by Parker, Ali
The thought sent a shockwave through her, and she missed a return ball. She glanced back to Erica, who very much had on a game face.
"If you throw this game for Damon, I'm going to get you good," she growled playfully.
Bethany shrugged and turned back around, bursting into laughter at the look on Matt's face.
"See... I told you. Insanely intimidating," Matt mumbled and squatted, preparing. "Bring it on, girl. You're going down."
"I hope so," Erica responded, and that was all it took. Matt missed every ball hit to him after that.
Chapter 55
Bethany
The boys won the game, but only by a point. Erica cussed the whole way back to the room as they danced and made a scene in the hall before the girls. Bethany couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably. Damon was beyond cute as he delighted in his brother's madness.
"This is such bullshit," she huffed and stopped at the room, glaring down the hall at them.
"Sore loser and you're going to be sore when I get done with you." Matt clapped his hands and high-fived Damon. If Matt and Erica ended up sleeping together, everyone would be shocked, Matthew especially.
"Promises. Promises." Erica slipped into the room with a soft chuckle under her breath. The girl was devious. She knew what she was doing.
Bethany pressed her hand to the door and looked down the hall, catching Damon's attention as Matt slipped into their room. "That was fun."
"It was, but don't forget later tonight when I strip you bare on the edge of the ocean and make love to you, that I get to. I won."
A shiver ran through her, and she bit her lip to keep from letting him see just how much he affected her. "I'm ready."
"Good. I love you, wicked naughty girl."
"I love you too, overly competitive jackass."
He laughed and walked into his room. Bethany stood there for a minute, taking in the joy that raced around inside of her chest. She wanted to analyze every bit of it, but decided just to let it be. Damon was hers, and unless she walked away, it seemed he would be forever.
She moved into the room to find Erica laid out on her bed, her eyes closed and a huge smile on her pretty face.
"What are you smiling about? We lost!" Bethany asked, moving to the small kitchenette to start a pot of coffee. It was ten thirty, but her cup hadn't been strong enough at breakfast. She needed something to kick-start her brain, or she would soon find herself in a zombie state. No sleep and loads of sex didn't bode well for being on point should her mom or Kent need something of her.
"Just thinking about Matt. He's so docile at times, but at others, when he's not concentrating on how intimidated he is, he comes out of his shell." She opened her eyes and turned on her side. "I just want to pry him open faster."
"He's a good man, one of the best I've been around. He's definitely the brother I've always wanted." Bethany started the coffee pot and walked to the back door, opening it and tugging the screen door into place. "Just be careful with him. He means the world to Damon and me."
"Of course. I'm just going to be myself, and if he doesn't like me for who I am, then I guess it wasn't meant to be." Erica's voice grew softer.
Bethany glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the pretty woman. With her blond hair spayed out on the bed she looked almost angelic. "How long have you had feelings for him?"
"Since we met five years ago." She rolled onto her back and lifted her hands in the air. "I've dated a few men since falling for Matt, but nothing seems to work out. I think I'm just at the point where I'm going to shit or get off the pot, you know?"
"I do know - completely. I did that my graduation night. The pot exploded. It was ugly." Bethany let out a short laugh, glad that Damon couldn't hear her talking like a fifteen-year-old boy. He would most likely laugh, or find her completely disgusting. Bethany chuckled at the thought and poured her a cup of coffee before offering one to Erica.
The other woman got off the bed and walked to the back door, glancing toward the kitchen. "What do you mean? Something happen with Damon?"
"No, it was before I met Damon. I'd been seeing one of my best friends off and on throughout my bachelor’s program. We were study partners, and though he wasn't my type, I wanted a relationship, or affection really."
"Sex?"
"Exactly. I stripped and walked to my room in front of him and... nothing."
"Wow. Really? Nothing? You're really hot. He didn't take the bait?"
Bethany felt heat rush up her cheeks. Erica's comment wasn't lost on her. It was nice to hear you were pretty from others, but to be told you were hot by someone who was hotter than you? Brilliant.
"Nope. He was supposedly falling for our other friend, Krista, who happened to be my roommate."
"Oh shit. Plot twist."
"It gets better, or worse, really." Bethany handed Erica the other cup of coffee. "Krista is bipolar and on medication, but she stops taking it, and Jake tells her that he's not interested. She's been too aggressive and extremely overbearing. She goes off the deep end and stabs him twelve times in the chest and stomach."
"No way. You're making this shit up, right?" Erica took a tentative sip of the coffee and smiled. "This is delicious. Remind me to hover around you when you're making coffee in the morning."
"I'm not kidding at all. Horrible situation. He's alive, but still in the hospital. That's been the drama at the edges of my world for the last week." Bethany let out a long sigh and joined Erica at the door.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope this place gives you some rest. You need it." Erica wrapped an arm around Bethany's shoulders and squeezed softly. "I'm here if you need to talk more about it too."
"Thanks. I appreciate that."
"On a lighter note, what does the bridesmaid’s dress look like?" Erica moved back and took another drink of her coffee.
"It's actually white, funny enough. Mom wanted to wear a muted rose color since this isn't her first wedding. She bought me a pretty white dress that is relatively comfortable to wear." Bethany shrugged and turned her attention back to the beach as a large gaggle of girls jogged by in skimpy bikinis. Bridget was at the front of the pack.
"You have to be kidding me. Ugh." Bethany turned from the window and walked to one of the chairs at the kitchen table, sitting down.
Erica moved to the door, looking out and shaking her head. "Desperation always screams louder than any other emotion."
"That pretty blond leading them is Damon's ex."
"Oh. The chick from breakfast?" Erica moved closer to the door, peering out. "Hopefully she trips and eats it. I'm watching just in case. I'll replay the visual for you if it happens."
Bethany laughed and nursed her coffee. "I'm not going to let it worry me. It's stupid."
"I agree. I've known Damon Bryant for five years and have even seen him with a few other girls, and it was never like what I see in you guys." She turned and, walked into the room, taking a seat across from Bethany. "He's in love with you. Don't miss the way he looks at you, the lightness of his spirit when he's with you, the twinkle in his eye."
"You saw the twinkle too?" Bethany chuckled and got up to answer the door as someone knocked on it.
It was her mom and Aunt Patty. "We're going to the beach. Come join us?"
"I might. I'm talking with Erica right now. I'll catch up with you shortly."
"All right." Her mom smiled and slipped her arm into her sister’s. "No rush. Just wanted to see if you wanted a break from all the new faces."
Bethany chatted with them for a few more minutes before walking back into the room and picking up her wallet. "I'm going to grab a coke. You want anything?"
"No. I'm good."
Slipping out into the open-aired hallway, Bethany glanced to her left and right, trying to figure out where the hell to go. She heard a coke drop from a machine nearby and smiled, turning left and heading to the small opening.
The sound of two men talking caught her attention, the voices far more than familiar. She p
aused beside the opening and pressed her back against the wall, knowing it was a horrible decision.
"Are you upset that Bridget's here?" Matt asked.
"Not at all. I hate that bitch," Damon responded as the sound of one of them opening a coke filled the air.
"I think Bethany is dealing with it well."
"She is. I'm hoping she continues to. I don't want to have to keep reminding her over and over that I'm into her." Damon let out a long breath. "I wish she would just hear me when I say it."
"She's young, Damon. We were worse than her when we were younger."
"Yeah, but Bridget never needed so much reassurance. I'm just not sure how many more times I can say the same thing. I'm with her... doesn't that speak volumes?"
"I think so. I'll talk to her. She knows you care about her."
"I don't just care about her, Matt. I love her."
"Love is a big word, bro. You just met her a few weeks ago. You should be careful slinging around the ‘L’ word. I don't want her hurt."
"Fuck you, dude. I know my own heart."
"You told Bridget you loved her a few days after you got together all those years ago."
"True."
Bethany turned and walked down the hall, slipping back into the room and pressing her back to the door as her eyes filled with tears. Was Damon's expression of love nothing more than words? He was just bitching about her not getting it, but was there anything to get or was it hollow, an empty promise with no backing?
Wiping at her tears, she tore off her shirt and shorts and slipped into her bed, the smell of him rising up and wrapping around her. She forced herself not to cry. It was just a conversation between brothers. He didn't love Bridget anymore, but how long would he "love" her? If the words were so easy to mutter, then how much did they really mean?
She remembered the look on his handsome face, the pale sickness when she told him that she loved him back at the house during their large fight. Had she misread him? Was the illness on his handsome face more a fear of having to share empty feelings instead of his concern over truly being loved by someone?
Letting her thoughts go, she closed her eyes and forced her mind to relax. She would sleep the day away. Surely her high emotions were due to lack of sleep and over-stimulation thanks to Damon, and now, Bridget's presence.
Damon loved her. That was enough, right?
Chapter 56
Damon
Matt reached out and patted the side of Damon's arm. "Just make sure she knows that you're not at all interested in Bridget anymore. That's what will keep things on the right track."
"I already did." Damon ran his hand down his face and turned, feeling someone behind them. "I'll tell her a hundred more times if I need to."
"What are your plans?"
"I'm going to go find Beth and see if she wants to lie out by the beach with me. It's a lazy afternoon, and from what Dad said, we aren't due to dinner until late tonight."
"I'll come with you if you want."
"Yeah, sure." Damon walked out into the hallway and made his way down to Bethany's room.
Erica's voice surprised him as she walked up from behind them. "She's lying down. I just went to grab a Coke. You guys going to the beach?"
"Yeah." Damon turned to face Erica. "Is she all right?"
"I think so. She's just tired." Erica shrugged as her attention quickly turned to Matthew. It was almost comical to see how much the two of them liked each other, and yet neither of them were willing to say anything about it to the other.
It was childish and stupid. It was totally Matt's persona.
"How messed up is it that Bridget is here right now? Of all the places in the world..." Damon let his words die off as they walked toward the opening at the end of the hall that would lead to the beach.
"Things like this always happen to you." Matt moved up beside Damon and glanced over at him. "Remember that girl you tried to date in high school and your ex-girlfriend with the big boobs kept showing up everywhere."
"Tera. She did have big boobs. At least to a fifteen-year-old kid." Damon smirked, glad Bethany wasn't there to hear him and Matt acting like goons. It was a side of himself that he only allowed Matt to see. Now Matt and Erica it would seem.
"Really?" Erica gave them a look before walking to the edge of the water and sitting down. Her long legs stretched toward the water, and something seemed oddly intimate about the moment.
"We were boys." Matt snorted and dropped down next to her before glancing up at Damon. "Sit down, man. Take a load off."
"Yeah. I'm gonna walk down the beach, but I'll be back shortly. Just want a few minutes to myself." Damon turned and walked toward the far end of the beach, which was empty as far as the eye could see. He'd made the decision that Bethany was going to be his woman for the rest of his life, but something was nagging at him.
Maybe the older woman on the plane was right. There was no time like the present. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet to check for his large credit card. Everything was in place as it should be.
He glanced up toward the large resort where they were staying and took a sharp right. There was no way in hell he would mess up his father's special moment, but the minute it was over, he wanted his own moment. One with just him and Beth out on the beach. One that would seal the deal and make her forever his.
She wouldn't need to ask anymore if he loved her, or if he were interested in any other women. He'd show her.
The sand was soft between his toes, but the sidewalk was a little too hot from the afternoon sun beating down on it. He jogged across the pavement, cursing here and there about not grabbing his shoes. It wasn't as if he'd planned to be anywhere but along the water, walking down the beach.
He stopped outside of the main entrance to the hotel and pulled on the door, finding it locked.
"Damn." He'd left his key in Beth's room, not expecting to be gone from her side. He leaned in and cupped his hands around the glass. He pounded on the door with his hand and moved back as a woman in a black uniform opened the door.
"Forgot your key, sir?"
"I sure did. I appreciate your help." Damon walked in and blinked a few times as his eyes worked to adjust to the inside of the resort. "Do you by chance have a jewelry store on site?"
"We do. Just down that hall to the left." The woman glanced down at his feet and smiled before looking back up. "Unexpected purchase?"
"Something like that." Damon chuckled and moved past the woman toward the direction she pointed. The store was right where she'd said it would be.
A proper-looking gentleman in a suit looked up from one of the jewelry cases and gave Damon an odd look. "Um, might I help you, sir?"
"Yes. I'm going to propose to my girlfriend sometime this weekend. Can you show me your engagement rings?"
"Of course, sir, but our prices are honestly a little above market, at best. It might be advantageous for you to take a cab into town and-"
"I'm good. Thank you. Show me the most expensive ring you have, and the most beautiful. The most dainty." Damon pulled out his wallet and laid his platinum card on the counter. "I want her to feel like the queen of the world when I pull it out."
"Of course, sir." The man nodded and moved about with a little more confidence. Damon worked hard not to scoff at him. Maybe Beth was changing him from the inside out. A couple of months before and Damon would have ripped the guy a new asshole. Somehow it didn't seem that important in the middle of paradise to be a dick.
He bent over and unlocked a cabinet as Damon leaned over and let his eyes move along the various rings. All of them seemed too big, or too small. Too round or too square.
"How about this one?" The man pulled out a small box after they'd gone through what felt like a million rings.
"Let me see it." Damon pressed his hands to the glass below him and hoped like hell that the guy had something incredible to show him. Bethany deserved the best. She was going to make him a better man, and give him hope
for something he thought he would never want. Love. Family. Commitment.
"It's one of a kind. It's very expensive." The guy held the box in his hand as he glanced up at Damon, but had yet to open it.
Damon met his stare. "Open the box. I have more money than I know what to do with. Stop dicking around and show me the ring."
Maybe Bethany had more work to do still.
"Of course. I'm sorry." The clerk popped the box open and lifted the ring toward Damon.
He knew immediately. "That's it. Put it in a bag and charge my card."
"Sir, it's three hundred thousand dollars."
"And?" Damon took the box and brushed his thumb over the top of the diamond.
"Okay." The guy took a shaky breath and extended his hand. "Anything else I can get you today?"
Damon glanced up and handed him the ring as his heart fluttered in his chest. He was going to propose to Beth. So soon. Without giving it a second thought?
"Yeah, a drink." He pursed his lips and let the truth sink deep inside of him. He belonged to her. They'd figure out the details later. Besides, he wanted to see her face light up when he dropped to his knee and offered her forever beside him.
Hopefully, she would say yes.
He smirked at the thought. "Wouldn't that be some shit?"
"Sorry, sir?"
Damon glanced over his shoulder. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
Chapter 57
Bethany
Bethany woke to the quiet room around her, Erica nowhere in sight. The crimson rays of light coming through her open door brought in the awareness that it was close to dinner time. Bethany slipped out of the sheets and picked up her phone, three messages from Damon looking for her. They stopped just after lunch. He must have realized that she was taking a nap.
Running her fingers through her long hair, she yawned loudly and walked to the bathroom as the conversation with Matt and Damon rolled over her again. She was making too much of it.