Blinding Echo

by Tina Saxon

  “With that wakeup call? I’m ready to make today my bitch.”

  After Kase makes me waffles for breakfast, I head over to my apartment. I’ve brought a few things over here the last month as I’ve been spending more time here, but it’s only the essentials. I’m certain Kase grabbed a few things from my place I don’t remember taking over, but he acts like he has no clue what I’m talking about.

  If it was up to him, I’d be moved in already. My heart tells me to pack my shit and head on over, it’s my subconscious reminding me I can’t until I tell him everything. The longer we're together, my nightmare seems like it was just a bad dream, one that is easily forgotten.

  When I pull out a pair of panties, my heart twists when I catch the shine of the corner of a cell phone sticking out. Shit. Shit. Shit. What’s the date? I dig out my phone and sure enough there’s a message from my dad. Why can’t I remember when he'll call? I listen to the message, and guilt that it’s been three months since we talked makes my heart heavy. If he’d stop being a stubborn old fart and answer when I called him back, it’d make me feel better. But his rigid rules of once a month, always a different date, makes it difficult. Of course, when I wasn’t dating, I never forgot. I follow his command of texting him I’m okay, followed with the password, daisy, so he recognizes it’s from me. Opening the calendar app, I search for next month’s date and set a reminder on my normal phone so I won’t forget again. I hate he isn’t here today to watch me graduate. He’d be so proud of everything I’ve conquered on my own. It makes not talking to him today even worse.

  I tuck the phone back into the drawer and puff my cheeks out, releasing a winded sigh. I'll find a way to go visit him whether he likes it or not. Nothing has happened in years, so a quick trip out to Texas won’t kill me. My phone dings atop my dresser. My worries go to the wayside when I see a text from Kase.

  Cowboy: Don’t wear anything under your gown.

  I blush fantasizing about sneaking off with him somewhere in one of the classrooms, but then laugh at my inappropriate thoughts.

  Me: Don’t hold your breath, dirty boy.

  Cowboy: I’d like to dirty you up.

  I’m thinking of a witty reply when I notice the bubble pop up showing me he’s typing again. I’m guessing what he’ll say next. Probably something like ‘And then lick you clean.’

  Cowboy: And I’ve been holding my breath since the day I met you, afraid to breathe, afraid I’ll wake up from this dream.

  Swoon. Definitely not what I was expecting.

  Me: You made my panties wet and my heart grow twice its size. You’re confusing me.

  Cowboy: I’ve got something growing twice its size too.

  “Ellie Keyes,” the announcer calls. A spark of excitement races through me as I walk across the stage. Kase's yelling from the crowd makes my cheeks flush as I shake my head. Some people’s boyfriends. Can’t take them anywhere.

  With my diploma in my hand, I rush into Kase’s waiting arms. “I did it!” Max’s entire team cheers, their deep voices drawing attention, catching the eyes of surrounding girls.

  “What’re you gonna do, now?” Cody asks.

  “I have no freaking clue.”

  “She’s going to help me run the bar.” Tori winks at me as Kase growls, pulling me into his arms. He’s not a fan of me working there and I promised him it wouldn’t be forever. But I have no idea what I'll do now besides continue helping at the women’s shelter. Somehow, I’d like to incorporate my photography into a job. I just have to figure out how.

  “For now, I’m stealing my woman. I have a surprise for her, so we’ll meet you guys at the bar around four.”

  Tori’s closing the bar for the night and we’re celebrating.

  “Oh, what kind of surprise,” I say in a sing-song voice, spinning in his arms.

  “One that’ll have you screaming my name.”

  “That is my kind of surprise,” Tori beams over her shoulder, walking away with Mr. Silver.

  I spend the drive guessing what my surprise could be. “Cowboy, give me a hint,” I whine after getting it wrong repeatedly. A smug smile rests on his face as he watches me struggle. “I hate surprises.”

  “I know. That’s why this is so entertaining.” I narrow my eyes at him and wish I had something to wash the smug smile off his face. Instead, I sit back and enjoy the ride.

  We stop off at a small diner on the way to wherever we’re going. I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. Kase probably stopped because the rumble of my stomach was so loud. I tried to mask it by moving around in my seat, but nothing stopped the hunger protest.

  “Are you getting me a puppy?” I ask before shoving a fry into my mouth.

  His lips twitch and I think I figured it out but then he says, “Nope, but a good guess. If you were to get a puppy, what would you want?”

  I tap my finger on my lip thinking. “Hmm… A German Shepherd.”

  He does a double take. “I figured you’d want a little cute dog.”

  “Little dogs are cute, but I want a protector.”

  “What? That’s what you have me for.”

  I smile at his frown, having no doubts he would do anything for me. “Will you shake your leg too when I hit the right spot?” I joke.

  His frown turns up, flashing one of his dimples. “You hit the right spot and I’ll definitely shake it.”

  I throw a fry at him. “You and your dirty mind.”

  “I’d love to discuss how dirty it really is, but we need to get going.” He reaches over, grabs a few fries off my plate and stuffs them in his mouth. I slide my plate over and he finishes them in a minute flat. And I thought I was hungry.

  The drive is quick and I glance over at Kase, brows pulled together, when we drive into an empty parking lot. I lean forward, gazing out the front window at the huge white warehouse building, wondering why we’re here. Kase parks and slides out of the Jeep. He walks around the back of the car and stands by me, staring at the nondescript building. I scan it looking for a sign. I spot one on the door.

  The Lighthouse.

  I’ve never heard of this place, yet I drive by it when I go to the women’s shelter. It’s only a few miles down the road. Kase weaves his fingers through mine. “C’mon, let’s go take a look.”

  “What is this place?”

  “Your surprise.”

  My eyes dart back and forth from him to the building. “Should I scream your name now or later?” I tease because I don’t know what else to say in my confusion.

  He chuckles, poking me in the stomach. “You think you’re funny, huh?”

  “I have my moments.”

  He pulls me to the front door and inserts the key to unlock it. When we walk inside, it’s a waiting area. The place has recently been renovated, the smell of fresh paint and new couches and chairs fill the space. It’s very inviting with colors of grey and orange. I like it. He leads me through another locked door, past the reception desk. The desks, chairs, and computers are all brand new. When we enter the main area, my eyes widen at the massive space. The center of the room has couches, chairs, beanbags, and tables. There are rooms down both sides of the building, at least eight of them.

  I feel like I’m supposed to see something that will give away why we’re here. When I glance at Kase, his eyes stay pinned on me, watching every reaction I have. I tilt my head and walk around. The first couple of rooms remind me of doctor offices and then the next ones remind me of therapist’s offices with comfortable couches. Still not having a clue, I keep walking. There’s a dressing room type room filled with women’s clothes. I pass more offices and then I stop and gaze into an enormous playroom. A large window allows me to peek inside. Bright colors fill the room with toys and a TV on the wall. I continue my perusal of the place, slowly walking the perimeter of the room.

  I freeze when I poke my head into a room. Light from the large window floods the room. There are backdrops hung and professional photography lights. It’s a photographer’s dream r
oom if they are shooting inside.

  Is this my surprise?

  I spin around, looking for Kase, but he scares me when he’s right behind me. “Oh!” I say, taking a step back. “I didn’t know you were right behind me.” I point to the room. “Is this my surprise? Did you get me a job?”

  He slowly nods. “This whole place is yours.”

  I stretch my head forward, making sure I heard him correctly. “What did you say?”

  “You are officially the owner of The Lighthouse.”

  “What are you talking about?” My eyes dart around the room. “I don’t understand.”

  “Be the light that leads you,” he whispers. “And let that light lead you to The Lighthouse.” I think about my tattoo he’s quoting and the name of the place.

  “Does this have to do with my project?” He nods again, waiting for me to connect the dots. The only problem, I don’t have enough information to do it. “And the women’s shelter?” I ask, unsure.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I go over in my head all the rooms I’ve seen. It’s everything Diane and I wished we could offer at the women’s shelter but there just wasn’t enough room to provide housing and all that. Is that what this is?

  “Is this for real? How is this mine?”

  He holds his hand out and grabs mine, dropping the key into my palm. “It is real. This is your dream, babe.” He folds my hand around the key and I’m still at a loss of words. “This is your graduation present from me.”

  “Kase? This is too much. How did you do all this?” I spin around in a circle, taking everything in again. “Did Max help?”

  He shrugs a shoulder and grabs me by the waist. “He did, as well as a few others.” Realization dawns on me, this is mine. I squeal, jumping into his arms. This is my dream, but it's better than I imagined. I can’t believe he did this for me. “Guess that means you like it?”

  “I love it! I love you, Cowboy.” Squeezing my hands around his neck, he picks me up and spins me.

  “You can scream my name now,” he teases, wagging his brows.

  “I would if I didn’t have a million things running through my mind right now. Like where do I start?”

  “C’mon, just scream my name.”

  I wonder why he’s being so persistent, but for shits and grins I give in. “Kase! Oh, Kase! Yes, right there,” I joke. A second later, I jump in his arms from a rush of people running into the room. My face burns from embarrassment knowing they all heard that. “Oh, my god, I hate you.”

  His laugh echoes over the excitement in the room. “I didn’t tell you to fake an orgasm.”

  “You also didn’t tell me the party was coming here.”

  This day couldn’t get any better. All night long I make plans for this place. Kase already had a list of doctors, therapists, and lawyers who said they’d volunteer here. Diane and I talk about how we'd work together to provide the best for all the women who came into the shelter.

  My cheeks hurt from smiling all night. When I spot Kase across the room, our eyes meet and I know in that moment, there is not another man out there for me. He’s my forever.

  Our love has definitely been molded into perfection.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ellie

  “This is the life,” I say up to the sky. The sun’s rays blanket me with heat, but the breeze of the moving yacht keeps me from overheating. Puffed clouds spread across the sky, the outline of one has me amused. “Does that look like a penis to you?” I point to it and roll my head over at Tori.

  She props up on her elbows, pulls her sunglasses down her nose to get a better view. “Hmm, if you enjoy the smaller things in life.”

  Letting out a small laugh, shaking my head I lay back. “You’re so…” I pause, trying to find the appropriate word.

  “Lucky,” Ben finishes my sentence, straddling her. Not really the word I was shooting for. A smile creeps up on her face. “Especially since you enjoy the bigger things in life.”

  When he lies on top of her, it’s my cue to leave. I love them together, Ben keeps her on her toes. He’s great at giving her almost everything she wants, enough to keep her coming back. She hasn’t been with anyone else for a year, so I don't know what's keeping her from saying yes. She’s too independent for her own good.

  The wind whips my hair around as I stroll to the back of the yacht. Kase is relaxing in a chair and he watches me wobble back and forth when we hit a few waves. “Whoa!” I say, grasping the side of the boat. “How did you live on a boat?”

  He stands and reaches his hand for me to take. Helping me to the chair next to him, he sits back down. “A big boat doesn’t feel the waves like this one. Although, I could live on this boat forever.” He sighs.

  I jerk my head his way, scowling at him through my sunglasses. We’ve talked about moving in together, and there is no way in hell I’d live out on the water. A day trip is perfect, living on one sounds like a horror movie in the making.

  “You’d love it out here,” he continues without glancing over at me. “Not having to worry about neighbors.” No, just bad weather. “Having the most incredible views.” I’m positive it’d get old. “It’d be an adventure, every day.” He peeks over at me and busts out laughing at my gaping mouth.

  “It’s not funny! Do you want to live on a boat? I’m not sure I could.” Panic spins in my voice. I love this man, already had thoughts of being with him forever. And it scares me we’re just now having this conversation.

  “No, but your reaction was priceless.”

  I whack him on the chest. “That was a cruel joke.”

  He stands, leaning on the arms of my chair. “Babe, I know you’re not a fan of the water and I’m not living somewhere you wouldn’t.” He plants a hurried kiss on my lips and stands again. The boat slows to a stop. I glance around, the beach far off in the distance, and wonder why we stopped. Ben yells from the front for us to come up there. Kase shrugs when I peer over at him for answers.

  “What’s up, Ben?” Kase asks when we reach them.

  “Watch,” he points out to the water. “There’s a whale swimming around.”

  I smile, remembering back to our first date. I hip bump him. “I’ve heard that before.” He waggles his eyebrows and flashes a cocky grin. It’s hard to believe it was six months ago and how hard I’ve fallen in love with him. I’m so busy reflecting on our journey I don’t notice him taking his flip-flops off. It’s not until he’s climbing over the railing that I come back to the present.

  “Kase! What're you doing?”

  “Ellie, it’s okay. I’m just going to take a quick dip.”

  I struggle with what to do, looking at Ben and Tori. They both shrug, so I look back to Kase. “Did you not just hear Ben? There are whales out there, ready to eat you.”

  “The whales won't bother me.”

  Ben holds his hands up. “I’m not stopping a SEAL from getting in the water. He knows what lurks down there better than I do.”

  My mouth opens to plead with him right as he does a perfect dive into the water. I run to the side of the boat, fisting my fingers around the hot metal rail, scouring the calm waters. Relief flows through me when his head pops up. He runs his hands through his hair, his smile bright under the dripping water. “You should come in, it’s amazing out here.”

  “I’m sure it is. I’m good right here though, thanks.”

  He floats atop the water like he’s lying on a solid surface, without a care in the world. My eyes flutter over the water looking for any sign of a whale. Or shark. I blow out the breath I wasn’t aware I was holding, relaxing my shoulders and watch the gorgeous man swim instead of freaking out. He knows what he’s doing. His board shorts suction around his muscular legs and I try not to stare too long at the outline of his soft cock, knowing it’s not even close to its full potential. I’m envious of his relaxed nature. He’s the calm to the storm buried deep inside me, making my past a distant memory. The last six months he’s shown me there is more to li
fe than waiting for the past to catch up. He’s my now. I hope my future.

  “One more dip and I’m coming up,” he says right before he disappears under the water. Ben comes over, hands me a beer and stares out at the ocean.

  “He’s a freaking fish.”

  I chuckle, looking out with him, bringing the cold beer to my lips. “I hope he doesn’t forget he’s not the biggest fish in the sea.”

  We both lean against the rail. The salty air, the gentle sway of the boat with the sun low in the sky behind us, makes the tranquil moment envelop me in a place of euphoria. For a hot minute.

  I jerk up, straight as a board, scanning the dark blue water. “Why hasn’t Kase come up,” I snap, gripping Ben’s arm. A panicked heartbeat slams against my chest as I move along the side of the boat searching for bubbles, ripples, any sign of him. “Ben!” I scream when he doesn’t answer.

  “I… I don’t know. But don’t panic.” He holds his hands out as if that will stop me from freaking out.

  Too late.

  “What’s wrong?” Tori asks, coming from the back of the boat.

  “Kase went under… and… and he hasn’t come up.” I point out to the water, every part of my body wanting to jump in and search for him.

  It has to have been at least three minutes now.

  Still no Kase.

  “Where are your life jackets!” I scramble, throwing seat cushions off, searching the storage boxes.

  Tori runs to a bench, grabbing one and throws it at me. I haphazardly put it on, snapping it around my chest.

  As I’m about to jump overboard, I hear Tori yell, “Wait!”

  I can’t wait anymore.

  I jump in.

  The cold water yanks my breath away and it takes a couple of seconds to pull it back. Remember why I’m surrounded by water. What am I supposed to do now? I try to dive deeper, the sting of the salt water on my eyes last only a second but all I see is water. The life jacket fights me reminding me why I'm wearing it-so I don't sink down into the dark waters. When I surface, I jerk around at the sound of his voice. I glance up and our eyes lock from where he's standing on the boat.