The Mermaid and her King
Page 20
“You idiot. Shut up! I didn’t pick her up. If you had a fucking clue as to what’s going on, you’d know that’s Skyla’s best friend, Brooke.”
“Oh, shit. Well, what the hell is she doing sleeping in your room?”
“It’s because of a whole chain of events that you started, so she had to stay in here and torture me. You owe me big time.”
“I’m sorry, bro, about everything. I didn’t mean what I said on the phone that day. I know the last two months had to be hard on you.”
“It’s cool as long as you stay with Skyla and treat her the way you were before you found out she’s Nixie.”
“I’m not letting her go. I swear. So, why are you being tortured in this room?”
“Did you not see her?” Eric asks, pointing toward the bathroom.
I can’t deny that she’s attractive. “Yeah, I saw.” I start laughing.
“You’re a dick,” he says, chuckling. “She has a boyfriend, and he’s an asshole. I’m going to have to get Skyla to put some pressure on her to get her away from him.”
“You already like her.”
“Yeah, I do,” he says quietly, running his hands through his hair. “Now get the hell out, so I get a little more time with her before reality hits.”
“I’m going to my house. I’ll be back, and we’ll get home. Thanks, man. You’ve saved my ass for almost a year. I’ll make it up to you.”
New Year’s Eve
Skyla
“That was the last box, angel,” Chase says, kissing my neck. His sweat sticks to me, but I welcome it. He looks mouth-watering with sweat all over his fit body.
“Thank you, sweetie.”
“You sure didn’t have much,” he says with a frown.
“That’s all I own.”
“You’re mine now, so you’re going to let me buy you all sorts of things. You’re going to have closets of clothes that I get to see you wear, including some new bikinis and lingerie. We’ll throw some high heels in there and a car, and you’ll be set,” he says, winking at me.
I hug him. He’s cute, and he’s mine. “I’ll compromise. You can get me everything but the car.”
“Awesome. I’ll get the car later.” He grins and swats my butt.
All of us went to my house this morning and packed. I don’t have a lot, so with everyone there working, it didn’t take long. Chase is determined we’re starting the New Year in our house together. Rock’s even here with us. It’s surreal seeing him getting along with Bud’s friends that he used to hate.
“Are we sitting out back and eating or not? I need to cool down,” Eric says, wiping away the sweat on his face with the front of his t-shirt. I glance to Brooke and see that she’s staring at his abs.
“Sure, let’s go,” I say.
***
“Eric’s so handsome, sweet, funny and hot. Dang, his body was made to drool over,” Brooke says quietly as we lounge in the chairs on the patio.
“I’ve seen you drooling over it.”
Her wide eyes flash to mine. “You have?”
“Yes. You need to leave Rob, move here, and be with Eric.”
“I love Rob,” she says in a sad tone.
“You don’t sound very convincing.”
“I do love him, and I can’t just leave my life in California.”
“You have feelings for Eric, Honey. I can tell. That should say something about your relationship with Rob.”
“I’m sure that’ll fade away when I get home. I’m going to talk to Rob about treating me better. Eric and I talked for a long time last night, and he made me see I need to ask for that, but he’s nice to look at while I’m here.”
I roll my eyes under my sunglasses. She likes Eric, but she’s under Rob’s evil spell, so it’ll take a miracle for her to leave him.
We eat pizza, and besides Chase, the rest of us drink beer. He agrees to let the guys read Buds emails. I even have more that I printed. We sit on the patio and pass around the papers. Eric’s reading one and looks up at me.
“Skyla, who’s Honey?”
I glance to her. I don’t think she was aware that she’s in them until now.
“That’s me!” Brooke yells exuberantly. “He wrote about me?”
I see Eric swallow hard. “Yes, he did.”
She jumps from her chair and goes over to him before she reaches out her hand. “Can I read it?”
Eric looks up at her from his chair and reluctantly hands it to her.
When you move here, you need to bring Honey with you. She’s legal now, so I might stand a chance. I’ll have to keep her away from Shooter. His charm (bullshit) and Ken doll looks might win her over. He’s a great friend though, so I think I could survive it if he did.
I see her glance down at Eric. “You’re Shooter, right?”
“Yeah, that’d be me. I’m supposedly a straight shooter. You know, I tell it like it is.”
“Your charm’s not bullshit, and you’re way hotter than Ken,” she says, giving him an alluring smile.
He beams up at her. “Well, you’re sweeter than honey, Brooke.”
She blushes, and I see that I’m going to be nursing Eric’s wounds when she leaves. We pass around the rest of the emails and tell Bud’s dirty secrets, but I imagine due to guy code there are a few left out. OK, there are probably many left out, but the guys share about Bud’s life on the North Shore of Oahu with Brooke and me, and it warms me inside out.
I imagine most people have a Bud in their lives. That hilarious friend or relative who’d save your life but can’t seem to put themselves first to save their own. We need to tell that person what they mean to us.
That comical, reckless behavior might be the front for their fears and lack of self-worth that’s lurking below. Our words could be the only ones they hear that tell them just how magnificent they are.
I’m now lying in Chase’s lap. We all spend most of our New Year’s Eve laughing, but we also cry, and for once, no one tries to make the tears stop. No one’s trying to fix this because it can’t be fixed. This is our healing. We can only take Bud’s memory with us and strive to be our best selves in his honor. Chase squeezes me tight and nuzzles his face into my hair. “Baby.”
“Yes,” I say.
Chase points to my chest. “I only get a small part of Nixie to tuck away in my heart. She belongs to someone else who loved her beyond words. I fell in love with a beautiful, strong woman named Skyla. She made me whole. I got my sexy mermaid from the ocean and my angel from the skies. I feel like the King in between. I love you, and you’ll always be my Skyla.”
End Notes
Thank you for reading The Mermaid and her King. A Voice for my Soul to Sing will be released late 2013. It will take you on another journey with Bud’s friends and family, especially the relationships between Andy, Brooke and Eric.
Other books written by Scarlet Wolfe are A Week for Love to Bloom (Soul Mates 101 series, Book 1) and Brett and Hannah (Soul Mates 101 series, Book 2). I’m also looking forward to sharing Dylan and Taylor (Soul Mates 101 series, Book 3) due to be released October 2013.
For the latest release information, teasers and discussions, follow me on the web at www.scarletwolfe.com
www.facebook.com/ Fan page-Author Scarlet Wolfe
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Acknowledgements
My husband, Patrick, for helping me see that I’m often my own worst enemy. You’re my best friend, honey. Thank you for your love and support.
My family and friends for your continued support. All of you are the rocks I lean on as I find my way along this terrain full of ups and downs.
A big shout out to my cousin, Heidi, for getting me in touch with a cool surfer dude I could chat with about my novel.
A big thanks to the cool surfer dude, Bryan, for all the helpful knowledge.
My beta readers: Belinda, Karen, Kim, Susette, and Todd. You do so much more than give an opinion on my books. Yo
u truly build me up with your support.
Eden Crane Design for another fabulous cover. Check her out on Facebook. All of her work is amazing!
I want to give a thank you to my older son, Ryan, who is no longer on this earth. Even after his passing, I feel I’m still learning from him.
He always told me not to worry what other people think. I believe there are those we are close to whose opinions about us matter, but a lot of times, the guilt we feel is from allowing other’s opinions to define us.
I was able to begin writing contemporary romance when I was able to let go of worrying if others would approve. Believe in the person you truly are, not the false truths. Sometimes we just have to give two middle fingers to the world and enjoy this ride called life. We never know how soon it can end.