Page 42 of Dr. Stone (Billionaires’ Club #9)
THIRTY-SIX
Andie
The sun was barely up when I reached the docks and spotted Jace’s boat floating like it had been pulled straight from a dream and anchored in real life. Growing up around these boats, I knew a sexy one when I saw her, and Jace’s was just that. Sleek, classic, and quietly commanding.
I easily picked out that it was a Hinckley.
It wasn’t flashy; however, it was elite in a way that only people who knew boats understood.
It was handcrafted, timeless, and the type of vessel you didn’t buy to show off.
You bought boats like this because you appreciated mastery.
So, of course, Jace would own this boat.
This sexy lady was all him…steady lines, quiet power, and details you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely.
Hinckley boats had this quiet elegance, understated on the surface but impossibly deep once you got close.
A lot like how I was starting to feel about Jace since he stayed over the other night.
Instead of us fucking, we ended up sharing this strange kind of intimacy that I was pretty damn sure would’ve scared most men off.
However, as I walked up to his beautiful boat, I was reminded that the guy was still in it to win it.
I adjusted Brandon on my hip as we approached the boat.
The poor little guy was teething again. He was grumpy and had already tried to fling half his banana into the marina parking lot.
I almost canceled on Jace, but since Brandon didn’t have a fever, I decided to go.
I figured maybe if sailing was in his blood, and it might soothe him the same way it always did for me.
“There’s my girl and my favorite little dude,” Jace said, bringing my and Brandon’s attention to his enthusiastic smile.
“Here we are,” I said, smiling at Jace, who was standing on the deck barefoot. He looked sexy as hell in his board-shorts with a hoodie pushed up to his elbows, and his hair still a little wet.
“You look more gorgeous than ever,” he smiled, and then, to both of our surprise, Brandon grunted and reached out for Jace to take him.
It was the most adorable thing for this mama’s heart to see her son’s tiny little hands wide open and trying to claim Jace like he was already his.
“I must say, I’m quite impressed with your skills in capturing this little man’s favor,” I chuckled as I passed Brandon over the rail into Jace’s arms while I climbed aboard after him.
Jace took him as if it were any other day.
“Must be your fascination with those medical articles I was reading to you the other night,” he said as I watched a new charming expression cross his face.
“I have a killer Batman vest for you, and a matching sun hat,” Jace continued, focusing solely on my son.
I watched with intrigue and some fear, seeing Jace hold Brandon so effortlessly, pulling on his life jacket and appearing as though they were new best friends.
I looked around, taking in the serene atmosphere of the marina in the morning.
There was a specific energy I’d always loved about early morning sailing—the stillness, the boats tucked beneath their canvases, the mix of salt and diesel in the air.
It felt like I’d stepped into a beautiful memory.
Seagulls flying overhead, and the soft clinking of halyards against masts sounded like wind chimes dancing on the breeze.
God, I missed this. I stopped myself from getting lost in nostalgia and brought my attention back to Jace’s stunning boat.
“You went all in with this one,” I said, trailing my fingers along the polished rail.
Jace glanced over, smiling. “Only boat I’ve ever named.”
My brows lifted. “What’s her name, sailor?”
He nodded toward the script painted near the stern, “Via Her.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “It means more than just a route?”
“Good guess, gorgeous.” He walked over to me, Brandon on his hip, and leaned in for a tender but quick kiss. “And until I met you, she was the only lady I intended to be a permanent fixture in my life. The only one I would never leave.”
“Pressure’s on, then, if I’ve got to compete with this gal,” I teased, taking Brandon back after he leaned toward me, getting grumpy again.
“There’s no competition,” he said, giving me a look that could easily undo me and have me begging for more below deck if I didn’t control myself.
“We need to get this lady out to sea so you can show her off for me a little,” I said.
“Coming from the daughter of Santa Barbara’s top yacht broker? I’ll take that as a compliment—for both of us.”
“You remembered that about my dad?” I chuckled.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he smirked, grabbing dock lines. “I have to ensure my dad stays away from his business, remember?”
“That’s right,” I teased back, a bit surprised that Jace remembered because no one had ever cared to remember the boring details of my life in my previous relationships.
In fact, my ex-bastard hated my dad and never cared about him or sailing, which was half the reason I hadn’t been out on a boat in years.
We clicked Brandon into his seat at the cockpit rail, so Jace and I could work together in silence as he untied the dock lines, and I helped coil them.
The engine thrummed beneath us, and slowly we eased out of the slip, the water parting cleanly around the hull.
Everything worked precisely and harmoniously as Jace’s boat eased out of the marina.
I stood beside Jace, salty wind catching my hair, and my heart thudding with a kind of quiet eagerness.
I didn’t know how this day would go, but standing here now with my son safe and secure, the ocean stretching wide, and Jace’s hand brushing mine as we moved forward, I sure as hell wanted to find out.
The marina shrank behind us as we slipped past the breakwater, the bow slicing clean into the open water.
The engine hummed beneath my feet for a few more minutes, then quieted as Jace moved toward the mast. His movements were efficient, practiced, and there was something quietly irresistible about watching a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
My heart reacted in a familiar and excited way when the mainsail caught the breeze with a crisp snap.
The shift was instant, the engine now off and silence broken only by the rush of wind, the slap of water against the hull, and the deep creak of the rigging settling into a perfect tempo.
I held onto the railing as the boat leaned slightly into the gust, smiling so hard my cheeks ached.
How had I forgotten what this felt like?
I hadn’t been out on the ocean like this since I was a kid—summers with my mom and dad on a beat-up boat, the three of us chasing the wind to Catalina like it was a game we could win.
That old boat smelled like salt and peanut butter sandwiches; it was nothing like this. This one was elegance in motion.
“Still with me?” Jace asked from behind the helm, his voice casual as he looked at me with interest.
I looked over my shoulder at him and nodded, hair whipping across my face. “Absolutely,” I smiled. “I love this. It feels like coming home.”
A flash of something warm washed over his handsome and youthful face. “Then my mission has been accomplished.”
We curved gently along the coastline with the cliffs of Malibu rising to our right.
He was steering us toward Paradise Cove—the spot where we’d gone on his motorcycle to have our first real date.
Though that wasn’t the only reason we were heading there.
It was a quiet inlet, still empty this early in the day.
I moved closer to where Brandon was secured in his seat, kicking his feet and babbling at the sea like it was talking back, and I spotted dolphins playfully skimming the surface a few hundred yards out, the most stunning sight for anyone to see.
Once Jace secured the sails, he handed me a water bottle from a built-in cooler tucked behind where he’d been standing at the helm. “We’re secured, and now, it’s time to give you both the tour.”
I grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I unfastened Brandon, and, as if it were Brandon’s new favorite thing, he reached for Jace and ignored my ass.
I followed Jace and Brandon below deck. The interior was stunning with clean lines and soft finishes, complemented with cream cushions, light oak cabinetry, and a galley that looked like it belonged in a fucking magazine.
“Well, I’ll be damned. First, your gorgeous home, and now this? Do you live part-time on this, too?”
“Sometimes,” he said with a shrug. “It’s a perfect escape from the demands of my profession.”
I peeked into the bedroom—crisp navy linens, built-in shelving, and the faint scent of cedar and ocean.
A skylight let the sun spill in above the bed.
Of course, my mind immediately went to the mistake of imagining us in that bed, making up for everything Duke was working so hard to prevent between us.
“This is the guest berth,” Jace said, opening a door to a smaller cabin. “I figured if Brandon needed a nap or got overstimulated, we could set him up here.”
I turned to him and smiled. “I appreciate you taking that into consideration,” I said, stunned by his thoughtfulness and how truly beautiful his boat was. “This is so lovely.”
“Well, I figured if I wanted you to come out here with me again, I would need to keep both of you well taken care of,” he said with a wink.
I stood there momentarily with one hand braced on the doorway as the boat rocked gently beneath us. The sunlight dappled across his face, and I felt a calm warmth settle inside me toward this man who was genuinely trying. Seeing that in him was deeply comforting.
Out here, surrounded by the sea, I let myself wonder what it might feel like to trust him with more than just a morning out on the water. To believe that maybe there was hope for an amazing relationship that I never thought possible after what Jonathan did to me.