Page 26 of Sincerely, Mr. Braden

I laugh. “I’d rather you climb into the boat, but whatever makes you happy. What else is worrying that beautiful mind of yours?”

“Sharks are my biggest worry, but what if water gets in my snorkel?”

“It won’t. Our snorkels have float valves that seal the breathing tube when it’s submerged. Why don’t I show you how everything works, and if you’re still too nervous, we won’t do it. How does that sound?”

“Like I’m a big chicken,” she says with a sweet smile.

I pull her into a kiss. “You’re not a chicken. You’re a realist, and I appreciate that more than you know. Any time you go into another creature’s habitat, you should be aware of the risks. But I’ll be by your side the whole time. Unless we see a shark. Then, apparently, you’ll be on my head.”

I tug her into a kiss, and then I go over safety measures and teach her how to use the equipment. We laugh and kiss and joke, and by the time we finally get in the water, she’s less nervous and more excited. We stay by the boat as she gets comfortable with the fins and mask and breathes steadily through the snorkel.

When she gives me a thumbs-up, we swim away, and the reef unfolds beneath us in an amazing array of colors. Parrotfish nibble on algae lacing the coral that maps the ocean floor in hills and valleys of purple, orange, and yellow. Ellie’s eyes widen behind her mask as she takes it all in, tapping my arm and pointing at the incredible beauty around us, none of which is more beautiful than her. She points to a school of vibrant tropical fish swimming past, as if I might miss it, and a few minutes later to a spiny lobster crawling across the ocean floor.

I stay close and keep watch, knowing that the sight of a shark could send her into a panic, wishing I hadn’t left my underwater camera in the boat so I could capture these firsts for her. I won’t make that mistake again. She’s as taken with the sights as I am by her, turning her head left and right to catch every shimmer of movement.

The wonder lighting her eyes is mesmerizing. She looks free, unencumbered with the worries back home, at least for now, though I know they’re never far from her mind. She’s been trying to be discreet when she checks her phone, doing it while I’m driving or otherwise distracted. She might be checking messages from clients, but I have a feeling it’s family she’s worried about.

Streaks of sunlight pierce the surface, turning the ocean floor into rippled silver. A sea turtle drifts lazily by, and Ellie swats my arm in sheer delight. Her shoulder brushes mine as she kicks beside me, her hair streaming out in dark ribbons. I force my attention away long enough to scan the reef, and when I turn back to her, she takes my hand, kicking faster, following a school of fish and beaming at me from behind that mask.

We snorkel for a long time, taking in the sights, swimming hand in hand, admiring some of Mother Nature’s best work. When we finally make our way back to the boat, the second we surface, we pull the snorkels out of our mouths and take off our masks.

“Did you see that turtle?” she exclaims. “And the coral? Oh my God, the purple looked like velvet. The fish are so bright, they look fake! It’s like swimming in an aquarium.”

As she raves about what we saw, her voice full of awe and the sun glistening on her shoulders, her gorgeous smile reels me in. I’m hit with a soul-deep urge for more. More of showing her the world, earning this type of joy, more of her. I know it’s crazy to feel this way after only a couple of days, but I feel it with the same certainty I feel the sun on my skin, like it’s a solid, unshakable truth.

Ellie looks around, like she’s seeing the world through a new lens.

I know that feeling, sweetheart.

When our eyes meet, the pull is instant and electric. Even the ocean seems to hold its breath as we reach for each other. Our mouths come together in a rush of salty kisses, and the unstoppable heat between us takes hold. Fumbling to hang on to our masks and snorkels, we break away long enough to toss them into the boat, laughing as we peel off our flippers and throw them in, too. We come back together like we need each other to breathe.

In that moment, I feel like I do.

With the sun beating down on us and the water lapping at our bodies, heat sparks everywhere we touch, and we give in to our desires. With every scorching kiss and every sexy laugh as I try to keep us afloat, the world slips farther away. Until there’s nothing left but the feel of my sweet beauty wrapped around me and the sea holding every secret we create.

Hours later, after satiating our desires, more snorkeling, and eating lunch, Ellie sketched while I piloted out to deeper water. The sea stretches out around us, a few fishing boats dotting the horizon, the island a blur in the distance. Anchored again, we’re lying on cushions on the deck, baking in the sun. The boat rocks with an easy rhythm, water lapping gently against the hull, and I realize I haven’t thought about work once. Not about any of my pending deals, the potential expansion, or even the calls I’m ignoring. My usual high-speed life has boiled down to the feel of Ellie’s hand in mine and the quiet sound of contentment I never knew existed until this moment. For possibly the first time ever, I don’t want for more, other than more of this.

“Will you tell me more about your family?” Ellie turns her head toward me, squinting. Her hair is still damp at the ends, curling against the cushion.

I roll onto my side and push up on my elbow, a grin tugging at my lips. “Sure you’re ready for that?”

“It’s a conversation, not a proposal,” she says with amusement.

“What would you like to know?”

She turns onto her side, mimicking my position. “I don’t know. What are they like? What are your relationships like? You know about my relationships with my family, but I don’t know much about yours, other than what the general public knows.”

“Sometimes I think the general public knows too much,” I admit before I think to keep it to myself.

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. I understand wanting to protect your privacy. It must be hard to be in your position in a world where everyone thinks they have a right to stick their nose into your business.”

I love the way she lets me be me and doesn’t act put off by it. “There are a lot of nefarious people out there, which makes it tough, but I don’t mind sharing with you. We’re a close-knit family. When something goes down with one of us, we all try to be there to help. I’m close to all my siblings, but not annoyingly so. I’m the one they bounce things off, and I’m probably closest to Victory.”

“I got that sense from the way you described teaming up with her and Clay to move to Ridgeport.”

“Yeah. We’re also the most alike. We’re not the type that needs to be entertained, and we both analyze the hell out of things before making decisions.” As I say it, it strikes me that I’m not doing that with Ellie. That’s as comforting as it is alarming, but I’m too happy and relaxed to want to pick that apart right now. “Vic fell in love young and married a much older man. She was widowed a few years later, and that changed her.”

“I read about that. I think it would change anyone.”