Chapter Forty
REID
EMERY IS DELIGHTED by everything she sees in Willowbend.
I’m struck by it—because it’s the first time since she arrived in South Carolina that she seems truly relaxed.
The sight makes me ache a little. I should’ve gotten her out of Tidehaven sooner.
She deserved to feel this safe all along, and it kills me that I didn’t give her that.
We finish breakfast and start back down the block on the main street, hand-in-hand. The humidity feels less than it does at home, and there’s a light breeze blowing through. It’s a weekday, so the streets aren’t crowded, just a few families wandering around on summer break.
“Let’s go in here,” Emery suggests, nodding toward a gift shop with a weathered wooden sign.
“Sure,” I say, tugging open the door.
For the next ten minutes, I follow Emery up and down the aisles as she picks up every trinket and handmade item she finds.
She peruses a wall of local art, watercolor prints, photography, and hand-woven baskets before moving onto locally made soaps and candles.
She pauses in front of a jewelry case, necklaces made of natural stone carved into shapes of local wildlife line the case.
Her gaze lands on a small turtle pendant, the green of river stone.
It hangs sideways on a fine silver chain, as if swimming through still water.
A small gasp escapes her.
“Look,” she murmurs. “A turtle.”
I skim the sign above the glass case. “Crafted by local artisans and made only from stones found in the Magnolia River,” I read.
Emery peers further into the case, scanning the price tags. “Seventy-five dollars, yikes.” She wrinkles her nose and then shrugs. “I’m going to see if they have a bathroom.”
She disappears down the aisle, and before I can think better of it, I grab the nearest employee and ask them to take out the turtle necklace. I’ve just finished paying and tucking the bag neatly in the pocket of my cargo shorts when Emery comes out of the bathroom.
“What did you buy?” She arches a brow at me when she finds me at the counter.
I reach in my other pocket. “Gum,” I say with a grin. “Want a piece?”
IT’S LATE AFTERNOON by the time we make it back to Brian’s cabin. We walked all around town, chatted with locals, found a park near the river and fed the ducks. Emery seems so much lighter here—like she can finally breathe.
“Why don’t you get comfortable, and I’ll cook us some dinner?” I suggest.
“Mmm…that sounds nice.” She smiles, wrapping me in a hug before disappearing down the short hallway to the bathroom.
I suck in a nervous breath. Easy, bro. I bought the necklace for her on a whim.
I couldn’t pass up the chance to surprise her once I saw how much she loved it.
Now, to get the nerve to give it to her.
This thing with Emery is unlike anything else I’ve experienced.
I’ve dated, sure, but then I went into the SEALs and when I came out, I wasn’t the same.
Most of the time, I scare women off before I even have a chance to show who I really am.
I’ve always just assumed that I’m better off alone.
But something about Emery… She’s magnetic. Not only do I want to protect her, I want to build a life with her. That’s not something I can admit easily—I’ve only known her for two months. Still, I can’t stop the gravitational pull.
I move outside to Brian’s worn brick patio.
There’s a cinderblock firepit with a cover over it and some Adirondack chairs.
I pull the cover off and trek down the yard in search of wood.
We don’t need the heat, but I thought I’d cook our dinner over the fire tonight.
It doesn’t take me long to find some logs piled on the side of the cabin.
I start the fire with the wood and a few coals to pre-heat, before heading inside to prep dinner.
Emery and I picked up some chicken thighs, potatoes, and asparagus.
I season all of it equally before rolling it up in foil and grabbing some metal skewers and a grill grate.
I’m just getting the fire going when she comes outside, freshly showered, her long locks pulled off her face in a braid. She glows in the late afternoon light.
“Wow, you’re a real survivalist,” she teases, sitting in a chair.
“Oh, yeah, me and my grocery store chicken.” I smirk. “I just thought it would be fun to sit by the fire. Then I thought, why not cook out here too? But Brian has no propane in his grill.”
Emery laughs and her whole face lights up. My chest pulls tight. She is so fucking beautiful—her loose cotton shorts and snug fitting tank top leave nothing to the imagination.
“So, show me how.” She scoots to the end of her chair and watches closely as I set the grill grate over the small flame.
I let out a low laugh. For some reason, I feel nervous.
“There’s not much to it. I seasoned everything together and wrapped them in these packets.” I gesture to the two foil packs resting on the small table. “We just put them on the grates and rotate them every few minutes.”
“Cool,” Emery says, leaning back in the chair. She tugs her knees up to her chest and watches as I situate the food over the flame.
“Tell me about New Jersey,” I say softly, sitting next to her.
“What do you want to know?” Emery lets out a breath, her eyes flicking to mine.
“Anything you want to tell me. Did you grow up there? Your family? All this time we’ve gotten to know each other but, not enough.” I shift to face her.
“Yes, I grew up there in a small town in the woods, in an area called the Pine Barrens. It’s just inland and has the best of both worlds. I can hike in the woods or be at the beach in fifteen minutes.” She sighs dreamily, and I selfishly worry she misses it.
“Sounds a little like Tidehaven,” I murmur.
“They’re not so different. New Jersey is very populated though. More people crammed into less space. But…it’s always been home.”
She looks away and I worry I’ve upset her. I rise to turn our food and sit back down.
“Do you miss your family?” I ask, sincerely. I’m not close with any biological family and I’ve been on my own for years, so I forget that other people have normal relationships with theirs.
“Sometimes. My dad and I aren’t super close.
He’s obsessed with his job, even at sixty-five.
My mom is so overprotective and she’s retired, so if she knew half of what was going on down here, she’d come down and drag me back herself.
” Emery lets out a low laugh. “But my dad is very much the type of parent who thinks you’re totally on your own once you graduate college.
So even though we’ve been close geographically, we aren’t super tight, you know what I mean?
” She grimaces, like the topic is uncomfortable for her.
“Do you have siblings?” I ask.
“I have a sister, Kate, who has young children. She’s close to our parents.
She lives nearby and sees them often. She’s a stay-at-home mom and definitely the favorite.
And I have a brother, Ben. He’s the youngest and he jets all over the world.
I honestly couldn’t even tell you what his job is or the last time I’ve seen him.
” Emery doesn’t seem sad exactly, but something in her tone tells me she wishes things were different.
“Family is funny,” I say, because I can’t think of anything else.
“Tell me about yours.” Emery reaches for my hand. I clasp it but let it drop when I realize I’m probably burning our dinner.
I grab the tongs and pull apart one of the packets, revealing crispy potatoes and golden chicken. “Looks done,” I say.
Emery passes me the plates, and I put a foil packet on each one.
“Forgot silverware,” I mutter. I jog back up the steps and inside, buying myself a minute to think about how to answer her question. I return a moment later with forks, knives, and two crisp beers.
Once we’re settled, I speak again. “My family was only ever myself and my two parents who argued more than anything. One day, my dad just left without a word. Well, actually, I think he said he was going fishing with his buddy, but he never came back. I remember I was in the front yard, getting my crab traps ready for the day. Tate and I used to fill them with white bread from our parents’ kitchen drawers.
My dad hated that. I remember thinking it was weird that he didn’t scold me—he just ruffled my hair, mumbled a simple ‘See ya, kid,’ and passed by and that was it.
I never saw him again.” I take a sip of beer in effort to force the uncomfortable emotions back down.
“Oh, Reid,” Emery whispers, pausing mid-bite. “I’m so sorry.”
I shrug. “It’s okay. My mom did the best she could, but the light in her eyes went out for good that day.
I was so young I didn’t understand it, but suddenly our friends and neighbors were around a lot more often.
Rosie kept me after school for years. I thought it was so my mom could work extra shifts but thinking back, I think she was just so depressed.
” I pause, taking a bite. “I think about leaving Tidehaven sometimes, finding my mom, or just starting over somewhere new. But then I think about all the friends and neighbors who helped raise me and it’s like… I can’t. I owe them so much.”
Emery puts her plate on the table and reaches for my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
I shift, pushing my plate aside too and tugging her gently into my lap.
She nestles into my arms, and I hold her close.
The sun is beginning to set now, reflecting off the still water of the river, and the cicadas and crickets are chirping through the dense forest.
“Thank you for sharing that with me,” she whispers in my ear before pressing a soft kiss on my temple.
“I want to share everything with you, Em. And that’s a foreign as hell feeling to me.” My voice is thick, and I get the sense she knows how rare a connection like this is for me.
“I want to share everything with you too, Reid.”
I shift, lifting my hips and reaching my left hand to the pocket of my cargo shorts, undoing the button and pulling out the small mound of tissue paper.
“I bought this earlier—when you went to the bathroom. I wasn’t sure if it was too soon to give it to you, but how could I wait? I hope it’s not too much.”
A small gasp falls from her parted lips as she takes the package from me. “Reid,” she whispers.
“Open it.”
She does as I ask, carefully unfolding the tissue to reveal the pale green turtle carved from river stone on a dainty silver chain. She sniffles.
“You bought the necklace,” she murmurs, running her fingers over the shape of the turtle. “You didn’t have to do that. It’s too much.”
I shake my head. “You loved it, and I wanted you to have it. This way, you’ll always remember your time here in Tidehaven. You’ll always remember me.” I bring her close, planting a kiss on the crown of her head.
She rests against me, holding the necklace close to her heart.
“I was always going to remember you anyway.”