Page 79 of Reeves

"I should probably head out soon," he says casually. Too casually. "Told Ridge I'd stop by the docks today at some point."

My shoulders tense, but I keep my voice steady. "Of course. I'm sure you have things to handle. Thanks for helping Benjy with this."

Benjy stops his inspection and looks up at us. His face scrunches in confusion.

"You're leaving already? But we just finished the trap. Don't you want to see if it works?"

"The trap's going to be great, buddy. You built it right."

Reeves reaches down and tousles Benjy's hair. The gesture is gentle but brief.

Don't do this to him. Don't make him love you and then disappear.

But I don't say it out loud. I learned a long time ago that you can't make someone stay who's already mentally walking away.

Benjy's excitement dims slightly. "Are you coming back tomorrow to check it?"

The question hangs in the salt air between us. Reeves glances at me, then back at Benjy. He wants me to let him down for him.

"We'll see, okay? Depends on what happens with work stuff."

Work stuff.

I recognize the pattern because I lived it for four years.

"Benjy, why don't you go wash the sand off your hands in the water? Just at the edge."

He nods and jogs toward the shoreline, giving us a moment of privacy.

Reeves watches him go, jaw working slightly. Fighting some internal battle I can't see.

"You don't have to explain," I tell him quietly. "I get it. You're only here for so long."

His eyes snap back to mine. Sharp and defensive.

"Get what?"

He leans back on one hand in the sand, and I make the mistake of looking at him directly. The sun has caught the backof his neck, and his forearm propping him up is glistening lightly from sweat and salt and effort. For a moment, he looks so much like the version of him I loved that my heart aches.

I look back at Benjy instead, because if my eyes stay on him, it will become overwhelming.

“That this is a lot. It is,” I say without looking at him.

He doesn't deny it, which tells me everything.

The boy I fell in love with in college is still there, underneath the military precision and tactical awareness. He's still running from anything that starts to tether him to anything or anyone.

The shift hits harder than I expected.

Minutes ago, I let myself relax into the rhythm of the three of us working together. I watched with tenderness as Reeves guided Benjy's hands to pack sand just right. Seeing them both step back to admire their work. For a moment, it was natural.

This was always temporary. He has a life separate from ours halfway across the world.

"Hey!" Benjy's voice carries from the water's edge. "We haven't eaten lunch. My stomach's making noises."

Reeves runs a hand over the back of his neck.

"Can we go to that place that has the grilled cheese and the ice cream? Pretty please?" Benjy looks between us with that direct honesty that disarms adults.