Page 7

Pax slept in one of the spare bedrooms, leaving Deanna to get accustomed to his presence. They were in bed before ten, and he was up at 0430. He left a note for Deanna saying that he was going for a run but would be back soon.

Running the beach felt like old times for him. They’d done it as kids, as SEALs, and as adults vacationing in Coronado. He passed several SEAL teams that were probably in the BUDs phase of their training. He couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering the hell of those weeks.

As he hit the signs warning to stop, he knew that further on was government property owned by the Navy. Turning back, he stopped, seeing something further out in the water. At first, he thought it was just a fishing boat, but as he looked harder, he noticed it was loaded with people. Not just men but women and children as well.

“We’ve been watching them,” said one of the SEAL instructors standing beside him. Pax turned and nodded, holding out his hand.

“Retired Chief Paxton Pechkin, former SEAL,” he said.

“Pechkin. You related to Brax?”

“My twin,” he smiled. The guy held up his flashlight from his phone and laughed.

“Fuck, that’s scary. I’m Master Chief Chuck Aaron. I met Brax a few times. Them?” he said, nodding toward the boat. “We’ve been watching them for hours. They’re just sitting there, not doing anything.”

“Illegals?”

“Definitely. The question is, how desperate are they, and do they need help? We’ve got the Coast Guard making their way toward them to hopefully find out. Don’t let it ruin your run.” He turned, seeing the group of potential SEALs coming his way. “Sorry, gotta kick some ass.”

Pax laughed, shaking his head as the instructor started screaming at them.

“You’re pathetic! My grandmother runs faster than you!”

He took one last look at the boat off in the distance and then started running back toward the house. He wasn’t surprised to find that Deanna was still asleep. After all, it was only 0630.

Starting the coffee, he ran back upstairs and showered, putting on a pair of joggers and a t-shirt. Coronado weather could be fickle. One day it might be eighty, the next a chilly fifty-five. Today felt like a chilly fifty-five. He would be prepared no matter what their plan was.

By the time he got downstairs, he could hear Deanna moving around upstairs and smiled. It was a little thing that he never thought he’d like. The sound of someone you love walking around your home, making noise.

Yes, technically, it wasn’t his home. But he was damn sure, in that moment, that she was someone he loved. He knew it years ago. He knew it weeks ago. And he knew it now. The challenge would be convincing her of it.

“Pax?” said the small voice behind him.

“Hey, good morning,” he smiled, starting to walk toward her. She held up her hands, fear, anxiousness, and a myriad of other emotions on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“J-just, stay there for a moment. I need to say something.” He stood still, his hands by his sides. If she asked him to leave, he would refuse. He wasn’t leaving this damn house or this damn city without her. She cleared her throat and shifted from one foot to another.

“Pax. I have so many regrets. Regrets that I didn’t take over Mom and Dad’s business. Regrets that I didn’t push them more on what was going on. But the thing I regret most is you. Us. I regret not being brave enough to ask you to senior prom. I regret not continuing to write and text, to tell you how I was feeling and my wishes. I regret so much more, Pax.”

“What else?” he whispered.

“I regret not telling you that I love you. That I’ve loved you since we were in the fifth grade. I’ve always loved you. I know I’m a mess, I know…” Her words were cut off as Pax slammed his mouth against hers. She winced, feeling the pain left behind from her wounds, and he pulled back. Shaking her head, she held onto him.

“No. Don’t leave me,” she whispered.

Pax shoved back her hair, kissing her again and again.

“Dee, you’ve made me so happy,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you that I love you, too. I think I always have. I wasn’t brave either, Dee. You’re the bravest fucking person I know.”

“I doubt that. You were a SEAL,” she smiled.

“Don’t ever doubt me. I love you, babe.”

“What about this? What about all of this?” she said, waving her hand over her face.

“What about it? You’re the most beautiful woman in the world to me, Dee. When you’re ready, we’ll go home and take that swim. You’ll see what a difference it makes for you.”

“I don’t know how a little warm water can help, but if you say it’s true, I believe you,” she said, laying her head on his shoulder. “I know you went for a run, but do you feel like taking a walk with me on the beach?”

“Every fucking minute of every fucking day,” he said, kissing her again. “You know, this house is sort of like the west coast Belle Fleur. It’s brought a lot of couples together and brought them good luck and long-term love.”

“Well, I hope we’ll be recipients of that luck,” she smiled.

“We won’t need luck, babe. We already know that we love each other and should have been together since high school. Except for your damn cousin, we would have been.” Deanna laughed, shaking her head as she reached for the thermal mug of coffee.

“It’s chilly out. Do you need a sweatshirt?” he asked.

She nodded, grabbing the one at the door, and they walked out together, hand in hand. The marine layer covered the island, clouds blocking the warmth of the sun. At the far end of the beach, near the runways of the North Island Naval Base, dogs were welcome.

Owners would arrive every morning, letting the dogs run in and out of the water, catching tennis balls and chew toys. Deanna smiled at the dogs as they ran around her legs, their owners apologizing. She kept her head down, waving them off.

“You don’t have to hide, Dee. You’re beautiful, honey.”

“You think I am, but they might think I’m a monster,” she said quietly.

He knew that she wouldn’t be convinced, so they kept walking, enjoying the sounds of the surf and the California gulls. In the distance, they could see dolphins and sea lions diving for food.

“What’s going on there?” she asked, pointing to the large Coast Guard vessel, two smaller Navy boats beside it, and the small, capsized boat.

“Damn,” he muttered. “I ran by here this morning, and they were just bobbing up and down out there. One of the SEAL instructors said the Coast Guard was coming to help them. I guess they didn’t make it in time.”

Pax noticed the divers and frowned. That meant they were looking for bodies.

“Pechkin!” yelled one of the divers. He looked toward the man, recognizing him as the instructor from earlier.

“I guess this didn’t turn out like you thought,” said Pax.

“We were doing boat drills as the Coast Guard was approaching, and suddenly, it went over. We were far enough down the beach that it took us a bit to get here.” He looked at Deanna, her head down, turned sideways.

“Oh, sorry. This is my girlfriend, Deanna.”

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” said Aaron. She looked up just a bit and tried to smile. Aaron’s face darkened, and he looked at Pax. “I have to ask this, but I hope to fuck it’s wrong. Did you hit this woman?”

“No!” said Deanna loudly. “Sorry, no. Two men attacked me.”

“Jesus, I’m sorry, ma’am. Are you alright now?”

“I’m getting there,” she nodded.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just thought if you were in trouble, I’d beat the fuck out of this guy.”

“You wish,” smirked Pax. “Do you need any help here?”

“You’re retired, dude. No, I don’t need help, but something was definitely wrong. They were all chained to the boat. Women, men, kids, all of them. We’ve got two survivors who were able to pull the chain loose from the boat and swim ashore. The rest couldn’t even swim.”

“Why would you take a boat that wasn’t sound when you can’t even swim?” asked Deanna.

“Desperation.”