21. Chase
21
CHASE
I sat in the truck, tapping an erratic beat on the steering wheel as I waited for Bridget. Pedestrians waved as they passed by my parking spot. I lifted two fingers and nodded.
Beaufort Personal Wellness was located in a pretty historic house halfway between my place and the police department. Green shutters accented the white siding, and a small bronze sign by the front door noted the house’s history.
Bridget could have driven herself to her first appointment after she finished the lunch rush at Jokers, but she asked me to.
Hell yeah, she asked.
Something inside her broke free when she pulled me on the dance floor and said the eight words I’d been holding on to since Hannah Jane and Isaac’s wedding.
Maybe it was the realization that she had lived to say those eight words again.
That she wasn’t holding on to hope that there was light at the end of the tunnel. She had walked out of it .
Bee hadn’t said I love you since that night, but I knew it was there. It wasn’t a hoax or an eleventh-hour confession.
I had been swamped with a new case and ended up pulling long hours, which meant she and I still had yet to fully explore the intimate side of our relationship.
The upside of her working late nights at the bar meant that she was still awake by the time I dragged my feet through the door. But it also meant that when we climbed into bed, it was just for sleep.
Two days ago, Bridget and I had sat on the couch for hours, looking at her options.
When we pulled up the website for the wellness center, I knew it was the place for her. The lady who ran the practice specialized in helping clients transition out of toxic, abusive, and dangerous relationships.
When I arrived at the house, I circled the hood of the truck and opened her door. Bridget squeezed my hand as we walked inside. Soft lighting glowed, and essential oils diffused into the air. It was serene. Welcoming.
Dr. Naomi Haddad waltzed up, wearing slippers and a teal caftan, to greet Bridget and me.
She immediately insisted on dropping the formalities and starting off on a first-name basis.
Naomi showed both of us around, pointing out the different meeting spaces that were decked out with colorful pillows and rugs.
It was night and day compared to the therapist I had been seeing. Unlike the sterile strip-mall unit that had a leather couch that squeaked whenever you sat on it, and bookshelves chock-full of psychology tomes, the practice Bee chose was cozy and comfortable.
Since the weather was breezy and warm, Naomi suggested Bridget make herself comfortable on the back porch. There was a pot of tea steeping between the rocking chairs and a jungle of greenery and vines for privacy. I managed to sneak a kiss on Bee’s temple before Naomi told me to get lost.
That was fifty-six minutes ago. Not that I was counting.
Bridget may not want to be wined and dined, but that didn’t mean I was satisfied with our dates being takeout in bed while we watched reruns of HawaiiFive-0 after work . I was thoroughly prepared to get creative. Hence, the errands I ran while Bridget was in her appointment with Naomi.
I drained the rest of my coffee from Queen’s and scrolled through the poker club group text. The girls were planning a day trip to New Bern to go to Target.
The majority of the group chat was regularly dedicated to the girls complaining that Beaufort and Morehead City didn’t have a Target yet.
Kristin had messaged, saying that she could drive Will’s truck so they’d have more cargo space. Erica volunteered her SUV as long as she could find someone to watch Aly and Eli.
I almost texted them and said that Bee could take my truck, but I didn’t want to volunteer her for something she didn’t want to go to. Besides, Bridget hadn’t been involved in the group text since before that night.
It was the only thing I could come up with to call it.
The night Kyle Kingsley had tried to kill her.
The front door opened as Naomi walked Bridget out. The two exchanged a quick hug before Bridget turned and walked down the steps. Her long legs ate up the sidewalk before hurrying to cross the street. I opened Bridget’s door for her and took a moment to appreciate how fucking pretty she looked today.
“Hey, darlin’.”
“Hi,” she offered with a tired smile. Her eyes were puffy and red, with dark circles because she had tossed and turned all night, plagued by nightmares.
In broad daylight, I cupped her cheeks and kissed her right there in the middle of Front Street. Bridget McGrath was my girl.
“You ready to get out of here?”
Bridget nodded. “Please.”
I placed my hand on her back as she hoisted herself up into the passenger’s seat, stealing another kiss before I shut the door.
I navigated the tight downtown grid one-handed, so that I could hold hers. I had years to make up for, and I wasn’t about to waste a second.
Bridget stared blankly out the window as we passed Hannah Jane and Isaac’s house.
“You okay, darlin’?” I brought her hand to my lips and kissed the back of it.
Instead of pulling away or putting up a fa?ade, she shrugged. “I’m a little talked out.”
“How ’bout we go for a drive?”
We were both off for the next two days. Not like we had anywhere else to be.
Bridget propped her elbow on the console between us and rested her head on my shoulder. “I’d like that.”
She was asleep before I passed Jarrett Bay. I had given her my phone, so she could be the DJ, but I didn’t plan on her drifting off with her thumb on the repeat button.
I listened to Dave Barnes sing “Someday, Sarah” on loop the entire way to the Cedar Island Ferry. She was too cute to wake.
I kept my voice low and quiet as I checked in with the ferry attendant and paid for our spot on the boat. The truck bumped and jostled as I slowly navigated it onto the parking deck of the Cedar Island vehicle ferry.
“Hmm?” Bridget sat up, looking around in confusion. “What? Where are we?” She rubbed her eyes and peered out the window. “Why are we on the ferry?”
I unlatched my seatbelt and took her in. She had started wearing her little denim shorts again now that the bruises on her legs had faded. Her thin, cream-colored tank top was wrinkled from her sleeping position. Red lines from the fabric of my shirt crossed her cheek. Blonde hair recklessly spilled from her braid.
Her feet were curled up beneath her, toes painted sky blue.
“I wanna take you somewhere.”
She turned around and peered out the back window of the truck, spotting the sign next to the terminal. “Cedar Island?” She bit back a yawn. “We’re going to Ocracoke?”
I engulfed her hand with mine. “You up for an adventure?”
The ferry captain blew the horn, signaling our departure. “It’s a little late to back out now.” She tapped my phone. “Are we going to have enough time to catch the ferry back tonight?”
“Come on, darlin’,” I said as I popped my door open. “Live a little.”
A warm breeze blew around us, the salt air easing our aches and stress as the ferry cut through the ocean. Bridget stood on the deck, holding on to the railing. I braced my arms around hers and buried my nose in her hair.
Her eyes were closed, her expression completely calm. She hadn’t uttered more than ten words during the first hour of the voyage, but her face said it all.
Peace.
She was at peace.
I pressed my lips to the back of her head and lingered. “You doin’ alright in there? ”
A tranquil smile curved at the corner of her mouth. “The sun feels good.” Her blonde hair transformed to gold filaments in the early autumn rays. She tilted her chin toward the heavens, soaking it in.
“What makes you say that?”
She contemplated her answer for a moment. Finally, she said, “Everything has felt so jumbled. Ever since I woke up in the hospital, I’ve felt like my life had turned into a jigsaw puzzle. And every time I think I’ve found a few pieces that made sense, something comes along and shakes it up again.” She opened her eyes and surveyed the endless ocean around us like it was her kingdom. “Being out here, I feel like I can breathe. Like I don’t have to have all the answers right now. That I can just enjoy the sunshine.”
The two-hour boat ride to Ocracoke Island flew by. Bridget stood at the bow of the ferry as long as the attendants would allow. When it was time to disembark, we got back in the truck and waited to drive onto the island.
The sun would be setting soon, so we didn’t waste any time driving down the beach to a secluded spot and setting up the charcoal grill I had thrown in the back seat.
“So,” Bridget said as she popped open my cooler and pulled out the box of kabobs I had prepped back at the house. The chunks of marinated chicken, steak, and vegetables sizzled as she arranged them on the grill grate. “You said you were taking me somewhere special. Is Ocracoke special to you, or are we making it special for us?”
I chuckled as I pulled two beers out of the ice and popped the tops. Bridget grabbed the coozies I kept stashed in the truck and slid them over the bottles to hide the labels.
“Maybe a little of both.”
“Why’s it special to you?” Bridget brought her bottle to her mouth, wrapping her lips around the neck. I couldn’t help but sit and stare as she took a long swig.
Watching Bridget drink a beer was nearly pornographic.
Waves crashed around us, and seagulls cawed overhead. I grabbed the tongs and turned the kabobs. “Not exactly special, I guess… Just a good place to go when I need to get away.”
She picked a shell out of the sand and dusted it off. “There are closer beaches to Beaufort.”
“Yeah, but when the girl you’ve been in love with for as long as you can remember gets engaged…”
Bridget looked down at her empty ring finger. “So, this is where you went?”
“Not exactly.” I made quick work of pulling the kabobs off the grill and onto a spare plate. “I went to the liquor store and bought a bottle of Jack. Drove up to Cedar Island, got drunk off my ass, and slept in my truck. I woke up with bloody knuckles and a dent in the driver’s side door. When the sun came up, I wasn’t ready to go back home and face you, so I hopped on the ferry and camped out here for a couple nights.” I looked out at the waves crashing against the sand. “It’s a good place to be alone.”
Bridget pulled her knees to her chest, twirling a kabob between her fingers. “I heard you had disappeared for a few days. I kept hoping you’d come into the bar so we could talk.” Softly, she added, “I couldn’t exactly text you or give you a call…”
“I almost lost you, Bee. More than once.”
There was no masking the pain in my voice. The night I saw that ring on her finger had almost killed me. The night Jason texted the poker club en route to the hospital was a hundred times as bad.
“And part of it is on me. I should have told you how I felt years ago.” I choked down the hurt and summoned my resolve. “I’m not about to make that mistake again. ”
We ate in comfortable silence for a while. Waves of heat wafted from the grill toward me, mingling with the warmth from the sun. I stripped off my shirt and tossed it in the bed of the truck.
Bridget’s eyes tracked my every move.
“What?” I asked, chuckling as I cleaned up our dinner and snuffed the coals with a bucket of ocean water.
She blushed as she tied up the trash bag. “Nothing.”
I wasn’t having that. I took the bag out of her hand and tossed it in the truck. “Nothing, my ass.” I backed her up against the tailgate. “You were checking me out.”
Bridget rolled her eyes. “Was not.”
“I saw you, darlin’.”
“I, uh,” she stammered. “I like your tattoo is all.”
“Uh-huh,” I snickered, taking her hand in mine and sliding it down my torso. “Is that all you like?”
Her fingers stalled on the ridges of my abdominals. A playful smile curled up at the corner of her mouth. “Yeah,” she said, doubling down. “That’s all.”
“Liar,” I murmured against her lips.
“Conceited,” she countered in a whisper. Her eyes lowered to thin lines, locking in on my mouth. “But you’re not wrong.”
I grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her onto the tailgate.
She hooked her fingers in the waistband of my shorts and pulled me between her legs.
“Tell me what you like.”
“You just want me to stroke your ego.”
“Darlin’, I want you to stroke something, and I promise you, it’s not my ego.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of our lives?”
“Hell yeah.” I laughed. “Because you know what’s gonna happen? We’re gonna grow old together. We’re gonna have a whole slew of kids, and we’re gonna gross them out when we’re in our eighties, and we’re still making out in the kitchen in the refrigerator light.”
“You say that like you know we’re going to make it.”
“I’m not a betting man, but I’d bet on you. I’d bet on us. Every time. All in.”
She trapped her lip between her teeth and cautiously trailed her fingertips across my pecs. “I like this.”
“Yeah?”
“And this.” She went lower, dancing across my abs.
I stifled a groan as my erection strained against the front of my shorts. Her hand dipped lower under the fabric, fingers brushing over the head of my cock.
“Bridg—”
“Where are we sleeping tonight?” she asked as she hopped off the tailgate and went back to cleaning up.
And cue the blue balls. This was the universe getting me back for advising Jason to give Melissa sexual whiplash. It was cruel and unusual punishment.
I stared at the truck bed, unable to fathom how good one light touch of her hand on my dick felt. She was a goddamn witch.
There was magic in her fingers, resilience in her veins, and steel in her spine. Every part of her was potent.
Her love warmed me like whiskey. Her beauty was a hundred proof. She had a smile sweet like muscadine wine. Eyes like absinthe. A laugh like champagne.
I was drunk on her and knew that I would never sober.
Bridget was standing at the edge of the beach, letting the waves kiss her feet as the sun set.
“What were you doing over there?” she asked when I walked up behind her and slid my hands onto her hips .
I kissed behind her ear, tasting salt from the ocean spray. “Thinking about you.”
“I’m right here.”
“I love you, you know.”
“I know,” Bridget laughed. “I’ve always known.” She turned to face me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Don’t ever doubt it.”
“Good.” I kissed her forehead.
We watched the sun go down in a brilliant display of oranges and reds, wrapped in each other’s embrace.
Bridget rested her cheek on my chest. “You say it a lot.”
“What?” I chuckled. “That I love you?”
She nodded.
“You deserve to hear it. To know it. To feel it.”
Bridget eased up onto her tiptoes and brushed her lips against mine. “You’ve said it to me more in the last few weeks than I’ve ever heard it before.”
A sharp pang resonated in my heart. She was slicing me open and didn’t even know it. “I will say it to you every day.” I kissed her, long and deep and hard. “And I will prove it to you every moment we have for the rest of our lives.”
She held my jaw between her palms and stared at me with utter adoration. “I love you. And I wish I could change the past and?—”
I shut her up with a kiss. “What matters is where we go from here. When people give each other their love, the world takes notice. Simple as that.”