Page 136 of Pervade Montego Bay

James

Smiling, I leaned against the kitchen’s central island and quenched my thirst by sipping a Coke.

Victoria would always be part of this house—as she was a part of me. I could finally allow the good memories to linger now that I felt strong enough to push the bad ones away.

A new love had given me this ability…this privilege.

Xavier had understood the complexity of my heart. He had found the equation that was needed to decipher how to help me be free and find peace. He’d calculated it would take the love of two people to push out the level of pain I’d been feeling for so long.

I thought about those early days when I’d first brought Xavier here. The first crack in my steely heart had appeared the moment he’d stepped into my world. I’d trusted him completely. He was an easy man to love. Though Emily had arrived years later, it had been her who had helped melt my ice-bound soul the rest of the way so I could finally let go of my demons.

To think I’d almost let Xavier and Emily go…sent them away. What kind of man would I have become had I gotten my stubborn way? Sometimes it can be a blessing when things don’t work out the way you’ve planned.

Today was going to be challenging—but I wasn’t going through it alone.

Emily burst through the door into the kitchen. “Where did you go?”

She was covered in dust from where she and Xavier were helping me refurbish the yacht. It had lived in the boathouse for years. I’d been working on her before Victoria had even died.

“I’m grabbing our drinks,” I told her, picking up the other two chilled bottles of cola and offering her one.

We headed back out to the boathouse, where Xavier was admiring our handiwork. He accepted the soft drink and sipped it as he checked the halyard of the sail.

“She’s gorgeous,” he said. “Bravo.”

I ran my palm over the letters that spelledLiberty. “Victoria chose the name.”

Xavier swapped a glance with Emily.

I set my bottle down and grabbed a pair of gloves. “Let’s get her in the water.”

Together, we worked the mechanisms to swing her out and align her with the Jeep. WithLibertysecured on the back of the vehicle, we towed her toward the dock, the distance short and the terrain smooth.

Within the hour, we had her lowered into the ocean.

With the evening sun beaming down on us and the breeze kissing our skin, we sat together on the end of the dock with our legs hanging over, looking down at the beautiful results of our labor.Libertywas pristine again.

“James,” Xavier said softly, letting me know he got what this moment meant to me.

Swallowing this nostalgia I was feeling and replacing it with a sense of pride, I surveyed the new sail that had replaced the old one. The bright paint made her look like a new vessel. She was as striking as the day I’d secretly sailed her here to surprise Victoria on the morning of our wedding day.

She represented so much.

“I’m ready.”

I threw in the rucksack filled with bottles of water and then lowered down the picnic basket—the same one I’d used with Victoria for those fun trips we’d taken.

WithLibertytacked up, I checked for seaworthiness, and then we headed out along the coast.

Words were not needed.

The sail caught a strong breeze and carried us along. The view was as spectacular as always, the water as blue and inviting. The moon rose to light our way.

Silently, I spoke a prayer of gratitude.

A red cardinal flew down and perched on the railing of the stern. I’d never seen a bird like that out on the ocean before. Unable to pull my attention away, I studied its sweet face and red plumage.

Xavier watched it, too, his expression full of awe…and understanding.