Without You(44)

"Of course you can, Grace. Always."

She began chewing on her bottom lip. "Are you … I mean, do you think you'll be happy with just being with Will?"

I gave Grace a small smile. "Yes. I can't really imagine being with anyone else."

"What about when y'all were apart? Or when you were going through that  whole crazy thing with Blake? Did you ever once want to be with someone  else?"

I didn't answer right away as I thought about her questions. "I can  honestly say, Grace, I've never wanted to be with another man besides  Will."

"When did you really know Will was the one?"

I smiled, and my heart started beating faster. "I think I knew for sure  the moment he picked up Emma after I'd dropped her while I was swinging.  He dusted her off and smiled at me as he handed her back to me. I  couldn't have been more than ten years old, but I remember thinking to  myself that I was going to marry him. Then, when I got Banjo and Will  began helping me train him, he touched me one day, and something  happened. It was so weird, like my body just said, Oh, yeah, he is the  one. I'll never forget it. In that moment, I think he stole a piece of  my heart with just his touch."

Grace smiled. "That's beautiful, Alex." She looked down at her hand. "Just a touch," she whispered.

"Just a touch," I said.

She looked back at me and shook her head. Her eyes changed. I wanted to  ask her why she was asking me all this, but something told me that Grace  might have experienced something with someone, and she wasn't really  sure what to think of it.

"You still gonna have a fling this week?" I asked.

The left corner of her mouth rose up, and she smirked. "Hell yeah, I am."

I shook my head and laughed.



I sat in the beach chair, reading, as Grace sat on one side of me and  Libby sat on the other. Lauren and Taylor were playing football with the  guys as Maegan stood off in the distance, talking to some girl from  Baylor she'd run into.

"Odd to see Maegan talking to a girl," Grace said.

I glanced up. "Why?"

"I don't know. She just always seems to gravitate toward men. Maybe being at Baylor is a good thing for her."

"She said she loves it there," Libby said as she looked at her magazine.

"Break time. Damn, I need to cool off!" Luke shouted as he took off toward the water.

Colt followed, but then Maegan walked by, and he stopped and said  something that made her laugh. She was smiling as she made her way to  her chair next to Grace.

"God, I need to get laid," Meg said as she plopped down.

"Me, too," Grace mumbled.

Libby shot her head around me and looked at Grace. "What did you say, Grace?"

Grace smiled and winked at her.

I laughed as I watched Will, Lauren, and Taylor all walk to the edge of  the water. Will dove in as Lauren and Taylor just stood there and  talked. I looked back down at my book and smiled as I attempted to get  lost again in the story.

A few minutes later, I heard Meg start laughing.

She called out, "Holy shit! It's like a wet T-shirt contest, but better!  Mr. Johnson, you, my dear, are packing some serious heat."

I looked up and saw Luke standing there, drinking a Coke.

He looked confused as hell as he stopped drinking and looked at Maegan. "What?"

Meg laughed her ass off. She looked over at Libby. "Too bad you have a  boyfriend, Lib. You could be getting some of that!" She threw her head  back and laughed harder.

I looked down at Luke's swim trunks. They were mostly white with a  light-tan band running around it. My mouth dropped open when I noticed  what Meg was laughing about.

Grace busted out laughing as she pointed to Luke. "Dude, I can totally see your dick!"

Luke looked down and then back up. He quickly looked at Libby, which  caused me to look at her. She was blushing as she stared, and she was  staring hard. She finally snapped out of it and then glanced back down  at her magazine.

Luke grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist as he looked at  Grace and Maegan. They were both still laughing their asses off.

"Fuck off, both of you." Luke started off toward his truck.

I couldn't help but giggle as I watched him walking away. I turned back  and looked at Libby. I leaned over and bumped her arm. "Don't let Maegan  get to you, Libby."         

     


///
 

She raised her hand like she couldn't care less, but I could see it all  over her face. She might be dating Zack, but her heart belonged to Luke.





As we walked down the street, making our way to Desserted Island Ice  Cream, I listened to Luke and Libby arguing about where to have dinner. I  rolled my eyes and looked down at Lex.

"I don't want to go where our parents are all going, Lib," Luke said.

"Then, don't, Luke. I haven't seen my parents since New Year's, and I want to spend time with them."

"I have to agree. I'd like to have dinner with my mom and dad," I said.

Lex nodded her head. "Me, too, Luke."

"I'm with Luke. I say ditch the parents," Colt said as he and Luke slapped hands.

"We can just go pick up a few girls then," Luke said as he winked at Colt.

"Nice. Don't you have a girlfriend, jerk-off?" Lauren asked as she pushed Colt.

Colt smiled. "Why, no, Lauren, I do not. I happened to walk in on her  and some dick football player from Fredericksburg getting it on at a  party a few weeks ago."

Lauren frowned. "Oh … I'm really sorry, Colt."

Colt shrugged his shoulders and looked straight ahead. "Doesn't matter.  I'm done with the whole bullshit thing called relationships. All women  do is fuck with your head … and heart."

"Amen," Luke said.

Libby peeked over to him and then looked straight ahead. Lauren peeked  up at Colt and then looked down and away with a sad expression on her  face.

After we walked into the ice cream parlor, I held Lex back. I kissed her sweetly on the lips. "I love you, Lex."

She smiled. "I love you more, Will."

I smiled bigger, and my heart melted.

"I'm so blessed to have you in my life. I just wanted you to know that. Thank you for loving me."

My stomach did a weird little flop, and I looked down at my thumb  rubbing across her promise ring on her left ring finger. We hadn't told  anyone we were secretly engaged. For now, we were using the promise ring  as an engagement ring.

She placed her hand on the side of my face. "I'm just as blessed, Will."

I leaned down and kissed her again.

"Dude, that's my sister you're sucking face with, and it kind of grosses  me out. Stop, please," Colt called out from across the room.

I pulled back just a bit and smiled.

She smiled back and whispered, "He's just jealous."

I laughed and shook my head. "Probably."

I took her hand as we walked up and ordered.

Libby and Luke each ordered the espresso-soaked brownie sundae. For the  last five years, they'd been ordering it to share with one another after  declaring it to be the best sundae they had ever eaten. This was the  first time they hadn't split it.

I sat down next to Libby and smiled as I took a drink from my chocolate milkshake.

"I say we camp on the beach tonight. Throw up two tents and build a fire," Luke said.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Lauren hopped up and down.

"Totally sounds like a good time," Meg said with a smile.

"We can make s'mores," Colt said as he looked at Lex and winked.

"We have to have s'mores!" Lex said with a giggle before turning to me.

I looked at her and gave her my panty-melting smile. She gave me a sexy  smirk as she bit her bottom lip. I already knew what she was thinking  because I was thinking the same thing.

"Taylor, you in?" Colt asked.

She nodded her head. "I'm in. Sounds like fun."

Luke looked at Libby. "Lib? You down for some camping?"

She smiled weakly and nodded her head. "Why not? Sounds like fun."

"Grace? You down?" Luke asked as he gently hit her on the side of the arm.

"Hell yes, I'm down for that!" Grace said with a laugh.

"Then, it's a plan. We're camping on the beach tonight," Luke said as he glanced around the table and smiled.



Colt, Luke, and I all sat on the sofa while our fathers just stared at us.

"Camping on the beach, huh?" Jeff asked.

I glanced over to Gunner. He was looking at me. It was almost as if he had read my thoughts from earlier.

"Yes, sir. We have two tents. One for the guys, and one for the girls."

My father nodded his head. "Where at on the beach?"

"We can pitch them right out front, if y'all want," Luke said.

I wanted to look at him like he had lost his damn mind, but I kept my eyes forward and my mouth shut.

"You boys will make sure the girls stay with you. No one outside of your  group is allowed to hang with y'all," Scott said as he looked at each  of us.         

     


///
 

"Of course," Luke said.

Brad took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Boys, we're trusting you. Don't make us regret this."