When Stars Fall [EBOOK and PAPERBACK PUBLISHED]

21. Ellie - Present Day

Haven's laughter floats through the house as I drop my keys and purse on the island. Nikki, under protest, picked up Wyatt and Haven so they could do their kayaking and snorkeling right after school. Her real estate hours give her a lot of flexibility. She could be a little more flexible on her stance towards Wyatt.

I walk out to the back patio which overlooks the rocky cliff and the route to the water. I can't see any of them, so I start down the narrow path, careful not to slip on the wet stones. Someone's been up and down a few times already.

As soon as I emerge onto the beach and outcrop of rocks, I see Nikki, Wyatt, and Haven out in the water. All three are treading by the coral with their masks propped on their foreheads.  I put my hands on my hips. Wyatt is treading water. I didn't know he could do that. They haven't noticed me yet, so I call out, "Honey, I'm home. What's for dinner?"

Wyatt sees me first, and his grin causes my heart to drum in my chest. He always used to look at me that way—as though I was the only person in the universe worth noticing.

"We're pressing buttons today," Nikki calls back.

I check my watch. My session with the kids at the high school ran over. If kids have questions, I stay until they're all answered. A lot of the questions were about Wyatt today, so that was exhausting and awkward. I don't like lying, but I'm fiercely protective of my privacy when secrets can be easily sold.

Haven's going to need to get to bed soon. Someone needs to order something for dinner and it might as well be me. Before I can start up the hill again, Wyatt waves.

"Ellie!" His enthusiasm reminds me of Haven. "Watch!" He swims toward me in a ragged, but vastly improved front crawl. Treading water and now swimming better. What'd he do? Spend the day watching YouTube clips and teaching himself? He's close enough to shore to get his feet under him when he stops swimming. He stands up, the water rushing down his toned chest. I have a hard time meeting his eyes with the rest of the view on display. When my gaze travels up to his, he's grinning. "Impressive?" His eyes, almost the color of the shallow water, sparkle.

Impressive on so many levels. "What did you do today?"

"I learned to swim." He puffs out his chest.

"You taught yourself?"

He chuckles. "Nope. I tried to convince Calshae to take me to your school. She stopped me from doing something stupid by teaching me to swim."

"Calshae, huh?" The thought of her teaching Wyatt softens my heart. "She must be a hell of a teacher."

Wyatt's grin splits his face. "I look that good?" He gestures over his shoulder. "Haven couldn't get over how much better I was. And this eggbeater thing for treading water—man, so hard."

Another soft laugh escapes me. All the emotions running through me are jumbled together. "Calshae taught you eggbeater?"

"No, Haven did. I thought I was going to die at first. But once you get the motion, it's not so bad. Still stupidly hard, but better than drowning."

The bitter and the sweet mix in me. We could have had this for ten years if he'd just gotten help back then. Haven could have had this relationship with him.

But he's here now. He's here.

Tears prick at the back of my eyes. I focus on the distant houses while I collect myself. I shouldn't be crying over Haven teaching him the eggbeater or over one of my ex-best friends coming to my rescue.

Wyatt is in front of me, water trickling from his hair, down his body. "Ellie?" His voice is soft, curious.

I shake my head and purse my lips. If I meet his gaze, I'll burst into tears.