Page 130 of Reeves

“Talked about the company, about us keeping it going. You should take a read.”

Doubt it. I don't answer, and he leaves it at that.

Ridge nods and puts his hands in his pockets. "Like I said before, I only ask that you tell me when you know you won't come back. Because I need to switch gears if not."

I look out at the harbor, ships waiting to be loaded,containers stacked like building blocks. Everything in its place, secure and accounted for.

"I will."

I movethrough the water with military precision. Push off the wall, glide, stroke, turn my head to breathe. Repeat. The underwater lights of the bunker pool cast everything in an eerie blue glow. There are no windows, no distractions. Just water and tile and the echo of my own movements.

My shoulder loosens slightly with each lap. The pain dulls from sharp to bearable. The water holds me up, takes the weight off joints that carry too much.

Breathe. Pull. Kick. Turn.

This used to quiet my mind. The rhythm, the focus. Not today.

I see Charli's face when she caught me with Benjy this morning. The hesitation before she smiled. The way she stepped back when I moved close in the kitchen, her eyes darting to the hallway where Benjy might appear.

Breathe. Pull. Kick. Turn.

My stroke breaks. I swallow a mouthful of chlorinated water and surface, coughing.

Fuck.

I resume my stroke, harder now. Pushing harder, like I can outrun it.

I have five days until I report back. Five days before I'm supposed to prep for a deployment that might not happen. Command already hinted at a medical discharge, and I'm probably looking at limited duty at best.

I don’t even know what I’d offer. Occasional visits when I'm stateside? Child support payments to a woman who built a life without needing my money?

Ridge’s offer sits in the back of my head. Security operations for the family company would be permanent. It's also exactly what I've refused to be a part of my entire life.

I hit the wall harder than I intend, my palm stinging with the impact. I flip and push off, lungs burning now.

I tell myself I'm respecting her boundaries, that I’m not complicating things for Benjy. But that’s not the whole truth.

I want to see them again.

I want to hear Benjy ask his endless questions. I want to watch Charli's face when she's not guarding her expressions.

I finish my final lap and pull myself up on the edge of the pool. Water streams from my body, pattering on the tile. I reach for my phone on the chair beside me, droplets falling on the screen as I unlock it.

There's a text from Gabe.

Hey, bro. Where have you been? I thought we were going to hang out. You've been MIA. Hit me up.

I swipe out of his texts. I don't have the bandwidth to figure out when I'll see him.

I click over to Charli's name instead.

I can't stop thinking about yesterday. About you. About Benjy. I want more time with both of you before I go.

The words glare back at me, raw and exposed. My jaw tightens. I swipe my thumb across the screen, erasing every letter. That's too much, too fast. Like the kiss on the patio last night.

I roll my shoulders and stare at my phone. Water drips from my hair onto the screen. I open a search engine and type in "TANK SHOW, GULFPORT, MS"

The information about the show loads, and I read through it. Benjy would love this.