Page 34 of From This Moment (After We Fall 4)
He came closer and sniffed my head. “Yeah, that’s it. Smells good.”
Next thing I knew, I felt his fingertips brushing down one shoulder blade. Too quickly to be called a caress, but too slowly to be ruled an accident.
I dropped my arms and turned around, but his expression gave nothing away. He smiled as he handed me back the can of sunscreen. I bent down and stuck it back in my bag, taking an extra moment to process what had just happened.
He touched me. And I liked it.
It made me feel pretty. And admired. And flattered. Things I hadn’t felt in forever. Things I’d never thought I’d feel again.
“If you’re hungry, I’d be happy to make you a plate, Wes.” Lenore finished rubbing lotion onto Abby’s scrunched-up face and recapped the tube. “It will just take a minu
te.”
“No thanks, Mom.”
“But you didn’t eat lunch yet, did you?”
“Actually, I did. Hannah brought something from the inn. It was delicious.”
“You didn’t tell me that.” Lenore sounded injured.
“Sorry, Mom. I’m a guy. We tend to eat and move on to the next thing. Ready to go, Abby?” he asked.
“Yes! Mommy, will you come too?” Abby’s voice yanked me out of my daze.
“Sure I will.” I stood up. My skin was still tingling from his touch.
“What was it?” Lenore asked.
Wes looked at me. “Uh…”
I smiled at his guilty expression. “Bacon, ricotta, and spinach crepes.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. Sorry, couldn’t think. But they were amazing. Thanks for bringing them.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked them.” I began walking toward the canoe before Lenore could say anything else that would dull the pleasant hum beneath my skin.
Two hours went by, and I didn’t want to leave. Then three. Four.
Lenore and Doc had gone up to the house to get ready for a cocktail party friends of theirs were throwing, so Wes and Abby and I had the beach to ourselves most of the afternoon. We did all the things we’d done yesterday, but it felt more intimate today with only the three of us. We swam and played in the sand and walked along the shore, swinging Abby between us by the arms. This is what it would be like if Drew were here, some part of my brain kept reminding me. This is what we’d have.
It was hard to keep myself from running away with the fantasy, especially with the memory of his fingers on my skin. But other than that one incident, he never touched me again. He talked and laughed and teased me sometimes, but it was nothing that could be construed as flirting. It almost reminded me of when I’d first met him—I’d thought he was so cute and smart and sweet, and I’d hoped he’d ask me out, but when weeks went by and he didn’t so much as ask for my last name, let alone my number, I’d given up. And then Drew came on like a hurricane—just as good-looking, just as smart, but with all the confidence and swagger his brother lacked. Swept me right off my feet.
“Do you remember the day Drew and I met?” I asked. We were sitting next to each other on towels in the sand watching Abby play with her toy fishing rod in shallow water.
Wes laughed a little and glanced at me. “Yeah. I do.”
“What’s funny?”
“Nothing. I just…” He draped his arms over his knees. Stared straight ahead. “I think about that day a lot, actually.”
“You do?” That surprised me. “Why?”
He was quiet a minute. “It was an important day, wasn’t it? Lives were changed forever.”
“But we didn’t know that then.”
Another pause. “I think I knew.”
