“And why did you break poor Rich’s heart?”
“What makes you think it was me?”
“Because no man in their right mind would kiss you, then let you walk away.”
Her cheeks flush with color. “I thought we were supposed to keep things friendly.”
“I’m doing my best here, Knox,” I tell her. “But alas, I am only a man.”
She shakes her head but smiles. “You’ve always had this incredible ability to make me forget all my problems.”
“Yeah?”
She nods. “Even when you didn’t realize it.”
“What do you mean?”
Anastasia brushes some hair out of her face. “A few years ago, I found a lump in my breast.”
My stomach plummets.
Like, hits the deck, goes through it, and sinks into the deepest darkest abyss.
“I didn’t tell anyone. Not even my mom. I still haven’t. She’d already lost Dad, and Zane was in and out of missions, so the last thing I wanted to do was stress her out.” She crosses her arms. “Anyway, I went and had the biopsy done, and when I got back, you were sitting on my back steps with a pizza and a copy of The Princess Bride.”
It’s a night I remember well. We’d eaten our fill of pizza and watched the movie that I’d picked up as my attempt to wash away the mission we’d just wrapped up. Things had gone sideways, nearly costing Garrison his life.
“You probably don’t remember, but?—”
“Actually, I do.”
She looks over at me. “Really?”
I nod. But elaborating on that can wait. “What happened with the biopsy?” Given the time that has passed, I assume she’s fine. I need to hear it, though, so this knot in my chest will loosen.
“It ended up being okay. Benign. But the entire drive home, I’d been stressing about it, and I just had this feeling I wouldn’t be sleeping well. Then there you were, sitting on my porch. We ate, watched the movie, and I was able to sleep. All because you helped me get my mind off of something you didn’t realize was happening.”
How many nights over the years has that happened? How many times did we each seek comfort from the other, without even realizing it?
“I’m sorry you did that alone. I would have gone with you.”
“I know you would have.” She smiles. “But I didn’t want to put that weight on anyone.”
Unable to help myself, I reach my hand out to her. She takes it, so I squeeze gently. “You have to know there’s no weight I won’t carry for you, Anastasia.”
“I know that, Sawyer.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
She smiles. “Me, too.”
Chapter 20
Anastasia
“I’m doing just fine,” I tell my mom over the satellite phone in the main cabin of Zane’s boat. She’d called me first thing this morning as she was getting ready for church. Just hearing her voice brought me relief and sadness all at once. Honestly, the fact that I’m not there has me feeling just as salty as the ocean we’re sailing over.
Maybe even saltier.
