Page 86 of Saving Sophia

The ropes fell away. I scooped her up in my arms, and carried her over to a lounge area, laying her out on a big, round, cushioned couch covered with blankets and pillows. I tucked her in gently. Deck heaters combatted enough of the sea air that we could be comfortable, but the breeze was still brisk.

I tugged at her skirt. “Take this off. I don’t want anything between us.” She slipped it off. I straightened the kitten ears still perched on her head. “I told you I wanted to see you wearing nothing but these.”

She smiled then stretched out long, grabbing a pillow and watching me.

I shed my clothes and joined her, pulling the blankets up and relaxing as the waves rocked us. She curled her whole body against mine, and I breathed in the scent of her hair, the warm glow of her skin, and the lovely gift of herself she gave me. She was so much more, so much better than I even dared to imagine.

She lay in the crook of my arms, and we gazed at the sky together, basking in the afterglow. I stroked her forehead and listened to the steady hum of the engine and the slap of water against the hull.

Her brow wrinkled, and I wondered what troubling thought she was having. “The crew didn’t watch,” I said.

“What?”

“If you were worried. The threat of them watching was for the scene.”

She smiled and kissed my shoulder, tracing my chest with her fingers. “This surprise was … incredible,” she said softly.

“You are incredible,” I answered.

But unease still marred her beautiful face.

“Do you remember what Ruthie does after the captain has his way with her?” I asked.

“He takes her to his chambers?” she said, the little wrinkle on her forehead returning. “And … she tells him about her awful childhood?” She sat up and clutched a pillow to her stomach.

“That’s right.” I eased up on an elbow, watching her face.

She laughed, but it sounded hollow and sad. “My father didn’t sell me to an evil lord to increase his spice empire, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

I reached out to her, brushing my fingers along her collarbone until I captured the little gold locket that dangled just above her breasts. I rubbed it, testing its slight weight. “You can tell me anything.”

She reached for it reflexively, something like guilt flickering in her eyes. I let the locket go, dropping my hand back down to the blanket.

She traced the engraving for a minute before releasing it and reaching for my hand. I laced my fingers in hers.

“My father didn’t give it to me.” She sucked a breath back through her lips and clamped them shut as though the words had escaped without her permission.

I forced myself to wait. Stay quiet. Ready for any private piece of herself she wanted to share. “It wasn’t a boyfriend either.” Those words came out faster, obligatory, as she looked at me, chewing on her lip. “You’re the only person I’ve ever called Daddy.”

I bit back the happiness that soared through me, trying to keep my focus on her words and her pain. But the happiness was there. I was the only one she called Daddy. It would stay that way if I had anything to do with it.

“Truth is …” She chewed the inside of her cheek and looked away. “I stole it.”

Not what I expected.

I swallowed down my questions and let her go at her own pace.

“I had a friend in fourth grade. Libby Sutton. Her parents spoiled her. Especially her dad. She had dozens of trinkets and gifts like this one. I’d go over to her house and watch how he treated her, spent time with her, and doted on her. He was never disappointed in her. Never told her she wasn’t good enough. My dad … well …” She turned to look out at the water. “Libby’s dad was a pretty stark contrast.”

The shadow of her fourth-grade self, hungry for her father’s love and envious of what her friend had hovered over her like a dark cloud.

“She didn’t even want it. She was going through a silver phase and threw it in her jewelry box like it was nothing.” She lowered her eyes, the shame of her long-ago crime paling her pink cheeks.

“Something came over me, and I just … took it. I felt guilty for stealing it, so I hid it in my room and sort of forgot about it for a while. Libby’s family moved away, and we didn’t keep in touch. But a year or two later, I had been eliminated from the science fair finals, and my father was so disgusted he wasn’t even speaking to me. I found this locket when I was cleaning out a drawer and the whole bitter irony came rushing in at me. So, I put it on.”

Her breath hitched. “I don’t even know what I was trying to say with it.”

I pulled her down to me, stroking her hair and holding her close.

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