Meet Me in Myrtle Beach (Hunt Family Book 1) (11 page)

"Is it okay?" I asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

He leveled me with
a you should know better than to ask such a thing
stare. "Of course it's okay. It's too okay."

I smiled at him. "It's too okay for me, too."

He smiled as he stood up with a regretful groan.

"Night," I said. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night," he said.

And just like that, he was gone.

Chapter 14

I had an incredibly difficult time going to sleep that night after Cody kissed me. I stayed there with my eyes closed, thinking, remembering, imagining, and praying. Although I tried my best to fall asleep, I was up into the wee hours of the morning.

It was for this reason that I slept till almost noon the following day. I awoke to Evan poking my arm. He had obviously been up a while because he was bright eyed and bushytailed when I squinted up at him.

"Hey," I said sleepily as I sat up.

"Dee-dee called and said I should check to make sure you were still alive up here," he said. "We were all in and out for showers this morning and you didn't budge."

I looked around to find that we were the only two in the room. "Where's everybody now?" I asked, specifically wondering where Cody was.

"Most of them went shopping," he said. "A few of them stayed home, but they're at the beach. I thought you might want to braid my hair," he said.

I nodded and blinked, trying to wrap my head around waking up.

"Dee-dee went to the store this morning to get rubber bands. She got about five different kinds, so I'm sure there'll be something you can use."

"Great," I said. I sat crossed-legged and stretched my arms high above me before extending them out front while popping my knuckles. "I'm ready. I'm gonna need the rubber bands and a comb."

He let out a laugh. "I didn't necessarily mean right this second. I was thinking you'd want to get a cup of coffee and some breakfast—or lunch by now."

"What time is it?" I leaned over to grab my phone from the floor.

"Eleven forty-five or twelve," he said before I could turn on my phone.

Once I did, I saw that he was right. My screen read 11:53. "I never sleep this late," I said.

"You don't have to get up right now if you're still tired, I just stayed back when they left because I thought it might be a good time to try the braids." He began to walk off as if it was his plan to leave me alone and let take my time waking up.

"It's great," I said. "I'm sorry I slept so late. I'll be down in a few."

"No hurry," he called from over his shoulder.

The house was completely empty when I went downstairs. It was just as it had been the day we arrived. I missed the chaos.

There were areas with trees and shrubs between the house and the shoreline, so you couldn't see the entire beach from the first floor. I was wondering who left and who stayed behind, but I couldn't see anyone on the beach.

"Hey," Evan said, coming out of the mudroom. "Here's the rubber bands Dee-dee bought."

I gave him a thumbs up. I had a rattail comb in my hand, so it wasn't the most successful thumbs up, but he got the picture. "I'll grab some coffee and we can get started."

"Wanna go on the deck?" he asked. I nodded and he headed out there with the bag in his hand.

I worked on his hair for the rest of the afternoon, only stopping to use the restroom, get a drink, and eat a snack. They were the best cornrows I had ever done. I looked up a pattern on the internet and went with a simple, curved design that wound up looking amazing on him.

David, Kathy, and their crew stayed behind, but everyone else (including Cody and Ryan) had gone out for the day. They sent us a text at 4PM saying they decided to see a movie while they were out. They asked if anyone from the house wanted to meet them there, but none of us felt like going. I had barely looked in a mirror since I woke up, and as much as I wanted to see Cody, I really didn't feel like rushing to get ready so I could sit in the dark.

David's family kept to themselves for the most part, leaving Evan and I to hang out and tend to his braids. Every once in a while they would check in on us and say how good they were coming along. He and I got along famously. He had the same easy-going personality as the rest of his family, and we laughed and talked like we were old friends. He reminded me a lot of his brother, but things weren't the same between us. Being with Evan all afternoon just confirmed that I felt something more for Cody.

"You wanna go for a swim?" Evan asked, once we let the group know we weren't going to the movies.

"It's okay. I'll probably go upstairs to freshen up a little bit."

"Come on!" he urged. "You have to get over your fear sometime."

I stared at him for a few long seconds, knowing he was right. I hated being the one in the group who was scared of the ocean. I had never been a timid person, and I didn't like the way it felt.

"You know what? Let's do it!"

"Atta girl!"

"Let me go grab my swimsuit."

Evan and I spent the next two hours in the ocean. He made fun of me for being scared of fish, which made me angry enough to prove to him that I wasn't. Sometimes proving yourself to doubters is the best motivation, and Evan's teasing was just what I needed to get over my fears.

Once I got past freaking out about fish, I was able to appreciate the rhythm of the waves. I went deeper as I grew more confident and found that swimming in the ocean could actually be quite pleasurable.

Of course, Evan was right next to me the whole time. If he hadn't been there, I would have never dared to venture out that far. We got past the waves where the water was calm and stayed out there for what must have been 10 or 15 minutes. I only did it because he bet me that I couldn't, but once it was over, I was so proud of myself.

We had been out there for quite some time when the rest of the family got home. We could see commotion coming from the house, and decided to walk up there.

Everybody, and I mean everybody freaked out about Evan's hair. They all said how I should open a braid shop on the beach somewhere, and charge tons of money to do it. Logan inspected them and said they were even better than the ones he had. Everyone was very complementary about it, which made me feel great. They stopped on the way home from the movie to pick up pizzas, so the house smelled like a pizzeria when we walked in.

"Is pizza okay with you?" Diane asked as we made our plates.

"Perfect," I said. "I could eat just about anything right now. I'm starving."

"Did you skip lunch?" she asked.

"I snacked on a breakfast bar, but I was knee-deep in Evans cornrows."

"Well they look amazing!" she said even though she had already complemented them several times.

"And we've been swimming," Evan interjected. "That always makes you hungry."

"Where'd you go swimming?" Mia asked.

She was looking at me, but Evan answered. "The ocean."

Mia gave me a hilarious, wide-eyed expression. "What?"

I smiled and nodded proudly.

"She swam like a fish out there," Evan said.

"Don't say that word," I said, making him crack up.

"She did great," he said in a more serious tone.

"Paige knows how to swim in the ocean," Ryan said. She had been on Cody's hip telling him what kind of pizza she wanted on her plate while we were talking, but the news of me swimming got her attention and she re-informed her dad in case he hadn't heard.

She smiled at me after she made the statement, and I smiled back. We waved at each other before she turned again to look at the pizza. Cody didn't glance at me the whole time. It seemed like he hadn't heard a thing.

"I'm glad you two stayed behind," Dee-dee said. "Evan got a new hairdo, and you got to conquer your fears."

"All she needed was a healthy dose of teasing," Evan said.

"I hope not, Evan Hunt," Christy chimed in. She smiled at me. "Did he tease you?"

I smiled and nodded. "After you spent who-knows-how-long on those braids?"

"
I
know how long," Evan shouted as he crossed to an open seat at the dining room table. "Try four hours!"

"Four hours!" about five people exclaimed.

"Yeah, but it's worth it, huh?" Evan said, confidently running his hand along his braids.

"It might not be worth it to poor Paige," Christy said. "Especially when you give her a hard time afterward." She looked at me from across the room but I just gave her a good-natured smile that said I was happy to do it.

The conversation about Evan's braids died down, and everyone began talking to each other in small groups. Cody and Ryan sat in the living room with several others. I kept looking at him, hoping he would make eye contact with me, but he never did.

Finally, I had enough. I went into the living room and sat near him on the couch. He looked at me when I sat down. He smiled, but there was something off about it.

"I missed you today," I said, to Ryan. I knew it was an odd thing to say, and I tried my best not to announce it, but it was true, I had missed her.

She smiled and blinked at me as she chewed her food. "We went to ten-hundred stores and to the movie. Dad went with the grown-ups to see something else, but Memaw took me to see the princess movie."

"I like princess movies," I said. "What'd you see?" I asked turning to Cody.

"Burning Bridges," he said. He was smiling again, but there was just something different about it. He probably regretted kissing me last night, and now everything was destined to be awkward between us.

"Hey," I said quietly as I pushed at his leg.

He looked at me.

"It's all good," I said earnestly.

I wanted to let him know that I was okay with whatever he wanted, even if it was for us to just be friends—I just didn't want things to be awkward. I liked him too much for that.

"I know it is," he said. His smile became a little less reserved like he was finally warming up to me. "Congratulations on your big swim," he said.

I giggled. " I really only did it because Evan was giving me such a hard time. I can't stand to be afraid of something, and he was making me feel ridiculous because of it."

"You want me to take him out for you?" he asked.

"No," I said, even though his question was light-hearted and held no promise. "I
was
being ridiculous. Once I got out past the waves, I calmed down."

"You went out past the waves?" he asked, glancing at me with an impressed expression.

"You would have been proud," I said.

"I
am
proud," Ryan said with a mouth full of pizza.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, baby girl," Cody said.

I winked at her, and she smiled.

"Uncle Evan taught you how to swim?" she asked once she swallowed.

"She already knew how to swim," Cody explained "he just showed her that the ocean was friendly."

"Oceans don't talk," she said, giggling.

We stayed there for the next little while, eating and talking to each other and everyone else in the living room. Cody was acting happy and friendly, but not quite what I expected from the guy who snuck into my room for a late night kiss. I decided that instead of worrying about it, I would just go along with it. It hurt to think that there may never be anything between us, but I figured having him as a friend was better than not having him at all.

This same (somewhat guarded) approach to our friendship continued for the next two days. We spent a lot of time together, but it seemed to be on a friendly basis. He had lost that predatory look of desire he had when we first started spending time together, and it sort of broke my heart.

I told myself maybe I was imagining things, and maybe he never had it in the first place. I hated knowing we had something together and watching him ignore it, but I couldn't make myself leave him alone. I hung out with everyone in the house, but I always made my way to Cody and Ryan the most.

We swam together, ate together, and made a few epic sandcastles. I documented everything with pictures. He and I had several long, meaningful conversations, as the days passed, all of which made me love and respect him more. I could tell, however, that he was purposely avoiding making prolonged eye contact with me, like he thought if he looked into my eyes for too long, he'd give in to something he was trying to avoid.

Thankfully, the house was packed, and our days were full. I had no time to worry about pining over someone who didn't return my affections. Okay, so maybe I was pining a little, but it was just because he was amazing. The only saving grace was that the days passed quickly. I became a fan of swimming in the ocean, and was exhausted by the end of each day. By the time my head hit the pillow at night, I was out like a light.

Chapter 15

I woke up alone that Friday morning just as I had done for the past two days. Cody hadn't slept in his bedroom since our first night in the house. He planned to; it just didn't work out that way. Evan, and Logan couldn't resist sleeping outside every evening since it was so beautiful. He offered me the bed, but I told him I was comfortable sleeping on the couch.

It was Friday, and our vacation was more than halfway over. We would leave on Monday—all of us except Logan who had to get up to NY on Sunday for some press about his upcoming movie premier. He would be on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Monday night, which was surreal, since I'd seen him do things like burp in his little sister's face and play hide and seek with Ryan. He was actually doing one of those silly but endearing things at the moment.

All of the grandsons along with David and Dan had an arm wrestling tournament on the deck after lunch. I tried not to watch or care about the results, but I couldn't stop myself—especially since Cody wound up being the victor. Everyone complained that he had an unfair advantage since he carried stones all day, but he told them there was nothing unfair about it—that he couldn't help it if he was the strongest. They joked around about it after the "tournament" was over, and I did my best to act like I wasn't really paying attention.

Ryan asked me to braid her hair again when the boys got done with their little test of strength. I think she liked me doing it because she got compliments on it every time. I was happy to do it for her. I enjoyed spending time with her and would miss our braiding sessions once the vacation was over. Indeed, I would miss the whole family.

I sighed, thinking about whether or not I'd be invited next year. I had to believe it was likely that I wouldn't—especially since I had failed my mission to win Evan's heart.

I was sitting on the deck talking to Mia and Logan when Cody came out of the house holding Ryan's hand. She was stoked about her fresh braids, and all of us whistled as she sashayed onto the deck.

"We're headed to the beach if anybody wants to come," Cody said.

Mia shot me a facial expression like she assumed I'd volunteer.

I shot her one that said
why do you assume I'd want to go
? And she shrugged and gave me one that said
I just assumed you would
.

All this transpired without words while Cody stood there wondering what we were doing.

"Okay, so we'll be out there if anyone wants to come," he said before taking off down the stairs.

"What was that?" I asked when they were out of earshot.

She shrugged again. "I just thought you'd go since you two are inseparable."

"We are not," I said.

"You sort of are," Logan agreed even though he was looking away like he wasn't paying attention.

"I hang out with him the same as I do everybody else," I said.

She shrugged again before closing her eyes to let the sun hit her face.

"I was about to go to the beach anyway," I said, standing up.

Mia and Logan both started laughing at me.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I said. "I spend the same amount of time with them as I do anyone else."

"Whatever you say," she said smiling and shaking her head as she let the sun hit her face again.

"Y'all are crazy," I said as I went inside to get my swimsuit on.

They laughed at me as I closed the door.

Within minutes, I was on my way to the beach. Cody and Ryan were in the water, and there were others on the shore including Dan, Christie, and Evan. I stashed my clothes next to the family, and went to the spot where Cody and Ryan were standing. He was up to his knees, and she was a few feet away where it was a little shallower. She held up her arms for me to pick her up, and I did so without hesitation.

"It's nice out," I said, smiling at Cody.

"I know."

Now that I was holding Ryan, he ventured a few feet deeper. I followed him until I came to stand where the water was right above my knees.

"I guess you think you're a big, tough guy, huh?"

He smiled and shrugged. "I was taking it easy on them."

I laughed, and just like that, he dove into the water, swimming underneath the surface. I could see his silhouette as he swam. I watched as he surfaced and stood up, wiping the water off of his face and shaking his hair.

"Andy and Willow got some firewood for tonight," he said.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna make smores," Ryan said. I was looking at Cody and she grabbed me by the face and made me look at her to make sure I was paying attention. "I'm gonna make smores, you want some?"

"I'd love some," I said.

"You're not going to that party?" Cody asked.

Mia, Charlotte and I did have plans to go by there, but all this time I'd been assuming the boys would come along. "Aren't
you
going?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"What about Evan and Logan?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Evan will probably go. Logan can't really do stuff like that—especially when the house is so close. He'd have people following him back here."

"What party?" Ryan asked. "Can I go?"

"It's just grown-ups," Cody said.

"Ryannn!" we heard Christy call from the shore. It was obvious by the way she said it that it wasn't anything urgent, but all three of us looked at her to find that she was waving her hand to tell Ryan to come over there.

Ryan wiggled a little bit, which was her signal for me to let her down. I took a few steps toward the shore before setting her in the water. It was thigh-deep on her, so I watched to make sure she made it onto beach just fine before turning to Cody again.

"Her hair looks good," Cody said. "Thanks for doing that all the time."

"I'm happy to do it," I said.

"You need to teach my mom how to do it so we can replicate your work once we get back home."

"Sure," I said, smiling even though I felt nauseated at the thought of someone replacing me as Ryan's hair-braider.

We were waist-deep in the water, and the gentle waves knocked at us in their slow rhythm. I glanced at his perfect, shirtless chest before staring down into the water.

"I'm sorry about the other night," I said.

It was a stupid thing to say, but I was desperate to bring it up. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to know why he kissed me and then proceeded to act like we were just friends for the next two days.

He regarded me with a sad smile. He glanced toward his family on the shore and then back at me. "
I'm
the one who should be sorry," he said. "I should have never done that. I just got ahead of myself."

The feeling of nausea grew worse with every word that came out of his mouth. I must've been making a disappointed expression, because he said, "It's not like that."

"What's it like?" I asked, looking straight at him with what I hoped was an unreadable expression.

"I know we like each other, Paige. It's obvious that there's something between us, but I can't go around having flings… not anymore. I have Ryan to think about."

"A fling," I said sardonically as I nodded. I was really glad to know how he classified his feelings for me. Actually, I wasn't glad about it. But in my own sarcastic thoughts, I was.

"It's not just about me anymore," he said. "I have Ryan to think about. I'm not trying to just date random girls and let her see me do that. If she sees me with someone, she's gonna think that's who I'm staying with."

It felt like a knife went through my heart when he referred to me as a
random girl
. I visibly flinched.

"If it was just about my wants and desires, I'd be kissing you all the time. I'd be kissing you right now. I'd be doing it in front of Mom, and Ryan, and God and everybody. But I can't. I can't let her see me do that. She'd get the wrong idea."

"Oh, God forbid she thinks you like me enough to have more than a fling with me," I said, not looking at him.

My voice sounded funny coming out of my mouth. It was at least a couple of octaves too deep. I could barely get the words out. My eyes burned, and my jaw and throat ached with the pain of unshed tears. I was so mad at him.

"Don't act like you're prepared to be a mom to a three-year-old, Paige, because you're not. It's too much for you to jump into." He leaned over in an attempt to get me to look at him, but I wouldn’t. "I want to touch you, Paige. It's been almost impossible for me to keep my hands off you these last few days. But I can't let my daughter see that. I want her to know that when she sees me with someone, that person's going to be around forever. I want her to know she's not getting left again."

I had that funny feeling in the back of my throat like I was about to burst out crying. I hated everything he was saying, it sounded so final. But deep down I knew he was right. It wasn't fair to Ryan for us to be affectionate with each other. She would get the wrong idea. And maybe he was right about me not being ready to be a mom, too.

I officially hated this conversation. My heart was breaking into a thousand pieces, and it was going to be impossible for me to hold back the tears.

"All right then," I said. I had to get away from him before I lost it.

"Paige," he said as I was sloshing out of the water.

I shook my head. "It's fine," I said, without turning around.

"Then why are you walking away?" he asked.

"Because I just am," I said, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I hate it," he said.

"Yeah, me too," I said, still walking away.

Cody followed me out of the water. I did my best to smile and act like I was just casually walking toward his family to get my clothes instead of running away from him, which I clearly was.

"Somebody's got a horse, Ryan!" I heard Dan say when I leaned over to grab my clothes. I turned to find that he was right. From a ways off, I could see someone riding toward us. I was glad for the distraction. I continued to smile as if unruffled while I slid on my shorts and T-shirt.

I could tell, as the figure got closer, that it was a huge white horse. It was quite a majestical site to see coming toward us on the beach. "I know that guy," I said as he drew even closer.

"You do?" both Evan and Cody asked at the same time.

Cody was standing close by, looking at me as if he couldn't understand why I had walked away from him. I just scowled at him before shifting my attention back to the horseman. It was Jackson from the café… the one I thought was the sidekick. He slowed when he approached our group.

"Horsee, horsee!" Ryan yelled, excitedly. Jackson could see her excitement, and he smiled at her as he brought the horse to a stop several feet from our group.

"I was hoping I might run into you," he said, looking directly at me. "I wanted to make sure you guys remembered about the party tonight."

"Yep," I said. I motioned to the mystical creature. "But that's a pretty fancy reminder service you have."

Jackson laughed and patted the horse's neck. "He's my only one who likes the beach," he said. "So the others have to stay up in Asheville when I come down."

Ryan began making short, grunting noises to get my attention, and I looked down to find her arms held high, wanting me to pick her up.

"Can she pet it?" I asked.

"Sure," Jackson said.

I picked Ryan up and walked cautiously toward the horse. Cody was standing there watching us, and I looked at him and mouth the words, "Is this okay?" making sure he was okay with me holding his daughter. We wouldn't want her to get the wrong idea, after all. He smiled sarcastically at me, knowing I already knew the answer to that. I brought her so she could pet the horse's face and neck.

"His name's Snowball," Jackson said, causing Ryan to giggle.

Evan couldn’t resist petting the horse, so he joined Ryan and me. "You're throwing that party tonight?" he asked Jackson.

"Yeah, I was coming to remind the girls. They said they lived close, and I took a chance one of them would be out here." Jackson looked down at me. "Is that your little girl?"

"No, she's his," I said gesturing to Cody. I glanced at him to find that he raised his hand to confirm what I was saying. He wore an itty-bitty smile, but it was not at all genuine.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to take a ride with me, but if I'm stepping on any toes…" Jackson hesitated.

"Me?" I asked.

He smiled at my surprise. "Yeah you."

"On the horse?"

He shrugged and nodded.

"Right now?"

"Unless I'm interrupting something."

It was his way of making sure I wasn't spoken for—it was obvious by the way he looked back and forth between me, Cody, and Evan.

"Not at all," I said. "These are just my friends." I paused before picking up the hem of my T-shirt and adding, "Can I go in this?"