“This is perfect,” I sigh, resting my crutches against the bench beside me.
I can’t resist staring at Lainey as her eyes widen with awe and admiration.
“It’s so beautiful.”
“So are you,” I whisper, reaching over and taking her hand with mine. “Thank you for bringing us here.”
Her gaze falls to mine. “Of course. I could tell you needed to get out of the house, and I figured this was the perfect thing for us and to honor Carly.”
She glances at her wrist, pulling the lilac sleeve back and exposing the tattoo I gave her so long ago.
“I should really pay to have someone clean that up.” I chuckle deeply.
She scoffs, her eyebrows pinching together. “No! It’s great the way it is.”
“It looks like a kid did it.” I laugh, and she pushes her sleeve down, crossing her arms.
“Technically, we were kids when you did it. Did you get yours redone?” she asks accusingly.
“No,” I answer honestly, lifting my own sleeve to show the spot on my right wrist—where I once intentionally tattooed mine in the same place as hers so we’d match.
“Good,” she huffs before dramatically taking my hand in hers again. “Oh my God.”
She turns her head, and I follow. A massive pink manta ray gently soars through the water.
“This is the only pink one in captivity. It came to the aquarium after a poaching accident in Australia. There’s onlyone other one in existence in the wild and he’s known as Inspector Clouseau.”
I look at her like she may be an alien because where in the hell did that fun tidbit of info come from?
“What? I know things.” Lainey looks playfully offended.
Bringing our intertwined hands up to my lips, I kiss the back of hers. “Smartest girl I know.”
She rolls her eyes and looks back at the tank. I do the same, watching incredible life swim past us.
One of the giant whale sharks swims into view, and I suck in a breath at its beauty. They are gigantic, so much bigger than they seem in photos.
It was Carly who originated our whale shark saying because she was obsessed with them when she was little. It’s because of her that we all have matching tattoos and that the beast has become such an important symbol in our lives.
If she’s somewhere out there, looking over us, I hope she can see this. Maybe even enjoy it by our side.
“Jensen,” Lainey whispers softly, instantly pulling my attention.
“Yeah?” I face her, looking down into her vulnerable blue stare.
“I want to tell you about this …” She trails off, reaching up to the scar on her neck that has had me curious since the moment I saw her again.
“Are you sure?” I ask her, wanting her to do this on her own time and not because she feels pressured.
She smiles. “I’m sure.”
I stay quiet, letting her fully have the floor. Families buzz around us, all lost in their own world, giving us a sense of privacy as she opens up to me.
“It was late one afternoon before one of Cole’s games.”
My blood freezes at her words.Did he do that?I force my thoughts away, keeping my focus on her words.
“He pissed me off, and when he left, I decided to go for a run. The same route I usually take. But that day …” She trails off.
