, and Bobby’s face flashed in my mind. His lips lifted at the edges as he nodded, and so did I.
“Yes.”