The guys and I spent the day drinking beer and playing foosball, air hockey, and pool. The state-of-the-art game room was every big kid’s wet dream. The coolest thing about the room was that it was on the bottom floor of the house with French doors that opened up to the patio with direct beach access. We fired up the grill and kept one door open to hear the ocean sounds in the background. We turned on the two ceiling fans in the giant room to help circulate the air. The day passed quickly, and I was proud of the fact that I only thought of Callie once or a hundred times.

I made a quick run to the store to get some firewood for the bonfire. As Trevor got the fire going, I cranked up the music and grabbed some beers for the guys. A noise from next door had my attention. Callie, Journey, and Skye were upstairs on their deck laughing and having a good time. It was crazy to believe that somehow each of us had managed to form a connection with one of the girls. Granted, three of us previously knew each other in some way already, but there had to have been some reason why it was this trip where we all found each other again. I expected there was a bigger plan for each of us. It was time I embraced it, because Callie and I were together again for a reason. Who was I to question it?

“Hey, ladies! How many times do we have to ask you to come on over? Quit hiding out over there and join the party.”

They all leaned over their deck at my yell and apparently they’d been drinking more than I realized, because they all started giggling like I’d said something hilarious.

“We know, but we didn’t want to impose.” This came from Skye.

“It’s no imposition. Come on down.” I hollered back.

One by one, they disappeared out of view. Within moments, they joined us. The next few hours were spent laughing and having a great time. Except Gannon. He appeared to be having fun, but the smile never quite reached his eyes, and he was constantly glancing back at the ladies’ house. When he caught me watching him a couple times, he played it off even though we both knew what he'd been doing.

Out of nowhere, a yell sounded from across the fire.

“Hey, Liana! About time you got back. Get over here and join us.” Journey waved at the woman tentatively walking toward us, a huge number of shopping bags in her hands. She looked decidedly uncomfortable with everyone’s attention on her. Her eyes scanned the group as though looking for someone. She tried to mask the flinch when Gannon stepped out of the house.

“Last case, unless someone what to make a beer run.” Carrying a twenty-four case of beer, Gannon strolled across the distance between our houses.

Gannon passed out some beers before heading toward Liana with one. Wanting to give them some privacy, I made my way over to where Callie sat on a large log and plopped down next to her. We both stared into the fire, neither of us speaking. Thankfully, the silence between us was comfortable.

“Did you do anything exciting today?”

She shook her head and took a sip of beer. “Worked on my tan. Took a nap. That was pretty much about it. That’s the one thing I love about these yearly get-togethers. There’s no pressure to do anything. The days are ours to do with what we want and then the nights are to hang out and have fun. It works for us. We don’t talk about work or home. We reminisce. We talk about The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

I groaned, over exaggerating my agony. “Please don’t tell me you watch that reality show crap?”

Her infectious laughter had me chuckling with her. Between the firelight and the moonlight, her face shone brightly, and her eyes sparkled even this late at night. I could drown in her eyes and die a happy man.

“I don’t watch it, but a couple of the other girls do. It’s still fun to laugh about the ridiculousness of it. I mean, for real, the lives those women lead. And the drama? Don’t get me started on it. But I do love The Walking Dead. It’s my guilty pleasure.”

I studied her for a few minutes, her beauty breathtaking in the night sky. I opened my mouth to ask if she wanted to get out of here when Journey asked Gannon about his promotion. We all congratulated him and questions ensued about why they ever got divorced. From next to me, Callie dug her elbow into my side.

I knew it was none of my business, but I’d been friends with Gannon for almost as long as he’d been divorced. He never discussed it, but even after all this time, I knew how broken up he’d been. We were guys though, so we didn’t dig too deeply into our emotions. A minor argument occurred after I asked if she’d sent him a “Dear John” letter, especially when I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. Offended and upset, Liana stormed off with Gannon following her shortly after.

Callie made a sound of disgust from beside me, rose, and walked out toward the water. Knowing I needed to apologize, I went after her. When I stepped up beside her and matched our strides as we wandered down the beach, I formed my response.

“I wasn’t trying to be a dick to your friend, and I’m sorry I upset her. Her leaving him when she should have been his biggest support struck me wrong. But how they handled their relationship is none of my business, and I’m sorry.”

“Who hurt you?”

I sighed in resignation, because I should have expected the question. In all this time, we’d avoided talking about past relationships. If we had any chance of forming something long-term, I knew I needed to open up to her. It was a struggle though. It had taken me months before I even opened up fully to my therapist back home. Feelings were meant to be tucked away, hidden from view until you forgot about them. They were too painful sometimes to bring out and analyze.

“My ex-fiancée. We’d been together five years when I was injured in Afghanistan. One day, after I’d come back to the States and was still recuperating and learning to adjust to having only one leg, she decided she was tired of all the doctor appointments, the physical therapy, the mental therapy, all of it. I came home to a letter on the kitchen counter saying she couldn’t deal with it anymore.”

My heart skipped a beat when her hand brushed mine, especially when the next time, she clasped mine in hers and intertwined our fingers. We continued walking hand in hand, the sound of the waves crashing against the sand, the night sky embracing us in our own private oasis.

“She didn’t deserve you, and you’re better off without her. Either way, I’m sorry that happened to you. They say a relationship is fifty-fifty. I disagree. A relationship is hard work and requires both people to put in one hundred percent. If you both aren’t giving it your everything, then it’s doomed to fail. No relationship is perfect, but then, nothing is.”

Something in her voice caught my attention. I stopped and with my free hand reached up to cup her cheek.

“I think you’re pretty perfect.”

She briefly leaned into my touch before turning her head and walking again, forcing me to either let go of her hand or continue along with her.

“I’m far from perfect. Do you know that you’re the first man I’ve slept with in five years? Five years of rebuilding my confidence and self-esteem. I used to be so secure in myself, until I’d had the security beaten out of me.”

She winced when I practically crushed her hand in rage at her words. I quickly loosened my grip and rubbed my thumb across hers, trying to soothe the pain I’d unintentionally caused.

“I’ll kill him. Whoever hurt you will die a slow and painful death.”

“He’s not worth it. Besides, it was a long time ago. I’ve become a better version of myself since I left him. I’m content with my life.”

“Content isn’t happy, you know. I can tell you that. After Leslie, I guarded my heart, never letting my emotions get the better of me. It hurt less that way. But, I have no one in my life. It’s a lonely existence.”

Callie spoke so softly, I barely heard her. “You have me.”