Savior Complex: A Small Town Love Triangle Romance

My phone is in my shaky hands as I take a picture, then open up my texts. I send it and start typing.

I’m ready to talk. Meet me here.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Brayden

Nina: I’m ready to talk. Meet me here.

I’ve barely read Nina’s text, or seen the picture of the crashing waves, before I jump up.

“What’s going on?” my mom asks, sitting next to my dad at the table across from where I was, our lunch spread out between us. I look to both of them, then to Hazel, who’d been sitting next to me.

“I have to go,” I say, hardly believing what’s happening.

“What is it? Is it one of the guys?” Hazel asks. “Is it…” She pauses, then mouths, “Nina?” I nod, and her grin tells me everything I need to know.

“I’m going to get my girl,” I say, yanking my boots on before running from the room. In my wake, I hear Hazel’s excited whisper, Nina’s name on her breath.

Sara is waiting for me in the stable, her eyes watching for me almost as if she knows. Next to her, Meredith knickers, poking her own head out to see what the commotion is.

“Not this time, Mere,” I say. “But soon. You’re going to get a lot of rides in, I promise.”

I saddle Sara quickly, then fit one boot in the stirrup before swinging my leg over. I nudge her hind, and she’s off. Can she hear the song of my soul, calling out for Nina? Can she feel my heart beating as she runs towards the woman I love?

We reach the trail, and Sara navigates it like a pro. Soon we’re on the beach, flying down the sand as the waves crash next to us. My hat flies off my head, but I don’t care. All I see is the end of the beach and a small figure standing against the solid rock cliff that looms above her. We keep going, me kicking Sara to run faster and faster, until we’re finally there, and I slow her to a halt. She’s barely stopped before I jump off and tie her up, then I land on Nina with a crash. I know there’s so much to say. I can’t even think that she might want differently, and am relieved when her mouth crushes against mine, our arms grasping each other, my body engulfing her as if I can bring her inside me just to get closer.

“I love you,” I whisper in between kisses.

“I love you too,” she murmurs back, her lips never leaving mine. Her face is wet from tears. Mine or hers, I don’t know. All I know is I can breathe again now that this woman is in my arms, and I am never letting her go.

We finally catch our breath, sinking onto the sand. It’s taking everything in me to not rip her clothes off and take her right here. But I restrain myself. I can’t seem to let go of her hand, though, and my other hand can’t leave the firm grip it has on her thigh. She’s not going anywhere, but I still hold on to her as if she might fall through the earth. I can’t lose her.

I look at the stretch of beach I just rode down, and I realize she doesn’t have a horse. It dawns on me the lengths she went through to get here.

“It only took an hour or so,” she says, though her cheeks are still pink. It took me fifteen minutes to get here, so I know she’s still catching her breath.

“I have water in the saddle,” I say, grateful I’d thought to add it at last minute. She nods, and I snag it for her. But then I’m right back to holding her, even as she drinks. “I don’t ever want to know what it’s like to lose you again,” I say.

“Me either,” she whispers. “Jordy came to see me yesterday, and while she’s still mad, I guess you could say she gave us her blessing.”

I shake my head. That woman is full of surprises. “I hope one day we can all be friends again.”

“I want that more than anything,” she says. I look down at her.

“Anything?”

“Well…” She slips on a sly smile. “I guess I can think of a few things I want more.”

“How about my ring on your finger.”

Her smile falters slightly, but her eyes are shining.

“I won’t ask you yet,” I continue. “But you’re the one I want to marry. I want to spend every morning waking up to you and every night making love. My life is yours, if you’ll have me.”

She tilts her head. “How about you try on how it feels to not be engaged for a while.”

I laugh, a low rumble deep in my chest as I pull her closer. I smell her hair, mixed in with the ocean air, as we both watch the waves roll in and out. I can feel every breath she takes and the rhythm of her heart as she trusts her full weight against me. I wrap my arms around her, resting my head on her shoulder, closing my eyes as I memorize this moment. It hardly feels real, and yet, it also seems like I never existed before I met her.