Page 24

24

LENNY

I only had two days left with Stone before he left.

My parents were still in town at Calvin’s place, and we decided to spend a day all together at the beach.

They met us at my favorite spot, a strip of the beach that fewer tourists knew about. Plus, it was only a short walk from my favorite smoothie shop.

We grabbed drinks on the way. I picked the strawberry delight and Stone went for one labeled banana blast. We picked up everyone else’s orders as well, and I carried the tray while Stone carried a bag with towels.

It was odd seeing him do such a normal task, strange to picture him as anything but the FBI agent he was. I wondered when he last took a break.

He watched me as I set the towels on the ground, and when he dug through the bag of items he carried, I giggled when he pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. If anyone was going to remember it, it was definitely going to be Stone.

He pulled off his shirt, and I couldn’t help but stare at his tattoos, at how toned he was. The muscles of his abdomen were perfectly carved. He wasn’t a large or overly muscular man, but he was certainly in shape.

And not bad to look at.

Knock it off. I scolded internally, knowing I was only torturing myself further.

“What?” Stone asked, realizing I was staring.

My cheeks warmed a little. “I’m just not shocked you remembered to bring that,” I covered, trying to save myself.

“Broad spectrum coverage,” he said with a grin and held it up. “Protects against both harmful ultraviolet rays.”

I laughed.

Behind us, I heard people calling out our names and turned to see my family approaching. Eloise was wearing a cute bikini that showed off her little bump. Already, seeing her again was getting easier. My parents carried a bag of snacks, and I traded my dad a smoothie in exchange for a tub of blueberries.

It felt nice, enjoying the last days of freedom and summer. I’d contacted Francis to let her know I’d be coming back to the museum. She was ecstatic to learn the project Stone was working on led to the arrest of the Coastal Killer. Somehow, he’d truly won her over.

I only hoped that level of enthusiasm carried over when I returned. It might be a good time to consider bringing up the memorial exhibit again.

“Come swim with me,” Stone insisted as he stood.

He held out a hand to help me up. I still wore my cover-up dress. Normally, I didn’t love taking it off in front of others. A lifetime of comments made me self-conscious enough, on top of my multiple scars.

“Are you coming?” Stone asked, staring back at me.

I pulled off the dress quickly and crossed my arms, feeling his eyes rake over me. It wasn’t the first time he had seen me shirtless, but I felt more exposed now.

His eyes lingered on the scar on my lower abdomen. A devilish grin grew across his face, and I frowned, confused. My entire family broke out in laughter as Stone scooped me into his arms and ran off to the ocean.

The water was cold but refreshing as it splashed against us. Stone made his way past where the waves crashed, the tide calm and the waves docile enough to swim without fear of being knocked down. He carried us to where we could both stand.

“Are you going to put me down?” I asked.

His forehead pressed against mine, our noses barely brushing. “Do I have to?”

Again, my cheeks warmed, all too aware of my family on the beach watching us.

Stone sensed my hesitation and glanced to the sand where they sat.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “Your father and brother are tossing a football back-and-forth, and your mother has Eloise locked in conversation.”

I risked my own glance and saw he was right. None of them were paying us any attention.

“Then I suppose not,” I said and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

He carried me for a few more minutes, walking through the water. After a little, I got antsy to swim around on my own. I threw myself out of his arms and found myself on my tiptoes to keep my head above water.

I let myself bounce, the small waves brushing by us. It was lulling, the way they carried us for a moment, my feet leaving the sandy floor of the ocean.

Stone closed the space between us and stood chest to chest with me. A chill ran down my spine, his hands finding me under the water. They held my waist and kept me close, pinned against his body.

The urge to kiss him and never stop washed over me, but I knew we had too many watchful eyes. Instead, I felt his finger against the scar on my abdomen. He traced the line and lowered his head to mine.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“For what?” He caught the Coastal Killer like he promised and returned my sense of safety. On top of that, he helped me get justice for all the victims.

“For not getting here sooner,” he said. “I wish I could have stopped this.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “And besides, it only made me stronger.” The words he said to me only days before echoed back at him.

“You are an extraordinary woman, Lenore Calder,” he whispered.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting him steady me against the waves. Already on my tiptoes, I leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. One of his hands came up from the water to cup to my face, kissing me back.

He pulled away, respecting my hesitation, knowing my family watched nearby. I was never a fan of PDA. With a quick glance back to the beach, I saw my mother smirking down at her book. Either she reached the romance in it, or she had been watching us in the water.

I wanted to duck beneath the waves and never come back up, realizing she’d seen everything.

“Stop worrying about it,” Stone said. “I don’t care who sees me kissing you.”

“She’s never going to leave me alone about it,” I groaned.

“She will if you tell her you were kissing your boyfriend.” His eyes locked on mine. I didn’t expect the words from his mouth, and I scrambled to form of a response.

“Boyfriend?” was all I was able to repeat back to him.

“I mean, only if you want,” he said. “I know Quantico is far, but there’s a place for you if you want to come.”

“I can’t,” I said before I could stop myself.

His face fell a bit, but he trained it back to neutral like the agent he was.

“I just got my life back here,” I said. “I just…I can’t right now.”

I fought back tears stinging my eyes, terrified of hurting Stone and torn that I couldn’t go with him.

“I understand,” he said. There was barely any emotion on his face. He ducked in and kissed my cheek. “Truly, it’s all right.”

We stayed in the water a little bit longer before rejoining my family. I couldn’t shake the awful feeling of turning Stone down.

“Mallory was telling us you haven’t been at your apartment lately,” my mother said, giving a knowing look to Stone.

“I fear that’s my fault,” Stone said, making her smile.

He left it at that, and I wanted to toss myself back in the ocean and disappear.

After his second of disappointment, Stone bounced right back to his normal self. He chatted with my family and continued to be an absolute know it all in the best way.

It hurt me more than he knew to say no, to let this be the way our last day of normal was spent. I hated every second of it, but I slapped on a smile. If not for myself, then for Stone. He had done everything to give me my life back; he deserved my full attention, even if I couldn’t give in to every last one of my desires.

* * *

Stone spent his very last day packing and cleaning the rental. He was leaving the next morning but staying with the rest of his team in a hotel for the night.

I packed my own items and threw them into my car. Alonzo and Birdie were at my feet all day, sensing a change.

I spotted Alonzo following Stone, the cat finally warming to him. It broke my heart knowing in less than a day, he’d be gone.

I could always visit Quantico, but would that be causing us more pain than good?

I kept trying to convince myself I’d move on. When Stone left, I’d go back to my apartment and spend my nights with Mallory, drinking wine and laughing at how terrible dating was.

Yet, there’d always be the pain of what could’ve been with Stone.

I pushed the thought out of my head, helping Stone wipe down the kitchen counters.

The bottle of scotch still sat untouched. He’d never once given in to the temptation of it.

“Don’t forget to pack this,” I reminded him, knowing Nelson didn’t need such a nice bottle of alcohol.

Stone followed my gaze to the glass bottle, and I sucked in a breath as he picked it up and unscrewed the cap. My stomach sunk, and I almost reached out to snatch it from him. He’d made it this far—I wouldn’t let him go back to that dark pit.

Instead, he turned to the sink and dumped the entire thing. My jaw fell open, and I stared in both horror and surprise. The first washed away quickly, realizing he wasn’t going to drink it.

“I don’t need this anymore,” he said and tossed the bottle into the recycling bin.

I hurried forward and wrapped my arms around him. It took him by surprise, but he embraced me quickly.

Together, we’d grown.We’d fought our pasts and faced our mistakes head on. If anyone deserved this accomplishment, it was Stone.

My heart swelled for him.

“I’m proud of you,” I said, pressed tightly to him.

“I’m proud of you too,” he whispered back.

* * *

“I know it’s not fair of me to ask, but are you sure you can’t come to Quantico?” he asked, grabbing his bags and stacking them near the front door.

My chest ached as I tried to get a deep breath, holding back tears. Each time I tried to revisit the idea, I knew I couldn’t. I had thought it over every day since the beach.

“Francis expects me back at the museum soon,” I said, trying to hold it together. “I just started working my way up there. I can’t leave yet.”

He nodded, understanding, but it still broke me inside. To see that hopeful glance disappear as fast as it came was like ripping my heart physically out of my chest.

I could see the same sadness I felt in his features, and it only made my heart hurt more.

“I wish Virginia wasn’t so far away.”

“You’re welcome to visit anytime,” he offered.

When I attempted to force Stone into letting me help with the case, I never expected our goodbye to be this painful. Everything in me wanted to go with him, to save what we found these past weeks, but I knew I couldn’t.

I still had a life in Briarport.

My brother would become a father in only a few months, my job was waiting for me, and this was the first time I felt safety in my town.

Stone reached out, pulling me in quickly. I felt the tears escape my eyes, and as my face pressed to his chest, the little drops soaked into his white button down.

“Are you sure you have to go back?” I asked, trying to hide the shaking in my voice but failing miserably.

“I directly disobeyed orders. I have to go back and face whatever disciplinary action Grey has waiting for me,” he said with a defeated breath.

One of his hands intertwined in my curls as he held my head gently against him. I could hear his heart beat, the steady rhythm helping me chase away the tears.

“You’ll be okay,“ he promised. “This won’t be goodbye forever.”