Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
One end of the boardwalk has a short pier that juts out into the water, lined with a pair of decorative benches. It’s there that we take a seat and enjoy the quiet together.
Sean’s the first to break the silence. “Why did you bring me out here?”
“Thought you might want a break.”
“A break from what?”
“All of that pressure back at the bar. Drake giving half a sermon. Mars going on and on. Whether you choose to stay here with us … or try your luck on the next town … I want it to be your decision. Not theirs.”
Sean considers that. “And … you took me all the way out here just for that?”
“I also wanted to get in one last stroll with you down the boardwalk, hand-in-hand.” I turn my face to him. “Just in case.”
He looks at me, too.
The bench is small. We’re pressed close together, our sides touching, still holding hands. Two tall lampposts over us and the pale moonlight scattered over the water provide the only light. It’s more than enough to see the deep look in Sean’s eyes upon hearing those words.
I lift my hand to his forehead and brush away bangs. He closes his eyes. “There’s no hurry at all,” I remind him. “Here in Dreamwood, everything goes at its own pace. The pace can be as slow as the tide. Or quick as lightning. You decide what direction you take in life, Sean. From now on, you decide everything.”
Sean looks away, thinking that over. The rush of the waves fills our ears for a while.
Then he says, “Drake isn’t that bad.”
I lift an eyebrow. “What?”
“He isn’t the monster I was expecting, judging from all the things you told me about him.”
Even I have to admit, if it wasn’t for the absurdly lucky timing of circumstance, Sean might be on the other side of the causeway by now, lost to the mainland and the horrors of the unknown.
“But I’m only meeting the new him,” Sean adds. “The more mature version of him. I didn’t see what he was like back then. I didn’t see the monster that broke your heart. The thought of that … it gives me …” His face contorts, making him appear conflicted. “… it gives me hope.”
“Hope?”
“Could that be me?” He glances my way, his eyes full of moonlight, just as a wave crashes beneath us. “If I live here, will the person I was no longer exist? Will he be gone for good?”
I take hold of his hand with both of mine, rubbing it. “I have to be honest with you, Sean … I don’t know if that’s possible. We can’t change who we are or where we came from. But … maybe we shouldn’t want to, either. What’s the point of regret? The pain you lived brought you here. The pain I lived left my heart open to you.” I look at him. “Without it, we may never have met.”
He watches as I rub his hand, his eyes as stormy and conflicted as the waves beneath us.
“You have a beautiful heart, Sean.”
“Do I?” he asks quietly, still staring at our hands.
“It’s resilient and strong. Far more than I can say about my own, which was in such a bitter state when I first met you. I’m amazed at what you’ve endured. Sean, you give me hope that someday I can be fully healed—as strong and resilient as you.”
I hear him breathe out a happy sigh. “I’m glad. If any gift I’ve given you in return for everything you’ve done for me, I’m glad it’s hope.”
“Can I tell you something, Sean?”
He looks at me fully.
I turn to him. “It’s your decision whether you stay here or not. And you can make that decision whenever you want, whether it’s tomorrow, a year from now, or in five and a half minutes. But I want to share everything in my heart with you first. That way, you can make an informed decision. You will know everything.”
“O-Okay.”
I bring a hand to his cheek, caressing him. “Sean, I feel deep affection for you. Maybe even love. Let me be crystal clear about this: I want you to stay with me.”
His lips part.
“And if you want to stay,” I go on, “I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. And it will be my pleasure to do so. And it’s not just about keeping you safe, Sean. I want to keep you smiling, too, because damn, your smile is like the sun breaking over the sky every morning, and this world needs more of it. I want to make you breakfast when you wake up and feed you fudgy cake in my car. I want to take you to every midnight movie and walk home holding your hand. I want to fall asleep every night with you in my arms. I want everything for you, Sean.”