Page 13 of The Sailor

“I’m so happy!” she exclaimed finally, as the tears continued to course down her cheeks. “You all have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment!”

“Actually, we do,” Linc said dryly.

“Yeah, it’s not as if you’ve been subtle in your hints that we all need to find women and settle down and give you grandbabies,” Knox added.

“Well, at least Chad listened to me,” Evelyn grumbled, as she wiped her cheeks.

Everyone laughed again.

Marit had already taken a step backward toward the door to the house. She needed to get away from all this happiness. Her emotions were all over the place. She was honored that she’d gotten to be a part of Britt and Chad’s big evening, but she really felt like she shouldn’t be there.

As if he could feel her pulling away, Zach said, “Happy for you, bro. You too, Britt. Thank you for sharing your moment with us. But unfortunately, Marit and I need to get going. We both have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Her to go lobstering, and I need to get to The Lobster Buoy and start cooking. If you need anything, give me a yell. We’ll talk soon.”

Before she could blink, Zach was leading her back through the house toward the front door. She’d had just enough time to give her thanks to Evelyn for the dinner and let the others know it was good to meet them.

Being polite in public was one thing her brothers had always insisted on . . . behind closed doors, that was another story.

Zach didn’t say anything as he led her to his car. When he’d taken her hand in his, she couldn’t say, but she was grateful. It felt like if he wasn’t holding on to her, she’d splinter into a thousand pieces.

She wasn’t sure why she was struggling so much with everything that had happened and what she’d witnessed. She’d always thought she was pretty tough. She could withstand freezing temperatures on a lobster boat, spend hours doing the backbreaking, monotonous work without complaint, and she could hold her own against men a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier than her.

But emotionally? She was obviously a freaking mess.

She kind of zoned out while Zach was driving back toward Rockville, lost in her own mind. Trying to sort through her emotions without much luck. It wasn’t until she felt the car stop that she blinked and looked around.

They weren’t in Rockville. Zach had parked in a tiny gravel parking lot of sorts, and she could see a sign indicating they were at some kind of conservation area.

“I know it’s late, but I thought maybe you could use a walk to clear your head. It’s about half a mile to the shore from here. There’s an easy trail. Flat. So even though it’s almost dark, it won’t be dangerous. You want to walk? Or have me take you home?”

Looking over at Zach, she saw he was staring at her with a concerned expression on his face. His brows were drawn together into a frown . . . and she felt guilty. He should be on top of the world. His brother was engaged and he was apparently going to be an uncle. Instead, he was clearly able to read her like a book—and was worried about her.

It was a weird feeling. To have someone see her so clearly. Marit was used to fading into the background most of the time.

“Walk,” she said quietly. Maybe he was right. Maybe it would help settle her mind.

Zach nodded and opened his door. She did the same and they met at the back of his car. As if they’d done it a hundred times before instead of just once, Zach took her hand in his and started off for the path between the tall grasses.

“I’m sorry,” Marit blurted as they headed out.

“For what?” Zach asked, not sounding put out in the least.

“For making you leave your family early. For crashing what was an intimate family event tonight.”

“First, you didn’t make me leave. We do need to get up early, and trust me, my family has a way of sucking you in and making you forget what time it is. If I hadn’t taken that moment to escape, we could’ve been there until three in the morning.

“Second, you didn’t crash anything. My mom was thrilled to meet you and to have you there, and Chad and Britt were in their own world. There could’ve been an entire circus watching and it wouldn’t have changed how special that moment was for them. Besides, you weren’t the only non-family member there. The guests currently renting the cabins were watching from the path along the shore. You didn’t see them?”

Marit blinked. “They were?”

“Yup. Chad knew they were there. He waved to them on his way back up to the deck. Trust me, he loves the attention, and he had no problem with you being there.”

That actually made Marit feel a little better. She nodded.

“I hesitate to bring this up, because it is our first date after all, but . . . you want to talk?”

She didn’t play dumb. Zach was smart. He’d obviously seen her reticence and semipanic at being around his brothers.

She was collecting her thoughts when he continued.