Page 63 of Do It With Me

CHAPTER 27

ELLORA

As the sky started turning a dusky pink, I sat cross-legged in the sand beside my mom, the warm grains clinging to my legs. We were building the world’s ugliest sandcastle, not much more than a few lopsided towers and a moat that kept filling itself in, but she’d wanted to build one with me and she kept looking at it like it was the Taj Mahal, so we kept going even if it wasn’t really working out.

She wiggled her bare toes, digging them deeper into the wet sand and turning her head to smile at me. “You know, I’ve always loved this feeling. Wiggling my toes in the sand. It just feels nice. It soothes me. Recharges me.”

I laughed and did the same, burying my toes beside hers. The sand was warm at first, then cool underneath. “You’re right. It does feel nice.”

For a while, we just sat there, the waves lapping against the shore and a few gulls crying overhead. Mom hummed absently under her breath while shaping the crooked turret of our masterpiece. Then she paused, her hand hovering over the sand.

“I know I don’t remember things anymore,” she said quietly, her voice calm but the knowing in it threading right through me. “I know what’s happening to me. That my memory is going.”

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly tight. “Mom…”

She looked at me then—really looked at me—and her eyes were so clear it almost hurt to see them like that. “While I can still say this, I want you to know that I love you, Ellora. I’m so proud of you and the woman you’ve become. No matter what happens, never doubt that for a second.”

The world blurred, the tears that welled in my eyes unstoppable. I reached for her hand and held it, pressing it tight to my heart. “I love you too, Mom. So much.”

She smiled and squeezed my fingers. “Good. Then we’re even.”

A breeze carried the scent of salt and sunscreen between us, and for a few minutes, we just sat there in the late afternoon sunshine, our toes buried in the sand, holding on to the moment before it could slip away.

Mom’s gaze drifted toward the water. “Have I met Holden before?”

I smiled. “Just once.”

She nodded slowly, as if she was trying to tuck the information somewhere she would be able to reach it again. “It’s just a gut feeling, but I like him. He cares about you. I see it in his eyes.” She turned to look at me then, a devious little smirk tugging at her lips for the first time in forever. “And I love the way you smile when you’re with him. I approve.”

A shaky laugh slipped out of me. “Good. I approve of him too.”

Her hand found mine again. Our fingers laced together as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Holden came up behind us, resting a hand gently on my shoulder. He slid down to sit on the sand, wrapping his arms around me from behind and pulling me into his chest.

Bree and the doctor stood a few paces back, giving us space but still part of the moment. The sky went wild with color, pink, violet, and molten gold spilling over the waves, and we all just watched. For a few rare minutes, everything felt exactly as it should be.

Once the sun had all but disappeared, we packed up and headed to the limo. Mom was drowsy but smiling, her hand loosely curled around the shell I’d given her. Bree and the doctor helped her into the limo, and I could tell even they were reluctant to let the day end.

On the flight home, everyone was quiet, tired, sun-warmed, content. I sat beside Holden, our fingers brushing every now and then, little sparks flying between us in the dark cabin of his plane. My chest ached with a bittersweet mix of gratitude and sadness. I was so happy we’d done this, already knowing I’d hang onto these memories forever.

Mom finally fell asleep and even Bree dozed off. Dr. Feldman read over some notes in a file. Holden leaned over and murmured, “Come with me.”

He led me to the small bedroom in the back of the plane, the hum of the engines surrounding us like white noise. The lights were dim, his smile soft. He turned and pulled me into his arms.

As soon as I realized where he’d brought me, I didn’t even think twice. I just kissed him, slow, deep, and grateful. It wasn’t about passion or lust, though there was plenty of both, but this was all about comfort and connection, the relief of having someone to lean on when the world felt too heavy.

Even so, I felt those familiar sparks of desire racing through me as his tongue moved with mine. Especially when I felt him growing hard against my belly. He groaned and broke the kiss but didn’t let go of me. “I figured you might want to get some sleep before we land. You said you hadn’t been sleeping very well and we’ve got a few hours. Dr. Feldman and I can watch your mom.”

“No.” I looked into his eyes and stroked my fingers into his thick hair. “I don’t know how much time you and I are going to have together in the weeks and even the months ahead. Stay with me.”

Holden pulled in a deep breath and reached for the covers on the bed, yanking them open. “Fine, but you’re getting some sleep.”

“Sure.” I twisted our fingers together and climbed onto the mattress, tugging him with me. “Maybe later, though.”

He chuckled and allowed me to pull him down on top of me, those blue eyes blazing with heat, but there was something much softer in them too. “If you really want me to distract you, I’m willing, but only if you’re sure.”

“It’s not about distraction,” I whispered as I wrapped my legs around his hips, feeling the hard heat of him between my thighs. We were both still wearing our bathing suits. Not much fabric separated us as he settled on top of me, and feeling him like this made everything else slip away just a little bit. “It’s about connection, Holden. You’re the one person I’ve been able to rely on. You make me feel joy even on the darkest days and I just…”

I trailed off because I didn’t know how to phrase this without coming straight out and telling him that I was falling in love with him. But it turned out that he didn’t need words. A soft, almost loving smile of his own spread on his lips. He dipped his chin in a nod and brought his lips to mine in a kiss that said maybe he didn’t know how to say the words either, but that maybe, neither of us needed to.