She sighed again, heavier this time. “It was never about dating someone else, Clay. It wasn’t like I wanted to leave you to run into someone else’s arms. That wasn’t my idea of moving on. Maybe it’s yours.”

“Maybe,” he said uncertainly.

“And I did date Asher.” She looked at him and frowned. “Before you were attacked, we dated for weeks.”

Clay swallowed hard. He’d known this. It was what had sent them into disarray in the first place. “Right.”

“It didn’t work out then. He wasn’t what I wanted. And then, after what happened…” She looked away again, shaken all over by the attack. “Did they ever find those bastards?”

He shook his head. “No, the police called off the search. Wrong place at the wrong time.”

“So, it was all just bad fucking luck?” she asked in dismay.

He shrugged. “I’d say it put a lot of things in perspective. Showed me what was important and what wasn’t.”

Andrea frowned again and then glanced out at the water. “You want to know why I was crying when you found me?”

“Yes.”

“I was thinking about the first time we met. You remember?”

“Of course. It was right here on this beach.”

“I thought you were so cute. I was so young and naive, and I just wanted the cute boy to like me. Because, if the cute boy liked me, then maybe it wouldn’t matter that my parents only spoke when they argued. Maybe it wouldn’t matter that they hated each other. That they hated me,” she said in a mere whisper.

As she leaned forward, her blonde hair fell forward into her face and over her bare shoulder.

He carefully pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Your parents didn’t hate you. They still don’t hate you. But you just deserved so much more than what they gave you. Do you know what I think about that first day we met?”

“What?” she whispered. Her eyes were glassy, and she looked frightened of the answer.

“I remember falling in love for the first time with this beautiful girl who was giving me the time of day. Me and not my brother. Who cared about me and kissed me. You’re so beautiful,” he said, drawing her closer to him. “You always have been.”

“Clay…” she whispered.

He bent down and placed the softest, lightest kiss on her lips, just like the one they’d shared all those years before. She leaned forward into him at the touch, asking for more, but he pulled back. He didn’t want to push her.

“I won’t,” he said huskily. “I want to, but I won’t.”

Andrea looked like she wanted to say something more, but whatever was on the tip of her tongue, he never found out. In the distance, they both heard voices coming from the direction of her house and stomping in the sand nearby.

“What the…” Andrea muttered.

“Savannah,” he muttered, jumping to his feet.

“Why is she out here?”

“Um…shit. I think she’s with Lucas.”

“Together?” she asked, her voice panicky.

“Yeah.”

Andrea swept to her feet. “That can’t be good.”

“Let’s go,” Clay said.

He took her hand in his without asking permission, and they loped across the beach. Few things pissed him off more than something hurting Savannah. When she was upset, he automatically went into big-brother mode.

Savannah’s voice carried louder and louder as they approached. “God, why do you always have to do this?”

“Do what?” Lucas drawled. “Love you? Not sure I’ve ever been able to help that.”

“Ugh, Luc! That’s not enough. It’s not.”

“It could be.”

“You’re drunk and high and being a total asshole,” she cried. “When you sober up tomorrow, you’re going to regret this.”

“I’d never regret you.” Then, he grabbed her by the back of the head and kissed her.

“Shit,” Clay groaned, picking up his speed.

Savannah hesitated for a moment and then pushed him backward. “What are you doing? Why do you only want this, us, when I’m with someone else?”

They never got an answer to that because Clay and Andrea had finally reached them.

“All right, all right,” Clay said, “break it up.”

Andrea wrapped an arm around Savannah’s shoulders and hauled her back a step from the guys.

“I’m fine,” Savannah muttered.

“You’re not,” Clay said. He turned his gaze to Lucas. He grabbed him by the front of his shirt and got in his face. “Let’s go. Get out of here. Didn’t you listen to me earlier when I said I’d kick your ass? Fuck!”

“Whatever, man,” Lucas said, wrenching himself from Clay’s grip. “We were fine.”

Lucas started walking away, unprompted, and Clay sighed and followed him. He glanced over his shoulder just once, and he and Andrea locked eyes for just a second. When they looked at each other, in the midst of taking care of their friends, a small smile tugged on her lips before she turned back to keep walking.

It was a step.

A tiny step.

Chapter 21

WEDDING DAY

“You can still change your mind,” Clay said.

Liz rolled her big blue eyes and laughed at him. “Are you trying to convince me to be a runaway bride?”

“I’m just saying…I have a car out front. We could make a break for it. Just think about it. You’ll be tied to my older brother forever.”

“That’s kind of the point.”

“We could always run away together.” He winked at her and waited for another laugh to split the air.

“What you’ve always wanted.”

“I’m not denying it if you’re not denying,” he said.

“Oh, Clay…” She patted the shoulder of his black suit. “Whatever will we do with you?”

“Whatever you want.”

Liz exploded into laughter once more, and Clay followed suit. He was joking…mostly. He was glad that Liz and Brady were happy. They had something special. Something he now knew he desperately wanted. And he didn’t think she’d really split anyway.