Page 87 of Coastal Rewind

Mason burst into a laugh. “She’s not going to say no. I bet she already knows about this, considering Aiden is horrible at keeping secrets and Rori is smarter than him.”

I felt my lips twitch and I nodded. “You’re right. It’s going to be fun.”

Tonight, Aiden was finally getting down on one knee and asking Rori to marry him. The girls and I rallied behind him and helped to plan this classy party on the private beach of the club. Aiden was going to take Rori down to the water and propose in private and then they were going to walk up to the club for “dinner,” but in reality we’d all be there waiting to celebrate.

“I’m glad you’re here with me.” I squeezed Mason’s hand and let my head roll to the side to look at him.

“Me too, baby. I’m happy to be anywhere you are.”

Keegan and Maeve hooked their arms into mine as we stood and waited on the private deck we rented for the party. We cut the music off and dimmed the lights so it wasn’t completely obvious what was waiting even though we all agreed Rori definitely knew about it the entire time.

“They’re coming! They’re coming!” Lottie whisper-yelled as she ran up to us. She was on lookout duty for the happy couple. The energy around me was buzzing and for the first time in weeks I felt at ease. I was surrounded by every single person I loved in this world and I belonged here.

Lottie wrapped herself around Owen with a massive smile on her face.

Owen and I still hadn’t talked about our fight. He didn’t understand me and I wasn’t capable of explaining the chaos behind my decisions. He knew about my secret so there was nothing I could reveal to him to change his mind about why I left and stayed away. He knew why I didn’t come back. That wasn’t good enough.

We’d never gone this long without speaking. Even when I was gone he would call me once a week to catch up and just hear each other’s voices. I was only a few miles away but I hadn’t heard his voice in weeks.

I knew we’d work it out eventually and tonight, at Aiden’s engagement party, was not the time to do it.

The crowd was hushed as Aiden and Rori took the few steps up onto the deck. The lights came on and the entire crowd erupted into a spew of “congratulations” cheers. Rori screamed and clutched her hand to her chest and then immediately burst into tears as her sister Olivia tackled her in a hug.

The music picked back up and the waiters holding trays of champagne started circulating. Keegan and Maeve dragged me forward until we were surrounding Rori and Aiden. Maeve grabbed Rori’s left hand and let out a quiet scream.

“It’s even more perfect on your finger.”

“Truly stunning,” Rori said wistfully as she held up her hand for the rest of us to see. The ring was simple. It was a round solitaire Tiffany’s diamond on a simple silver band. It was perfect.

Once we’d gushed the appropriate amount, the girls and I headed off in search of a drink. When we reached the bar, Keegan nudged me with her shoulder.

“You okay, Ry? You look a little pale.”

My mouth was dry and my head felt a little fuzzy. “I think I just had a little too much champagne on an empty stomach. Some food should help.”

I reached for a passing server who held a tray of bite-size bruschetta on toast. I held it up to my mouth and had to hold my breath as I shoved it in my mouth so I didn’t immediately throw it back up.

Seriously, what was wrong with me? Did MJ bring home a stomach bug from camp that I somehow contracted?

I swallowed the hor d’oeurve and forced a smile at my sisters. Keegan arched a brow at me but let it go and turned to ask Maeve about the scheduled speeches that would be happening during dinner.

I took that as an opportunity to slip away for a moment alone. I walked down to the beach and let the warm breeze calm me. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the small waves crashing on the sand and the birds soaring in the sky. I always felt like I fit in with nature. The calm and simple beauty spoke to me, like the serenity was what my soul needed to be whole.

As I looked out at the ocean, I could feel the tears springing to my eyes. Everything I had experienced lately was what I had always wanted. It was a life I thought I could never have and a dream I never let myself chase.

I knew deep in my bones that I couldn’t give this up. I would latch onto it as long as I possibly could.

Strong hands wrapped around my middle, and I winced slightly at the pain in my stomach.

“There you are,” Mason whispered in my ear.

I smiled up at him. “Sorry, I was just taking a moment.”

“No need to apologize. I was coming to get you because dinner is about to start and you’re being summoned.”

I took a deep breath and nodded, turning to follow Mason back into the party.

As everyone took their seats around the deck, I cleared my throat into the microphone. One hundred pairs of eyes found mine, and my palms started to sweat. Public speaking was not something I would boast about on my resume.