Page 17 of Swimming in Grief (Monster Match season two)
Glauruss
“Hey, guys!” Mike called and waved us over. My fingers tightened around Reuben’s as we crossed the sand over to the beachside bar. Standing next to Mike was a stunning young woman with blond hair and a very round belly. “I want you to meet my daughter, Maggie,” he said. “Maggie, Glauruss and Reuben. Glauruss, Reuben, Maggie. She came for a visit and to show me this!” He held up an odd-looking picture. “My first grandbaby, little Sophia!”
“Congratulations!” I said to Mike with a grin, then turned to Maggie. “And to you too, ma’am.”
She giggled and tossed her hair. “Thank you, Mr. Glauruss. My dad has told me a lot about you.”
“I deny everything,” I said, shooting Mike a playful, stern look.
Reuben smiled softly at the picture. “That’s so exciting! I hope we get to see her once she’s born.”
Maggie nodded, handing Reuben the picture, and he held it reverently. “We’ll be sure to come visit. Do you live around here too, Mr. Reuben?”
“Oh, please, just Reuben is fine,” he said, handing the photo back. “I live a little further inland, but Glauruss and I are seeing each other, so I’m out here pretty often.”
“Oh, that’s so nice!” Maggie said, glancing between us. “You two are really cute together.”
Reuben blushed at that. He really was just the sweetest.
“Michael Jr. and I have been talking by email,” Mike said. “He ain’t quite ready to meet in person yet, but he says maybe when he comes home from college in a few months.”
“That’s great, Mike,” I said, giving him a pat on the back. I nodded at Maggie. “Very nice to meet you.”
“You too!” she said.
Reuben beamed at me as we walked to the dock with my boat. “I’m so glad Mike finally contacted his family, and that they are giving him a chance to make amends.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “He’s a good guy.”
We stepped onto the Dragon U2C Stuff. Reuben stood by my side as I drove the boat out into open water. We were going to do some deep-sea fishing. I hoped we’d catch something nice that I could cook up for us in the galley for dinner.
As we stood on the deck and bobbed on the water, the horizon stretching before us, Reuben reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag. “Would you help me scatter some of Kyle’s ashes?” he asked.
I smiled and hugged him close. “Of course.”
He pressed a soft kiss to the outside of the bag before opening it up. I placed my hand over his, his gold wedding ring gleaming on his finger as he lifted the bag high and turned it over. The wind caught the small gray pieces and swirled them around and across the water, almost like they were dancing. “Thank you,” Reuben said softly, not to me, but to the horizon.
We stood there in silence until the last bits of ash had vanished from sight. Reuben wrapped his arm around my waist. “And thank you for being here with me.”
I hugged him close. “Thank you for being here for me .”
A moment later, Reuben turned to me, the most beautiful smile on his lips. “I love you.”
My heart warmed, and I stroked his cheek gently with my fingers. “I love you too.”
We stood in each other’s arms, the future spread out ahead of us. Neither of us knew what that future would be, but that was all right. For right now, we had the present. And that was the perfect place to be.