“Elias, right?” Ben said, his mouth quirking.
Charlie laughed. “That pretty boy? Nah.”
“Must have been Bear then.”
“Wrong again. He was quite a bit smaller in that photo than now. I like them bigger. More rugged. The kind who remembers coffee orders and pulls out chairs for a woman.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Charlie leaned over and kissed him. She pulled back and held his gaze as she stroked his cheek. “It wasn’t just the photo of you that got my attention. Sean told me about each of you. Bear was the quiet one. Elias and Waylon were the troublemakers. Gabe never met a stranger. Of course I already knew Shane as a smartass.” Charlie laughed.
Her gaze grew soft and warm. “You were the gentle giant who everyone underestimated.”
“Sean said that?”
“He did.” Charlie said. “He also told me you were the best artist he'd ever seen, even back then. Clay, wood, metal, didn’t matter. You could make anything beautiful with your hands.”
Ben looked away, throat tight. “He was a good friend.”
“The best.” Charlie's voice went soft. “I miss him. Every damn day.”
“Me too.”
They sat in silence for a moment. The wind whistled past the rocks. Flo chased a butterfly.
“Sean would've liked this,” Charlie said. “You and me.”
“I agree, Princess.”
Ben wrapped his arm around her shoulders while she worked. He watched the whole scene before them come alive on the page.
“There,” she said finally, setting down her pencil. “What do you think?”
“I think it's incredible.” Ben kissed her temple. “You captured it perfectly.”
Charlie closed the sketchbook and turned. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Thank you for coming with me.”
“I'd go anywhere with you, Ben.” She said it simply, like it was just a fact. “You know that, right?”
Ben's heart pounded in his chest. “Yeah. I know. “Come here.” Ben pulled her onto his lap.
They sat together, wrapped in each other's arms, while Flo dozed in the sun and the wind carried the scent of pine and stone and summer.
Right now, in this moment, Ben had everything he ever wanted.
EIGHTEEN
Knock knock knock.
Charlie sat straight up in bed before her eyes were even open. Ben stirred next to her.
Ben blinked up at her. “What?—”
“Fuck. I think that’s Mrs. Calhoun. She never uses the buzzer.” Charlie slapped her hand over her mouth. She was pretty sure that was the first time she’d ever said fuck in front of Ben.
Ben chuckled as he rubbed his eyes. “She’s an early riser, I see.”
