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“Is Chase going to come down here? With us?”
“I’m sure he’ll come down to check on us as soon as he can, sweetheart. He has to keep us safe right now.”
“Because that’s his job, right, Mama?”
I smiled at my small son and the light in his eyes. He loved having a real life action hero. “That’s right.”
“Do you think he needs help?” Jackson asked. “I’m his first mate, remember?”
I laughed softly. “I remember. We’re going to help him by staying down here, out of the way, and we’re going to keep calm. Okay?”
“Okay, Mama,” he agreed, leaning back against the pillows I’d piled for him at the head of the large bed.
Jackson started playing the game but squealed loudly when the boat pitched from side to side. I looked up at the ceiling and stared at the shadow of the ceiling fan. Was Chase okay all by himself? He could get thrown overboard and no one would even know. We wouldn’t be able to even attempt a rescue.
I’d just gotten him back. I didn’t want to even think about losing him again. The prospect of running from Henry, on my own, was too terrifying to even think about.
I took in a series of deep breaths and tried to relax my grip on the comforter. Chase had asked me to trust him and to follow his instructions. After everything he’d done for us, I knew it was the least I could do.
Jackson was fine on the outside, but he cast me nervous looks when the bigger swells rocked us back and forth. He clung to the tablet with one hand and held onto my arm with the other, tugging me close. He needed me nearby so that he knew I was all right.
For now, Chase would have to be alone.
And I would have to be strong, not knowing what was happening ten feet over my head.
When Chase appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, an overwhelming rush of relief washed over me. The boat was still rocking but compared to the hour before, it seemed as though it was calming down. At least a little. And the fact that Chase was standing there meant he was still in one piece. Since leaving him, my mind had gone into a frenzy of worry and panic over all of the things that could go wrong. I didn’t know much about boats—virtually nothing—but I knew it wasn’t uncommon for boats to capsize in extreme conditions.
Matt’s boat was definitely not a dinghy, but it was far from what I would call a large yacht—more of a medium size yacht. All I could think about was the show on TV with extreme fishermen in horrific conditions. If even those skilled professionals could end up harmed or even worse, killed, then there was nothing protecting us from the same fate. I trusted Chase at the helm, and although he hadn’t been very open about his experiences as a Navy SEAL, I knew there was a good chance he’d gone through storms worse than this—I hoped so anyway. I told myself to relax and let him get us through it, but it was impossible to turn off the anxiety in my brain.
All of it evaporated as soon as Chase arrived. “How’s everything down here?” he asked. His questions struck me as humorous. Neither his tone nor his expression was relaxed, but something about the way he asked made me think that he could’ve just been asking if we needed more snacks or something equally as trivial. As though we weren’t huddled in bed, holding on for dear life and silently praying to get through the next hour, and instead, were just watching a movie to kill time in between sunbathing rotations above deck.
Jackson perked up at Chase’s appearance as well. His hero and favorite buddy. “Come watch the movie, Chase!” He pointed at the screen in his hands. “This is the funniest part.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the shocked look on Chase’s face as he cut his glance my way, his eyebrow cocked as he wondered about my child’s sanity. I smirked at his puzzled expression. “He says it’s like being on a roller coaster,” I replied to his silent question.
Chase chuckled. “I see.” He returned his bemused glance to Jackson. “Maybe in a little while, buddy.”
“Is it almost over?” I asked, steeling myself for the answer. Something in my bones told me we were still in the thick of it and would be for quite some time.
Chase sighed and took a step into the room. His large body made the small room feel even smaller, and I found myself wishing that he could just take a spot on the bed and relax with us.
Logically, I knew it hadn’t been even twenty-four hours since we’d been playing in the ocean, mere steps away from a gorgeous hotel suite on the shores of Cabo. It was like all of that had been a dream. The reality of how much time had passed simply didn’t line up with the way I felt huddled up in the bottom of a boat waiting out a tropical storm.
