Page 69 of Coastal Rewind

Ryleigh didn’t even breathe as she held the charm in her fingers. Her eyes flicked to mine.

“Hilburn Park,” she whispered.

My head tilted. “Yes. How did you know that?”

“Because that was the last time I had this necklace around my neck.”

twenty-nine

Ryleigh

I couldn’t breathe. A rush of emotions was surging through my body as the impossibility of this situation settled in.

Mason looked so adorably confused as he glanced down at the necklace and then back at me. “This necklace?” he asked as he pointed to his collarbone.

I ran my thumb over the gold initials again, a feeling that used to be a nervous habit but now felt like a luxury.

I nodded. “I was visiting friends near Atlanta on my way from New York to Florida. We had lunch in the park before I loaded up my van and hit the road. I didn’t even realize it was gone until I was a few hours into the drive.”

“How do you know it’s the same one?”

I smiled a little, rubbing my thumb over the little medallion again. “MSJ. Maureen Susan James. My mom wore this necklace every day until she died, and I wore it every day until the moment I lost it.” I flipped it over and gasped as I found what I was looking for. “One day, Keegan tried to take it from my jewelry box, claiming Mom left it for her. My small act of rebellion was etching a little R onto the back so they’d know it was mine.”

He looked to where my thumb drifted over the faintly etched R. “There’s no way,” he breathed.

“It seems impossible,” I agreed.

“MSJ. Mason Saxley Jr.” His hand dwarfed mine as he held it against his collarbone. “I thought it was my sign because those are MJ’s initials, but I see it now.”

“See what?”

“You were my sign, Sunshine. You guided me here to this moment. Exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

Words escaped me as I thought about the invisible string that brought Mason and I together. It was as if the universe had known we would end up here, but weren’t ready yet. We both needed to grow and end up in the same place at the same time again when our lives were prepared to intersect.

When I realized the necklace was gone, I just about lost it. I hadn’t understood how much grief I still had to process regarding my mother until the last link I had was gone.

If Mason didn’t choose the Sparrows contract, he never would’ve met Nolan. He never would’ve stepped foot on my boat two summers ago, and I wouldn’t be staring into the eyes of the man I have big, scary feelings for.

“Exactly where we’re supposed to be,” I echoed the sentiment back to him.

Mason cupped my jaw and slowly dipped his mouth to mine. The kiss was slow as his tongue swept inside and I completely surrendered to him.

My arms wrapped around his neck and my fingers twisted into his hair as I pulled him harder against me. He groaned and pulled back.

“We shouldn’t,” he whispered.

“Actually, it helps the pain sometimes,” I whispered back, my lips brushing against his.

Mason sighed as he rested his forehead against mine. He pulled me to stand and guided me out of the tub, my body protesting the movements. I expected him to wrap me in a towel and leave, but instead he used the towel to meticulously dry my body. He placed gentle kisses down my arms and stomach, trailing behind the towel.

When I was fully dry, he stood back up and tilted my chin up with two fingers. “It helps?”

I nodded and bit my bottom lip. That seemed to be enough of an answer since he grabbed the back of my head and crashed his mouth into mine. His kiss was dominating but soft enough not to cause any pain. We walked back toward the bedroom until Mason gently lowered me onto the bed.

The feeling of his skin lit me up inside as his hands roamed over my body.

“Tell me what to do,” he said as his fingers lightly circled my nipple.