Page 105 of Seein’ Red

Bronwyn doesn’t bother hiding her smile, and I don’t blame her. My insides are still all mushy from it, and I can’t wait to relive it later when I tell the girls.

“The Keller men do have that whole secret romantic thing locked and loaded.”

I nod. “But where would he go?”

“You’re asking the wrong girl. If it were Noel, I’d tell you the tractor. But Nash…I’d have thought if anyone would know, it’d be you.”

“Yeah…”

I crash into one of the large, leather guest chairs across from her desk, defeat taking over. She’s right, I should know. This is the kind of thing that you know about the person you love. The person you know so well that you don’t have to think about this kind of thing.

“There’s got to be somewhere.”

“That’s the problem—there’s a bunch of somewheres.” Tears start to sting in my eyes, my heart feeling like it’s choking. “First place my mind goes is the nursery, so he can play in the dirt, but it’s the middle of the day and the whole fam will be there, so not exactly a be alone with your thoughts place. Especially since he doesn’t have the attachment to the tractor that Noel does.”

“Me too now…” Bronwyn wiggles her eyebrows, holding back a giggle.

I sit straight up, eyes going wide with her revelation.

“The tractor? Really?” Bronwyn nods conspiratorially. “Okay, well, we’ll get back to that.”

I pause, trying to wade through the mud in my brain, knowing the answer is somewhere in there.

“The peach grove is Hayes land, and that would bring back too many memories, and⁠—”

I cut myself short, the answer slamming into me. There’s only one place that it could be. The one place he says that he always feels as if everything is right with the world. No matter what.

Seriously, how was this not my first thought? I’m going to blame the swoony, hazy, love trance that he left me in. Or maybe I can blame hormones. Either way, I should have known.

But I’ve got it now.

“I know.”

I pop up, heading toward the door, my mind already working out not only the best way to get there, but what to say. I have a lot of ground to cover and even more to make up for.

“Where?” Bronwyn shouts after me.

I don’t stop to answer her though. There isn’t time. Because if I don’t time this just right, I won’t have another chance for hours. And there is no way I can survive the rest of the day without getting this off my chest.

If there ever was a when you meet the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start right now moment, this is it.

Fifteen minutes later, I throw my car into park at the Silver Lake marina, spilling out of it so fast I almost forget to kill the engine. I’m on borrowed time as it is, but don’t need a dead car battery on top of everything else.

I can’t see all the way to the end of the dock, so all I can do is throw up a prayer as I power walk across the old, faded boards. With each step, my heart speeds up, my skin prickling with a mix of nerves and excitement. But mostly nerves.

Because I really did fuck up. And Nash has every right to not forgive me.

Which is something I can’t allow to happen. I can live with knowing that I’m the idiot. But Nash hating me for the rest of time? Nope, not even going to entertain it.

Sunlight reflecting off chrome catches my eye, my heart stopping as soon as I see it. As soon as I see him.

Nash.

Standing inside the boat he shares with Noel, gathering up some rope, Nash looks as beautiful as ever. Reflections from the water bounce off his already mostly tan skin, his brown hair pushed back off his face.

I stop dead in my tracks, wanting to kiss him so bad that I physically hurt inside. But I have to talk to him first. Let him know that I’ve finally figured out what he’s apparently known all along.

Please, don’t let it be too late…