Without You (45 page)

My heart hurt for my brother because I knew he was right. I dropped my head in a silent acknowledgment. “Colt, I’m so sorry.”

He let out a gruff laugh. “It’s not your fault, Alex. I’m just not the guy for her.”

I slowly shook my head, and I was about to talk when he pulled his hands from mine. He stood up and reached for me to help me stand.

“I guess this is a new beginning for me, huh, sis? I’ll be heading to school and meeting new people.” He nodded his head as if he was thinking of something and agreeing with it. “Football will occupy so much of my time. Dad’s right. It’s a whole new world.” He smiled slightly. “Who knows? I might get lucky enough and meet someone who loves me the way you love Will.”

“Oh no, Colt. I know Lauren has—”

He held up his hand to stop me. “I’m tired, Alex. I love you, sweetheart. I’m gonna go to bed.”

He kissed me on the forehead. Then, he turned and walked back inside. I wiped the tear from my face and closed my eyes.

“Why does love have to be so hard for some?” I whispered.

The feel of Will’s arms coming around me as he pulled me closer to him instantly warmed me. We stood in silence as we listened to the waves hit the shore.

“Is Colt okay?” Will finally asked.

I slowly shook my head. “I don’t think so. He will pretend he is, and he’ll move on, but I don’t think things will be the same anymore.”

Will rested his chin on top of my head. “How about you and I go on a sunset cruise tomorrow? Just us.”

I smiled and turned to face him. “Yeah? But it’s our last night. You don’t think everyone will want to go out to dinner together?”

Will shrugged his shoulders. “All I know is I want one evening with you before we have to head back. I’m sure the others will understand.”

I began to chew on my lower lip. It felt like our friendships were changing but growing stronger also. I wasn’t sure where Luke and Libby were heading, and honestly, I was tired of worrying about it. Now, I had to worry about Colt and Lauren.

Ugh.

I attempted to give Will a sexy smile, and he raised his one eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at me.

“Are you thinking yes?”

“I think tomorrow night with just you and me is exactly the thing I need.”

Will picked me up and spun me around. “Perfect. Leave all the details to me, and I’ll plan it all.”

I laughed and said, “Okay, you don’t have to tell me twice.”

He moved his lips to mine. “I’m going to make love to you now, Lex.”

My stomach fluttered as Will walked us both back inside. I looked around, and no one was downstairs.

I hadn’t seen Luke come outside, so I asked Will, “Where is Luke?”

“No clue.”

I started to say we should find him, but then I decided to push everyone else’s problems out of my mind and enjoy the rest of this trip.

Will pulled into a private parking lot and parked.

“I thought we were going on a sunset cruise?”

He turned off the truck and looked at me and said, “We are. You ready?”

He jumped out of the truck and walked to my side. When he opened the door and reached for my hand, I smiled.

“Um…are we taking out someone’s boat? Do you know how to take out someone’s boat?”

He winked at me, and we made our way down the ramp and onto the deck. An older gentleman with blond hair and a deep dark tan smiled as we approached him.

He stuck out his hand. “Will?”

Will shook his hand and smiled. “I take it you’re Jonathon.”

He grinned and nodded his head. “You’re right on that one. Come on board.”

Will helped me climb on the yacht.

Jonathon said, “I’ve got a nice little trip planned for y’all. I hope you like dolphins, Miss Mathews.”

I was taken aback at how he’d known my name, but I figured Will must have told him when he’d made the arrangements.

I nodded my head. “Yes, I love them, and I’m super excited.”

Jonathon looked up at the sky and grinned. “The weather couldn’t be more perfect. The sunset is going to be amazing.”

I looked at Will, who was grinning from ear to ear, but he also looked like he was about to be sick.

“Please head on down into the cabin. I’ve got some trays out for y’all to snack on while I get us going.”

Will placed his hand on the small of my back to lead me down into the cabin. My heart skipped a beat, and goose bumps covered my body. I wasn’t sure why, but I loved when he did that. It felt like such a romantic yet manly gesture.

When we got down in the cabin, my hands came up to my mouth, and I sucked in a breath of air. The whole cabin was filled with every kind of flower I could imagine.

Will and I both said at the same time, “Wow.”

I looked at Will. “Did you plan all of this?”

He swallowed hard and dropped his mouth open just a bit. “Um…I, um…”

I threw myself into his arms. “Will, this is the most romantic gesture ever!” I lowered my voice. “I wish we were alone because I’d love to make love on a boat in the water.”

Will’s eyebrows lifted as he smiled. “Really? I’m going to have to remember that.”

It wasn’t long before we headed out. Will must have been feeling seasick because he looked like he wanted to lean over and throw up.

“Will, are you okay?” I asked as I rubbed his back.

He nodded his head and smiled. He jumped when I let out a small scream and pointed.

“Dolphin!”

Jonathon and Will both laughed. I couldn’t believe how they were swimming and jumping at the bow of the ship as we sailed along.

“How far are we going?” I asked as I looked at my watch.

The sun wasn’t setting for another two hours.

Will and Jonathon looked at each other, and then Will slowly looked at me.

Will smiled and took my hands in his. “I have a surprise for you, sweetheart.”

I watched as Lex’s face lit up. She loved surprises, and I knew the moment I said it, she would get excited.

“Oh, yeah? Are we swimming with the dolphins? I thought that was illegal!” She began clapping her hands.

I wasn’t sure if she was excited at the idea of swimming with dolphins or doing something illegal.

I stared at her for a moment and chuckled. “No, Jonathon is taking us to a private island—St. Joseph’s.”

Recognition hit Lex’s face. “Mr. Shelton’s ranch?”

I nodded. “Yep. We’re gonna watch the sunset from there.”

Lex slowly smiled. “I used to love going over there when I was little. Do you know how many sand dollars Colt and I used to find there?”

Jonathon laughed. “The untouched beaches of the island make it beautiful.”

Lex looked around. “Well, darn it. Let me use the restroom before we get there, or I’ll be peeing in the ocean!”

I watched as Lex retreated down into the cabin.

I spun around and looked at Jonathon. “Did you do all of that with the flowers?”

He smiled and nodded his head. “She was hoping y’all were alone, wasn’t she?”

“Yes, and so in the hell was I.”

Jonathon threw his head back and laughed hysterically. “Her daddy wouldn’t like that response. He was the one who told me to do it.”

My mouth dropped open. “Gunner did?”

Jonathon nodded his head. “Yes, sir, he did. Told me to fill the cabin with flowers. Stupid romantic bastard.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “That he is, but he sure does teach me the right way to treat his daughter.”

Jonathon rubbed his thumb and index finger back and forth across his chin like he was thinking. “I can imagine. The key is to always put them first, son. I’ve been married for almost thirty years. My wife comes first and foremost. She is my life.”

Nodding my head, I said, “Yes, sir.”

“Oh my gosh, there it is!” Lex shouted as she popped up out of the cabin. “I haven’t been on that island in so long. Oh, Will, I wish you could see Mr. Shelton’s home. It’s breathtaking. I haven’t seen it since I was eleven, I think. The last hurricane did some damage to it, but that thing was built to last.”

I just grinned and pulled her next to me.

Jonathon gave me a wink as he made his way over to the private dock. “That’s Kip, Mr. Shelton’s ranch hand. He’ll be taking care of y’all while I hang out here.”

Reaching out to shake Jonathon’s hand, I said, “Sounds good. Thank you so much, Jonathon.”

Lex shook his hand next and said, “Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to the trip back at night.”

“Will and Alex? I’m Kip,” he said as he helped Lex out off the yacht.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lex looked around.

Reaching out and shaking Kip’s hand, I introduced myself and said, “Thank you so much for taking the time to do all of this.”

Lex had already begun walking off down the beach. I smiled as I watched her.

“She is totally clueless, isn’t she?” Kip asked.

I rocked back and forth on my feet. I was proud of the fact that I had been able to keep this surprise from her. “Totally clueless.”

“If you want to take advantage of asking her at sunset, I suggest we head up to the house and start with dinner. My wife, Cassie, did all the decorations. Mr. Shelton is thinking of having weddings at the house, and when he saw how Cassie had done up the place for y’all, he said he was one step closer to that.” Kip had a huge smile on his face.

“Does she do party-planning?” I asked.

“Nah, she’s just a rancher’s wife stuck on an island and bored out of her mind. If Mr. Shelton did this, it would make her so happy and give her something to do.”

I let out a sigh. “So, tonight’s like a test run?”

Kip chuckled. “No pressure, but yes. I hope y’all like what Cassie has done.”

“We’re going to love it.” I looked back at Lex as she stood with her feet at the edge of the water. “Lex!” I called out.

When she looked at me, I waved for her to come back. She picked up her flip-flops and headed back over to the dock.

When Will called me back over to the dock, I had a feeling something was going down. “I thought we were gonna walk along the beach?”

The smile that spread across Will’s face caused my heart to drop to the ground. I wanted to push my legs together or have him take me off somewhere to have his wicked way with me.

“Alex, we’re heading up to the house,” Kip said.

I jumped up and down. “Really? Is Mr. Shelton here?”

Kip didn’t answer as he walked over to his truck and opened the passenger door for me. I slipped my flip-flops on and made my way over to the truck. Will got in and slid in next to me. Kip started off toward the house.

“Oh, Will, wait to you see this house. It sits on the highest point of the island, and the view is amazing. I can remember being little and dreaming of a house like this one. It’s rustic—or at least, it was when I was here last.”

Kip nodded his head. “You have a good memory, Alex. The log cabin was built back in the early nineteen hundreds for hunting. A few presidents have graced the island with their presence.”

“LBJ stayed there. Colt stayed in the room he stayed in,” I said.

Will grabbed my hand. He began rubbing his thumb back and forth quickly as we drove to the house. I’d peek over every once in a while, and he was just staring out the window.