Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
All I can do is watch him as he stands there, too striking to breathe, staring straight ahead with his jaw clenched and a sparkle in his frosted blue eyes.
“Less than an hour now. We’re closing in,” Shepherd says without looking at me.
Time is going fast. Don’t remind me.
My stomach knots and tries to climb up my throat until it happens.
His hand brushes mine, and when I look over, he’s closer.
A second later, my fingers are tangled in his.
I flipping lose it then.
The tears come furiously, spilling out as I turn away.
He just keeps holding on silently, like he knows how much I need him.
“Give your tears to the wind, woman. Not me,” he whispers. “Truth be told, I hate that we have to go our separate ways.”
I’m choking so hard I can barely speak. “Th-then why?”
Molly sinks down near my feet with a sympathetic whine.
“You already know. We both do,” he says gently, turning and pulling me into his arms.
And he lets me break, just holding me silently, shielding me from my own pulverized heart.
Safe for a little while.
“I never meant to hurt you. Hell, I didn’t mean to wind up in any position where I could. You must know it,” he says, tucking my head under his chin.
He just holds me while I’m speechless for what feels like hours.
I don’t even know.
“You’re smart as a whip, eager to fix this world’s mistakes, and so young you haven’t lost your shine. That’s what I’ll always love about you, Destiny. I’m grateful you let me see it. One day, you’ll look back. You’ll see all this as a bump in the road, nothing but a nuisance against how incredible you’re bound to be.”
I’m beyond speechless.
His words are so dangerously close to an I love you my whole being freezes.
The worst part is, there’s no room to bargain.
No counterargument.
No convincing.
He’s so painfully right it’s like being skinned alive, so I do the only thing I can.
I let him hold me until I’m too numb from the wind and his scent to think about wishing for more.
Later, we make our way inside to warm up.
The wind is picking up as we approach the islands, verging on uncomfortable.
We’re still so quiet, but it’s like we’ve found an understanding in the companionable silence with Molly snoozing on a rug at our feet.
I’m startled when she jumps up and looks out the window with her ears back.
When I spin around for a better look at what she’s seeing, I can’t believe my eyes.
“Destiny,” Shepherd says at the same time.
My throat goes tight when the first whale surfaces.
I’m all instinct as I lunge toward the glass, soaking up the sight of the sleek grey body cutting through the waves.
Water sprays through its blowhole, and as a second beast surfaces, I find my voice again.
“Holy shit. Did... did you see that?” I think I might be close to crying all over again.
“I’m right behind you,” he whispers.
And he means it literally as he wraps his hands around my waist, holding me up.
Just in time.
Looks like the emotional quicksand I’ve been drowning in hasn’t ruined my luck today.
We might never see another one of these gentle giants, but they’re here.
Here with us.
I’m floating, exiting my body and entering this alternate reality where this handsome, confusing man is breaking my heart at the same time he gives me a miracle.
Another whale bursts through the surf, splattering us with water, and I squeal incoherently. I don’t mind the rain that’s beginning to fall, slightly clouding our view.
Crying.
I’m definitely crying.
“They’re so majestic,” I say, wiping my cheeks, willing myself to stop going to pieces for one freaking minute.
But Shepherd is barely watching the whales. His eyes are on me, even as he grabs his phone with one hand and taps off a message.
“Just told Juan to hold position and keep a safe distance. They’re yours as long as they’ll stay,” he whispers reverently.
Together, we watch them in awestruck silence.
Even Molly doesn’t bark, observing as they ply the seas like bears pushing through brush.
I’m hit with a thousand memories of the last time this happened with the otters.
I didn’t know what was coming then.
Now, the future is too clear, but I try to stay in the moment, just relishing the scene.
If only I could stop time.
Capture this instant, set it in amber, press it between the pages of my memory, chop it out of reality, and paste it into the scrapbook of my life.
My eyes are wide, trying not to miss a single thing.
Every second, I’m here.
I’m present.
I’m living a godsend with Shepherd and I don’t want to forget.
As we watch the pod slowly make its way away from the yacht, back into the open sea, we remain speechless.
There’s only his hands, locked around my waist, anchoring us to this unspoken final moment that’s our parting gift.