Page 56 of Twister

She giggled again. “Let me see about getting you some breakfast.” And she was gone again.

The guys filed in, and there were plenty of digs and general horsing around until Sadie came back, and like a drill sergeant, shooed them all from the room with stern looks and a firm voice.

“What a bunch of lovable knuckleheads,” she said, setting a tray on his hospital table and wheeling it over to him.

He pushed it back and grabbed her with his good arm, pulling her across his body. There was some pain, but he didn’t give a damn. She started to protest, then when his mouth covered hers, she choked out his name, her mouth meeting his. Shifting her head, he resealed his mouth over hers, and she opened to him, moving against his lips with fierce energy. Deepening the kiss with a slow, soothing thoroughness, he savored the taste of her, her hair tangling like silk around his fingers.

His chest tightened at how she got to him every time. He had no idea this would feel so damn good.

She leveraged herself away from him. “You’re going to pop your stitches, or at least pull them. I don’t want you in pain.”

“I don’t care.” Clamping down on all the emotions running through him, he couldn’t hide how he felt. “I needed that. I needed to feel your breath in my mouth, your warm body against mine.” He lifted her face, gazing into her eyes, his soul naked toher as he ran his thumb along her jaw. “I was scared to death that he would hurt you,” he said gruffly.

She shook her head. “Me? You’re the one in the hospital, and I was just as terrified, especially when you didn’t emerge from the hatch.”

“I’m sorry about that. He got the drop on me…almost.”

She stared up at him, her eyes full of a tenderness that made him lose himself in them. “I love you, Shane,” she said, her voice shaking. “So much. So, yes, I want to be with you after this.”

His heart jumped into overdrive, pounding so hard that it felt as if it would come through his ribs. He had wanted this more than he could say, his hope full of the promise of what they could be together.

“But more importantly, I want you to have the space you need to feel how you feel, whether that means expressing your anger without taking it personally, hoping you always feel safe being vulnerable with me, or any other emotion that you need to express. I’ll always be that safe space for you to be yourself. That’s infinitely important to me.”

He stared at her, his pulse laboring, his breath jammed up in his chest, fighting to maintain his common sense, his equilibrium.

Her eyes filled up with tears, and she worked at swallowing as she reached up and cupped his jaw. He inhaled sharply and caught her hand, blood rushing in his ears. It took him two tries before he could get the words out. “Ah, Sadie. Are you sure about this?”

Holding his gaze, she stared at him with a look of determination flickering in her eyes, tears spilling over. Her voice breaking, she said, “Yes. Very sure.”

Twister tightened his hold on her hand and tried to regain some control, then he realized there wasn’t any such thing and told her what was in his heart. “I love you, Sadie,” he said, hisvoice a whispering rasp. Struggling with the thick surge of love for her, he clenched his jaw and rested his forehead against hers. “I have experienced your incredible warmth, passion, and kindness. I want to mirror that for you and make space for uninterrupted quality time. It’s going to be challenging, but we’ll find a way. And, like you said, I appreciate you for who you are.”

She choked out his name and came into his arms, holding on to him with desperate strength. His heart laboring against the frenzy in his chest, he caught her against him. It took him a long time to conclude that being vulnerable and feeling the impact of different emotions was not a sign of weakness. Instead, it showed immense strength. With Sadie by his side, they would conquer, master, and overcome all that life threw at them for what he hoped was a lifetime. Together forever after through the magic they created in each other and for each other.

EPILOGUE

Twister,his right arm bound to his chest by a sling to immobilize it as it continued to heal, sat with Sadie on a beautifully carved wooden bench in a white-tiled patio. He was visiting Ida Bagus Ngurah in his home by invitation. Ngurah Pedanda’s housekeeper had greeted them at his gate, then led them through large, meticulously kept rooms with painted rooftops, connected by pathways filled with tropical plants. A songbird sat at each intersection. They were considered a status symbol in Indonesia.

One of the birds close to where they sat twittered and chirped inside a miniature temple of carved stone. When Ngurah entered the room, he and Sadie rose to their feet. He was dressed in a white shirt and a sarong the color of Sadie’s amber eyes with symbols woven into the fabric in a dark brown. His forehead and earlobes were daubed with a pinch of sacred rice. He extended his hands to Sadie. “Who is this enchanting individual?”

Sadie smiled, her eyes as warm as his. She looked so beautiful today with her hair in a side braid over her shoulder, dressed in one of the sundresses she’d bought on their trip to the shore. A blue background with sunflowers in bright yellow, black sandalson her feet.“This is Sadie Tompkins. She’s a Navy diver working on the wreck of the USSKittiwake.

“Ah, the World War II submarine.” He took her hands, squeezing them in greeting, and gave her an enigmatic look and a cryptic smile.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Pendanda Ngurah. Thank you for having us in your home.”

He nodded, then switched his focus back to Twister. The man’s wizened eyes roved over his bandages in a solemn pass. “You have been injured.” His eyes were warm and welcoming. “Come, let us talk and take tea in the garden.”

They followed him out of the patio deeper into the greenery until they came to a small, lively fountain with a carving of a dragon in the center. A small low table was set up with a teapot and three cups, three cushions surrounding it. In the center was Twister’s gift to him at the hangar, a browning leaf and the sandstone. The fact that Ngurah honored him right back made his affection for the old man feel like a warm blanket.

They waited for Ngurah to be seated, then folded down beside him. He reached out and poured the tea into cups and handed one to Sadie, then to him, then Ngurah took one for himself. He took a sip, then said, “Have you confirmed that your ancestor was on board the submarine, my dear?”

Sadie’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know that my great-grandfather went down with that submarine?”

“I just sense it, and your aura is a lovely green, but it shows me your sadness.”

She sighed. “I haven’t gotten the word yet whether any remains we’d gathered were his. I want to give my mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother peace,” she whispered.

“It’s a great gift to bestow,” he said with a smile.

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