Strike
They sat in their section of the beach at midnight. They’d taken their time getting home after the bookshop, preferring to find quiet parts of the countryside to talk more about what they’d done in the missing years.
“About five hours. But we might not need to return after. Luke called me. He thinks he has the video. He wants to run one more programme to ensure something I don’t understand, but after that, he’ll play it and see what happens.”
“I’d like to return to say goodbye to my new friends. I’ll miss this place.”
He sighed. “Me too. It took a while for us to get to this point, but even with everything going on, these last days with you have been a dream.”
“For me, too.”
Water lapped at the beach as he held her close.
“Thank you for tonight. I can’t believe you bought me fifteen books.”
“I was a bit disappointed.”
Her breath caught. “Did I choose too many?”
He chuckled. “I expected you to grab at least forty.”
She turned and pecked his lips. “I was a little disappointed, too, but for different reasons.”
His face fell as he gazed into her eyes, trying to decipher the reason for her sadness. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Yes,” she replied. Her eyebrows danced. “I’ve always wanted a man to go down on me in a bookshop. A romance bookshop would’ve been perfect.”
“I’ll make that happen one day, I promise. But after tomorrow, we have decisions to make.” He tried to keep the waver out of his voice.
“About us?”
“Your family won’t ever accept me. I’m not asking you to choose between us.
I’ll still be by your side when you see them.
” His throat dried. “But you need to understand, I’ll always struggle with my past. You’ve made me accept myself, but sometimes, I’ll be hard work because of what I’ve experienced. ”
“Then I’ll do everything to bring light into your life,” she said softly. “I want a future with you, even if it’s a difficult, complicated, sometimes fucking annoying future.”
“And I want to decorate your world with floor-to-ceiling bookcases.”
“Did you read that in a book?”
His body rumbled with laughter.
“This morning, when I swam, I imagined living here, swimming every day. We’d invite Liss and Bear over. I’d sit on the decking, giggling with Liss, and you’d grumble at Jeff and Roy while Bear prepared dessert because he’d be the one making food, even in someone else’s house.”
“He has the audacity.” Strike rubbed his lip with his thumb.
“But an unpredictable existence can be too much for some bodyguards’ partners.
I don’t want to ruin your life or make promises I can’t keep.
Can we hold off thinking about the future until all this is over?
I need your decision about what’s next to be made free from panic or trauma.
I need you to be sure you want this, because it won’t be easy. ”
At Millie’s hum, his shoulders hunched. “Mixie?”
“I’ll wait until after tomorrow because, as much as I’m sure right now, it’s not healthy to make life decisions when you’re in the middle of trauma.”
“Something you tell your clients?”
“Yes. But that means you can’t decide yet either. And before you say you’ve decided, you need to promise you’ll consider it when we’re not locked in this weird, unrealistic world together. You owe me that.”
“After tomorrow, then,” he said. “Promise no more talk about it until then.”
He held out his hand, which she signed with her fingertip. She turned hers over, and he did the same. He sighed softly and held her hands.
“I’m sorry we missed the sunset tonight,” she said.
“I missed the sunset for ten years,” he replied, burying his face in her hair.
She shook her head. “You said last week people called you a robot, but you’re the cheesiest man I’ve ever met.”
His chuckles carried on the breeze. “With you, I’m cheesy. With everyone else, I’ll be less of a robot from now on. No matter what happens next, I’ll always have these days. Thank you.”
She was his to protect now, and no one was allowed near her.