Page 73 of Forever Mine

“Vaughn? Where are you?”

“Why?” My tone was defiant, but I couldn’t help myself.

“Because I'm outside your door and you're not home.” Scott’s words were rushed, as he if was annoyed. Too bad.

Despite my irritation, my heart beat like a jackhammer in my ears and my breathing grew shallow. “Why are you there?”

“Do you really need to ask that? Did you expect me to leave things hanging?”

When I didn't answer, he sighed. “I see.”

I kept my voice even, not daring to hope anything had changed. “What d’you want?”

“I'll give you one guess.” When I didn't say anything more, he went on, “So, where are you and Angel at?”

“The beach.” I rubbed my chest, where my heart continued to rat-tat-tat like mad.

“Which?”

His question smacked me in the face. He really was back.

“Vaughn?”

“Yes, sorry. Hellshire. The same one.”

“I'm coming.”

I couldn’t catch my breath. The breeze whipped around me, as if in celebration of his announcement. “Scott, wait!”

He was gone.

I frowned at the cellular, wondering if he'd really come to the beach to see me after getting off a flight. Angel squirmed next to me, while a smile started at one corner of my mouth. Despite my effort to hold it in, my smile graduated to a grin. My chest swelled, and I wondered what Scott would say to me when we laid eyes on each other. “Crazy man,” I muttered, laying the phone next to me.

Angel sat up, rubbing her eyes. “You were talking in my sleep.”

“Sorry, but I'm not so sorry because if you slept any longer you wouldn't go to sleep tonight.”

She stretched and grabbed her bucket and shovel. “Grandma, let's build another castle.”

I glanced at Mom and took the bucket from Angel. “Let's get the water. Maybe by the time we come back, Grandma will be awake.”

“I'm not sleeping,” she said, with her eyes closed and a slur in her speech.

“Right. We'll be back in a minute.”

We fetched the water, and the construction was up and running within minutes.

Leaning against an almond tree, I watched Mom and Angel. As I hugged my legs, my thoughts drifted to Scott. Since his call, I'd deliberately kept my mind off him but my insides were humming as if a colony of moths had been set free and was trying to find an escape route.

One minute, I was dying to see Scott and then a moment would pass and I'd be resentful. Then my mind settled. Scott returning to the island was a good thing. At least I'd know where things stood between us.

Time passed, and I wondered if he'd really turn up or whether he’d simply wait until we returned home to come and see me. Then, Angel pointed and spoke over the wind, “Mommy, Uncle Scott came to look for us.”

I squinted as his familiar figure came into view.

Angel got to her feet and yelled, “Uncle Scott, you got the Jesus slippers,”

My heart pumped faster, and I craned my neck in his direction.

Striding toward us as quickly as the powdery sand would allow, Scott had both hands shoved deep in his pockets, and a smile lit his face.

I imagined my grin matched his until I remembered we were at a standoff and had obstacles—including a woman and a baby—between us.

He saw when my smile faded, but the intensity in his eyes said he meant business.