Page 63 of Resurgent
McKenzie is snuggled into Noah’s side with his arm protectively wrapped around her, and the look of adoration he gives her when she’s not looking melts my heart. Gemma’s sitting next to Kenzie, Walker perched on the arm of the sofa next to her, which is nothing unusual. They’ve been best friends since high school. But there’s something about the way she’s leaning against him, and the way he leans over to brush her hair back, that confirms my suspicions that something must have happened in San Francisco. I couldn’t be happier for them. They are actually perfect for each other. I don’t know why none of us realized it before.
But once again, I’m the one left behind.At least I had Mexico,I think wistfully.Stop it!a little voice inside of me says. I don’t have to go back to the girl I was before. While I can’t have Liam, I can still have the woman he set free, the one who learned to let go and be wild and have fun. I’m not going to lose her. I’m not going to let fear stop me from living completely anymore. Sure, my heart might get broken again. But I will survive.
I remind myself of that the next morning as Liam is getting ready to leave. We’d all drank late into the night and crashed as the sun was coming up—Noah in Kenzie’s bed, me with Gemma, and Liam and Walker taking the sofas. Today, the three of them fly to Washington, DC for a joint debriefing with the Navy and NCIS, followed by the CIA and possibly even the president.
“Hey,” Liam says. “Want to take a walk?”
“Sure,” I say, trying to sound blasé. I knew this moment would come the minute I made the decision to take my top off in the pool in Mexico, but it doesn’t make it any easier. I’m determined to beat him to the punch this time.
We walk down to King Street, talking casually. When we get to the Unitarian Church, I naturally turn toward Gateway Walk. “This is one of my favorite places in Charleston,” I tell him as we walk through the iron gates and down the tree-lined path. “It’s like a secret, hidden path through the city.”
“I can see why. It’s gorgeous.” He looks up at the moss-covered trees, then turns to me and puts a finger under my chin, tilting my face up. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I am.” I realize it’s the truth. Despite the fact that I was kidnapped—twice—for once in my life,Iwas the one had the adventure of a lifetime, and I don’t have any regrets. “It’s been one hell of a ride, I’ll give you that. But it had its moments.” I smile at him, and he smiles back.
Grabbing my hand, he says, “I’ve got to go take care of all the red tape and sort out things. But I was thinking maybe we could see each other sometime—”
“I don’t think so. It was an amazing week, and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. I mean, how many girls get rescued in the middle of the night by a hot Navy SEAL?” His eyes crinkle at the corners, but before he can say anything, I rush on, the words tumbling out of my mouth so fast, I won’t have time to rethink this. “But let’s not pretend it was something it wasn’t. It was just a vacation fling, plain and simple. A one-time thing.”
“But—”
“It would never work out between us anyway. I’m the wedding planner who doesn’t do relationships, remember? And you’re the badass Navy SEAL who doesn’t have room in his life for a woman. You live by the seat of your pants. I like lists. You like to be in control. So do I.”Except with you, a little voice in my head says.
But I can’t back down now. Itcouldn’twork. Although he seemed to have tapped into some part of me I didn’t know existed, at heart I’m still just a nerdy girl who likes calendars and lists and order—which is still definitely not Liam’s type. Not the first time in Playa, or the last.
“Let’s just say goodbye and keep the memories. You’re in short supply of those anyway,” I tease.
He laughs at that, although his eyes look sad. “Once a brat, always a brat.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
We walk back to the apartment in companionable silence, and an hour later, the car arrives to take the guys to the airport. “I’ll meet you guys downstairs,” Liam says to Noah, who’s busy making out with Kenzie like they’re going to be apart for months instead of a few days, and Walker, who’s apparently decided the hell with all of us and cups Gemma’s face in his hands before planting a kiss on her lips.
He’s opening the car door as I reach the bottom of the stairs. “Hey, Liam!” I call out.
He turns around, a huge smile on his face. “Yeah?”
“Remember that first night in Mexico, when you were worried about the guy before you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say I was worried.”
I smile. “Yeah, well you were better. I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks.” He stands there as if waiting for something, and I realize he’s waiting for Walker and Noah, who throw their bags in the trunk and climb into the car. Liam is the last one in.
“See you around, Prescott.”
He hesitates for a minute, then gives me a wink and a salute, and he’s gone. This time, forever.
…
“I still can’t believe you and Walker!” Kenzie says two nights later as we’re gathered around their TV, waiting for a special ABC news show—the guys’ first and only interview—to begin.
“I know,” Gemma sighs. “I can’t believe it either. The perfect guy for me was right there all the time. And you and Noah?” She fans herself. McKenzie filled us in on the whole story of how she ended up on a boat with him in the Philippines, thinking he was a SEAL Walker or someone else on Liam’s team had sent to help her, and how they’d fallen in love.
Turning to me, Gemma says, “Now we just need to find someone for you.”
“I’m good. In fact, I need a little time. I ended up falling a little for Liam,” I admit sheepishly. They both stare at me wide-eyed, while I fill them in on everything that happened with Liam—well, bits of it anyway. They’re my best friends. “But it was just a vacation fling. He’s got his life and I’ve got mine, and they couldn’t be more different. Completely incompatible, actually. Besides, he’s not my type, and I’m definitely not his.”
