Throughout the rest of July and the first week of August everything remained the same for us. We go kayaking together most days and spend as much time as we can together. We did a little more exploring around the area, but mostly spent our time doing something on or in the water, hiking, going into town on our dates out or watching movies together.

Now that it's well into August, I'm starting to get nervous, knowing summer has to come to an end. I really don't want to leave him, but I try not to think about it. Christian and I plan to spend the afternoon kayaking and then have a picnic dinner on our island. I put on my pale blue bikini with a pair of jean shorts and a gold tank top over it. I then grab the picnic basket filled with food from grandma, give her a quick kiss on the cheek and walk out the door.

When I get down to the lake, Christian is already there waiting for me. He hops out of his kayak and grabs the picnic basket from me. Giving me a quick kiss, he murmurs, "Hi, Beautiful."

My heart flip-flops and speeds up, bringing a smile to my face. "Hi Christian."

"I have to say," he murmurs, kissing me softly, "I love hearing my name on your lips. It's the most wonderful sound in the world." I laugh, believing he's exaggerating. "I'm serious, Bree. I don't even know how to explain it. Honestly, if I couldn't hear you say my name, I don't think I'd ever want to hear it again."

"You're crazy," I laugh again, blushing.

He smiles and shrugs, his own cheeks turning pink as he steps back into his kayak and watches me climb into mine. "I thought we'd paddle along the shore and then head over to our island for dinner later," he suggests. "What do you think?"

"That sounds perfect," I agree. We paddle quietly and slowly towards our island. It's funny how I now think of that small piece of land as Christian's and mine. Sand, grass, plants and a few trees, the only things there, but I believe it's one of the most magical places I've ever been.

As we paddle around the lake, we're both quieter than normal. I can't stop thinking about him leaving, those thoughts completely taking ahold of my nerves and my ability for normal conversation it seems. Christian glances over at me, holding his paddle across his lap. "You're extremely quiet today. Is everything okay?"

I sigh and mumble, "Yeah."

"Well that doesn't sound very convincing. Why don't we head to the island to talk?" he suggests. I nod in response. As I paddle up to the island, he pulls my kayak all the way over the rocks and onto the beach with me in it surprising me. He grabs the picnic basket and sets it down before reaching for my hand and helping me out. He then reaches for the blanket out of his kayak and lays it out before gesturing for me to sit with him. "What's going on Bree?"

I sit down next to him and put my head on his shoulder, not wanting to look at him while I talk. "I just can't stop thinking about you leaving for college. Then right after that I have to go home and we'll be even further apart. I get sick just thinking about the fact I'm not going to be able to see you nearly every day anymore. In fact, I'll be lucky to see you at all," I confess in a rush.

Christian sighs heavily. "Is that all?" he prompts. Placing his hand under my jaw, he lightly lifts until I'm looking into his ice blue eyes. "Bree, I'm going to miss you more than anything, but I'm not about to lose you."

"What do you mean?" I question, not wanting to get my hopes up.

"I have never felt this way about anyone and I'm going to do everything I can to keep us together while we're physically apart. We can email, call, Facetime, Skype or Zoom, so I can look into those beautiful eyes of yours. Believe me, I know it's not the same as being able to hold you and kiss you, but we're only a few hours apart," he emphasizes. "I'll come see you on long weekends and breaks. I'm hoping you'll come up here to visit your grandma and even if you're only here for one night, I'll be here. I also want you to come see me at college. You have to visit the campus where you hope to go to school, right?" he prods, sounding so hopeful. "Then we'll be back together full time next summer and we'll go back to college together. It's only nine months. I'm not going to lose you."

"But Christian, it's your freshman year, you're going to be meeting new people, doing new things, living the whole college life and I still have another year left of high school. I don't want to hold you back. It's not fair," I rasp, my heart hurting.

"Bree, do you want to be with me?" he pushes, his voice cracking in pain at the end of the question.

"Of course I do," I insist, "but..."

"Then no buts," he interrupts still staring into my eyes. "Bree, it looks like I need to make myself clear. I can meet new people and do new things and live the college life, but if you and I aren't together, none of it matters to me. I'm completely and wholeheartedly in love with you. Just the thought of being without you makes my heart hurt and my whole body ache."

"You love me?" I rasp, my heart now in my throat. Tears spring to my eyes, but I take a steadying breath, trying to hold them back.

"I do, I love you," he confidently declares. I love you more than anything. You're the reason for my happiness; please don't take my happiness away."

My feelings overflow and my tears fall. He wipes them away gently, resting his forehead against mine. "I love you too, Christian," I admit, my voice choked with emotion. It's the only thing I can say in response because it's true and Christian has consumed my head and heart with my love for him emptying my mind of anything else.

His eyes sparkle as his hand slides behind my neck and he tilts his mouth towards mine kissing me with so much emotion, not pushing for more. But knowing he loves me, I need so much more than that. I reach my hands up around his neck and run my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me and deepening our kiss, but it's still not enough. I try to pull him down to the blanket with me and he comes willingly, but eventually pulls back, breaking our kiss. He looks at me and lightly rubs his thumb over my lips. "I want you, Christian."

"I didn't tell you I love you so you would make love to me, Bree."

"I know, but I want our first time to be special. To me, today has been incredibly special. We're on our island, the lake is quiet and we love each other." I pause, but he still looks slightly hesitant, so I continue. "Nothing could be more special than our love Christian. Please make love to me," I request.

With my words his lips fall back on mine and we're not able to get enough of each other. Our tongues collide in a frenzy, exploring every part of each other's mouth. I want to kiss him everywhere as his hands explore my body. He tastes like summer and sweat, my heaven I admit to myself as I kiss his muscles, my hands leading the way. I start at his shoulders and make my way down his arms; my hands sliding back up over his shoulders and down his firm back, while my lips continue kissing their way to his sculpted chest.

He stops me and grabs my hands pinning them above my head. "I need to kiss you," he whispers beginning a trail of kisses from the corner of my mouth and down my neck. I gasp as every lick and kiss sends warm chills throughout my body. He continues kissing down my chest right through my bathing suit. Then he releases my hands and they go right back to him, needing to touch him.

"Hold on," he interrupts. Propping myself up on my elbows and watching as he jumps up and over to his kayak, I can't help but feel his loss.

"What are you doing?" I ask, puzzled. He quickly turns around with a second blanket in one hand and a condom in the other.

He shrugs and smiles that sexy smile. "I always have a second blanket just in case it gets cold, but right now I think we need more than the trees for cover. Being out in the middle of the lake we don't have quite enough privacy, even if we're the only ones out here tonight. I need it to be just me and you, Bree."

He drops back down beside me and pulls the blanket over us before helping me remove my top. He then kisses me, leaving me nearly breathless as his hands roam my body once again. He gently moves his hands over my breasts, playing with one nipple and making it hard under his touch before doing the same with the other one. His hand then moves down to my bottoms and he tucks his hand inside the waistband and starts removing them. The moment they come off, I reach for his bathing suit, but he grasps my hand, stopping me. "Not yet, I want to touch you first."

I take in a breath and hold it as his hand glides right over my sex. He gently slips his fingers into my folds. "Oh my God Bree, you are so wet," he groans. I have no time to get embarrassed as he glides a finger inside me and then another making me release the breath I'd been holding.

"Christian, I...Oh God," I stutter, not able to form a coherent thought as his fingers keep going in and out. I try burying myself in his chest, but he doesn't allow it.

"I want to look at you, Bree. I want to make you come," he pleads. His thumb begins rubbing my clit, while his fingers continue moving in and out of me.

"I...I've never..." I can't finish the thought.

He smiles and proclaims, "Good, I love that I'm your first in every way Bree." He continues moving his fingers inside of me and rubbing me in circles with his thumb, while kissing me on my neck and shoulders.

I don't think I can take any more. "Christian," I beg, "I need...I need," I repeat, gasping for breath, breathing faster and faster not able to control myself. I grasp onto his shoulders for dear life.

"He kisses a trail up to my face, whispering in my ear, "I know what you need Bree, just let go for me, let me love you."

With that I lose it completely, feeling myself reach oblivion. I no longer see the blanket, feel the beach below our backs or see the trees above our heads or the lake surrounding us. I only see Christian, feeling like I'm floating before coming back down to him, my body throbbing hard from inside. He slows his movements, bringing me down. Then, he gently removes his hand, placing it on my hip. I look up at him almost feeling embarrassed for my loss of control, until I meet his gaze full of a love I've never seen. He murmurs, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world Bree. I love you."

He kisses me again, before reaching for the condom. I help him remove his shorts and I can't help but let my eyes drift down. While looking at him, I know my eyes grow wide at the sound of his chuckle. He lowers himself down next to me. "Don't worry, it will be fine. I'll be as gentle as I possibly can," he encourages. "It will hurt a little at first, but it will get better, I promise. We'll go slowly," he pauses and clarifies, "Are you sure?"

I nod my head and he kisses me with such tenderness, our mouths moving in a perfect rhythm until he feels me relax in his arms. He breaks the kiss and rips open the package and rolling it on. I watch him, curious. He kisses me again and I all but melt in his arms. "Are you ready?" he asks. I nod feeling nervous, but ready. I feel him at my opening and I pull his head down to me so our foreheads are resting together and I can look into his eyes. He slowly starts pushing inside and then I feel resistance, making him hesitates.

"Just do it, Christian, please," I beg. He quickly thrusts the rest of the way in, stopping at my scream.

I have my eyes closed and I'm clenching my jaw, digging my nails into Christian's arms trying to ease the pain. "Are you okay Bree?" he prompts.

I pry my eyes open, seeing him looking at me with concern. I nod and take a couple of deep breaths. "I'm okay now," I finally respond. Feeling better I look into his eyes and insist, "Keep going, I'm okay."

He cautiously starts moving inside of me and I can't help but move along with him as the pain eases. "I want you to be great Bree, not just okay."

"I'm definitely getting there Christian," I answer breathlessly, feeling full as he thrusts inside me. That's all the confirmation he needs, as he starts moving in a beautiful rhythm bringing our bodies in sync. I do everything I can to pull him closer, feeling like I can't get enough of him. "Christian, I need...I need," I pant.

We're both breathing heavy and moving together faster and faster. "Bree, fuck, you feel incredible," he groans.

He pushes inside, his mouth searching for mine. He kisses me, but I turn my head, not able to breathe. He pushes in, thrusting, harder faster. "I can't...I...I" I rasp.

With one hand gripping my hip and the other wrapped around me holding me tight, he whispers breathlessly in my ear, "I've got you Bree, let go with me." He pumps into me a again and again and I feel myself let go, completely consumed by everything Christian as he follows right after me.

His head momentarily drops to my shoulder as he brushes his lips across my skin, carefully pulling out and collapsing right next to me. We're both sweaty and try to catch our breaths. Looking at me he gently caresses my stomach in figure eights with his thumb. "Are you okay?"

"I'm wonderful." I smile, not being able to move.

"Are you sure? You're gonna' be sore. I hate that I hurt you," he admits.

"But you didn't, not really." He gives me a look of doubt and I claim, "You loved me more than anyone ever has."

He smiles, satisfied with my response and kisses me sweetly on the lips. Then he smirks and requests, "Let's keep it that way." I grin, giving him my whole heart and kissing him again. He pulls back, removing the condom and putting it in a small garbage bag to take with us and throw it away properly. Then he jumps back under the blanket and pulls me into him.

We lay quietly together until my stomach growls so loud we both chuckle and I bury my face in his chest. "I think it's time to eat," he declares. He hands me my clothes, before grabbing his swim trunks and pulling them on. He spreads our dinner out on the blanket while I finish pulling myself together. Then, he hands me a plate and grabs drinks for us. "This looks delicious."

"We have grandma to thank once again," I admit, "although, I did help her with the cookies this time."

He grabs a cookie and practically eats the whole thing in one bite. "Mm, my favorite!" Then, he leans in and kisses me.

"So we're starting with dessert, huh?" I tease.

He looks me in the eye and smiles even bigger, "Honey, I think we just had the best dessert known to man." I feel myself turn a deep shade of red not able to look at him and making him laugh. He reaches for me and plants a kiss on my forehead since I won't look up, "Relax Bree, you stepped right into that one." I finally look up at him from underneath my eyelashes, seeing him smiling at me. Even if he's joking, I know he's right, so I reach for my drink instead of saying anything and he lets it slide.

"We better head back after we eat, it's already getting dark," I tell him, looking out at the setting sun on the other side of the lake.

"You're right, it must be around eight."

"Already?" I question, surprised.

He laughs, "Bree, it doesn't get dark until around then, so yeah, we've been out here a while. But I've enjoyed every second of it. Do you want to go for a quick dip before we go to cool off?"

"Nah, let's just head back and watch a movie together on my grandma's couch," I propose. "I need more cuddle time with you. Besides, I don't want to be cold the whole way back."

He nods his head in agreement and packs up our things quickly. I jump up and take a few steps towards my kayak when he grabs my hand and pulls me around into his chest. He brushes a strand of my chestnut hair out of my eyes and tucks it behind my ear. "Bree, before we go, I want you to know how extraordinary today was to me. I really do love you and I'm not about to lose you because we have to go different directions for a little while in a couple weeks."

"I love you too, Christian and today was more special to me than I can even explain."

"Just promise me, we will figure this out together. Nine months isn't that long and I'll see you whenever I can," he emphasizes.

"Okay, Christian," I agree, looking into his eyes. I can't believe he wants to be with me and stay together long distance. I'd do anything for him.

We paddle back to my grandma's house and he stays to watch a movie with me holding me close the entire time. I can't imagine anything being more perfect.

The next couple weeks I grow more and more anxious with the arrival of Christian's departure date. I've even begun calling it my day of ruin. He has to head to school early since he's a freshman. They want new students to get settled in the dorms and become familiar with their schedule and classes. We spend as much time together as possible, but it never seems to be enough. I always want more.

When my day of ruin arrives, I'm sitting at the kitchen table picking at some oatmeal when I hear his truck pull into the driveway. Grandma pats my arm in support, "It will be okay dear. Things have a way of turning out the way they were meant to be." I nod and walk to the door, pulling it open before he knocks and falling right into him. I wrap my arms tightly around him, never wanting to let go.

He sighs heavily and hugs me back, resting his cheek on my forehead. "Oh Bree, I'm really going to miss you," he mumbles.

"Let the boy come in and have some breakfast before he has to get on the road," Grandma yells. Releasing him, I step back into the house, grabbing onto his hand instead and staring at the ground still not speaking.

"I actually already ate," he says, without taking his eyes off me. "But thank you, Grandma Betty." He moves towards her with me following behind, tightening my grip on his hand and refusing to let go. He smiles and gives her an awkward one-armed hug, giving my hand a little squeeze. "Thank you for everything. You've been very good to me," he emphasizes.

"Well, you've been very good to my granddaughter and she needs someone like you around," she proclaims. She smiles and hugs him back. "You'll definitely be missed around here and not just by my granddaughter. Take care of yourself, Christian and don't be a stranger when you're home."

"I won't," he agrees.

"I'm headed into town to get some groceries. I'll be back in a couple hours," she informs me. "Do you need anything?" I shake my head in response and watch her wave goodbye.

As my grandma walks out the door, Christian pulls me back into his arms. I turn my face into his chest and breathe him in. I want to remember every detail of this beautiful man. "Bree?" he prompts pausing and then repeats, "Bree? Are you not talking to me?" He pulls back, looking down at me and sees tears in my eyes. He gently rubs at the one running down my cheek and sighs pulling me back into his chest. "It's going to be okay. We're not breaking up. We'll see each other soon. We will figure this distance thing out. As long as it's together, we can make it through this," he insists. "I love you."

"I love you too, Christian," I can't help but sob.

He tries to comfort me, but I'm sure he knows it's not going to get any better. He eventually pulls away saying, "I really have to get going. I'm supposed to check in before one and now I need to stop for lunch."

I force a smile. "I must look like crap. I'm sorry for ruining the last of our time together. I just don't want to watch you go. I already miss you so much my heart actually hurts. I didn't think that could actually happen," I ramble.

"You never look like crap. You're always beautiful to me," he claims. I roll my eyes and he smiles. "And you didn't ruin anything Bree. It just shows me how much I mean to you and that means the fucking world to me. I just don't want you to make yourself sick and I want you to be happy while I'm gone, not miserable."

"I'll figure it out," I mumble, taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "I'm sorry Christian. You should go." I slip my arms around his neck and pull him in for another hug. I lean into his ear and whisper, "I love you Christian. I'm going to miss you like crazy! You're going to get sick of all the emails and messages from your girlfriend. Just promise me you'll enjoy yourself. Meet new people, live your college life, have fun! You deserve it," I reiterate.

"I will my beautiful Bree, but you'll always be with me in my head and in my heart," he promises. "I love you." He leans in, pressing his lips to mine, his tongue slipping over my lips and into my mouth to dance with mine. My heart pounds hard, jumping into my throat. I wouldn't be surprised if he could feel it on his tongue. Knowing our kiss has to end, he reluctantly pulls back, softening the kiss.

Holding my hand tightly in his, I follow him out the door and to his truck. Letting go of my hand, he reaches around his neck removing his Saint Michael medallion he always wears and clasps it around my neck. "Here, take this," he offers. "I want you to always have something special of mine close to your heart. He's the Saint of Strength and Courage."

I reach up and touch the medallion around my neck, my heart feeling both full and broken. "Thank you," I rasp.

Christian wraps me in his arms one more time giving me a quick hug and gentle kiss, before climbing in his truck. I can't do anything but wave goodbye, as I watch him pull away, my whole body aching with missing him. Little did I know his medallion would come to mean so much more to me than I ever thought possible.

So, Christian leaves for college and Bree leaves to return home, but what happens next? All the books in The Unforgettable Series can be found anywhere in paperback and it's available on Kindle (currently part of Kindle Unlimited).

I hope you enjoyed the sample chapters for The Unforgettable Summer! Thank you so much for supporting me, reading, commenting, sharing and voting! I GREATLY appreciate all of you!!