Music of the Heart (29 page)

              “No, no blood was shed but it was the hardest three hours of my life.  All I wanted to do was hold her and make her understand how sorry I am but she wouldn’t listen to me.”

              Mason looks at me like I have three heads.

              “You sound like a girl, dude.  What happened to your balls?  Did she rip them off?”

              “No asshat.  My balls are perfectly fine.”

              Dixon and Reed just laugh and then Dixon lets me in on Ashleigh’s plans for the summer.

              “Give her time.  She’s got to come around soon.  She’s heading to the beach with her family for a few weeks.  Maybe that will give her enough time to see how much she misses you.”

              “Where are they going?  And when?”

              “They go to Sandestin for two weeks.  I’m pretty sure the dates are July 9 – 23.  We’re all headed down for one of the weeks also.  Her family always invites all of us for the first week.  Oh wait, she actually goes straight to the beach from Hilton Head.  I forgot she said she was going to get there a few days before her family for some quiet time.”

              What Dixon says starts to sink in.  If she’s going a few days early, that gives me plenty of time to convince her we belong together.  I pull out my phone and start texting my assistant.  I am going to need not only her help but the guy’s help also to try to win her back.

              “Listen, I’ve got a plan to get her back.  I may need your help though.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

ASHLEIGH

              I arrive in Sandestin around 3:00 p.m.  I flew from Hilton Head to Atlanta and then drove my car to the beach.  My family is arriving on Saturday so I have three and a half days to myself.  I plan on reading and having a few cocktails with some seafood mixed in.

              I order in dinner that night and go to sleep early so I can get outside and spend the whole day on the beach tomorrow.  I am ready for some sun and time with my book boyfriend.

              When I wake up, I head down to the beach and thankfully since we have been vacationing at the same resort for over about 25 years, the guy who owns the beach service, Seth, is like family to us.  He’s got my umbrella and chairs set up and ready for me.  Knowing my career, he sets me up with a lot of space around me and blocks it off so no one gets too close.

              After about three hours on the beach, I start to get hungry and order food from the Tiki Bar and Grill to be delivered to me on the beach.  As I’m waiting on my food, I keep getting the feeling I’m being watched.  I look around for cameras or paparazzi but don’t see anyone.  I glance up to the beach hut and see a guy talking to Seth who likes very familiar but I can’t place him with a hat and glasses on.

              Throughout the day, I see the same guy a few times from a distance but never too close to me.  I stay on the beach so long today, I am exhausted.  I decide to order in from a local restaurant tonight as well.  Thankfully, again, I have connections here and send someone to pick it up and bring it back to me.

              The next morning as I am getting dressed, there’s a knock on my door.  Thinking it must be the maids checking in, I throw the door open only to come face to face with Cross.

              “Cross.  What are you doing here?”

              “I came for you Ashleigh.  We need to talk.”

              “I’m not doing this right now.  I’m here for a few days to relax before my family and friends arrive.  I don’t have time to fight with you right now.”

              I grab my beach bag and towel and go storming out the door past him.  He follows me to the elevator and rides down with me. 

              He tries to stand near me but I push him away.  Thankfully, we stop on another floor and as a large family join us on the elevator, I move to the opposite side away from him.

              He is right back on my heels as I walk down the boardwalk.  He quickly catches up to me and grabs my arm to turn me around.

              “Look, you can run from me and ignore me all you want.  But you’re going to have to talk to me sooner or later.  I will do whatever it takes to wear you down until you hear me out.”

              I jerk my arm away and go straight to my chairs.  A few minutes go by and out of the corner of my eye, I notice someone sitting two umbrellas down from me.  I turn my head to see Cross moving his chair so he can watch me. 

              “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

              I stomp up to the hut and grab Seth.  I point my finger to where Cross is sitting.

              “Why in the hell did you put that man near me?  I cannot deal with him right now.”

              “Look, Ash.  I don’t know the story but I will make you tell me when you feel like it.  Maybe over lunch today?  He paid me a hell of a lot of money for that umbrella so he stays.”

              “Fine.  You can eat lunch with me and I’ll tell you the story but make sure he stays away from me if at all possible.  And do not under any circumstances, move him closer to me or to my family when they get here.”

              I go back and sit down and pull my Kindle out.  After reading for a while, Seth comes down with lunch for the two of us and I tell him the whole story.  Much like my friends, Seth agrees it was wrong to do but he understands why he did it. 

              “Ashleigh, why don’t you just listen to him.  Hear him out.  Who knows… things may be different now with him.  You could always give him a second chance.  From everything I know about this guy, he doesn’t fall in love and work is his life.  It sounds like since he met you, all that has changed.”

              He leans down and gives me a kiss on the head and walks back to the hut to work.  I look up to a pissed off Cross.  I decide to take a dip in the ocean for a while and grab my float and make my way to the water.

              I’m standing in water up to my waist just staring out at the view.  It’s so beautiful on the gulf coast.  I feel hands encircle my waist and normally I would jump but I know those hands.  I’ve felt those hands all over my body many times. 

“What do you want Cross?  I don’t have the energy to fight with you right now.  I came out here to relax in the water and all you’re doing is invading my space.”

              “I don’t want to fight with you either.  I just want you back.  I need you back.  I love you.”

              Shocked, I stiffen up and then I turn around and look at him.  God, he’s gorgeous.  He’s wearing bright turquoise board shorts and his body is ripped.  I miss this face.  I miss this body.  I want him back too but I don’t know if I can forgive him yet.

              “What did you just say?”

              “I said I love you Ashleigh.  I fucking love you.  Do you want me to shout it so everyone can hear?”

              Oh my Lord.  I have been waiting to hear that.  I never imagined it would come in the middle of this fucked up mess as well as in the middle of the ocean.  I don’t even know what to say right now.

              “Look, Cross, I can’t do this right now.”

              “Fine.  I won’t push you right now.  But we need to talk.  Go to dinner with me tonight.  Please.”

              “I can’t Cross.  My family comes tomorrow and I’m not going to let anything between us mess up my family time.  I agree, we need to talk but I just can’t do it right now.  Now, if you want to stay a few extra days, Merritt and the girls will be here early tomorrow morning and Dixon and the guys will be here after lunch tomorrow.  You are welcome to stay and hang with all of us.  They have a crazy night planned at the dueling piano bar.”

              “You sure you’re fine if I stay?  I can leave if you think it will be uncomfortable for you and everyone else.”

              “No, it’s fine.  My family loves you.  Oh and so you know, they are clueless to what has happened between us.  I never told them it was you who caused my break.”

              He says nothing but grabs my wrists and pulls me towards him and into his chest.  He holds me for a few seconds and kisses me on the forehead.

              Letting me go, he walks back to his umbrella and sits down.  I take a few more minutes in the water and head back to my umbrella as well.  I try to read but can’t concentrate on my book.  Ordering a beer, they deliver it to the beach for me.

              I shoot Merritt a text telling her about Cross being here.

Ashleigh: Did you know Cross was going to show up at the beach?

Merritt: What?  No!  I sear this time I was clueless.  I had no idea but I bet Dixon knew.  He

                              mentioned Cross wanting his help to win you back.

Ashleigh: I’ll deal with Dixon when he gets here tomorrow.

Merritt: How is it going?  Is he driving you nuts? 

Ashleigh: He told me he loves me.

              My phone immediately begins ringing.  I know who it is without even looking.

              “Hello Merritt.”

              “He told you what?!  What did you say?  Did you say it back?  I can’t believe he actually said it.  He’s never told a girl that since college.  This is huge Ashleigh.”

              “Merritt!  Shut the hell up!  Dear Lord woman, take a breath.  To answer all your questions… yes, he told me he loves me.  I couldn’t say anything.  Hell no, I didn’t say it back.  He asked me to dinner but I told him no.  I did, however, tell him he could stay and go out one night when y’all get here.”

              “Okay, I’m seriously about to see if the girls are ready to drive down now.  We could totally be there between 11:00 p.m. and midnight.”

              “Come on down if you want to.  I’m just grabbing dinner at the hut tonight so I’ll be here giving myself a pedicure.  Maybe go for a night swim.”

              “Okay, let me go round up the girls.  Be prepared to stay up when we get there to talk.  Love you Ash.”

              “Love you too Mer.”

I decide to head back to my room and relax for a while.  As I gather my stuff, I turn towards Cross and give him a small wave.  He grins back at me and nods his head.  I stop off at the beach hut and tell Seth to have a good night. 

When I get to my room, it’s about 4:30 p.m.  I decide to take a quick shower and maybe a nap for a couple of hours.  After my shower, I lay on my bed completely naked.  It’s so damn hot in Florida, I don’t want to put any clothes on right now. 

I grab my lotion and rub it all over my body.  I can’t help thinking about Cross as I do it which leads to my fingers going to more hidden places on my body.  I can’t help but think of him kissing me on my mouth and then trailing his kisses all the way down my body stopping at the center of my thighs.

I place two fingers on top of my clit and start rubbing.  I pick the pace up and slide my other hand to my breast.  I start massaging and squeezing my breasts as I slip two fingers inside myself.  Still thinking of Cross doing all of this to me, I pump my fingers in and out while my thumb rubs my clit.  Before I know what’s going on, I’m screaming out and feel satisfied.

I drift off to sleep and when I wake up, I decide to freshen up.  I throw on a new bathing suit and a cover-up and head down to the hut to grab some dinner.  I head out to the pool bar to grab a beer and wait on my dinner.  I look at the other end of the bar and see Cross staring at me. 

              I fully expect him to walk over and sit by me but he doesn’t.  He just holds up his beer and nods his head at me.  I shake my head and smile back and take a sip of my beer.  Rayna, the bartender, brings over my food and I dive into my fish tacos.  I am starving and quickly scarf them done along with two more beers.

I can feel Cross staring at me and I glance up instantly locking eyes with him.  I am still so mad at him for what he’s done to me but I can’t deny the way he makes me feel.  I finish up quickly and get ready to head back to the room.  I start walking back towards the elevators to my room.  As I get up the stairs by the pool, I glance back one more time and see the most piercing blue eyes staring back at me.

CROSS

              I sit and watch her walk away from me yet again.  It took a lot for me not to sit by her and eat.  It was even harder to not follow her up the stairs or to pull her down for a walk on the beach.  Instead, I find myself heading up to the top pool for a night swim.  Diving in, I swim a few laps before heading towards the side to grab my beer and hear my phone ringing.

              I dry off my hands and see that it’s Dixon calling.

              “Hey man, what’s up?  Made any progress?”

              “Hey Dixon.  I’m not really sure.  I think I may be getting somewhere but she was pretty pissed when she saw me here for the first time.  I followed her out into the ocean earlier and told her I loved her.”

              “What the fuck man?  You told her you loved her?  What did she say?”

              “She seemed shocked because she couldn’t respond and told me she couldn’t talk about anything right then.  She did agree for me to stay a few more nights once y’all get here and go out with everyone one night.  I guess that’s something.”

              “Sounds good man.  Me and the guys will be headed down in the morning.  Should be there a little after lunch.  The girls are already on their way now.”

              “I thought they were leaving early in the morning?  Why are the headed down now?”

              “Merritt talked to Ashleigh earlier and they decided to come on down tonight.  Should be there in about three hours.  Look, I’m going to finish packing and hit the sack.  The guys put me on driving duty in the morning.”

              “See you tomorrow man.”

              I hang up with Dixon and go for a few more laps in the pool.  Deciding it’s getting late and knowing everyone including her family will be here tomorrow, I head upstairs for a shower and to go to bed. 

              Morning arrives with a very loud knock on my condo door.  Stumbling out of bed, I head to the door and don’t even look to see who it is.  Swinging open the door, I am welcomed by the very big smile of Merritt.

              “Hey Mer.  What’s up?  It’s kind of early, don’t you think?  I mean, I am on vacation.”

              I walk into the kitchen to start my coffee but Merritt still hasn’t said anything.  I turn around to look at her and she still has that stupid grin on her face.

              “What the hell Merritt?  Cat got your tongue?”

              “You love her!  I knew it!”

              That makes me laugh out loud.  Leave it to Merritt to get right to the point.

              “I see Ashleigh told you what I said.  What else did she tell you?”

              Merritt makes herself a cup of coffee and we head out to the balcony to talk.  I’ve always been able to tell her anything.  So when everything started with Ashleigh, she’s been my go to person other than Dixon.

              “She loves you too, you know.  She may not be happy with you right now but she’ll come back around.  I can already see her anger chipping away.  Just keep giving her some space and time like she asked.”

              I know Merritt is right and we keep talking and finish our coffee. 

              “Okay, I need to get back to our condo and get ready for the beach.  The guys should be here in a few hours as well as Ashleigh’s family.  I hope you know that Greer is going to be all over you.”

              “I know and I don’t mind.  That kid rocks plus maybe it will help score some points with Ashleigh.”

              Merritt just laughs as she walks out the door.  I head to take a shower and brush my teeth.  After another cup of coffee, I change into my swimsuit and head down to the beach.  I just talked to Dixon and they were about three hours away so I’m hoping the girls will let me hang with them this morning.  

              “Hey ladies.  Do you mind if I join you today?  The guys won’t be here for a few hours and I’d rather not sit alone.”

              Everyone including myself looks at Ashleigh knowing her answer is the only one that really matters.

              “I guess.  Actually, all three of these umbrellas and the chairs are ours so take your pick.”

              The three umbrellas are placed together forming a half circle and the girls have taken over the beach in front with their chairs.  I walk over to an empty chair with a smile on my face.  She agreed to let me hang out with them.  Baby steps.

Chapter Thirty-Three

ASHLEIGH

              I don’t really want him sitting with us but I know everyone would think I was being a bitch so I decided to give in this once. 

              The girls spend the day baking in the sun, reading on our Kindles and drinking beer and frozen margaritas.  We decide to just order lunch down on the beach today and Cross offers to run up to the hut and pick it up for us.

              “Ash, he’s really trying.  What do you think about forgiving him?”

              “Are you serious Laken?  Just forgive him after everything?  Sorry girls.  That is going to take more than two months to happen.”

              I glance towards the boardwalk and see Cross walking back with our food.  I know I’ve mentioned it before but his body is perfection.  He is totally ripped and catches the eye of every girl, young and old, on the beach.  I notice the girls are watching him walk back with our food.  Ava looks at me and laughs.

              “You’ve got to admit Ashleigh – pissed at him or not, that man is hot.  I know I’m married but his hotness is hard to miss.”

              Of course, that makes me laugh and I just shake my head at her.  We all divide up our food and start to eat.  After all those beers and margaritas, I need some food in my stomach.  Just as I’m about to take a huge bite from my sandwich, someone comes up behind me and scares me.

              “Dammit Dixon.  You scared the shit out of me.”

              “Well, it’s nice to see you too Ash.”

              He leans down and kisses me on the cheek and the rest of the guys gives their hellos as well.  I notice they are already in swimsuits so I assume they’ve been to the room already.