Free Holiday Hijinks by Roxy Queen Page B

eat without you.”
    “You wouldn’t dare,” she laughs. “Can’t wait to see you. I’ve had enough family to last a lifetime. I have no idea why my grandmother’s house has zero cell service.”
    “Did you get my message?” I’d left one detailing what happened with me and Carter.
    “Yeah, we’ll talk about it later, okay? Everything’s going to be fine.”
    “Maybe.”
    We hang up and I turn on all the outside lights. The ocean roars beyond the dunes and I can’t wait to see it in the morning. Feel the cold sand on my toes. Maybe the fresh air will make things better.
    I hear a loud honk under the house and wave down the stairs. “Hurry, it’s freezing!”
    I pour two glasses of wine and set them on the counter. The least I can do is get everyone drunk. Ryan’s face appears at the porch window and I run over to open the door. “Yay! You made it,” I cry giving him a hug. His arms are trapped by his side, weighted down by a suitcase and a cooler. Finley enters the door behind him with an ecstatic smile.
    “We had to make a detour,” he says, eve nly. “Sorry it took us longer. You get in okay?”
    “No problem at all. What kind of detour?”
    Ryan looks at Finley and she says, “We had to stop off at home and pick up something.”
    She steps back outside and that’ s when I see him, blue-eyed and pink cheeked from the wind. Finley brought me Carter for the New Year.
    *
    “Babe, let’s go put these up,” Ryan says, depositing the cooler in the kitchen. He skirts past me and down the hall. Finley follows reluctantly, grabbing the two glasses of wine on her way.
    “Would you like a drink?” I ask, skipping the wine and going for a bottle of beer from the refrigerator. I twist off the cap and hand the green, glass bottle to him. He sets it on the counter. “Did you get my messages?”
    “Yes. The first one. I didn’t listen to the rest.”
    I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. “But you decided to come?”
    “Someone twisted my arm.”
    “Finley.”
    He nods and picks up the beer. In a swift motion, he tilts it into his mouth and taking two long pulls. “I really am sorry. And I did talk to my parents. And Tara. I’ve cleared the air with them.”
    “I’m glad,” he says, eyes wary.
    “They love you, of course. I mean, who doesn’t?” I lean against the counter. “Carter Hightower, champion of men, women and children.”
    “Stop it.” He shakes his head, but I see the hint of a smile. Everyone has a kryptonite. I just may be his.
    I push off the counter and approach him. “Does this mean we’re okay?”
    “I don’t know, Ruthie. I don’t like fighting like that. Hanging my heart on my sleeve and having it thrown back at me.”
    “I’m sorry and I’m a fuck-up and I will always make terrible mistakes.” I thought back to what my parent’s told me earlier. “I think I have some kind of oppositional problem where I choose the worst option instead of the best. In any universe you’re the best choice.”
    “Obviously,” he says. “How do I know you’ll remember that next time you get skittish?”
    I reach for the waist of his jeans and tug him closer. “You’ll have to drill it into me until I know it by heart.”
    He shakes his head. I feel the hardness between his legs. “Damn, Ruthie,” he says, kissing me.
    “So everything is back to normal?” I ask. He nods, but I can’t help but see the guarded shadow in his eyes. I’ll have to fix that.
    The timer for the pasta beeps and I let him go. “Our room is to the right, second door. Go unpack and I’ll get this ready.”
    He picks up his bags by the door but stops when he nears the stove. He kisses the back of my neck, and I smile to myself. He loves me and that’s all that matters right now.

Chapter 10
    The next day we’re blessed with good weather. Warm for the season and pleasant enough to sit on the edge of the beach in a tank and shorts. I’ve got my bikini on underneath just to pretend it’s