“I’ve got you, Ren,” he whispered into her ear. He should’ve been concerned for the few other boats docked, but no one seemed to be awake. Maybe they, too, thought an animal had beached itself. He warned her about the grief earlier but couldn’t predict it would hit her in the middle of the night. It all made sense, though. She was alone with her thoughts, and there wasn’t anyone in her room, once they went to bed, to keep her mind from drifting.
She clutched at his arms, her nails digging into the fabric of his sweatshirt. Rennie sobbed. Her body shook. With each new wave of emotion, Graham held her tighter. He hated what she was going through, and he himself wanted to hunt Theo down and pummel him for what he had done to Rennie. He couldn’t fathom what was going on in Theo’s mind when he decided to cheat on his wife or lie to Rennie. Graham would never be that type of man.
“I hate him,” she mumbled. Her words were garbled.
“I know you do, and you have every right to. I’m not judging you.” He would never judge her. She hadn’t judged him or his family when everything went down with Grady.
“Why did he do this to me?”
“I don’t know,” he said to her. “I was just asking myself the same thing.”
Rennie turned slightly in his arms. “Would you ever do something like this?”
Graham studied her red-rimmed eyes and smeared makeup. He didn’t care what she looked like—she would always be one of the most beautiful women he had ever known. She had strands of hair stuck to her face. Graham tucked them behind her ear and brought his hand down slowly from her ear to her neck.
“No, I would never do that to you.” He paused and wondered if she noticed how he singled her out. When she didn’t turn away, he added, “If I were lucky enough to find a woman who wanted to be with me, marry me, I’d do everything I could to make her the happiest woman alive, and if I wasn’t happy, I’d tell her. No one deserves to be cheated on.”
Graham felt this deep in his heart. Back in college, when he met Monica, he was torn in half by this growing love for her and his undying love for Rennie. He had to draw the line, decide on his future. As much as he wanted one with Rennie, he didn’t see it happening any time in the near future. Monica was there and present. He chose her, and while his heart ached for Rennie, he didn’t regret his decision. He and Rennie were as close as ever but miles apart when it came to life. He made a vow to Monica as her boyfriend and kept it. If things had been different, he likely would’ve asked Monica to marry him. He would’ve asked her if she’d moved with him as well, but they weren’t meant to be.
Rennie snuggled into Graham’s chest. He didn’t care that his sweatshirt would likely be covered with tearstains and makeup. All Graham cared about was Rennie. If this was what she needed, he would give it to her.
“You’re a good guy, Graham Cracker.”
Being a good guy was a great quality to have, but where did it get him? Apparently, on a boat in the middle of winter, holding a brokenhearted woman. He should be bothered. Incensed, really, that she expected him to drop everything for her. He was, in a sense, but it was how they worked—coming to each other’s aid—no questions asked.
Graham inhaled deeply, taking in the sea salt air. He looked out over the harbor, in the darkness, and wondered what was out there. They were close to where Austin’s boat capsized, and that got his mind wondering. Austin’s body had never been recovered. Was he out there? Did he have amnesia? Or had he been buried at sea? These were questions that also plagued Grady and yet were never answered.
Rennie shivered and brought Graham’s attention back to the forefront. He pulled her deeper into his hold to try and warm her. “We can go inside if you want,” he suggested.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
He nodded and stood. Once he had his sea legs, he helped Rennie up. “Come on.” Graham held her hand as they walked back into the galley. He locked up while she waited for him with his blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Graham motioned for her to go down the stairs, and he followed her to her bedroom. They both crawled under the covers, clothes and all, and he held her until they both fell asleep.
Graham stretched and opened his eyes to sunlight streaming through the room. He felt for Rennie, only to find her spot vacant and cold. He listened intently for her and could hear her shuffling around in the galley. She wasn’t crying—at least that was what he deduced—so he decided to close his eyes for another few minutes. He was on the cusp of falling back into a deep slumber when the smell of bacon made his stomach growl.
He sat up and moved until his feet were on the ground. He glanced at his attire, and his heart sank at the sight of the black smudges on his shirt. His friend was going through something terrible, and he didn’t know how to help her. Holding her while she cried didn’t seem like enough. Brooklyn would know, but Rennie didn’t want her. She wanted him. And Graham would give her anything she wanted.
What he wanted was a second chance with Rennie, but the timing wasn’t right. That was the only thing they ever got wrong when it came to their lives together—their timing sucked. He would wait.
What wasn’t waiting was his stomach, and as soon as the second wave of bacon permeated the air, he felt the hunger pangs kick in. Graham stopped by his room, used the bathroom, and changed quickly before making his way up the stairs. He found Rennie in the galley kitchen. She hadn’t heard him come up the stairs, so he watched her bob her head to whatever beat played in her head, because the radio wasn’t on, nor the television. She danced, shaking her hips as she worked in the small space, making breakfast.
He cleared his throat and said, “Good morning.”
Rennie startled and looked at him over her shoulder. She smiled. “Morning. How’d you sleep?” she asked, but before he could even respond, she started talking. “I slept like a log once you brought me back to bed. I can’t believe how soothing it is to sleep on a boat. It’s like I was rocked to sleep. No wonder you live on the water.”
“It’s not really the same,” he said. He had no idea why he replied with such a statement. Was he trying to discourage her from staying longer, or was there a hint of encouragement in his tone?
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, just that the house doesn’t really move like a boat, unless there’s a storm, and then I adjust the mooring, and everything is back to normal.”
“Oh.” Rennie went back to cooking, and Graham felt like an idiot for the way he responded.
“Sorry, Ren.”
“For what?” she asked without looking at him. Graham went to her and placed his hand on her hip to gently turn her toward him.
“I just made what looks to be a perfectly good morning really awkward with my mundane answers. You’re happy, and I don’t want to dampen your mood.”
“You’re fine. I’m fine, Graham Cracker. I should be the one apologizing for last night. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Grief,” he told her.
She shook her head. “It’s like I had to have that meltdown to exorcise the demon or something. Believe me when I tell you I’m relieved.”
Graham wanted to believe her—he did—but he had dealt with enough heartbreak between the accident and his breakup with Monica to suspect Rennie might be hiding her true feelings.