Free Forever: A Seaside Novella (BOOK 3.5) by Rachel Van Dyken Page A

She tittered grabbing onto my sleeve. “No I won’t go skinny dipping! You rogue!” Jaymeson spit out his water onto the ground. “But this one.” She eyed Jaymeson up and down. “For you, I’d be willing to change my mind.”
    Never in my life have I seen a man look so trapped. Jaymeson looked from me to Aunt Lois and back, peeling the label from his bottled water in the process.
    “What say you, England?” I joked. “You up for a night swim?”
    “I’d say I was down, so, so down,” Jaymeson whispered.
    “LOIS!” Nat’s dad called, saving Jaymeson from being taken advantage of by a seventy-year-old woman.
    When she was a safe distance away I let out a snort of laughter and punched Jaymeson in the arm. “Wow, smooth. I’m actually a bit worried to leave you alone with her.”
    “I keep doing that.” Jaymeson shook his head. “Panicking in tense moments, that can’t be good.”
    “Wow, maybe your past is catching up with you?”
    He seemed to think about it for a moment. “Nah, that can’t be it, I’m just dehydrated or something.”
    “Dehydration causes players to do what? Say ’yes’ to cougars?”
    “Do I even want to know?” Alyssa said coming up behind us.
    “Not this time.” Jaymeson shook his head. “Really, I wish I didn’t even know. Yet I’m pretty confident when I go to bed tonight, I’m going to wake up with at least two nightmares, both containing Aunt Lois without a bathing suit.”
    “I’m concerned that you would know what she looks like without clothes on,” Alyssa said.
    I raised my hand. “I second that concern.”
    “Screw you both.” Jaymeson swore and grabbed his keys. “Now grab your shit so I can drive you to the airport.”
    Alyssa shrugged and grabbed her bag. I stayed back and whispered to Jaymeson, “Please?”
    With a curse he looked down at the ear plugs in my hands. “If we get in an accident because I have these bloody things in, then I’m blaming you.”
    “You won’t. Just keep your eyes on the road.”
    “Trust me, I don’t want to watch the peep show in the backseat.”
    “Peep show?” Alyssa said, joining us again.
    “Someone really needs to stop interrupting conversations,” Jaymeson grumbled then stomped to the car and got in the front seat.
    “Hey.” I tugged Alyssa’s hand. “Can we talk?”
    “Right now?”
    “On the way to the airport.” I opened the car door for her. “Jaymeson has ear plugs in.”
    “Is that even safe?”
    “It’s not super dark yet.” I shrugged. “We should be fine. Besides it’s not as if you and I can’t hear, I just…” I swallowed back the dryness in my throat. “It’s important that we talk about something.”
    “Fine.” She gave me a weak smile and got into the car.
    Wow, that was a great start.

Chapter Nineteen
    Demetri
    I waited until we were on the highway and then grabbed Alyssa’s hand. It seemed like we’d lived a thousand lifetimes together. I mean, how many shitty things had we dealt with together over the last year? I wanted to marry her. I really did. I wanted to be with her forever. I think part of me was still scared of commitment, not that I actually wanted to say that to the girl I loved.
    Anyone — and I do mean anyone — in my position would be feeling the same thing. After all, I went from drug-addicted, suicidal maniac to sober, group-counseling marriage material — all within the course of a year. It was fast, and I knew that. In the long run I didn’t want to be the type of guy who jumped into marriage just because I loved someone — not when I wasn’t sure I was actually able to offer all of myself without hesitation.
    Because marriage didn’t just affect me, it affected her and I’d be damned if I put her through heartache she didn’t deserve.
    “Lyss,” I began, my voice cracking.
    “Don’t,” she whispered. “I just, I know you want to talk Demetri, and I know we need to discuss things. I’m just not in the mood to fight, you know? Not