Page 60 of The Rookie

I love him and I also trust him, which means where we live doesn’t matter, because I won’t be sad and miserable if I leave here—with him. He’s also not my father—he’s not going to hurt me and leave me broken—and I’m not my mother, unwilling to compromise for love, not when it’s with the right man. The truth is, I can always come back here to visit. The sea is in my soul, but the sea isn’t going anywhere, and Wes is more important to me than any of that anyways.

A gasp crawls out of my throat. My God, I messed things up horribly.

“Jules,” I cry out, as my gaze flies to her. “I hurt him. I accused him of things. He’ll probably never talk to me again.”

“Then maybe you should just listen.” Having no idea what she’s talking about, I let her link her arm through mine and drag me through the busy streets. “Where are we going? The parade is about to start and I don’t want to get caught in the middle of it.”

“The middle of it is exactly where you need to be.”

“What are you…” I glance up and take in the first float sailing down the street. It’s a lobster boat on wheels, and Wes is standing on the deck. “Oh my God. What is he doing?”

Jules has a big smile on her face, as she holds me tight, like she’s afraid I’m going to run away. The crowd cheers as he speaks into the microphone, to test it. “Why is he up there? He hates crowds like this, and he hates being the center of attention.”

“I know.”

“Jules?”

“Time to listen, my friend.”

I turn back to Wes and my heart squeezes as I take in his handsome face, no ball cap to conceal his identity. He’s dressed in the same jeans he was wearing when I surprised him on the farm, and he’s in a T-shirt that showcases hard, homegrown muscles. My hand itches to touch him again, as he comes closer. My God, I love him. I love him so much. But I let my fears come between us.

“Charlie,” he says into the microphone as he points to me, and the entire crowd turns my way. Heat floods my face, and when my knees go weak, Rider comes up on the other side of me, and puts his arm around me.

“Hey Charlie,” he says.

Panic grips my chest. “What’s going on?”

He doesn’t tell me, instead he stares up at Wes as he makes a spectacle of himself.

“For those of you in the crowd who don’t know Charlie, let me tell you, she’s the kindest sweetest, smartest fisherman, or rather fisherwoman, I know. She wears coveralls that drive me insane, and rubber boots that put heels to shame. This is her hometown, where she was born, grew up and wants to spend the rest of her life. I get that.”

He does get that. I never should have questioned it. I glance around, and spot my mother and sisters in the crowd. They’re watching me with big smiles on their faces.

“Her name is Charlotte, but my cousin.” He scans the crowd. “He’s around here somewhere. He decided to call her Charlie, and the name stuck. While I love the name, I made a mistake and thought she’d prefer to go by Charlotte. I thought I was righting a wrong from the past.” He winks at the crowd and they go crazy. “A rookie mistake.”

“I made a mistake too,” I blurt out without thinking, and as all eyes turn to me, shocked at my outburst, I almost back away, but no, this is important. Wes is important and if he’s going to stand up there in front of this crowd and open himself up, I am too. The float stops in front of me.

Wes angles his head, his eyes dark and serious…yet full of hope. “Charlie?”

“I made a mistake, Wes. When I told you I didn’t know who you were.”

His head drops, and his shoulder’s sag like they’re no longer carrying the weight of the world. “Who am I, Charlie?”

“You’re a farm boy who is good at hockey.”

A slow smile curls his lips. “That’s right. That’s exactly who I am, Charlie. At heart that’s who I am.”

“It’s that boy I fell in love with.”

He goes still, and gasps sound in the crowd. “You…love me?”

“Of course I love you.”

The crowd starts clapping, and Wes jumps from the float, and people part to give him a path to me. He stops in front of me, and tears flood my eyes.

“I love you too, Charlie. The job in Seattle. It’s part time. You said I didn’t know you, but I do. This job, it’s seasonal, and you’d have your summers back here, where you belong. You can experience other things in Seattle, like you want, like your Mom wants, but every year, we can come back here. You can keep running your tour business, and I want to do it with you. I want to spend all my time with you. Of course, I still want to get a cottage on Watauga beach. Jules will kill me if I don’t, and I think you’ll like it there, and you’ll like my teammates and their wives.” Without taking a breath, he continues with. “I want to be your partner in life. I want what you want. I want you happy. I want to knit our kids toques and sweaters.” He’s about to continue, but I put my fingers to his lips, to hush him as my heart practically pounds out of my chest.

“Wes. I want all those things, and I want them with you, and no one else.” I blink through the tears welling up in my eyes. “When you bought the dress, called me Charlotte, got me a job that took me away from here…I thought you were trying to make me into something else. I saw what happened to my parents and I was afraid. But we’re not them, and I should have listened, should have let you explain. That’s on me, not you. It was a rookie mistake on my part, and I want you to know, I’m not afraid anymore.” I put my hands on his face. “What you want is important to me too, Wes, and home is wherever we are…together. Before I heard a word you had to say to me today, I had already concluded that I’d go anywhere with you. We don’t have to be here to be together and happy.”

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