Forever Yours (25 page)

“You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No,” she said quickly.

“Good because—”

“I’m in Havasu,” she blurted out. “I didn’t want to sit around and think about this all day. It was already starting to drive me crazy and—”

“You’re in Havasu?” His voice lost a bit of its sweetness. “With who?”

“With Valerie and her friend Monica,” she said, squeezing her eyes closed. “But I don’t want you to think that—”

“That you’re there because you were pissed at me?”

“
Yes
, because I’m not,” she said with conviction. “I needed the distraction, Angel. If I’d been home all day today, I would’ve gone insane, waiting to hear from you.”

“So how long will you be there?”

“Until Monday,” she said.

He didn’t respond to that. Sarah wasn’t sure now which was worse: to have spent all day tomorrow wondering why she still hadn’t heard from him or to spend it the way she knew she’d be spending it now. He knew she was out there, walking around in her bikini amidst a sea of ogling guys like the ones she’d seen sizing her up tonight. On the way back to the hotel tonight, Valerie and Monica were already talking about trying to get invited onto one of those party boats. How else would they get
invited
if not by prancing around in their itty bitty bikinis and fluttering their lashes? Even if Valerie didn’t post any of the photos of Sarah, if Angel saw any of the ones of Valerie partying it up with the guys on those boats tomorrow, he’d know Sarah wasn’t too far away.

“All right. I’ll see you then,” Angel said abruptly. “Be careful.”

“No, wait,” she said, gripping the phone. “Don’t be mad at me. I swear I didn’t come down here to try and get back at you.”

“Okay, you didn’t. I gotta go.”

“No, you don’t—”

“
Yes,
I do. I’ve had a long fucking day, and now I’m getting a headache. I need to lie down.”

“I love you,” she said that damn knot in her throat again.

“Yeah. Love you too. Bye.”

The line clicked, and even though he’d said he loved her and said goodbye, it still felt as if he’d just hung up on her—something he’d never done in all the years she’d been with him.

The moment she walked back in the room, Valerie ran back in from the balcony where she and Monica had been drinking wine coolers and apparently flirting with some of the guys down below. Sarah explained about the party in Hawaii and why she hadn’t heard from him all day. Valerie had obviously sensed that, despite the relief Sarah was feeling about finally hearing from him and having the explanation she needed, she still wasn’t feeling good about it. Sarah told her about him being upset that she was there in Havasu.

“It’s not like you’ll be doing anything crazy, Sarah. He knows this.” She giggled. “You’re not me.”

Normally, Sarah would’ve laughed at that, but just thinking about how the call had ended she wasn’t in the mood. Still, Valerie talked her into having a few wine coolers and winding down. A couple of hours later she was feeling a little giggly herself. They’d since moved the party back into the room because some of the guys outside were suggesting they be invited up and were getting a little insistent about it, though Valerie was still walking out there every now and again.

Just as Sarah had begun to get comfortable under the sheets, her phone rang. Seeing that it was Angel had her clearing her throat and doing her best to not sound buzzed, but she answered before it could ring a second time.

“Hello?”

“Hey, baby,” he sounded groggy. “You still up?”

“Yeah,” she said, bringing the sheet and blanket over her head.

Frowning, she wished she’d thought to tell Valerie to lower the speakers still playing the music from her iPad pretty loudly. Valerie and Monica’s loud giggling voices coming back in and out of the balcony didn’t help either.

“But I’m getting ready to call it a night,” she said, trying to muffle the phone. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” he said. “I needed that nap I took. Listen,” he said, clearing his own groggy voice. “I’m sorry about being a dick earlier. I was just—”

“No, Angel,” she said quickly. “Don’t apologize. I understand why you were upset, okay? I know it looks like I came here to spite you, but first and foremost I didn’t. Second, you know me. Like you, I’d never do anything to risk losing you. You know that, right?”

“I know,” he said, his voice a bit lowered. “Just be careful. I hear it can get pretty crazy.”

“I will,” she said just as someone knocked on their hotel door.

Sarah jumped out of the bed and rushed towards the bathroom as Valerie and Monica hurried past her, giggling and speculating which of the guys from downstairs it could be. She locked the door as soon as she got in the bathroom, squeezing her eyes shut. If Angel heard any of it, he didn’t comment. “What, uh . . .” she began to ask, praying Valerie and Monica weren’t stupid enough to let any guys in their room. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Angel explained about the two-a-days they’d be having tomorrow and how they’d probably be more brutal than normal. Then he told her about how, even after they’d won the game today, the coach still tacked on one more drill for Monday morning, the day they’d be departing, so they were getting zero time to enjoy the island. “Yeah, he’s not gonna go easy on us. We fucked up, and he’s making us pay for it.”

The giggling and noise outside the bathroom had subsided, but Sarah still dared not open the door. Instead, she slid down against the door until her butt hit the floor. She felt bad knowing Angel was having such a brutal time in Hawaii and here she was partying it up with her crazy cousin and her equally crazy friend.

“I hate this,” Angel said out of nowhere.

“Hate what?”

“I hate being so far from you. I wish you were lying here next to me.” He moaned or groaned she couldn’t quite make it out. “I’d sleep
so
much better if you were. I miss you, sweetheart.”

She smiled, feeling a little choked up. “I miss you too.” Suddenly she could hardly wait to see him again. “Forever and always?”

“I’m yours,” Angel said, making her smile even bigger but at the same time choking her up even further as he added in a low whisper, “You’re mine.”

“Forever and always,” she assured him as she always did.

Long after she’d hung up with him, Sarah sat there pondering as she often did after having spent an amazing day, evening with, or even just a while talking to Angel on the phone. She wondered how in the world she’d been so lucky to have been blessed with a boyfriend like him. She felt almost ashamed now that for one very frantic moment that morning she’d actually considered the possibility that he might’ve done the unspeakable.

Lesson learned. From then until forever she’d trust her instincts that Angel would never risk what they had. No matter the circumstances she’d wait patiently until he had the chance to explain himself.

Chapter 16

Sarah

Last night when Sarah had finally emerged from the bathroom, she was surprised to see Monica already passed out in bed. Her stomach had turned a bit when she heard Valerie talking out on the patio still but then was relieved when she realized she was on the phone—with Alex. Sarah tried not to eavesdrop, but from the little she heard, their conversation wasn’t quite as sweet and satisfying as hers and Angel’s had been. Valerie sounded a little mad. Still, when Valerie walked back into the room and closed the patio door, Sarah could see she was smiling. Whatever Alex had said to her had her smiling once again. Somehow Sarah knew it would be a long time if ever that Valerie would give up on the guy.

Wanting Angel’s words to be the last she went to bed thinking about, Sarah had feigned the sleep of death when Valerie climbed in bed next to her. The next morning Sarah woke to a text from Angel.

Forever and always, baby. I love you. Be careful today! I’ll talk to you tonight.

That simple text had snapped Sarah out of the funk she was in for having taken off to Havasu on such a whim. It helped shake off what was left of the guilt she’d gone to bed feeling. She texted him back just as sweetly, telling him how much she missed and loved him then sighed in relief that he didn’t appear to be mad anymore.

She and the girls got up, showered, and went to breakfast. The lake was already bustling with Jet skis and every size and shape of boat imaginable. Most of them had bikini-clad girls either lying out on them or dancing and waving cups in the air—cups likely filled with alcohol even that early in the day.

Valerie had mentioned during breakfast what she referred to as Alex’s lame excuse for the photos with girls on his lap. It was the same as all the other times she’d questioned any photo she saw of him with one or more
whores
hanging on him.

“They’re not dudes. I can’t just physically push them off me.”

“In other words,” she said with a roll of her eyes, “he has no control over these girls who insist on sitting all over him or wrapping their bodies around him. It’s funny how guys like Angel and some of the other ones on the team in committed relationships don’t seem to have a problem with keeping the girls off them.”

“But you two are not in a committed relationship,” Sarah reminded her. “And you keep saying you’re okay with that. Remember?”

Valerie had stuffed her mouth with a forkful of pancake, and the conversation had ended there.

~~~

Now they were strolling down the lake shore where there were more and more boats docking into the lake.

“We
have
to find a way to get on one of those boats,” Monica said.

“I don’t know,” Valerie said, staring out onto the crowded lake. “Maybe we should just find a place to lie out and get a tan.”

Yes!

Whatever else Alex had said to Valerie last night and even this morning when Sarah saw her reading her texts and smiling silly had obviously changed her mind about how hard she’d party or how crazy she’d get today. Before Valerie had spoken with Alex last night, she was all for getting out today and making the most of their weekend. Sarah had planned on sticking to her guns and not getting talked into doing
anything
that might upset Angel, but she was also mindful of the promise she’d made of not being a dud.

“I’m all for working on our tans,” she said casually, looking around for an open space on the shore where they could lie out.

Valerie turned to her with a scowl. “How do you intend to do that when you’re all covered up?”

Sarah glanced down at her tankini, which covered her entire midriff. She’d brought another much more revealing bikini with her, but she decided that morning it didn’t feel right to wear it, given what a meat market this place was. She’d also wrapped a long sarong around her waist that went down to her ankles on the long side. It was still sexy because the other side exposed her leg all the way up to her tankini bottom. “I’m not all covered up,” she countered. “I’d take the sarong off, and I can push the tank up a little to get some sun on my middle.”

Her top did have a rather plunging neckline so her cleavage would be getting plenty of sun.

“Heads up!” Someone yelled from behind them and instinctively Sarah’s arms flew up to cover her head.

Valerie ducked into Sarah as a football flew by, narrowly missing Monica’s face, and fell near Valerie, rolling away a bit. A shirtless guy with a fabulous tan and chiseled abs ran up to them apologizing. “I’m sorry,” he said to Monica first then turned to Valerie and Sarah. “You guys okay? No one got hit, right?”

Another two guys walked up to them. “My bad,” one of the taller guys with equally impressive abs said with a big smile. “I give this guy too much credit. I should’ve known he’d miss that.”

Sarah did her best to smile as casually as Valerie but refused to smile as brightly as Monica. “You missed my head by an inch,” Monica said and the lashes were aflutter.

“Sorry about that,” the tall one said then added, “I’m Paul by the way.”

“I’m Graham,” said the guy who’d first approached them and since picked up the ball, bouncing it between hands now.

“I’m Edmund,” the third guy and only one holding a cup said, smiling, then winked at Sarah as he took a swig of whatever it was he was drinking. “Where you ladies headed today?”

“Not sure,” Monica spoke up quickly. “It’s our first full day here but also our last, so we’d like to make the most of it.” She turned toward the lake, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. “It’d be nice to get out on the water, but we don’t have a boat or Jet skis.”

All three guys smiled instantly. “You’re in luck, ladies,” Edmund said, “because we have both.”

Monica smiled brightly, looking at Valerie first then Sarah. Sarah clutched nervously at the strap of her beach bag, which hung over her shoulder.

“See that pontoon over there.” Edmund pointed at the huge blue party boat like so many out on the lake. There were other people already on it including dancing girls in teeny tiny bikinis. “That’s this guy’s boat,” he said pointing at Paul. “We’re headed out now. You’re welcome to come along. We have plenty of food and drink.”