Chapter Fifteen

Isaac woke to his head pounding. He groaned and rolled over, placing a hand on his forehead. Why did it feel like he’d been hit by a sledgehammer? The pounding continued. He pushed himself up onto his elbows. Yes, he had a headache, but there was someone actually pounding on the front door.

“I’m coming,” he grumbled, slipping from beneath his covers. Trudging to the front door, he opened it mid-pound. Sunlight blasted his retinas and he squeezed his eyes shut. It wasn’t usually so bright this early in the morning.

Whoever was at the door released what sounded like a sigh of relief. “Oh good, you’re okay.”

“Why I wouldn’t I be?” He opened an eye part-way. Caleb stood on his front porch, fully dressed and ready for the day.

Caleb opened the screen door and walked past Isaac, not waiting to be invited in. “Because you never miss your early morning surfing session, and you were supposed to be at your post an hour ago.”

Isaac’s eyes flew open. No wonder the sun had seemed so bright. “Oh crap, let me just grab my shoes and I’ll be right there.”

“You going to put on shorts while you’re at it?” Caleb asked with a smirk.

Isaac looked down and saw his bare chest and a pair of boxers. “Right.”

“You sure you’re doing all right?” Caleb called across the bungalow as Isaac rushed around, looking for everything he needed. Whistle. Sunglasses. Sandals. Water. “You still aren’t wearing clothes,” he pointed out.

Why was he such a mess this morning? Pre-medication Isaac had been like this, but that was because he had been too depressed to function, not because he’d been too scatter-brained. “Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I didn’t sleep well or something.”

“We missed you at the sunset stroll last night,” Caleb said as Isaac hopped past on one foot while he slipped a sandal on the other. “I thought we were going to get a show, you know with you and Leanne and everything. Change your mind about setting the record straight?”

Isaac paused mid-hop.

Leanne.

No wonder his head was screaming at him. He had no idea what time she’d ended up leaving the previous evening…or had it been the morning…but there had been no way his mind was going to shut off and allow him to sleep. Not after revealing his secret—that he had mental illness—and how well she had taken it. And then the first kissing session. And the second. Isaac was pretty sure there had been a third one in there somewhere. It hadn’t all been lips and hands though. Now that his head wasn’t throbbing quite as bad, he remembered talking in the dark, her snuggled up under his arm. And laughter. Something he had thought was a thing of the past.

“Uh…we decided to postpone the sunset stroll.”

“Cold feet, huh? Worried about how everyone would react to seeing you two together?” Caleb gave Isaac a sympathetic look as they both stepped outside and Isaac locked up.

Isaac felt like he should tell Caleb. He was the one Isaac trusted most to give solid advice, after all. And the man was practically family. But what if it had been a one-night thing? No sense in getting everyone’s hopes up.

“Something like that,” Isaac said. He tossed his towel over his shoulder. “Sorry, but I better run. I’m already crazy late as is.”

“No problem,” Caleb called after Isaac as he began to jog down the path. “But I better see you at the stroll tonight.”

Isaac wondered how Leanne felt about that. He slowed and moved to grab his phone from his pocket, wondering if she’d texted. Maybe she wasn’t even awake yet. But his pockets were empty.

Shoot, he’d forgotten his phone. Maybe he’d have to pay her a lunchtime visit.

* * * * *

Lunch came and went, but Isaac didn’t get the chance to grab a quick break. There were a few families that had showed up right when he was about to leave, and he wasn’t about to abandon his post with those little kids running around, splashing in the waves. The water was freezing—Isaac would know—but they didn’t seem to mind.

Eliza arrived mid-afternoon to replace him, and he made a beeline for the diner that sat on the edge of town. They had the best fish sandwiches. World famous, or so they claimed. He didn’t get half-way there, however, when he spotted a woman on the other end of the beach. She was running through the waves, splashing like she didn’t have a care in the world. Upon closer inspection, Isaac thought the woman looked a lot like Leanne. He changed direction and made his way toward her.

When he got within about twenty feet of Leanne, he paused. She looked so happy, and he didn’t want to interrupt. That, and, he was unsure how to act around her. Should he behave as he had last night, and kiss her passionately as the waves rolled over them? Or as friends, like she claimed she wanted. A listening ear, and a friendly companion.

Or maybe they were still nothing more than the casual acquaintances they’d become since her return to Starlight Ridge.

But then her gaze met his, and her grin didn’t fade. Instead, she ran over to him, laughing, her hair windswept.

“I know I must look like I’m insane,” she said. “But my dad told me to take a break and get some fresh air, and just watching the ocean wasn’t enough.”

Isaac laughed with her, loving how expressive she was, living in the moment. That was the Leanne he remembered. The one he loved. The one he had wanted to marry.

“You don’t need to explain it to me,” he said. “You know full well that I’m always the first one out on the waves.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Not this morning. I showed up with my board, expecting to have a surfing buddy, and you were a no-show.”

Leanne had gotten up early to surf? That surprised him on a number of levels. One, they’d been up most of the night, and as much as he loved the ocean, he’d barely managed to drag himself out of bed when Caleb had shown up. Not to mention that Leanne had always been more of an evening surfer. There was only one reason he could think of that she’d be up with the sun.

Him.

Isaac’s stomach dropped, but in a thrilling way, like when he rode a roller coaster. “I stayed up too late last night,” he said, his tone full of not-so-hidden meaning. “Had trouble getting up this morning.”

A playful smile pulled on Leanne’s lips. “It’s not the first time I’ve kept you up, and you’ve never seemed to have a problem before.”

Heat crept into his cheeks, and he didn’t know why. He and Leanne used to banter like this all of the time. “I guess I’m getting old.”

Leanne laughed. “You look like you’re in plenty good shape to me. Felt like it too, last night.” Her laugh died and pink tinged her cheeks. “I mean…well, I suppose it came out how I meant it.”

The thought of her checking him out, and liking it, made him stand a little taller. Isaac was also glad that he wasn’t the only one who was acting all awkward. It made the situation a little more bearable knowing he wasn’t the only one stumbling over himself.

“I guess I’m out of excuses then.” He nodded toward the ocean. “Mind if I join you? I haven’t so much as gotten my feet wet today.”

A grin exploded across Leanne’s face. “Of course. Frolicking through the waves is great and everything, but it’s not quite the same when you’re alone. It tends to make people look at you like you’re crazy.”

“Wouldn’t they do that, even if you weren’t alone?” Isaac asked. The locals often joked about how the tourists acted like they had never seen water before.

“Yes,” Leanne agreed, “but at least then I’m not the only one who’s nuts.”

Isaac slipped his sandals off and emptied his pockets before placing his things onto his towel. “I haven’t gotten in a good frolicking in a while. Let’s see what I’ve been missing out on.” He grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head and dropped it next to him.

The expression on Leanne’s face was priceless, her eyes a little wider, and her lips open. Isaac’s muscles flexed in response.

Her jaw clamped shut and she folded her arms over her wet t-shirt, her eyes narrowed. “You have to warn me before you go taking your clothes off.”

“Why? I’ve never needed to before.” He threw a teasing grin her way.

“True,” Leanne said slowly. “But it’s been a while and I’m not used to the view. It’s a little shocking for someone who hasn’t seen those abs in a couple of years.”

And just like that, Isaac felt like they were back. The last twenty-four hours had proved they still had what it took to recover from Leanne’s absence. The fact that she’d felt comfortable, and worried, enough to ask about his full medicine cabinet, and that he’d told her about his past—about his depression. That said everything.

That, combined with her showing up to surf that morning, the chemistry he had felt as he’d held her in his arms, and now as they experimented with flirtatious banter—he had made up his mind.

Isaac closed the distance between them and placed a hand on the back of Leanne’s head. She looked into his eyes, questioning. But she didn’t move away. That was promising.

“I still love you, Leanne. I know I haven’t treated you right since you returned. But if you’ll give me a chance, I’d like to make it up to you.”

Leanne laughed softly. Her tone was full of disbelief as she said, “I’m sorry, but you’re the one asking for a second chance?” She gave a quick shake of the head. “It’s me who has been needing it this whole time. I’m the one gets to ask for forgiveness here.”

“Just as bossy as I remember,” Isaac said, smiling.

“You bet I am,” Leanne said, though her voice was playful. “Now what does it take for a girl to get kissed around her?”

Isaac leaned in so his lips hovered just over hers. “I think I can make that happen.”

This kiss wasn’t like the frantic, passionate ones of the evening before. Those ones had held all of the pent-up longings, frustrations, and desires that had built up over the past two years.

This time when Isaac’s lips touched Leanne’s, it was gentle, like he was telling her that for now on, no matter what happened, he would always be there for her. That he was there for her now. And forever.

Leanne lost her balance and she fell into him. He pulled her close, his face nestled in her hair. Isaac breathed in deeply. She hadn’t changed her shampoo. It was a small comfort that reminded him that she really was the same woman that he’d loved for so many years. They had both changed, but not so drastically that they couldn’t work things out. They were meant to be together and he realized now that that was one thing that hadn’t changed, and it was the most important.

A dog barked from somewhere behind them and Isaac turned. A golden retriever was running through the waves, much like Leanne had been just minutes before. Erwin walked along the sand, his gaze not on the dog, but on them.

“I knew it couldn’t be true,” he said, not bothering to hide the fact that he’d been watching them. “I told everyone, just wait and see, they’ll pop up one day and reveal they’ve eloped or something ridiculous like that. It’s Isaac and Leanne we’re talking about, who knows what crazy thing they’ll come up with.”

Isaac didn’t know what to say to that. He supposed a walk at the sunset stroll that evening would be a moot point now. They couldn’t very well go back and tell everyone they were just friends. “Looks like you’re stuck with me,” he murmured into Leanne’s ear. “Everyone will know we’re definitely not just friends. Probably within the hour.”

“I’m okay with that,” Leanne said. “Have been for the past fifteen years.”

Isaac fully turned to face Erwin and held his hands out. “Just to get the record straight, I hadn’t been lying. We had some things to work out, but it appears they have been, and you can rest assured that we did not, in fact, elope. You’ll still get your wedding of the century.” It was a term he’d heard circulating through town, and he kind of liked it.

“Figures,” Erwin grumbled, almost like he was disappointed they hadn’t eloped. He whistled and Isaac noticed the golden retriever, Erwin’s beloved Donna, had already made it halfway down the beach. At the sound of her owner’s whistle, she spun around and raced back toward them, sand flying in every direction.

Erwin paused before turning away. “I just want you to know that this is the best news I’ve heard all year. You two are meant for each other, and we only reacted the way we did because it broke our hearts to see you two apart.”

Erwin was not the sentimental type, and to hear the sincerity in his voice tugged at Isaac’s emotions. “Thank you,” he said. “That means a lot.” It would have meant something, no matter who said it, but hearing it from the cranky restaurant owner somehow made it mean so much more.

He slipped an arm around Leanne’s waist as they watched Erwin continue his walk down the beach, Donna running circles around him.

“Looks like everyone is taking a late lunch break today,” Isaac said, turning to wrap his other arm around her. He grinned. “Guess we couldn’t expect to keep it hidden forever.”

“Yes,” Leanne said with a wry smile. “We managed all of five minutes.” She hesitated. “Though, we hadn’t discussed the wedding aspect of it. Come to think of it, we never have, even before I left.”

That couldn’t be true. They must have discussed marriage at some point. But after further reflection he realized that she was right. Them getting married had always just been a given, and they’d never considered otherwise.

“Too soon?” he asked.

Leanne cupped a hand behind his neck. “You know I love you, but with everything that has gone on, I think we need some time to process everything. Make sure that we’re back in that same place.” She hesitated. “I need more time. Kissing on the beach is one thing, saying ‘I do’ to forever is another.”

Hadn’t Leanne been the one who was ready to start back where they’d left off? She’d seemed ready to jump in with two feet. Had Isaac read things wrong?

She must have been able to tell what he was thinking—she usually could—and she pulled him down so her forehead rested against his. “I’m not having doubts. I just want to make sure you don’t have any. The last thing I want is for us to do something crazy, like get married tomorrow, and then you realize after that you still haven’t completely forgiven me for what I put you through. We need to do this right—no regrets.”

Isaac heard everything she had said. He did. But only one phrase stuck out in his mind. “You’d be willing to get married tomorrow?” he asked, grinning.

Leanne laughed and pushed away. “No. And neither should you.” And then she took off running into the waves.

Isaac followed her, quickly catching up, and then lifted her into the air. She squirmed, making him lose his balance and they both fell into the waves. Leanne twisted so she lay on her back, the waves small enough that they splashed over her legs but left the rest of her only damp. Isaac laid next to her and rested his head on one arm. The chill of the ocean waves that splashed over them wasn’t enough to make them move. She looked up at him, watching. There was so much happiness in her eyes that it made him feel like nothing would ever come between them again.