The Mermaid and her King (18 page)

Skyla

I met Bud’
s friends in mid-October. It’s now three days before Christmas, and I can’t begin to express how wonderful my relationship is with Chase. Our love grows stronger every day.

We also spend
time with Eric and Andy, surfing and hanging out. We enjoyed watching the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing competition together this month, and Chase and I are supposed to spend Christmas day with Eric and his family.

Lee informed me he won’t make it home until closer to
New Year’s, and although I hate for him to spend the holiday in the desert, it gives me more time to tell Chase that I’m Nixie. Eric and I are going to break it to him the day after Christmas.

The longer I know Chase, the more I see what a great human being he is. He has the biggest heart that he hid for far too long. I pray that he’ll accept what is and continue to love me regardless of our connection to Bud. I couldn’t bear to lose him.

Today is my twenty-first birthday, and the guys insisted they take me out since I’m legal now, but I told them I just wanted to spend time with them on the beach.

Chase
swears he can go to bars and not drink. Even if he can handle it, he might get moody, and I put moody Chase on permanent vacation a long time ago. I’m not giving him a chance to pay a visit on my birthday.

I wear
my pink, strapless sundress and put curls in my long, blonde hair. After slipping on some sandals, I walk to Chase’s.

He’s been begging for two weeks to
buy me a damn car. A freakin’ car. No way. Now he’s telling me he’s buying me one when Lee returns from deployment and takes his car back. I agreed just so he would drop the issue.

He’s always determined to get his way and will act like a child wanting candy in the grocery store if he doesn’t get it. He’ll ask you over and over again, minus the tantrum. I still find it cute but exhausting.

Chase doesn’t answer the door, so I walk around to the back. Right on the beach is a table set up with balloons tied to it. Chase, Eric, Andy and the couples I met at the bar are hanging out near it. Wow, some females are here. I hardly know them, so I feel like the charity case birthday girl. I can only imagine how embarrassing I was at the bar that night after how much alcohol I consumed, but it’s nice they came.

Eric
sees me and points. Chase turns around and practically runs to me, picking me up into a hug.

“Happy Birthday, angel.”

“Thank you, but I think that might be the fifth time you’ve said it today.”

“I hope you don’t mind that we invited some people to hang out with us.”

“I don’t mind, but I feel like a charity case.”

“Skyla, you are the farthest from t
hat. Please don’t feel that way. I’ve only known one other person as likeable as you. Eric said our friends you met at the bar really liked you.”

“Who’s as likeable as me?” I bet he’s speaking of Bud.

“Um, it’s another friend I want to talk to you about soon, but not tonight. Tonight is about you.” He gives me a kiss. He’s ready to tell me about Bud. This is the best birthday gift he could give me.

We walk to the beach where everyone is
waiting, and they all wish me happy birthday. Chase even got me a cake. I look at it and become teary eyed.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I haven’t had a birthday cake since I was like twelve. It’s sweet of you to get me one.”

“Actually,
Eric insisted on getting you the cake. I was a little aggravated at first because he had the bakery put all the colors of your bright bikinis on it. I hit him, so I’m over it now.”

“Chase!”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Sorry, I didn’t like thinking of him admiring you in your bikinis.”

I’
m really embarrassed now and pray that the two of them tell no one else that story. I look at the cake, and there’s a surfboard in one corner and a mermaid in the other.

Chase probably told
Eric about me wanting to be a mermaid, but I know the real reason Eric did it. I feel a pain in my chest. Nixie. It’s as if Bud’s channeling through them. Eric comes over to me as I admire the cake.

“Do you like it?”

“This means so much to me, Eric.” Since finding out who I am, he seems more drawn to me, but not in a romantic way. He treats me like a cousin or sister. I wish my brother was this open with me. “I love it, Shooter.” I manage to grin at him just before he grabs me and hugs me tight.

“Happy Birthday, Nixie
,” he says sweetly in my ear. “Bud would’ve done this for you. I could never replace him, but I promise to look out for you, whatever you need. It’s the least I can do for Bud.”

“You’re a sweetheart,
Eric.”

“Hey, break it up over here. Are you moving in on my girl again?” Chase wraps his arms around my waist from behind me.

“No, asshole. I’m giving my new baby sister a hug on her birthday.”

Chase gives me a
kiss on my neck. “Oh, well, you can call her your sister all you want.”

Eric
rolls his eyes as Andy walks up.

“Let her go, Ch
ase, so I can give her a hug on her birthday,” Andy says.

“
Fine,” he says, pouting. I’m going to get your gift.” He kisses my cheek before jogging to the house.

“Happy Birthday, Nixie.”

“Thanks, Andy.

“
I hear it will be public knowledge in a few days. I hope he can handle this,” Andy says.

“So do I,” Eric
adds.

I glance
at both of them. “I’m not going to give him a choice. I could never accept him leaving me now.”

After a few minutes,
Chase runs back up to me with a surfboard. It has a big bow on it, and it’s top of the line, of course.

“Please don’t get mad at me. I figure
it’s the next best thing to a car.”

“Thank you, s
weetie. I love it, and I can’t wait to use it.”

He flashes me a proud smile
, and I’m glad I didn’t give him grief about buying it. I can tell he really wants to spend his money on me. It’s just hard to get used to.

After a while, we go into the house so everyone can drink. Chase doesn’t
seem fazed by it, giving most of his attention to me. He seldom leaves my side, holding my hand and kissing me occasionally.

I notice that each person stares
at us intently several times throughout the night.

“Chase, why does everyone keep staring at
us?”

“I think they’re surprised to se
e how we are together … how I am with you. They’ve never seen me with a girlfriend, so I think it’s shocking them. They’ll have to deal with it because I’m not letting you go anywhere.” He kisses my forehead.

We’re finally alone around midnight, so
Chase quickly carries me to bed.

“For your birthday,
I’m going to make you feel really good by tasting every sweet part of you, but I have another gift for you first.”

I bite my tongue
. “OK, where is it?” I ask as I scoot up to the head of the bed and wait. “I want it now, so hurry up,” I say, teasingly.

He grins and gets a tiny
, white box out of his dresser. It’s rectangular with a red bow tied around it.

“Y
ou have to promise you’ll tell me if you’re not ready to accept this one.”

“OK, I promise
to be honest.” He hands me the box, and I open it. There’s a key! “Chase, I told you not to buy me a damn car.” I’m sure he can’t miss the frustration in my voice.

“T
hat’s not to a car. It’s the key to this house. I didn’t say mine because I want it to be ours.” He sits down on the bed in front of me. “Skyla, will you move in with me? I can’t wake up another morning without you next to me. I want your happy face to be the first thing I see every day.”

He’s so sweet and sincere. I smile big and jump into his lap.
“Yes, yes, yes. I’d love to move in here with you.” I give him a big kiss on the cheek and hug his neck.

“Since you’ll only stay overnight on the weekends, I thought I’d have to do some convincing
.”

“I’ve always wanted to, but I didn’t want you to wake up one day and realize I was livin
g here because of how much of my stuff I’d gradually brought over. I wanted you to ask me.”

“Baby, I
need to spank your ass.” He flips me from his lap to the bed on my stomach, and before I can scream, he’s swatting my butt.

“Stop, Chase!
” I yell while giggling the entire time. After a handful of swats, he finally stops.

“I would’ve moved your cute ass in here two months ago if I’d known you’d say yes. I didn’t ask since you wouldn’t even stay through the week. You
deserve birthday spankings, too.” He begins swatting my butt again. I finally get turned over on my back.

“Angel
, you’ve made me ecstatic tonight. I feel like it’s my birthday.”

“Now
, you need to give my body its birthday present.” I give him what I’m guessing is my best alluring look.

“Oh, you’re getting it alright.”

“This is the best birthday I’ve ever had. Thank you, Chase. I love you so much.”

***

I wake up alone in bed. I will definitely tease him for this since it’s the first morning after he asked me to move in. After dressing, I go downstairs and find a note on the table saying that Eric had shown up to surf with him. I wonder if he’s trying to get time in with Chase in case he flips and doesn’t want to speak to him. I’m instantly nauseated. I have to make Chase understand why we waited to tell him.

I leave him a note that I’m going home for a while. I’m
eager to pack. After I’m home for an hour, there’s a knock at the door. My brother is standing in front of me.
Shit
. I didn’t know he was coming home this soon.

“Lee, w
hy didn’t you tell me you were coming home early?”

“I wanted to surprise you for your birthday, but you know the milit
ary. It got pushed back a day.” He drops his stuff in the family room. “I had a friend pick me up. You act really surprised.”

This is bad. Lee hates Chase. Well, he only knows him as King, but he blames him for
Bud’s death. I’d planned to break the news gently to Lee when he got here, but I thought I had more time to tell Chase first.

As soon as I get a minute away from Lee, I text Chase, telling him I’ll be back over later. I
don’t want him showing up here. I guess I’m going to be telling Lee first.

“I’ll be
here for two weeks, so I’ll be able to take care of getting us our money. I can’t wait until you’re back in college. So, who is this guy you’re seeing and these other friends you wrote me about?”

I think I’m going to vomit.
“Um, they’re some surfers I met on the beach. Are you hungry? I’ll fix you some lunch.”

“That’d be great. I need some good food for a change.” He stretches out on my couch and turns on the TV way to
o loud.

I go into the kitchen and start pulling ingredients out of the fr
idge and cabinets. I’ll feed Lee first and let him nap. Then when he’s appeased, I’ll break the news that I’m in love with King.

Chase

I come in f
rom surfing and see a note from Skyla on the kitchen island. She went home to pack. That’s awesome. Her stuff moved to our house is a step closer to her being completely mine.

I decide to go help her after I shower. I miss her alread
y, and it will get her fine ass back here quicker. It’s only two days until Christmas, and I really want her out of her house by then. I park and knock on the door. It opens, and fury rushes through me faster than it ever has in my life.

“Rock,
what the fuck are you doing at Skyla’s?”

“Excuse me? I could ask y
ou the same fucking thing,” he says.

About that time, Skyla slides betw
een him and the door, and I feel like I’m going to go into a blind fit of rage seeing her body touch his.

Rock is Bud’s
cousin, and we don’t like each other—at all. He blamed me for Bud’s death, and we didn’t get along even before that. Luckily, I seldom had to look at his face, but why in the hell he’s at Skyla’s is beyond me. I know in my heart she wouldn’t cheat on me.

“
Why the hell is King here, Nixie?” Rock asks.

“Lee, calm down,” she says, staring at me the entire
time.

Skyla is Nixie, and Lee is Rock
. Everything starts to go black. I stumble and then lean over, putting my hands on my knees. This can’t be real.
No!
It’s a nightmare. Skyla walks up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder.

“Cha
se, are you OK?”

“Nixie
, tell me this is not the guy you’ve been seeing.”

“
No! This can’t be happening!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I grab my head and pace in her yard.

“Lee, what the hell is w
rong with you?” Skyla asks, spinning around to face her brother.

“Nixie,
this is the druggy that cost Bud his life.”

She
turns back around to face me. I stop walking and stare at her, seeing the anguish in her eyes. I imagine the last two months are rushing through her mind the way they are mine. Everything we didn’t piece together but somehow should’ve. I thought the hell I was living in was over, but it’s just beginning.

“Skyla, I’m
sorry. I had no idea. I’m leaving, and I’ll never hurt you again,” I say as I hurry to my car.

She runs after me yelling.
“Chase, no. You can’t leave!”

“Nixie
, don’t you dare,” Rock says.

“Shut up, Lee. He’s not who you think he is.”

“Yes, he is, and I can’t believe you fell for his shit.”

She grabs my arm as I try to get in
to my car.

“Get off of me, Skyla.”

“No! You can’t walk away from me, from us!” She’s crying hysterically. “I don’t care what Lee thinks, Chase. I know the real you. I know the good person you are. You promised not to push me away again!”

I manage to get into the car
. Skyla’s pulling on me to get back out. Her hands locked around my arm feel like a tourniquet, cutting off my blood supply. Each scream from her lungs feel like gravel filling mine, suffocating me.

“Skyla, let me
go, now. You’re Nixie. I’m no good for you.”

She continues t
o wail, tears pouring from her eyes.

“No, Chase. I l
ove you. You can’t do this.” She’s frantically pulling on my arm the entire time. “Please, please don’t leave me! Chase, don’t do this to us!”

“
I’ll never deserve to be with you. Get off of me, now!”

I’ve never ra
ised my voice to her or denied her anything until now, and it hurts so fucking bad. She lets go of me, screaming as I shut the door. All I want to do is hold her and tell her I love her. I want to tell her how sorry I am for all the pain I caused her the last year. All the grief she’s suffered from losing Bud … her Bud. The chain reaction my selfish, awful behavior caused.

I should be in front of a firing squad for sleeping with Bud’s Nixie.
This is purgatory. Why did I believe for a second that I deserved happiness and would get it? I have to get off this fucking island.

I tear into my
house and up to my bedroom. Grabbing a suitcase, I throw shit in it, trying to hurry before Skyla shows up. I can’t hear her cries again. I’m out the door in minutes, taking off in my Jeep as I call Eric.

“Hey, bro,” he says.

“Eric, I need you to handle the deals we have set up. I have to get off this fucking island.”

“Bro, wait.
”

“Just say you’
ll do it!”

“Fuck, you know.”

“What did you just say?”

“Chase
, I’m sorry.”

“You knew who Skyla was and didn’t tell me?
Did she know, too?”

“Yes, but not at first.
Man, listen to me. I found out the night Andy and I took her to the bar. I didn’t tell you because you would’ve fallen apart, and you were finally doing better. I knew you wanted Skyla, and I thought if you two fell in love, you’d be able to survive finding out.”

“How could you? How could she?”

“Chase, please try to understand, and don’t do anything stupid. Bud wanted you two together. Don’t lose the best person that has and will ever be in your life. She found out later, and I’ve kept her from telling you. She wanted to, and I stopped her.”

“You’re
dead to me, Eric,” I say and hang up. I’ve lost everyone.