Page 84 of You, with a View

He growls, “I can, too.”

Suddenly music is pumping out into the evening air. Theo and I spring apart.

“I found a stereo!” Paul calls. “Can you hear the music?”

“Uh, yeah,” Theo calls back, his kiss-flushed mouth pulling up at the corners. “It’s raging out here.”

“What?” comes Paul’s reply.

“Jesus,” Theo mutters, shaking his head. He flips the steaks and skewers with a proficiency that’s just as hot as the way he grabbed my ass, then takes me by the hand and pushes me away from the grill.

I resist, stretching my arm back toward it. “The food—”

“Can wait.” He takes my outstretched arm and threads it around his neck, smiling when I follow with my other arm, my fingers winding into his hair. He circles his arms around my waist, his expression a dizzying mixture of stern and playful.

And then we’re dancing. He holds me close for a few beats, and I let his body guide the movements of mine. God, we’re good at this.

He either has Paul radar or he wants to douse the attraction that’s arcing between us; he pushes me back right before Paul walks out with a serving dish.

I laugh as Theo spins me with the most beautiful smile on his face, then turn to Paul to make some pithy comment about his grandson’s rhythm (which is actually phenomenal). But Paul’s gaze is fastened on Theo, his face lit up with joy so intense he almost looks anguished.

The moment has nothing to do with me, but it still stirs emotion in my chest. The love between these two men heals something in me, just as much as it tears me apart.

The ache in my chest recedes as we sit down for dinner, when Theo slides his hand over my thigh under the table.

And later, when I look up at the sky, I swear I see a star winking down at me.

We spend most of the next morning exploring the various bends and curves carved out of massive red-hued rocks at Lake Powell. Theo drives our rented speedboat, sometimes racing over the deep blue water, sometimes puttering. He stops whenever Paul or I ask so that we can take photos, and we tuck ourselves into a less-busy section of the lake to eat lunch.

Paul digs into his bag with one hand once we’ve finished, holding up a finger with the other. “How about a letter? I forgot to give it to you two this morning.”

“Yes!” I practically shout, diving out of my seat to get to Paul. He leans over with a quiet laugh and hands it to me. I run my thumb over the folded paper. No matter how many of these I read, I’ll always crave more. “I feel like we’re running out of time to hear the whole story. We only have...” Saying the number outloud is a finger against my bubble, so I don’t. “We don’t have a lot of time left together.”

Some magnetic force in my body recognizes Theo’s energy as he stands behind me. I sway back into him, letting my shoulder rest against his chest. I can blame it on the lake rocking us.

Paul eyes us, an inscrutable look on his face. “Why don’t we make a deal?”

“Okay.”

“We’ll get through as much as we can over the next three days”—his expression softens when I wince—“but there’s no need to rush it. You’ve enjoyed reading your gram’s words, haven’t you?”

“So much,” I say thickly. “I knew a lot about her, but only through the lens of my own life, if that makes sense. Getting to know this part of her—her story with you—is like meeting her all over again.” My throat tightens, and Theo’s hand curls around my hip briefly, squeezing. “I just want every detail, you know? So I can keep feeling that.”

Paul nods, understanding lighting his blue eyes. “The story will come. Let’s do what we can here, and I’ll tell you the rest when we get home.”

A sense of foreboding gathers in my stomach. “I mean, I know the ending, but is it going to be bad?”

His expression softens. “Oh, Noelle, no. It’s life. Some of it may be painful, but it’s not bad, sweetheart. You and Theo standing here are living proof of that.”

I nod, my throat too tight to speak now. Theo releases a breath, stirring the hair at my neck.

Paul winks. “That’s our deal, all right? The story doesn’t have to end when this trip does.”

His words sink into me, pulling relief I didn’t even know I needed to the surface. Suddenly my bubble feels unbreakable.Timeless. I could stretch this story out for months if I wanted to. Get access to everything I’m craving: Gram’s secret, Paul’s friendship. Theo.

“It’s a deal.”

“Why don’t you two read the letter, and I’ll start us out nice and slow?”

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