ADEN

“Everything okay?”

When I’m finally able to pull my eyes away from Celia’s retreating back after I made sure she got off the boat okay, I turn to find Cal’s staring down the dock too.

“Yeah, she forgot she had somewhere to be.” Even I know she’s lying about that. Something spooked her, I just can’t for the life of me figure out what it was.

“How long you two been hanging out?”

“Little more than a week. I can see why you talked about her so much. She’s . . .” Visions of her smile, her laughter, her body moving above mine, all flood my vision. I blow out a hard breath. “She’s amazing.”

He frowns. “Mm-hm. Celia was something special.” There’s sadness in his voice that gets my attention.

“You implying now that she’s been sleeping with me she’s no longer special, Cal?” My pulse starts to thrum in my veins.

My uncle’s never been the type to judge anyone, but he loves Celia, and he knows I’m fucked up. I can see why he’d be disappointed, hell, even I know Cece’s too good for me. But I’m his fucking flesh and blood.

“You’ve known her a week.”

“She’s more than just a fuck buddy, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Aden, think about it.” He props his elbows on the counter. “You’re only replacing one addiction for another.”

“That’s bullshit, Cal.”

“You said it yourself, she cleaned you up, took your mind off losing Jenks.”

“Yeah, but . . .” I fist my hands, my mouth watering for a beer, but I push back the urge. “That doesn’t mean I’m using her for sex.”

“Really?” He shrugs and leans forward on his forearms. Challenging. “Tell me what you know about her.”

“She’s smart, compassionate, patient, and although she’s scared of almost everything she’ll walk through her fears with me.”

His frown deepens.

“I’m serious, Cal. This woman, when I’m showing her something new and helping her through whatever she’s afraid of, the way she lights up . . . When she comes alive like that it makes me feel useful again.”

“You care about her or you just like the way she makes you feel?”

“I care about her because of the way she makes me feel.”

“And you think that’s fair to her?”

“I don’t fucking know.” Feeling cornered by his questioning my pulse kicks behind my ribs. “We’ve been together for a week, how the fuck should I know?”

“Look . . .” He rubs his eyes. “I’ve been driving all morning. I’m gonna head over to my place and crash before I start dealing with all this bullshit bank stuff.” He stands and tosses his beer into the garbage.

“I’ll get cleaned up and meet you over there in a few hours.”

He smiles, but again the expression communicates more sadness than anything. “Sounds good.”

He passes through the back door and I stare at nothing, the whole time my mind turning over Cal’s words.

I asked her to consider staying because I love the way I feel when we’re together. But what do I have to offer a woman like Celia? In one week I’ve managed to unleash all my demons on her. And yet . . . she keeps coming back. I’m being selfish and when the time comes I should just let her go.

The problem is, I don’t think I can.

SAWYER

I’ve made more progress on boxing Celia’s things in the last two hours than I have the entire time I’ve been in San Diego. With the threat of Cal telling Aden about who I really am I’ve never been in a bigger hurry to get this done and get back to Phoenix and far away from Aden Colt.

My chest aches at the idea of not having him in my life, which is ridiculous. I’m not some lovesick girl with inflated ideas about life and relationships. If my twenty-four years have taught me anything it’s that shit happens frequently and I have a bull’s-eye on my back.

Time’s up, Sawyer.

Come clean and confess, or get the hell out as soon as possible.

God, what was I thinking!

I grit my teeth remembering the promises I made my sister. That damn quarter, taking chances, but all I’ve managed to do is create a web of lies I can’t get out of without hurting someone I care deeply for.

After moving all the boxes to the front of the cottage I pull out the small yellow pages and dial the number for the shipping company who is responsible for getting all Celia’s things back to my parents.

“Crosscountry Express, how can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m . . .” I look around to make sure no one’s standing outside the open windows. “Sawyer Forrester. I arranged for you guys to ship some boxes back to Phoenix for me?”

“Yeah, I see it here. Pickup in Ocean Beach. We have it down for the fifth?”

“Yeah, but they’re ready now. Is there any way they can be taken sooner?”

“Ohh, no can do. Tomorrow’s the Fourth.”

“So?”

She huffs in my ear. “We’ll be closed for the holiday.”

I rub my forehead, feeling completely dense. “Fourth of July, right. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“If you’d called yesterday I could’ve had the guys pick up the boxes today, but they’re booked for the afternoon. I’m sorry.”

“I understand. We’ll stick with the fifth.”

“It’s better this way. No one in their right mind would willingly leave town before the Fourth of July.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I say absently while trying to figure out how I’ll be able to avoid Aden for another day.

“The fireworks go off on the pier and everyone paddles out on surfboards to watch. It’s incredible.”

“In the ocean? At night?”

She laughs. “You’re funny.”

Yeah, and she’s crazy if she thinks I’d sit on a surfboard with my feet dangling like an earthworm appetizer into the dark waters at night. “I’ll have everything ready on the fifth, then.”

“Sure thing. We’ll be there early.”

I hit END and toss my phone on the couch. Looking around the room there’s nothing but boxes, bare walls, and barren furniture. And I’m stuck for two more days.

There’s no way I’ll be able to avoid Aden for that long.

I chew my lip, my palms sweating and my pulse racing. A hotel. I’ll go to a hotel.

A knock on the door nearly sends me through the roof as my nerves seem to crack and fizzle beneath my skin.

I don’t want to see anyone. Can’t bear opening the door to see the questions in Aden’s eyes, or worse, the anger of betrayal.

“I know you’re in there.”

My stomach threatens to heave at the sound of Cal’s stern voice as he calls me out. If only I could turn to liquid and melt off the couch and into the floor—

Another knock.

Shit!

“I have a key. Don’t make me use it.”

My shoulders slump and I push off the couch. This is happening. May as well get it over with. Tears spring to my eyes when I think how something that started out so innocent is about to blow up in my face. There’s no way I’ll be able to walk away from this without emotional shrapnel.

I unlock and crack open the door only to be met by his scolding stare. “Hey.”

He doesn’t take his cold dark eyes off mine. “Mind if I come in?”

I step back, bringing the door with me, hiding behind it as if the wood can protect me from his chastisement.

Steady steps carry him in and across the tight space, his eyes scanning the boxes and the walls. He’s not a small man and even in a Hawaiian print shirt, shorts, and flip-flops he’s intimidating. He doesn’t seem angry, his body language not giving off irritation as much as grief.

I say nothing. There’s just nothing to say. He must think the absolute worst of me and no matter how many ways I flip the story around in my head it all leads to the same conclusion. I lied to and deceived someone he loves.

“She didn’t make it?”

My eyes dart to his. “I’m . . . what?”

“Your sister. Celia. She’s . . .” He swallows and the lump in his throat bobs. “Dead.”

“No, she’s not.” Dead. I can’t bring myself to say the word.

He tilts his head and studies me. “Then . . .” He swings an arm around, motioning to the boxes. “Why are you here packing up her stuff?”

I run my fingers across my lips and wonder how honest I should be. Cal and Celia were close, and she assured me no one knew she was sick.

“You know?”

He looks down at me and the stern set of his jaw reminds me of Aden. “She confided in me shortly before she left. Made me promise I wouldn’t say a word.”

I motion for him to sit and then hesitantly move to the opposite end of the couch to sit on the edge. “She told me no one knew. She asked me to come pack up her stuff and . . .” As I line up my excuse in my head it sounds ridiculous, but it’s the truth so I share, “Pretend I was her.”

“And how’s that working out for ya?” There’s no humor in his voice, but rather a parental reprimand that has me curling in on myself.

I knew this was a bad idea, but I couldn’t say no to my sick sister!

“It’s working well, no one seems to know I’m not her.”

“Including Aden.”

“Yes.” Shame soaks me in regret. “Including him.”

He nods and leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “You need to tell him.”

“I can’t. He’ll hate me.”

He eyes me. “He cares about you.”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen—”

“Too bad. It did, and he deserves to know who you really are, Sawyer.”

I startle at his use of my name. “She talked about me?”

He chuckles and nods. “She spoke of you a few times.”

My chest expands with warmth that quickly cools when I consider what she told him about me. Does he think I’m crazy? Some kind of hermit like the girl at the bar did?

“If I tell him he’ll feel deceived. I can’t do that. But I can leave and he’ll never have to know who I really am.”

“You actually think that’ll work? That you’ll walk away and he’ll let you go?”

I shrug. “Yes. I do. He might miss me for a day or two but some willing female will take my place.” My stomach wrenches as my words bring forth a nausea I can’t fight.

“Or . . . you tell him who you really are, explain—”

“The truth isn’t an option now. He told me a little about his nightmares, about how he was let down by someone he trusted. If he knew I lied about who I am it would only hurt him.”

“Shit . . .” He cups his head into his hands, rubbing circles on his temples. “That’s true.”

“I allowed myself to get off track with Aden and that was a mistake. All I’m here to do is pack up my sister’s stuff, get a glimpse into her world, and then leave here with everyone thinking she’s living her life to the fullest to die a happy old woman rather than being robbed of her life.” Tears spring to my eyes. “She asked me for a favor, I couldn’t say no.”

His stern expression softens with sympathy. “This was not her brightest idea.”

“Tell me about it.” I search my brain for the umpteenth time trying to figure a way out of this that doesn’t include hurting Aden and come up with nothing.

“I’d think it were harmless if my nephew’s feelings weren’t involved, but they are and I can’t sit by while you toy with him.”

“I’m not toying with him. I . . .” I care about him. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Finish what you came to do.” He pushes to stand and stares down at me. The weight of his judgment has me studying the floor. “Then leave and I promise, as fucked up as this is, I’ll keep your secret. I’ll do that for Celia and for Aden.”

“Cal—”

“But you can’t ever come back here, understand? Once you leave, you make a clean cut and let Aden move on with his life.”

His words stab me in the heart.

“Promise me, Sawyer.”

“Okay, I’ll disappear.”

“And when Celia’s . . . condition . . . finally takes her . . .” He clears his throat and I look up to find emotion shining in his eyes. “I’ll let Aden know and that’ll be the end of you two.”

I nod, unable to form words because everything he’s saying slices through my chest, but I know he’s right. Aden will mourn her loss, and it’ll be like none of this ever happened. He’ll go on with his life thinking I was nothing more than a summer fling that ended before it even got started.

A single tear slides down my cheek.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way, but I think you’re right, his mind may be too fragile to handle the truth and this is the only way it can be.”

“Either way, I lose him forever.”

His gaze swings out to the ocean, gray clouds beginning to form on the horizon. “Enjoy the rest of your stay.”

“Cal, wait.” I stand and cross to him, brushing away my tears. “How did you know I wasn’t Celia?”

He smiles sadly. “I saw the fear in your eyes the second I walked on that boat. Your sister? She’s never been afraid of anything. Not even death.”

And with that, he’s gone.

I stay rooted in place as one by one tears slide down my cheeks.

He’s right. I’m a pathetic replacement for Celia. Whatever Aden feels for me isn’t actually because of who I am but rather who he thinks I am. Someone who swims naked in the ocean at night and dives off a kayak to swim with sharks, the person I’m pushing myself to be. If I were able to truly be myself, he’d lose interest in a heartbeat.

Celia and Aden make a fantastic couple, they’re cut from the same Technicolor cloth.

Sawyer and Aden don’t make any sense. He’d get frustrated with my obsessions and I’d get irritated by his casualness toward just about everything.

Whatever future I could map out for us in my head is nothing but a fantasy, and a charade I could never keep up.

I dry my tears and straighten my shoulders as I digest Cal’s words.

I have only a couple days left with Aden, so I’ll take them and make every second count.