“Uh, sometimes. What are you doing?”
“I like coming to the pier.”Did I tell her I talked to my dead brother when I was here?“I’m…uh, talking with my brother.” Blaize looked around the pier and then at my hands to see if I had my phone. I didn’t. “He’s dead. I’m just talking. He liked the water, so I come here to talk to him when life gets hard.”
She nodded as she stepped closer. “Mind if I join you?” I patted the wood next to me. She kicked off her boots and sat down next to me. “Did you come here when you first arrived?”
“Yeah. There was a lot going on when I first came here, and it was the only way I could keep myself on sturdy ground.”
“You said you didn’t like the ocean?” she questioned. “So why do you come to the pier?”
I chuckled, kicking my feet. “I hate the water, but sometimes I feel like my brother is there. He died in a drowning accident, so it’s like the ocean is Nathan.” I cringed when I gave her a name that could connect my past.
She paused for a moment before she said, “I talk to my wife, too.” I looked at her face, seeing if I could find something there. There was sadness in her eyes. “She died five years ago. My daughter, too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Talking to them makes the weight lighter, but it’s never gone.”
We sat there for a moment not saying anything. Blaize’s fingers twitched, and I took a deep breath, grabbing her hand and intertwining them together. She tensed for a moment before relaxing her hand against my thigh. I rested my head on her shoulder, enjoying this moment together. My heart was pounding in my ears, but it was fine.
More tears fell from my eyes, and while I hoped Blaize wouldn’t notice, a stray tear dripped onto her bare arm, anyway. Why couldn’t she wear her leather jacket like she normallywore? I quickly wiped my eyes, but she saw. Blaize shifted slightly, her hand going under my chin and lifting my head up.
“What’s wrong, princess?” When she used that pet name, my stomach fluttered.
“I’m fine,” I hiccupped. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking and thinking makes me emotional.”
Blaize cupped my cheek, her thumb wiping away the tears. “You shouldn’t cry. You shouldn’t have shadows in your eyes when they are the color of spring.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, my eyes going to her lips.Just do it, Kadence.I leaned forward, capturing Blaize’s lips in a chaste kiss before she deepened the kiss. It wasn’t like the other ones we’ve shared many times. Those other ones were filled with tension and frustration, but this one felt like a first kiss after fumbling around on a first date. Kissing Blaize already gave me butterflies, but now these butterflies were soaring and doing summersaults in my lower belly.
I pulled back slightly. “Sorry,” I mumbled against her lips.
“Don’t be.”
I laughed, resting my forehead on hers. “Don’t expect me to take my clothes off for you because I kissed you.”
“I wouldn’t expect it, princess. Do you need anything?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m okay. I should get back to the apartment. I’ll see you tonight?”
She nodded, standing up before helping me up. This Blaize was different from the ones I’d met before, but I think the vulnerable Blaize was my favorite. Now, I just needed to show her who I truly was and hoped she didn’t change her mind about me.
CHAPTER 65
BLAIZE
In all the years I’d come to the grave, I never thought it would be to talk about another woman. I never thought I would feel this way about someone else. I had pointless hook ups and flings at the club before I cut myself off, but my attraction to Kadence happened long before I saw her naked. I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but when I saw Kadence, there was a pull. It wasn’t just curiosity about who she was or why she was in my town.
While I was curious about her past, she needed to tell me when she was ready. The blind spot was screaming at me, but it was muffled. I wanted her more than I wanted to know her past. Trauma was something people had to share when they were ready, and she showed me a part of herself at the pier.
A loss.
Her brother.
I saw the pain in her eyes when she talked about him.
It was something we shared, but something told me she had more to her story. And it started when her brother died.
I hit the kickstand on my bike and walked to the place that had been my confessional and my serenity for the last five years.Guilt danced in my chest when I sat down in front of her grave and I saw Olivia’s gorgeous face.
