Chapter Fourteen
Wells
We take our time in the shower, exploring and enjoying each other.
While Vic’s drying her hair, I sneak a piece of paper from the hotel notepad, write the date and draw a heart around it, and slip the paper into her purse so she’ll remember our trip.
I wonder if she kept the napkin from the bar that first night.
When we finally force ourselves to leave the hotel, we stop at a café for breakfast, where we share pastries, and I buy us touristy Inner Harbor T-shirts to change into since mine smells like stale beer.
Victory looks cute as hell in hers, fresh faced, her hair untamed, and that unstoppable smile that does me in every damn time I see it.
We check out the shops, and I buy matching key chains with little boats on them, and Victory looks at me like I’m being silly.
But I can tell she likes it when I say, “Twenty years from now, we’ll look back at these and say, ‘Remember when we stayed at that amazing hotel and went on our first Saturday Scoutabout?’”
“That assumes we’ll still be friends in twenty years,” she says as we leave the store.
I take her hand, tugging her into a quick kiss. “We’ll be more than friends, and you know it.”
“Oh yeah? Are you just going to be my boy toy forever?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
I keep hold of her hand as we make our way toward the docks to check out the historic ships, trying not to focus on how much I like that she didn’t fight me on my response. I glance at her, and she’s watching a butterfly fluttering beside us as we walk. “Looks like you made a friend.”
“Yeah,” she says softly, her eyes still trained on the butterfly.
“What makes butterflies special enough that you wanted one permanently inked on your wrist?”
“I was mystified by them when I was little.” She turns a thoughtful gaze on me.
“We saw the most gorgeous, vibrant ones in the rainforests and jungles when we were overseas, but when I moved to the city, I never saw them until after I lost Harvey. Then I saw them often enough that I couldn’t ignore them.
I’d be walking down the sidewalk, and a butterfly would flutter around me, like that one just did.
Or I’d see a picture of one in a store, and it was always when I was contemplating something important or having a really hard day.
My mom was visiting when we saw one together.
She was surprised to see it flying around the busy city sidewalk, and it stayed with us for a whole block.
I told her how often I’d seen them, and she reminded me that they represent hope and new beginnings, and in some cultures, they’re seen as messengers from the spirit world. ”
“ Harvey ,” I say as understanding hits with warmth, not disbelief, earning a smile.
“Yeah. That’s when I started thinking of them as a sign from him, and maybe I needed that crutch, I don’t know, but seeing butterflies gave me the courage to make the difficult decisions and push through hard times. That’s why I got the tattoo, so Harvey would always be with me.”
“It doesn’t matter if you needed a crutch or not. I think that’s beautiful, and I’m glad you have a little piece of him with you.” I lift our joined hands and kiss the butterfly.
She doesn’t say a word, but that slightly bashful, relieved smile appears, and as we make our way to the ships, she holds my hand a little tighter.
As we explore one of the ships alongside other tourists, Victory leans in close and says, “What kind of boat do you have?”
“What makes you think I have one?”
She gives me an incredulous look. “You live on Silver Island, you have a restaurant on the water, and you said you’d love to find a place like the hotel for your restaurant because it’s on the water. It’s not that hard to figure out that you’re a boat guy.”
“I’m going to have to work on being more mysterious. I do have a boat, but it’s nothing fancy. Play your cards right, and I’ll take you out on it someday.”
“What makes you think I’d want to go out on your boat?” she asks sassily.
I slide my arm around her waist and haul her against me.
“Something tells me you’d like to lie in the sun as I pilot us out of the harbor and anchor far from shore.
” I press my cheek to hers and whisper, “Where I’ll strip off your bikini with my teeth and make you come so loud, it echoes in the sea. ”
She eyes the people milling about, her cheeks pinking up. When those gorgeous baby blues land on me, she whispers, “I think I might like that boat ride after all.”
I laugh and kiss her. “For the record, I’m usually right.”
“And you’re always cocky.”
“I didn’t hear any complaints about my cockiness this morning.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re so…”
“Unbelievable?” I drape an arm over her shoulder and kiss her temple. “Let’s stick with that.”
She just shakes her head.
After checking out the ships, we have lunch at an outdoor café, where we enjoy fresh crabs, cold drinks, and more fun conversation, before heading to the National Aquarium.
The place is busy. Couples are walking arm in arm, parents are chasing after children, and groups gather around tanks and displays as little ones put their sticky fingers on the glass, ooh ing and aah ing. Victory is watching the kids with a longing in her eyes that I haven’t seen before.
“They’re cute, huh?” I pull her closer.
“Mm-hm. Look at the excitement in their eyes. I remember that feeling from when we were young and our parents would show us a monkey or a colorful bird we’d never seen before. They weren’t new to my parents, but they were as excited as we were.”
“Because they were excited for you.”
“I know. Parenting is such a big undertaking. Can you imagine how great it feels every time your kid discovers something new or when they take their first steps or say their first word?”
“I’d imagine it is pretty special. Do you want a family one day?”
She blinks several times, as if she’s thinking about it. “Maybe. Look .” She points to a tank of jellyfish, their translucent bodies shimmering beneath the lights, and drags me over to them, effectively putting an end to that conversation.
It’s a good thing. She’s too easy to get lost in, and if I start imagining her holding our babies, it might just pull me over the edge.
We make our way through the aquarium, reading about the animals and chatting.
When we head into Shark Alley, we’re surrounded by massive tanks.
Sharks lurk in the shadowy depths, making them feel even more ominous as they come into view, their powerful bodies slicing effortlessly through the water as they pass by the viewing windows.
“It’s their cold black eyes that freak me out the most,” Victory says. “Have you ever seen a shark when you were surfing?”
“Yes, but there’s never been a shark attack near the island.”
“That’s lucky. They terrify me,” she says. “My cousin Dane is a shark researcher and tagger. Every time I see him, he offers to take me diving to show me that they’re not as dangerous as everyone thinks.”
“You should take him up on it. I’ll go with you.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not willingly going near sharks. Even walking through here makes me nervous.”
She’s so damn cute. I put my arm around her, pulling her closer. “If these tanks break, I’ll save you from the big bad sharks.”
“I’m holding you to that, Silver.”
Doesn’t she know there’s nothing I won’t do for her?
We stroll through one exhibit after another, admiring sea creatures and exchanging glances filled with unspoken affection.
Every look, every touch, every joke we share and every challenge we give, draws me deeper into her.
I want to spend time like this with her every day, exploring and discovering things about each other.
As we head to the tropical fish exhibit, she slides her arm around me, and I catch another alluring glance.
Everything I never knew I wanted is right here in front of me.
I want to jump in with both feet and tell her I’m crazy about her.
But even though she’s opening up with me, I can tell she’s still holding back, and I know I have to be careful.
She’s been through a lot, and it’ll take time to fully earn her trust, so I’ll take what she’s willing to give and hope that one day she’ll trust me enough to give me all of herself.
After seeing the sharks, we head into the tropical fish area. “Look how beautiful they are,” she says as we step up to a tank of vibrantly colored fish. “Can you imagine seeing something this beautiful every day?”
Thinking of seeing her every day, I say, “That would be a dream come true.”
She catches me watching her and arches a brow. “I was talking about the fish.”
“I know you were, but they don’t compare to you.”
“Do you ever turn off that charm?”
I pull her closer. “Is it still called charm if I’m being honest?”
“Everything you do is an effort to charm me.”
“Is it working?”
Her eyes narrow. “Yes. Annoyingly well.”
“In that case, you’d better get used to it, because I am not about to stop.” I lower my lips to hers.
Her phone rings, startling us apart. She pulls it out of her back pocket, and her smile fades. “Shoot. I forgot I have a video call with my family for my grandmother’s birthday.”
“We can head out so you can take it.”
“I don’t want to leave. I’m having too much fun.” She looks around. “I’ll just take it over there.”
I follow her to a spot at the far side of the exhibit, and she answers the call.
“Hi, you guys. Happy birthday, Gram.”
“Thank you, honey. Where are you? It’s so dark.”
“Sorry.” Victory turns toward the light of the tank. I can see her family on the screen. “Is this better?”
“Oh yes,” her grandmother says.
“Are those fish?” Noah asks.
“Hey, is that Wells behind you?” Flynn asks, and Sutton’s face appears beside him, looking as curious as the rest of them.
Victory looks over her shoulder at me, wide-eyed, like she’s been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.