Page 124 of Dr. Stone
The sea shimmered around us. The yacht rocked gently beneath our bare feet, and the woman I waited a lifetime for finally wrapped her arms around me. It didn’t matter where we were—on a yacht in Croatia, or in Southern California—I was home with her.
THE END
EPILOGUE
Jace
Four months into loving her right this time…
After everythingwe’d been through since the night we met—the perfect first night of fucking, the constant, gnawing need for more of her, rushing into something without real communication, the wasted time of watching her date Titus, the threats, the heartache, and helping her finally close the door on a psychotic ex—I was finally in a place where the woman I loved was letting me stay.
This morning, it was just us men—me, a toddler clutching Goldfish in both fists, and the man who helped raise the woman I could never get enough of. Andie’s dad, Harry, had been cool with me from the start (probably because Jake was up thereclearing my name after he’d bought a goddamn sailboat from him).
Even though we hit it off the first time Andie introduced me to her dad, and I’d seen him and his wife, Marsha, a few times during drop-offs and pick-ups with Brandon, we’d never really had the chance to get to know each other well. But today I planned to change all that. Today was going to be the first time he and I would spend quality time together, just the two of us—well, three of us, actually—out on my sailboat, gliding across the Pacific like it was made for this exact moment.
I had Brandon tucked into the seat beside me, and I smiled down at him, holding onto the wheel like it might fly him to the damn moon. He still wasn’t talking in complete sentences yet, just a mix of clear words and a whole symphony of baby babble. But this always-happy boy didn’t need words to show me how excited he was. My cute little buddy wrapped one chubby hand around my thumb the second Andie passed him off, and hadn’t let go since.
Harry leaned back in the passenger seat with a half-smile, watching me juggle a toddler, the tiller, and a bottle of juice like it was any other day, sailing up Southern California’s coastline.
“You’re sweating,” he said, grinning behind aviators. “That little man got you working.”
“Feels a little like I’m being hazed,” I muttered, catching the bottle mid-spill.
“Welcome to the club, kid,” he said with a soft laugh. “He reminds me a lot of Andie,” he gave Brandon a playful smile. “She was the same way with me. Wild, stubborn, full of questions, and ten steps ahead of the world by the time she was five. Most of all, she was always happy and in love with the life God blessed her with.”
I grinned. “Did she get that from you?”
“Hell no. That’s all her mother. Theno bullshit and sarcasmis what she gets from me,” he exhaled. “It’s good to see all of that coming back in her after all this time. That asshole hurt her in so many ways, even long before the stunt he pulled when you came around.”
I felt the fire of rage burn in me again and was fucking grateful that bastard was out of her life.
“Last I heard from my friend Titus, that prick was living in Vegas, dealing cards in a rundown casino off the strip,” I said, trying to refrain from sounding pissed off at the thought of the fucker. “He won’t ever be a problem for her or this boy again.”
“You’re a good man for watching out for her like that,” he said, his expression solemn, and I could see the pain the dick caused even her own parents with his treatment of their daughter. “Marsha and I are indebted to you for what you did.”
“No need to be indebted, sir,” I said with a smile. “It was the least I could do after the idiot threatened her because I started dating her.”
“Well, her mother and I both have noticed that she’s been lighter lately. Ever since you.”
I smiled in response, relief washing over me knowing that this man’s opinion of me honestly could make or break me at the moment. I’d held hearts in my hands on operating tables but nothing made me sweat like hoping I’d pass this test with the people Andie loved the most.
Brandon cut the tension that was building when he squealed and pointed out to a seagull, letting out a string of excited sounds. I smiled and gave his tiny belly a quick tickle.
“He’s good with you,” Harry said after a pause. “That doesn’t happen often.”
“He’s a good kid,” I said quietly. “I’m very fortunate that he’s taken to me so easily.” I grinned. “I guess I’m lucky that you and Marsha seem to feel the same with me as well.”
He chuckled, “You earned that shit, kid. After what you did to help our baby, the fact that you were there for her when you didn’t have to be? There’s something to be said about a man who helps save a woman, even when she’s hurting him.”
“It means a lot that you feel that way, and I’m grateful to you for saying that,” I said with sincerity.
We sailed for nearly another hour, talking about work and boats and life, watching the sun rise higher over the waves that stretched smooth and steady. By the time we returned to the marina, Brandon was napping against my chest like he and I had been sailing together since the day he was born. I loved everything about the path I’d chosen in life, and I would fight with everything I had to keep it.
I would’ve loved to stay out on the boat longer, but tonight was the dinner Andie and I had planned—our chance to host both of our parents, let them meet, and give them a small taste of the life we were so excited to share.
Andie, Brandon, and her parents arrived early, while my parents showed up late, but thank God they were all smiles.
I stood at my outdoor kitchen, grilling steaks and split lobster with a beer in hand, feeling like a goddamn chief family man and watching everyone with quiet amusement.
