Someone You Love by Kristen Granata

Charly

“You go on vacation, and get a dog and a boyfriend. I go on vacation, and all I get is massive diarrhea.”

I snort. “That’s disgusting, Jenny.”

“It’s true. Look at you. You’re literally glowing. I need sunglasses to look at you.”

I smile as I cross off number five on my list.

5. Go camping

“Where is the new beau? I need to give him the best friend pep talk.”

I glance into the hallway. “He’s still asleep. He had a rough night.”

She shakes her head. “I can’t imagine what that’s like. His whole life must be so different than what it used to be.”

“He can still do a lot.” I frown. “I just hate that he’s feeling this way because he took me camping.”

“It shows how much he cares about you, if he knew the consequences and he took you anyway.” She pauses. “How are you feeling? You said yourself how hard it will be to leave once the summer is over.”

I scratch behind Edward’s ears. “I don’t know. It happened, and now I don’t want to stop. But I don’t know what’s going to come of this once I go back home. I’m going to try to take it one day at a time.”

“That’s good, Char. Live in the present. Nothing wrong with that.”

Nothing, except the future looms over me like an impending storm.

I say goodbye to Jenny, and take Edward on an extra-long morning walk. Nana said he was a nervous wreck without me this weekend, pacing around the inn, and jumping every time the door would open.

It makes me wonder what he’ll feel like when I go back to New York. There’s a strict no-dogs-allowed rule in my apartment complex, and the rent is so cheap, I’d be crazy to give that up and move somewhere else. He’s yet another thing I’ll have to leave behind at Sunnyside.

“Tell me to stop thinking, Edward.”

He looks up at me with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as he trots beside me.

“You’re such a good boy, you know that?”

He lets out a grunt, and I pretend it means, Yes, Mom.

I pop into the inn on our way back, and help Beatrice with breakfast.

“I missed you this weekend.” She squeezes my arm. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself when you leave us.”

Sadness punches my gut again. Seems to be the theme of the morning.

“How’s my boy feeling today?”

I whisk the eggs in a large bowl. “He’s still sleeping. I’m going to bring him breakfast after we serve the guests, and see if he needs anything.”

“I’m glad he’s letting you take care of him.” She glances out the window above the sink. “I worry he’s alone too much. It’s been wonderful to see him with you.”

Unsure of what to say, I land on, “Your grandson is incredible.”

Her blue eyes sparkle with pride. “And so are you, my dear.”

After we serve the guests, I bring a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon to Bryce.

His room is dim, his blinds still drawn. I edge closer, and his scent of cedar surrounds me. He’s sprawled out in the middle of his mattress, face down like a chalk outline, with the sheets pushed to the side. As big as his bed is, his legs still reach the bottom of it.

I hold Edward back from jumping on top of him.

Bryce turns his head to face me, and his eyes are like road maps with deep-purple semi-circles tinting his skin underneath them. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“Hi, handsome.”

Edward’s tail swats against my leg, and Bryce grins. “Hey, buddy. I see you too.”

Like he was shot out of a cannon, Edward leaps onto the bed, getting right in Bryce’s face and licking him.

I laugh. “Easy, boy. Easy.”

Edward spins in a circle, and plops down against Bryce’s side, resting his head on Bryce’s shoulder.

“Best dog ever.” Bryce’s eyes lift to mine. “How are you?”

I lower myself onto the edge of the bed. “I’m fine. Brought you some breakfast.”

He laces our fingers together. “Thank you.”

Looking around the room, I spot a dresser with one picture frame sitting on top, but I can’t make out who’s in it. Sunlight peeks through the slats in his blinds, casting stripes on the bare wall. I know men’s bedrooms tend to be minimalistic, but this room feels empty and cold.

Nana’s words this morning echo in my mind. I worry he’s alone too much.

“Hey.” Bryce gives my hand a squeeze. “What’s wrong?”

I shake my head. “I’m sorry you’re still feeling this way.”

He watches me like he knows what I’m thinking. “I should be fine by tomorrow.”

Thunder rumbles low in the distance. “It’s supposed to rain all day.”

“Sounds like the perfect lazy day.”

I lie beside him, curling my body around his. “I want to spend it like this.”

“You don’t have to waste the day in bed with me.”

I press a kiss to his arm. “A day with you could never be a waste, no matter what we’re doing.”

He snakes his arm around me, and holds me tight. He doesn’t say it, but I know how much what I said means to him.

“How about a back massage? Would that help?”

“I’d have to be crazy to turn down a back rub from a beautiful woman.” He lifts a finger and points to a white bottle on his nightstand. “You can use my CBD gel. It has a cooling effect that helps numb the pain.”

“Do you take anything else for the pain?”

“No. When I was in the hospital, the doctors gave me oxycodone. It helped, but I knew how addictive it was. I saw too many of my teammates get hooked on painkillers, and I didn’t want to go down that route. So, I did a lot of research, and found CBD.” He gestures to his nightstand again. “I take the oil every morning and night to help with the pain, and use the gel when it’s bad.”

I squirt a handful of the gel into my palm, and smooth it over his lower back. His muscles tense. I press my thumbs against the muscle beside his spine, and hold it for thirty seconds before rolling over it in a circle.

“Are you always in pain?”

He nods. “Some days are better than others, so I appreciate the low-level days. What really annoys me is the phantom itch. Sometimes, I’ll feel itchy in a spot on my leg, but I can’t feel it when I scratch it, so I can’t make it go away.”

“I’d never know you deal with these things. You don’t show the world you’re in pain.”

“There are many people who have it so much worse than I do. In the spinal unit, I met people who couldn’t move a damn muscle on their whole bodies, yet their attitude and outlook were better than mine. And in the end, I got to stand up, plant my feet on the ground, and walk out of there. I learned to be grateful for the second chance I was given. I took a lot for granted before my injury. I had fame, and money, but I didn’t have perspective or awareness.”

“Traumatic experiences make you realize how precious the life you’re given is.”

“Have you ever had an injury before? Any broken bones?”

I chuckle. “I got hurt once. I was getting out of a cab, and it had just snowed. I stepped out onto a sheet of ice, and my feet went out from under me. I landed on my tailbone and fractured my coccyx.” I chuckle. “I literally broke my ass.”

“It’s still the finest ass I’ve ever seen.”

My cheeks heat. “I can say the same about yours.” I give it a squeeze, and grin. “It’s one of the first things I noticed about you.”

He turns his head, craning back to look at me. “You checked out my ass?”

“Yup. You were walking ahead of me with my suitcase, and I couldn’t help myself.”

He chuckles. “Even though I was Nana’s ass of a grandson?”

“Even then.” I lean down, and press a kiss to his cheek. “You don’t realize it, but you’re quite attractive, Bryce Holden.”

He closes his eyes as a smile pulls at his lips. “I’m glad you think so, Charly Johnson.”

I work the muscles in his back for the next twenty minutes. When I’m finished, I give his bubble butt a gentle pat, and set the CBD gel back on his nightstand. “I hope that helps.”

“My toes aren’t tingling anymore, so it helped already.” He turns over carefully, and gazes up at me. “Thank you.”

I let my eyes roam over his bare torso. “I’ll get you something to go with your breakfast. Orange juice, coffee, or water?”

“Water is fine.”

I move to get up, but he grips my thigh, holding me in place. His eyes search mine, like he’s waiting for the answer to a question he hasn’t asked. Like he can hear the thoughts running wild in my head.

“Do you regret it?”

My eyebrows pinch together. “What?”

“Do you regret kissing me, or what we did last night?”

Understanding clicks into place. “No. Not at all.” I cup his face. “Why would you ask that?”

His eyes bounce between mine. “Just making sure. We haven’t had a chance to talk about it, and I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m more than okay. This weekend was ...” Our camping trip flashes through my mind. The hike. The experience of Thunder Hole. The view from the top of the lighthouse. The body-tingling, toe-curling, mind-blowing kiss we shared, followed by the steamy bath we took together. I bite my bottom lip to keep from smiling like a loon. “This was the best weekend I’ve ever had.”

Bryce tugs the end of my braid, pulling my lips down to his. “Mine too.”

I grin. “Says the man who literally won the Super Bowl.”

“That was pretty damn cool.” His smile fades as his onyx eyes lock on mine. “But it’s incomparable to the feeling I get when I’m with you.”

Butterflies don’t just swarm my belly—they take over my entire body, their wings fluttering out along my arms and legs. “And what feeling is that?”

“The kind of feeling that puts your soul at ease, that quiets the racket in your head. It calms your whole being, and you’re perfectly content doing nothing at all as you lie together, listening to the rain fall.” His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “The kind of feeling where everything that seemed important before doesn’t matter anymore, because you finally realize this is the way life is meant to be spent. This is what it’s all about.”

My bottom lip trembles, and a tear trickles down my cheek. Bryce catches it, and swipes it away with his thumb. I close my eyes, leaning into his gentle touch.

“That wasn’t supposed to make you sad,” he whispers.

I shake my head. “I’m not sad. For the first time in a long time, I actually feel something other than sadness.”

“But ...?”

I pause. “It just feels like we don’t have enough time.”

Bryce pushes himself to sit up, wincing as he moves. He props himself up against the headboard. “You’re thinking about the end of the summer.”

I nod, looking down at my lap.

He tips my chin, and brings my eyes back to his. “I’ve been thinking about that too.”

“You have?”

“It’s hard not to.” He lifts a shoulder. “Maybe we should talk about it.”

I wring my hands. “We probably should.”

He pats the spot beside him. I scoot across the mattress, and he takes my hand as he speaks. “Do you think we should stop, and go back to the way things were before we kissed?”

“No.” I turn to look at him. “Do you?”

“I’m not stopping unless you tell me to.”

I lean in, and steal a chaste kiss from his lush mouth. “I want to enjoy this.”

He exhales like he’s relieved. “So, we go with it. We spend the rest of the summer enjoying each other’s company. And when it’s time for you to go home ... what do you see happening then?”

I chew on my bottom lip. “I don’t know. It’s going to be difficult.” I wave my hand around the room. “I already don’t want to leave this place. Getting close to you will make it harder.”

“Maybe we don’t have to figure it out, and make a plan. Maybe we can cross that bridge when we get to it. It’s not like we can never see each other again, just because your vacation is over.”

“You’re coming to New York for the charity gala in September.”

Silence hangs between us, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

Edward army crawls across the bed, wedging himself between both of our legs.

I reach out, and stroke the top of his soft head. “I can’t take him with me. They don’t allow pets in my building.”

Bryce’s eyes widen. “Oh, Charly.”

More tears threaten to spill over, but I blink them away. “Let’s not talk about this anymore, okay? When I came to Sunnyside, I promised myself I wouldn’t spend my time wallowing in sadness, and I don’t want to start now.” I sniffle. “The three of us are going to have the best summer ever. We’ll take this one day at a time.”

Bryce lifts my hand to his lips, and presses them to my knuckles. “One day at a time.”

For the rest of the morning, we take turns reading Peter Pan aloud to one another until Bryce’s eyelids droop, and sleep overtakes him. I watch him as he drifts off to the soft ticks of raindrops against the window. I close the book, and brush my fingertips over his forehead, my gaze tracing the contours of his face. So beautiful and strong. I hate seeing him in pain, especially knowing all he’s had to overcome. He’s hidden himself away for so long, and it’s such a damn shame because the world is missing out on Bryce Holden.

To think, I almost cancelled this trip, and would’ve missed out on him too.

Bryce

After Charly’s massage, and some more rest, I’m ready to get out of bed.

Edward stayed glued to my side while I slept. I pat his behind as I stand. “Come on, boy. Let’s go see where your mom is.”

He bounds off the bed and into the kitchen, his collar jingling down the hall.

Charly stands with her back to me at the stove, stirring a pot of something that smells delicious. Her hips sway to the soft tune she’s humming.

I slink behind her, and wrap my arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck. “What are you cooking?”

She lifts a wooden spoon, cupping her hand underneath to catch the dripping sauce. “Chili. Santiago, the owner of the diner I work at, gave me his family recipe once, and Mom used to love it.”

I slide my lips around the spoon, and I’m hit with spicy chili powder and sweet tomato flavors. “Wow. This is outstanding.”

Charly grins. “You should taste it when he makes it. He doesn’t measure the ingredients or anything. He knows just by eyeballing everything.”

“My grandfather was the same way. You learn with practice, and eventually you don’t need recipes anymore.”

She places the lid on the pot, and twists the knob to lower the flame. “It should be ready soon. I have corn muffins in the oven to go with it.”

I pull her against me, craving the feel of her body. “Thank you for taking such good care of me. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

She stretches onto her toes, and presses her lips to mine. Within seconds, we’re breathless, our tongues tangled, our hands gripping onto each other as if we’re reaching for lifelines. Charly’s kiss is all-consuming. She kisses with her whole body, and I can feel her passion radiating off her skin. It makes me want to surrender every part of myself to her, to let her hold my heart in her hands because I know that she’ll take care of it.

Because I trust her.

It’s a terrifying truth, but I think I’m finally ready to conquer the fear.

She’s worth it.

The timer beeps, and we break apart, gasping for air.

Charly smooths her hands through her hair that my fingers tangled, and gives me a sheepish smile. “Dinner’s ready.”

“I was thinking, since it’s raining and there’s nothing to do, maybe ... uh ... maybe you’d want to look at some old photos with me.” I glance at the television screen. “I could show you videos from when I played football.” I swallow. “If you want.”

Her face lights up, and she nods with fervor. “Yes. Absolutely.”

While she sets up our dinner on the coffee table in the living room, I rummage through my old boxes in the back of my closet. They’ve been hidden away, not because I want to forget about that part of my life, but because I haven’t wanted to share it with anyone.

Until now.

“Wow. Look at you with short hair. I almost don’t recognize you.” Charly points to a picture of me with the team before my accident. She smirks. “You look so hot in your uniform.”

I chuckle. “You think so?”

She lifts an eyebrow. “Do you still have it?”

“I might be able to arrange something like that, if that’s your brand of kink.”

She flips to the next page in the photo album, and the smile vanishes from her face. Her eyes well as she stares at a picture of me lying in the hospital bed, with Anthony, Bentley, and Watson holding hands as they prayed around me.

I snake my arm around her, and pull her closer to me on the couch. “It’s okay.”

“I wish I could’ve met you sooner.” She sniffles, and lifts her watery eyes to mine. “I could’ve been there for you.”

Emotion clogs my throat. “You had your mom to take care of. But you’re here now. You’re with me now. That’s what matters.”

We flip to pictures from rehab next, and she points to the one when I took my first steps after surgery. “Look at the determination on your face.”

“Doctors said it was a miracle.” I shake my head. “I’m not sure I believe in those. I fought like hell to get back on my feet. It felt like I needed to cling to something familiar from my life before I got injured. I had convinced myself that I’d get back to where I was, and I’d be able to play again. But ultimately, I was afraid of getting reinjured, and I knew couldn’t play if I wasn’t 100%. When you said you weren’t sure if you wanted to have children because of the possibility of getting cancer, I understood that.” I massage the back of my neck. “It pains me to think that I wouldn’t be able to run around with my son or daughter. That my children would have to do things differently than the other kids if I were in a wheelchair. My father played ball with me. He taught me how to ride my bike. He was there every step of the way for me. Would I be able to do the same for my children? What would that be like for them?”

Charly closes the album, and climbs onto my lap. She grips my face in both hands, and looks into my eyes as she speaks. “You’d love your child with all of your heart, and that’s the only thing that matters. You’d be there every step of the way, just like your father was. It might look different than other parents, but it doesn’t mean their lives would be lacking. You’d be there, Bryce. You’d be there for them.”

I know she must be thinking about her own father, and how he left her. I hate that she has to feel like he didn’t love her, or that she wasn’t worth it for him to stick around.

I tuck a golden strand of hair behind her ear. “Your father is missing out on having you in his life. I’m sure he’s kicking himself every day for it.”

She rests her forehead against mine, and her eyes flutter closed. “I know he had an addiction problem. I know it wasn’t his fault. I just wish I didn’t miss the person I thought he was.”

“He was the person you thought he was. He showed that side to you, and I’d bet my last dime that he loved you as much as he was capable of.”

She breathes in deep, and lets it go. “Part of me has always felt like I wasn’t good enough. Good enough for my dad to want to stay. Good enough to help my mom get better. Good enough for Greg to want to help me through the hard times. I know none of those things are my responsibility, yet there’s that little voice in my head that whispers maybe it’s me.”

I grip her jaw, and claim her mouth, kissing her with all the power I have inside me. When I pull away, I lock eyes with her. “You are more than enough, Charly. Your worth is not a reflection of the people who weren’t capable of loving you the way you deserve to be loved.”

Her eyes bounce between mine, wide with wonder as she stares into the depths of my soul with her gaze. “Where did you come from, Bryce Holden? I wasn’t prepared for you.”

“Neither was I.”

And now that I have her, I don’t want to let go.