“Why can’t you believe in what we have and know that I won’t let other people tear us apart?”
“We can’t control what others
say—”
“That’s right. We can’t, but we can control what we do.”
“Tayia, I—”
“I don’t want to live in secret anymore, and until you want the same, I don’t see any reason to discuss this.”
“Tay?” he called after me, but I kept walking. “Tayia!” His voice faded as I quickened my pace, running as fast as my legs could carry me through the night while my heart disintegrated. I needed him to come around, and I’d just taken a gamble by forcing his hand. Was I doing the right thing? God, I hoped so.
That night, I felt him slide into my bed and pull me to him. I savored the feeling of his strong arms around me.
“Okay. I’ll do it,” he said into the darkness.
My breath caught. “You will?”
“Yeah.”
“Blakey.” I spun around in his arms to face him. “It will be fine. We have each other. Nothing anyone can say will change that.”
“God, I hope you’re right.” He pulled me closer and we lay there, entwined in each other’s arms.
Chapter Fourteen
“You’re so sweet to me, Tayia doll.” Maggie smiled weakly as I handed her a cup of tea. She’d been wrapped in a throw blanket and huddled in the window seat at the back of the house all day. After taking a sip of tea, she sighed. “I can’t believe she’s gone.” Her sad eyes traveled to the view of the bay.
Maggie’s mother had died the week prior, and after the funeral, she and my father drove from Pennsylvania in time for Christmas. Grandpa hadn’t said much since his arrival and remained in his wheelchair in front of the television. The house was full of sadness even though it was usually a joyous time of the year for the family. All I could do was wrap my arms around my stepmother. I’d lost my own mother years ago, but I was too young to remember much about her. Sometimes I felt like every image or story had been planted there by my dad and that I somehow convinced myself that I had memories of her, too.
After Maggie had gone to lie down, I went in search of Blake. Considering the recent events, nobody had the motivation to make a big Christmas dinner, so Harley suggested we go to Catch.
Annette’s Catch was never closed, even for the holidays. Sea Whisper Island appealed to a lot of loner personality types. Part of the draw was its isolation from the rest of the world. Those who had nowhere to go were grateful for the low key and welcoming atmosphere, as well as the huge feast the Fox family provided.
Harley had been staying with Fox while my dad and Maggie were visiting. She’d been working extra shifts at the restaurant to stay busy. I knew she was uncomfortable, especially with all the grieving that was going on, and honestly, I envied her ability to escape it all.
I found Blake napping on Harley’s bed. He’d disappeared hours before into the woods, but I didn’t see him come back to the house. When I checked our usual spot, he wasn’t there. Harley’s room was the only place I hadn’t looked for him. After stepping inside and quietly closing the door behind me, I slid onto the bed. His body immediately relaxed against mine as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Hey.” I placed a kiss on the back of his neck. He stirred in his sleep but didn’t move. “Blakey, wake up.”
“Tay?” He yawned and turned around in my arms and drew me close.
“You have to get up. It’s almost dinnertime.”
“Not hungry.” He nuzzled into my neck. I knew that losing his grandmother had affected him also. Unable to come up with any words to help him through the sadness, I decided to lie there and lightly rub his back, hoping he could feel my love for him with every brush of my hand. When his breathing grew steady, I knew he’d gone back to sleep, so I let myself drift off with him.
A light tapping on the door woke me. The sun had gone down and there was a faint blue hue over the room as the moon glowed threw the closed shades. There was a light tapping again followed by the creaking of the door. When my father peered through the opening, his face transformed from surprise to confusion.
“Tayia?” he called out in a low tone. I decided the best way to behave was to act like we hadn’t been caught doing anything wrong.
“Yeah, Dad?” I answered, keeping what I hoped was an innocent expression on my face.
“We, um, Maggie and me . . .” He opened the door fully then shifted from one leg to the other. “We’re thinking about going to Catch for dinner whenever you kids are ready.” Blake’s body jerked awake at the sound of my dad’s voice and he turned his head toward the direction of the door. Slowly, he began putting distance between us as my arms loosened around him.
“Sure, Chris, that sounds good,” Blake said in a strained voice. “We’ll be downstairs in a few minutes.”
My dad nodded his head and began to turn away before spinning around again. “Is everything okay in here?” His eyes narrowed at us. “Anything I should know about?”