Read Online Scarred Beautiful by Beth Michele - Free Book Online

direction. “I figured you wouldn’t want to mess up your hair.”
    I look to my left and my right and crinkle my nose, eyeing him like he has two heads. “You’re kidding, right? I don’t give a shit about my hair. I just want to feel the breeze on my face.” Then it hits me and I start cackling. “Listen, Matt, I’m not like those prissy women you’re probably used to hanging out with—the ones who have a nervous breakdown when they crack a nail, that’s not me. I spent a good portion of my life in the Bronx, and they grow ‘em tough over there.”
    He smirks, and even from the side I can tell he’s trying not to bust out a laugh. “ Prissy women? I don’t spend time with prissy women.”
    “Whatever, just open my window, please.”
    He pushes a button on the side panel. “There. You can open it yourself now, feisty.”
    “Dude, turn on some tunes!” Caleb shouts loudly over the force of the wind coming through the windows. “We don’t feel like listening to the two of you argue like an old married couple. Come on! Let’s get this party started.”
    We ignore the comment and Matt turns on the radio and the sound of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback” booms through the speakers. Peyton starts singing and when I flip around, she’s raising her hands above her head and Caleb is gyrating his hips to the beat of the music.
    I swing my arms around and wave them wildly, singing the lyrics at the top of my lungs. The music moves through me and I close my eyes, my body swaying to the sultry rhythm. When I open them, I catch Matt rolling his eyes, which just pushes me even more. “Matt,” I scream over the thundering lyrics, “lighten up.” I grab his free hand, shaking it in the air, and he lets out a hearty laugh, his whole face relaxing and his dimple making an appearance. He suddenly looks so boyish and absolutely adorable, and it becomes him.
    By the time we arrive in Malibu, my voice is hoarse and my legs are cramped. We drive down a narrow dirt road and through a set of gates until we finally reach the parking lot. The tightness in my muscles evaporates when I look to my right and see the vista before me: the towering cliffs overlooking smooth white sand and crisp, blue water, the smattering of boats off in the distance. It’s spectacular.
    A year ago, coming to the water would have brought me to my knees, caused me to internally crumble at the sight of the waves thrashing about on the shore, but I’m better now. The one thing I worked so hard to do after Kyle was to not let my favorite place get tainted. He wouldn’t have wanted that for me, and I didn’t want that for myself.
    Peyton and Caleb immediately hop out of the car, tossing their shoes in the back seat and running out onto the sand. Matt makes his way over to my side and opens the door. Just as he’s about to close it, I lay a hand on his arm and reach up to him with my eyes.
    “You know, you should really laugh more. It’s like the sun breaking through the clouds.”
    A blank look crosses his face before it gets covered by a beaming smile. He opens his mouth to say something but then closes it, letting the depth of his smile speak for itself. “Come on, let’s go down to the water.”
    We walk past a sign and I stop just in front of it, reading the words that are carved into old, faded slabs of driftwood. They make me smile.
     
    Welcome To
    Beautiful Paradise Cove
    Have A Seat
    Bring The Kids
    Sea The View
    Enjoy Malibu
     
    “It’s amazing how I spent the first nine years of my life in California but never even knew paradise like this existed,” I say, completely mesmerized by the beauty surrounding me, but unfortunately knowing all too well it can turn deadly in the blink of an eye.
    “I didn’t even realize you grew up in California,” Matt replies, kicking up the sand with his feet as we make our way to the water. He gets hit in the knee with a beach ball and a blue-eyed, blond-haired little boy runs up to him with a