He slipped the keys to the rental out of his pocket and handed them over. “Where are you going?” The look on his face was filled with concern.
“Not into the ocean, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I chuckled.
“Not funny, man,” he scoffed. “You need a good fuck, get your head out of your fucking ass,” he blurted before his expression turned apologetic. “Sorry.”
After Griffin’s death, I’d stayed away from the guys we hanged out with. Ironically, Brax seemed to be the only one who tried to break through my walls. He hadn’t succeeded but he’d come closer than any of the others who’d bothered to try.
Rolling my neck from side to side, I laughed. “Don’t apologize, Brax. That’s something Griffin would’ve said, and he was never apologetic. If it would help ease your mind, I’m going to find peace.” What that meant, God alone knew. I turned away and headed for the truck. Brax still stood outside the entrance watching me as I drove off.
Distracted, I had no idea where I was going until I found myself outside Skye’s home. At least I hoped it was.
Unconsciously, something Griffin said in Baghdad just after we almost burned to death, came to mind. “No matter where you are in the world, your feet will always find Skye. Her tears tethered her to you from the first time they spilled while your heart always beats a magnetic pull for her. If she’s around you, you’ll find her, without looking.”
Seemed like he knew me better than I knew my own heart. “I found her, Griff,” I said out loud, debating to go knock on her door when she appeared at the window. “You heard me, bro.” I grinned, wondering if his presence I sometimes sensed, brought her to me. “Now to make her mine again.”
About to close her curtains, she paused and looked out. Given the shadows cast by the mountains, I wasn’t sure if she could see me. Regardless, I watched her. With her hands crossed over her chest, she seemed lost in thought. The bounce of the moonlight on her hair made her appear almost angelic.
I still couldn’t believe how she’d matured or what a fucking beautiful woman she’d grown into. A mother.Wow. That was something I’d never imagined. With what I’d seen tonight, the way she was with Griffin, there were no regrets, she loved that boy. And as I sifted through the evening for hints of conversation I might’ve missed, something snapped. I frowned.
Suddenly it hit me. My heart swelled in my chest, the truth staring me in the face.
“Holy fuck!” I dragged both hands through my hair, my laugh short and unbelievable. “Fuck!” I barked out another laugh. Shaking my head, I glanced at her window again. “All this time, Blue. You’ve kept him a secret.”
As she drew the curtains, I knew I’d found my peace. She’d been my only source of comfort on a bad day. If this ever-present sting in my chest was any indication, just seeing her today had alleviated it for that short time she’d sat across the table, even if she hadn’t spoken to me.
I didn’t think when I opened the door and jumped out. I needed that harmony my mind once knew. I stared at her front door, willing her to come out still wondering why she’d left.
If only you’d stayed...
38. Breathless – Shayne Ward
Skye – 25 years
“You’re very quiet?” Caleb glanced away from the road, reached across and slipped his hand into mine. “Everything all right?”
No.“Just tired I guess.”
