Page 9 of Pax

“It was three years ago. Mom and Dad were out at Belle Fleur visiting with everyone, and they asked me to come out and pick them up. They didn’t drive at night much any longer, and they don’t like taxis. So, I drove out there.

“You were home on leave. The guys were all getting ready to go to The Well, and you said you had a book you wanted to finish and were going to bed early.”

“You didn’t say hello,” he frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I was nervous. You were on the porch of the big house in shorts and a t-shirt. You weren’t wearing shoes, and it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. It’s so stupid,” she said, shaking her head.

“It’s not stupid at all. I sure wish you would have said something. We might be three years ahead of where we are right now,” he grinned. He could tell she still wasn’t convinced, looking down and pulling the cap over her face again.

“It will heal, Deanna. All of it. You have to trust me.”

“This won’t,” she said, unbuttoning her blouse. The deep red scar from the center of her clavicle all the way to her belly button. Pax turned his chair to face her and reached out, touching the scar. He felt the tears hit his hand and shook his head.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she sniffed.

“It will go away, Deanna. I know you don’t understand this right now, but it will. But hear me out. Even if it didn’t go away, I wouldn’t feel any differently about you.”

“I’m not ready to go back right now,” she said.

“Good,” he smiled. “I needed some time off, and this house, this beach, is the perfect place to relax. I’d like to take long walks in the morning, with you, sit by the fire pit at night, with you, maybe go for a burger and a beer at my favorite spot on the island, with you, and then come back here and watch the sunset from the porch, with you by my side.

“I want the next few days, weeks, whatever it takes to be about you and me. Tell me everything that’s happened in your life since we’ve been apart, and I’ll tell you about mine. I want to know it all, Deanna.”

“What if I can’t do this, Pax? What if I’m ruined from the inside out? What if I’m an emotional basket case? What if I fall apart?” she sniffed.

“I’ll be there to put you back together.”

CHAPTER SIX

Pax was waiting with bated breath as she moved around the kitchen, rinsing the dishes and placing them in the dishwasher. Finally, she turned, staring at the clock on the stove.

“The sun sets in about twenty minutes,” she said quietly. “Let me grab a sweater.”

She disappeared upstairs, and Pax looked down at his phone, which had been vibrating in his pocket for almost fifteen minutes.

Is everything okay?

Did you get her to listen?

Pax! WTF what’s happening?

Is Deanna okay?

He smiled at the text messages from his brother, then sent one back.

So far okay – she hasn’t asked me to leave.

He sent back a thumbs-up emoji, and Pax tucked his phone back in his pocket. When Deanna came back downstairs, she was wearing a hoodie sweatshirt and had a light blanket with her.

“Do you get cold easily?” he asked.

“Lately, I do. Once the sun sets here, it gets really cold on the beach, but it’s so beautiful I don’t want to leave too soon.”

“Then let’s go,” he said, holding out a hand to her.

She stared at his massive bear paw. It was silly to think about it. She’d been wondering for years what it would feel like to walk with him, hand in hand. Finally, she slid her own hand into his.

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