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WHEN ISLA OPENED HER EYES, a bright light welcomed her. She sucked in a breath when she realized that she couldn’t move. The sterile smell of her hospital room startled her senses.

She tensed when a hand covered hers. Her eyes shot to the man beside her.

“Garrett?” she called, her voice sounding weak and raspy.

He had a cut on his eyebrow that looked gruesome and fresh. There were stitches hanging out of it. Her memory of what happened came back and fear struck her heart.

“Where is Clark?”

Garrett brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears escaping the corners of his eyes.

“He’s in jail. The police came shortly after he forced his way into my house. I just hope I hurt him enough that he’ll never mess with us again,” he said, and sucked in a breath.

She pictured Clark in a jail cell, where he deserved to be. All of those times she made excuses for him, he no longer deserved her pity.

Garrett leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I thought I lost you, Isla.”

Those words hurt. Hearing the wavering in his voice hurt even more. He didn’t deserve that kind of pain, yet she knew it all too well.

She wished she could sit up. “Why can’t I move?”

“You’re on some heavy medication,” he said. “But you’re fine. They said that you just had a severe panic attack and passed out from the exertion.”

Isla exhaled, relieved that she wasn’t paralyzed. Her arms and legs felt heavy and her head felt stuffy, but she was going to be all right.

She chewed her lip as soft sobs came from her mouth. She didn’t want to cry in front of Garrett. She was supposed to be strong, to be the girl who could take the rumors and mistreatment of others. She wished she could forget her past. She wished she’d told Garrett the truth about all that she’d suffered. He was the only person she trusted. Why not now?

“Garrett,” she whispered.

He looked at her. “Yes, baby?”

She looked away from his concern-filled eyes and stared at the far wall of the small hospital room.

“I have some things to tell you.”

“What is it? You can tell me anything.”

He kissed her hand again and the fear fleeted at the sincerity of those words. She turned to him and a small smile came to her lips, despite the warm tears that wet her cheeks.

“I know. That’s why I trust you enough to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

She sighed. “The truth.”

***

ISLA WAS RELEASED the next evening. They’d kept her for survellaince and made sure that she was strong enough to go home with Garrett.

Once they arrived at his house, she felt like a new woman.

All of her secrets were out, and Garrett still loved her.

He still loved her even while knowing the truth, which wasn’t surprising, because he loved her even when he thought she was just a misguided slut. Now that he knew of her innocence, their bond was even stronger.

Her body was tired, but her soul was energized.

She sat on his bed with a sigh.

“What now?”

Garrett leaned against his dresser, watching her. “How about we camp on the beach, like old times. I think going back to where we had the most fun will make you feel better.”

Isla smiled. “Life with you is going to be an adventure, isn’t it?”

“Of course. What else were you expecting?” he asked, lifting a brow.

She nodded and stood. “Okay, let’s do it.”

They gathered his tent and camping supplies and went back out into the night to load up his truck. There was a secret spot on the beach where they used to camp and make out when they were teenagers.

They got out of the truck and unloaded everything they needed for their little escape for the night. They walked down the gravel road to the sand dunes which led to miles of flat white beach. The air was warm with a faint breeze thick with the scent of salt water and seaweed.

When they returned to it, nothing had changed. The sand was clean and glistened like diamonds under the moonlight.

Garrett set up the tent while Isla organized everything they’d need to make dinner. They had a cooler of leftover veggies and fish that he’d grill on his little hotplate and portable grill.

Isla sat there, nibbling on cheese and crackers, while Garrett built a fire between their tent and the ocean.

She was grateful to have him, and thrilled to finally be free of those secrets that had been eating her alive.

They sat on blankets together, and Garrett opened a bottle of wine. Isla wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and sighed.

“This was a great idea.”

“Those are the only kind I come up with,” Garrett said with a  cocky grin.

She laughed, nudging him. “No, sir. I remember that one time you thought it would be a ‘great idea’ to make out in your truck in the driveway of that abandoned house.”

“Oh yeah,” he said with a laugh. He shook his head. “That was embarrassing.”

“Uh, that’s an understatement,” she said. “The cops came up to your window after someone reported a suspicious car in the neighborhood.”

“Jesus,” he said, shaking his head. “They kept flashing that bright light in my face.”

“Well, I quickly fixed my skirt and tried to make myself look like less of a prostitute,” she said, chuckling. She’d been so embarrassed that day and almost used her name to get them out of trouble.

“What did I say when he asked me what we were doing in front of that vacant house?”

“You said that we were on a date, you knew the guy who owned the property, and we just didn’t have anywhere to go.”

Garrett nodded. “One look at you and the cop understood. He kind of gave me a look like, ‘good for you, kid.’”

They both burst out laughing. “I’ll never forget that night,” Isla said.

“Neither will I. Once I sell my mom’s house, we’ll find our own, decorate it however we please, and raise little blue- or green-eyed babies.”

“I don’t care what color their eyes are as long as they’re with you.”

He kissed her. “Good answer.”

“Let’s go for a swim,” she suggested, buzzed from the wine.

“Sure,” Garrett said, taking off his shirt.

Inside the tent, he  stripped down to nothing and put on his swim trunks. Isla put on her bikini and walked to the edge of the water, where the foam of the ocean clung to the smooth muddy sand.

She stood there and tilted her head back so that her hair brushed the small of her back and she faced the night sky.

“Thank you,” she whispered to the sky, to whoever was up there looking out for her, God, the universe, some magical deity. When Garrett didn’t join her, she glanced back to see him fiddling around in his bag.

“Come on, slow poke, the water isn’t too cold yet.”

He held up a hand. “One second, babe.”

She smiled and looked back to the ocean, the calm water rippling back and forth with soft waves. She was so happy that she could cry.

Garrett took her hand and she turned to him.

He had a look on his face that gave her pause.

“Everything okay?” she asked and looked down at something glittering in his hand.

Her heart stopped at that moment, and she dared to believe what was happening to her.