Page 70 of The Seal's Promise

CHAPTER THIRTY

Dalton

Legend of the Fall

By the endof their date Dalton couldn’t imagine not seeing Brooke every day for the rest of his life. He’d never felt so connected to another person, and craved them so much. Maybe it was an infatuation or some kind of lovers’ honeymoon that would wear off with time, but he didn’t think so. There was a kind of peace that surrounded him when she was close, and tonight only solidified how good they were together. But so much still stood between them.

He’d taken her to a local Italian restaurant in town, where they’d sat at a small table in the middle of the room for anyone to see. Neither of them noticed who else was among the busy dinner rush, because they were too interested in each other.

Then, like any bubble, it burst wide open when he drove them out of town toward the pier. It was painted a shiny new white with red lettering that spelled out Dalton’s last name, courtesy of his younger brother’s funding. There were people along the short boardwalk buying ice cream and walking the length of the pier to take photos and to enjoy the view.

“Do you want an ice cream?”

“No, let’s just walk a little,” Brooke said, but she sounded sad.

He gripped her hand as they walked toward the end of the pier and neither of them spoke until they reached the railing. Then Brooke let go of his hand and rested both of hers on the railing. Her hair blew in the breeze as she stared out over the dark ocean, and she looked gorgeous.

“I realized something tonight,” she said.

“I think I did too.”

She turned to face him and there was a look of regret he didn’t want to see.

“I thought we could do this, keep things casual, enjoy a sexy summer together, but I’ve gotten too reliant on your calm, steady presence in my life. I realized tonight that I want so much more than casual.”

His heart stopped and dropped like an anchor in his chest. She was asking for the one thing he couldn’t give her, even if he wanted to.

He lifted his hand to lightly caress her neck and ran his thumb along her chin.

“This was never casual. We were always going to mean more,” he said.

She turned her face into his hand.

“But if you’re still planning to leave at the end of summer, it wouldn’t be fair for me to ask you to stay. Not for either of us. I think you have to want to stay on your own.”

He wanted to tell her what was holding him back, he wanted to bare his soul to her, but he physically couldn’t. He had never told anyone what happened that day. He’d buried his betrayal along with his parents, and he was worried no amount of penance was going to get his brothers to forgive him.

“As much as I want to stay and be with you, this town will always hold a heartbreak for me.” He was blaming it on the death of his parents, which was only half the truth. But he didn’t want Brooke to know what he’d done either. As selfish as that was, he didn’t want her to see him as a coward.

“I’ll never regret you, but I don’t think I can do this anymore. It’s not healthy for me or Max to get more attached to you.”

He nodded. “Don’t give up on me yet.” He didn’t know what else to say because it all sounded like not enough. Brooke deserved more thanI wish I could be moreand that he couldn’t promise to stay. Not yet.

“I think I better go home,” she said.

And that same feeling of loss he’d had when he found out his parents died washed over him; all he could feel was empty. They walked back to his truck in a quiet daze, then he drove to her house and walked her to the front door. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her one last time before she closed him out.

He’d set his life on a collision course with grief that day he’d argued with his dad on the phone, and Dalton didn’t know how to stop it. Telling his brothers and Gran what he’d done would only drive them away too, but maybe facing it would help relieve some of his guilt. Even if it meant he’d never be welcomed home.

For the entire drive to Wes’s place he didn’t know exactly what he was going to say, but he knew it had to be better than staying quiet for one more day.

Unlike Levi, Wes hadn’t built a modern home on the beach. His house was actually an old glass factory building that sat on the fringe of town in what used to be a small industrial park. The large brick building had exposed pipes, huge grid-style glass windows, and a large metal door. He parked next to his brother’s cruiser and sent him a text to let him know he was there.

Come on in, his brother fired back.

Dalton heard a beeping sound as he approached the steel door and then a click. When he turned the handle, the door opened, and he let himself in. The concrete floors looked fancier than he expected, and he was surprised to find a plush rug in the entryway.

The entire first floor was open concept with a modern kitchen that flowed into a large living room, and beyond that an area for working out. That was where he found his brother, doing pull-ups on a gym-worthy apparatus.

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