Her smile lit up her face, but there was something vulnerable in her eyes. She placed her hand on my arm, her touch warm against my cooled skin. “Can I admit something?”
She had my full attention, her words cutting through the complicated mix of anxiety and connection. “Of course.”
“This, us… it feels really good. Maybe too good.” Her breath was shaky. “I could fall pretty hard for you. And honestly? I’m still not sure that’s a good thing.” She swallowed hard but held my gaze.
Her directness surprised me, but more than that, empathy surged within me. I reached for her hand, holding it tightly, my voice low. “Hey. I get it. This is a lot. For both of us.”
Her eyes searched mine, looking for something solid to hold onto.
“I’ve got a hell of a lot riding on this project too, personally and professionally. It’s intense.” I squeezed her hand, making sure she felt the strength behind my words. “But, Harper, we knew it wouldn’t be simple. We’ll figure itout. Okay? We take it one step, one dive, one budget report at a time. Together.”
“I like the sound of that.”
She leaned in and brushed a quick kiss over my mouth. The connection felt raw and powerful, the reassurance settling in. It didn’t erase the fear, but it softened the edges, made it something we could face instead of something that would consume us.
I reached out to smooth her wet hair. “And for what it’s worth, I could fall pretty hard too.”
The admission wasn’t one I’d planned to make, but sitting there with the taste of her on my lips and the gentle rock of the boat beneath us, it was the most honest thing I could offer. I avoided close relationships specifically because they made me feel off-kilter. Unsure of myself, without a strong foundation. And of all the times to fall for a woman, this might be the worst. Yet as I stared into Harper’s eyes, I couldn’t deny the ever-deepening attraction. My business concerns hadn’t vanished—if anything, they loomed larger than ever—but somehow sharing this connection with Harper made them feel less isolating.
Eli called out, breaking the moment. “All right, lovebirds. You guys ready to head back?”
I nodded, exchanging a final, meaningful look with Harper. I felt both the burden and the buoyancy as Eli turned the boat toward shore, the ocean stretching out infinitely around us. But Harper’s vulnerability and my own reassurance made it feel shared, less isolating. Grounded and adrift at the same time, I let the sea take us back.
