Authors: Amanda Bennett
I turned my face out of her palms, "Yes I can
Riley, because I knew the guy who took her. I was the one who let him into our
house and our lives. I brought him around thinking he was a good guy. Me, it
was my fault."
"Tristan?"
"Just let me finish, please?"
"Okay." She grabbed my hands and clutched
them tight.
"My partner died in the line of duty. I took
it really hard, and after the whole dead sister coming to see me thing, I
wanted to die too. I had followed you up here so many times before, and always
wondered what it was about this place, that kept you coming back. When I got up
here that night, I saw you standing at the edge. You looked so peaceful, so
calm, and I envied you. I envied that feeling you had. I wanted that feeling. I
had already been following you for awhile, and I knew how I felt about you, but
I also knew that nobody would ever love someone who lost so many good people in
his life, one of which still came back to talk to me. I was going to wait for
you to jump and then I would take my turn. I know how morbid that sounds, but
it's the truth. But something inside of me shifted when I saw you put your arms
out to your side. Something told me that you were a life worth saving, and if
you would just give me a chance, I could show you that a life with me was worth
living for. So I saved you. I took away the one choice you were making for
yourself, as you so eloquently put it. I'm sorry for that, Riley. But I can't
apologize for saving you. Saving you brought us together. I know I went about
it the wrong way, but it did. You gave me a reason to live. You made me believe
in love again, and you made me unafraid of what that love might do to me. You
gave me faith, Riley."
I turned towards Riley and cupped her face in my
hands. "I love you Riley with all of my jaded heart. I can't imagine a
world without you in it, and I don't want to. I just want you, all of you,
every single broken faithless piece. I want it all."
"I do too." She sobbed.
I gently pressed my lips to hers and my heart took
flight. There wasn't another feeling in this world that felt as good as feeling
those lips pressed against mine.
"When did Grace come back?" She spoke
against my lips and I pulled back enough to answer.
"It was after our first little fight. When I
got back from surfing the next morning, she was on my porch waiting for me.
She's been here ever since."
"I wish I could've met her. She sounds
amazing."
"She is. She likes you, she's already told me
that much. She's the one that has been forcing me to go after you, to make
things right. She came back because I was lost without you. She helped me find
my way. She helped me find you, Riley."
"And I will forever be in her debt. I have a
question, Tristan. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'm
curious now. Who killed your sister? What happened to her?"
I hung my head in shame. I knew she was going to have
questions, but I guess I just wasn't ready to answer them.
"It's okay. You don't have to tell me."
She turned her head into the wind that had picked up and I let out a heavy
sigh.
"I always want to be one hundred percent
honest with you Riley. No secrets anymore."
She looked back up at me. "No secrets."
She pressed her lips to mine again and I pulled her in so close that I was
almost certain I would suffocate her. When I pulled back, the words flowed
freely from my mouth.
"It was my best friend, David. He had been my
best friend since fifth grade. They were secretly seeing each other and that
night she went with him for a walk out on the pier. Apparently she had fallen
for her boyfriend and she wanted to tell David in person. She says he flipped
out, ended up strangling her. When he realized that she had stopped breathing,
he threw her over the pier and took off. I went to my lieutenant to tell him,
but he told me that there was no evidence to prove that, and seeing as David
wasn't willing to confess and had an alibi, I ended looking like the crazy one.
After that, Grace told me to drop it, so I did."
"God, Tristan I'm so sorry. I know that's all
I keep saying, but I am. I couldn't imagine losing someone so close to me like
that. I couldn't imagine not being able to do a damn thing about it afterwards.
You're an amazing person, Tristan Hayes."
"Too bad my mother doesn't think so, huh? She
introduced me as her nephew tonight. I think I have my closure with her though.
She will forever blame me and my father will forever blame her, and Gracie,
well she blames herself. It's a vicious cycle that will probably never end, but
I'm ready to start fresh. I need that closure in my life to move on."
Riley stood and pulled me to my feet. "Take me
home, Tristan."
I was confused but complied with her request. When
we pulled up outside her house, she didn't make a move to get out of the car.
"Wait here while I go pack a bag."
"A bag? For what?"
"So I can come stay with you, unless you'd
rather me stay here?"
"No, no I'll wait."
"Be right back."
And she was. Minutes later, she was back in my car
and we were headed to my place, just her and me. I wasn't sure if I would see
Grace again, but I hoped I would, so I could at least say good-bye this time.
I would be lying if I said I didn't worry about
what Tristan had told me, but I also knew that people dealt with loss in
different ways. If seeing his dead sister made losing her easier to deal with,
then so be it. I have never judged another human being and I wasn't about to
start. My love for Tristan superseded all else that felt unreal in this world.
I loved having him to myself and I never wanted the feeling I was feeling at
this very moment to ever end.
We walked up to his condo in a slower than normal fashion.
He held my hand the entire way and I was practically bouncing in my shoes at
the anticipation of finally seeing where he laid his head at night. The place
was impeccable and I was almost in shock. I never pictured Tristan as a super
clean person, but it was a pleasant surprise.
"You're really clean." I giggled.
"Honestly, it's not me that keeps this place
clean."
"Oh." I was starting to get worried a
little bit at his admission.
"I pay someone to come clean once a week. You
really thought my dead sister cleaned my house for me?" He let out a loud
laugh and I couldn't help but laugh right along with him.
"Come on, I'll show you the rest of the
place."
Tristan walked me through the entire condo. It had
two bedrooms, three bathrooms and it was quite spacious compared to what it
looked like from outside. The last place he led me to, was out onto his
balcony. From the second I stepped outside, and the crisp night air hit me, I
was in awe. His view was amazing. I could see the ocean for miles and miles in either
direction. Now I understood why he lived here. It was definitely smaller than
my mother's house, but his condo was definitely more my taste.
"Do you like it?" He whispered from
behind me as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
I leaned back into his chest and slipped my fingers
through his. "Like doesn't quite explain it. I love it, Tristan. It's so,
you. This is exactly how I pictured you from the first day I saw you. I just
knew you lived by the water, and I have to admit the smell of the ocean on you
all the time, only made me think this even more."
Tristan kissed the top of my head and bent down to
rest his chin on my shoulder. "You getting tired?" His voice was
thick and smooth as velvet and it had me feeling warm and secure.
"A little."
"You want to go lay down?"
I nodded my head, wishing he had asked sooner. He
led me into his bedroom and I didn't even bother with being modest. I pulled my
shirt over my head, discarding it into the corner of his bedroom and then my
pants soon followed. Tristan had already jumped under the covers and he watched
me like a cat stalking its prey, as I made my way over to him in nothing but my
bra and underwear.
"See something you like?" I whispered in
a sultry tone as I crawled under the covers with him.
"Yes, yes I do, but honestly I just want to
hold you tonight, if that's okay?"
"Absolutely, love. I couldn't ask for anything
more."
Tristan slid his strong muscular arms between the
sheets and me and pulled me into his bare chest. My head came to rest on his
arm just below his collarbone and I couldn't help myself, I had to kiss him. I
lightly pressed my lips to his collarbone and the moan that escaped between his
lips, made me yearn for more. I knew we were both physically and emotionally
exhausted and I didn't want to push anything with us. We had time and as far as
I was concerned, we had forever to get to know one another on the inside and
the outside. Tristan kissed the top of my head and I slowly began to fade into
one of the best sleeps I had ever had in my entire life. This was where I was
meant to be, and this feeling I was feeling, only proved me right.
I woke up from the best nights sleep I had possibly
ever had, with the woman of my dreams still tucked tightly into my chest. I lay
there staring down at the amazing woman that lay beside me. She was
overwhelmingly beautiful and one of the strongest people I had ever known. I
felt blessed that this girl had come into my life when she did.
I didn't want to wake her, and as much as I wanted
to stay tucked in beside her, the ocean was calling my name. I was also
secretly hoping that my sister would somehow show up again. I slipped out of
bed without Riley moving at all, which I was thankful for. She needed sleep
more than me and she looked so damn peaceful and so damn cute. I quickly
changed and headed out down the back stairs to the water. I glanced around a
few times, keeping an eye out for any sign of my sister, but when I noticed
next to no one out at this time of morning, I ran straight for the water to
catch my first wave.
I was about to catch another wave, when I saw her
beautiful blonde hair flying up around her face. I nearly lost my balance when
I saw her, and began paddling into shore as fast as I could. By the time I
reached the sand, my arms were burning from all my exertion. I stabbed my board
into the sand and ran for my baby sister, picking her up in a deep hug and
twirling her tiny self around and around. I placed a kiss to her temple and
pulled her down next to me on the sand. When she still hadn't said anything ten
minutes later, it hit me like a wrecking ball, full force as to why she was
here.
"You're saying good-bye aren't you?" I
aimlessly drew shapes in the sand below me so I wouldn't cry.
"It's time, Tristan. You don't need me
anymore."
"I'll always need you, Gracie." I knew
she couldn't stay, but part of me wished she didn't have to go.
"Yeah, but that girl up there, needs you
more." She pointed up at Riley, who was sipping on a cup of coffee out on
the balcony.
"I miss you, Gracie. So much."
"I miss you too, big brother. We'll see each
other again one day. I'll be waiting for you, I promise. Remember to love that
girl with
all
of your heart Tristan,
and not just part of it. She's a keeper. I like her spunk. I wish I could've
met her." She nudged my shoulder playfully as I turned and looked at the
sidewalk leading up to my condo, when I caught sight of Riley making her way
towards us. I looked back at my sister with sorrow.
"I love you, Grace. I'll look for you too."
"Just not anytime soon, you hear me?"
"I hear you, Gracie."
"And I love you too, Tristan. Live your life
the way I should've been able to. Live for the moment, and let her love you
back, all of you."
"I promise." Grace stood and gave me a
brief hug before she started making her way up the beach in the opposite
direction of my house.
"Grace?"
"Yeah?" She shouted as she turned
slightly towards me.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how your life
ended."
"Thanks, but it wasn't your fault Tristan.
Stop blaming yourself. You've showed me what it means to be loved whole-heartedly.
Thank you."
I glanced down at my feet with pride, and when I
looked back up to tell Grace a final good-bye, she was gone. A small tear
formed in the corner of my eye, but I held it back. Riley's hand slid across my
bare back as she wrapped her arms around my waist. My arms instantly pulled her
around in front of me and hugged her to my chest, as I let out a sad sigh.
"Did you say good-bye?"
I looked down into those bright ocean blue eyes and
couldn't help but smile. "Never good-bye, always see you later." I
bent down and sealed my lips over hers. I
had
found my peace in this life, and knowing that my sister got to witness that
made me smile even wider. "I love you, Riley Turner."
"I love you too, Tristan Hayes. I always
will."
I swept her up into my arms and ran for the water.
She squealed the entire way and kicked a few times to try and break free from
my tight grasp. The cold water splashed beneath us, and I could taste the salt
on her lips as mine claimed hers. This time I didn't stop. There were no more
words to be spoken. Nothing else to overthink or dissect. It was Riley and I
against this life, and I had every intention of making sure that her life was
worth living.