Lexi’d been quiet ever since we’d landed at the airport. I had a feeling she was reeling from the change of plans, and a twinge of guilt crept in the back of my mind. But hey, why not rip the Band-Aid off, right? The sooner she and Jace broke the ice, the better. And I was sure it’d melt in two seconds flat.

By the time we made it to the condo, Ava was exhausted from the trip. I wanted to hit the beach; Jeremy wanted to see some old teammates. Lexi yawned and feigned sleepiness. Instead of trying to force her to go to the beach, I let her stay in while Ava napped.

The second my toes curled in the white sand, I released an appreciative sighed before closing my eyes and inhaling deeply, allowing the saltwater scent to invade my senses, reminding me of all the amazing memories I had here. A sense of peace washed over me. God, I loved this place.

When my eyes opened, I was greeted with a gorgeous sight. Just ten short feet away, there he was. Jace McAllister, in all of his glory, appeared to be napping on a beach towel, soaking up the sun's rays. Not that he needed them. When I approached, I nearly whistled at the tan, muscular, tattooed sight before me. If Lexi didn't hit that, she was crazy.

“Well, if it ain’t Jace freakin’ McAllister?!” I squealed as soon as I was standing over him. Probably a little too enthusiastically, but I couldn’t help myself.

I smiled at his groan. He used his arm to shield his eyes from the sun then sat up and came face-to-face with me. When he saw that it was me, he sprang to his feet.

"Hey, Sierra," he mumbled, looking past me, his eyes searching and seeking.

My heart dipped and I couldn't help but laugh, knowing exactly what he was doing. "“You haven’t changed a bit. She’s not down here, so you can stop the search party your eyes are currently on.” Before he could respond, I gave him a big hug. "It's so good to see you, Jace."

He returned my hug then pulled back. There was no masking the disappointment on his face. “Good to see you, too, Sierra. And, for your information, I was looking to see if Jeremy was with you."

Sure he was. “Whatever. You never could fool me, and you’re not going to start now. Jeremy went to see some of the guys from the football team. Lexi and Ava are up in the condo, taking a nap. The flight wore them out."

“That’s cool she could come so you guys can join in on all the events this weekend. Hopefully I get a chance to meet your daughter. I can’t imagine Jeremy as a dad." His grin was gorgeous. Seriously.

“Trust me, you’re not the only one, but he’s the best. Ava’s the ultimate definition of a daddy’s girl, and he’s just as hooked. Anyway, his parents decided to come to town, and they’ll be taking her for the night." I raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Oh, I didn’t know they’d moved.”

I explained just as I had to Lexi. Then I took great pleasure in informing him that Lexi would be at the bar with us that night. The smile that formed on his lips was even more beautiful than before. He was excited to see her. That much was obvious.

“Ah, um, yeah. It’ll be good to see her, too. Hopefully we can catch up.”

“I think you’ll have plenty of time for that this weekend.”

“So, umm, a couple of months ago, I saw online about her husband. How is she?”

“Jace McAllister, were you Facebook stalking?” I teased.

He didn’t have to nod his confirmation. We both knew the truth.

“I didn’t even know you used it anymore. You hardly ever add anything on there. Anyways, she’s doing okay. For a while, she wasn’t eating and she’d barely leave the house, but over the past few months, she’s started coming out of her shell a little bit. She still has dark circles under her eyes, so I don’t think she’s sleeping well, but for the most part, I think she’ll be okay. It was just…a lot to take in. For all of us.”

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly. “Man, I hate that. It makes me even angrier at myself for letting our friendship go. I wish I could’ve been there for her.”

I placed a soothing hand on his arm. “Jace, you can’t worry about that. You didn’t know. How could you have? All you can do is be here for her now. I don’t know that she’ll open up to you about it, but be patient with her, okay? She’s been hurting for a long time. I think you may be exactly what she needs to heal.”

“You always knew, didn’t you?”

I rolled my eyes then gave him a warm smile. “Everyone knew. Except for the two of you. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen two people be so oblivious to the other’s affections.” Then I cocked my head. “I know something happened before you left, but Lexi wouldn’t ever tell me. Care to spill?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mrs. Banks." His lips quirked up in a smile even though he’d tried to keep a straight face.

I had known that it wouldn’t be that easy. “Right. You always had a shitty poker face. Fine. Don’t tell me. I’ll wait until tonight when you’re full of alcohol to get it out of you. I’m gonna head back in and rest up for tonight. I can’t drink like an eighteen-year-old anymore. See you tonight, Jace."

With one last hug, I walked away, a permagrin planted right on my face.

I was still cheesing when I entered the condo. All was quiet, and Ava was sound asleep when I poked my head into her room. I did the same to Lexi's only to find it empty.

It didn't take me long to find her on the balcony. She was crouched down low on a lounge chair, pretending to be lost in a book. I knew in an instant that she'd spotted me with Jace.

"Why does it look like you're hiding?" I asked, trying to hide my grin and failing miserably.

She barely acknowledged me. "Just lounging and reading," she replied.

I laughed. "Right," I said, taking a seat next to her. "You look extremely uncomfortable. I'm guessing you saw who I was talking to?"

Lexi's shoulders shrugged. "I may have seen you talking to someone, but I couldn't tell who." She feigned indifference. I didn't buy it.

I decided to put her out of her misery—or at least out of that uncomfortable-looking position. “Well, don’t worry. He couldn’t see you, either. But he did ask about you. Said he was looking forward to seeing you.”

She sighed and lowered her Kindle. “Sierra, don’t push it. Please. I agreed to come out tonight, but please don’t make it uncomfortable for me.”

My eyebrows rose. “Since when has being around Jace made you uncomfortable?”

Her face reddened, and she sat up quickly. “Oh, I don’t know, since I offered my virginity to him and he walked away from me!”

Oh.

My.

God.

What had I done? I shook my head. Oh no. I had no idea… If I had, I never would've pushed. Oh my God. I was such an asshole.

Lexi gasped, and I couldn't help myself.

“You did what?!”

"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

She hastily stood and tried to go back inside, but I stopped her.

“Alexa Leigh, sit your ass down and tell me what happened. Now! You can’t say that and not elaborate.”

Fortunately, Lexi exhaled and plopped down beside me. “The night of the graduation party, Jace told me that he had feelings for me. He went down on me, I offered my virginity, and he stopped, said he couldn’t do it, and walked away. I literally threw myself at him until he agreed to be my first. And then he left the next day and I never heard from him again!” She spoke so fast that I nearly asked her to repeat herself.

Instead, I replayed her words in my head.

Lexi and Jace. Jace and Lexi. Graduation night. He had taken her virginity?