"I am," he says, stopping in front of the island. "We should talk."
"No," I tell him, and his eyes go big. "I think we did enough talking for the day." I swallow, and I grab two plates. "I just have one more thing to say."
"You always have to have the last word." He shakes his head.
"I’m going to make you see the beauty in it." I swallow down the lump forming in my throat, worrying that I might upset him but wanting him to know.
"In what?" he asks, confused.
I put the plates down on the counter. "In the colors of the sunrise."
Chapter 15
Mayson
I watch her put the plates down and look at me, and my heart speeds up when she looks down nervously and then back up again. I don’t know what I’m waiting to hear. "In the colors of the sunrise." It’s a good thing I’m holding on to the counter, or I think my legs would give out. "Every day, we are going to sit outside and watch the beauty of it."
I shake my head, not sure any words can come out over the lump in my throat. My mouth also feels like it’s dry as the desert on a summer day. "Let’s sit and eat," she says, plating eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast.
I walk around the counter to her, and she turns, looking at me. My hand comes up without even thinking about it, and my thumb rubs her chin softly. "I don’t think it’s a good idea," I finally say.
"What exactly isn’t a good idea?" She steps in closer to me, and all I can focus on is her lips. All I want is to taste her again, if only one more time. I move my nose against hers softly, and she moves her head back just a touch. Her hand comes up, and she touches my face, her thumb rubs my lower lip. "Will you kiss me, Mayson?" she asks me in the softest, sweetest voice I’ve ever heard. Her words are like an angel.
I know I shouldn’t. I know deep down that I should turn and walk back into the room and forget our first kiss altogether. Forget the way she felt in my arms, forget the way she looks at me. Forget the way I want to make everything shine around her. Forget that I want to be that better person, not just for me anymore but for her. I lick my lips and lean in just a touch more as her eyes slowly close. "Che—" I start to say her name, and then we both hear the crushing of rocks in the driveway followed by two car doors slamming. I move away from her, our hands falling to the sides of us.
The door swings open, and I see that it’s Ethan followed by Casey, and they both look at us. I look down, afraid he is going to see I took advantage of his sister. "Hey," Casey says, coming over to the kitchen.
Chelsea smiles at him and walks around the island, going to her uncle and hugging him. Ethan just stares at me. "Did you want a cup of coffee?" Chelsea asks Casey.
"No," he says. "Mayson." I look over at him. "We need to talk."
"Okay," I say, looking at him and then looking back at Ethan. "Let’s hear it."
"Why don’t we…" Ethan starts, looking at me and then looking at Chelsea.
"Oh, you did not just do that," Chelsea says, folding her arms over her chest. "You did not come into my house"—she points at the floor—"and dismiss me like that, Ethan McIntyre."
"Oh, shit. She used your whole name," Casey says. "If she is anything like her momma, that means you’re in trouble." He puts his hands on his hips, looking at both of them.
I fold my arms over my chest and wait to see what Ethan says. "You were the one who didn’t want to be involved." He points at her.
"And you were the one who put me in the middle of this." She advances on him. "So now is not the time for you to try to protect me.”
"She’s right," I hear myself say, and all sets of eyes swing my way. "She’s in this all the way."
Ethan shakes his head. "This is a bad idea," he mumbles.
"Did you find anything from the woods?" I ask, not sure I can take much more of not knowing.
"Nothing," Ethan says. "We checked everything, but we can’t see that far out."
"We are fixing that today," Casey says now. "I am having cameras installed all over this place. If a fucking squirrel eats a leaf, I’m going to find it."
I look at them, and I can feel I’m missing something. "What are you not telling me?"
"We found a couple of things," Casey says, and I can tell he doesn’t know how to start.