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Can we talk tomorrow?
I'll be there in time for dinner, not sure about fishing yet.
She didn't reply, her stomach twisting in anticipation of seeing him. She'd missed him so much, but she didn't want to grasp at straws. She wanted to talk this out and get it all out in the open.
THAT MORNING, MASON pulled up to the boat launch and parked the truck. Caroline tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled nervously. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
He gripped the steering wheel and nodded his head. "Until your application is approved and we can get you into the witness protection program, we have to keep this ruse up. What better way to do that than by having you meet my family? Don't worry though. I'll tell them the truth once you're safely away or maybe later today. It depends on a few things."
She bit her lip and nodded. His stomach clenched tight in nerves. He hated this idea, did not want to introduce her to his family as his girlfriend. It would either hurt Lucy and ruin any chance he might've had with her or she wouldn't care, in which case it would hurt him.
It was a lose lose situation, but the boss said it was the best idea. He was new to the department, so who was he to argue?
His stomach was also nervous just at the thought of seeing and talking with Lucy again. He knew last night was stressful, but he hoped to sort it all out. He had to sort it all out. At the very least, he had to bare his soul, declare his love, and ask for her forgiveness.
He opened the driver's door and went around to open Caroline's, offering a hand as she climbed down. She wore short, silky blue shorts and a navy blue tank top blouse with strappy sandals.
"Are you sure you're ok with floating the river and going fishing?" he asked again.
She smiled as they rounded the truck. "Of course. I grew up in the country. It's been a while, but I can handle a canoe. Do you need a hand getting it into the water?"
He shook his head and unhooked the tow straps. "No, can you grab my backpack and the little cooler from the truck?"
She nodded and went back to the truck while he unloaded the canoe. He was sweating by the time it was in the water. He offered her a hand and had her sit, checked that everything was secure, then he took his shirt off and tossed it in.
"Oh yeah, baby, take it off," she grinned, lowering her sunglasses to wiggle her eyebrows.
He laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, lady, the show's over. This ship has sailed." He pushed the canoe out into the water and hopped in before it got too deep. It rocked as he settled on the seat and grabbed the oars.
He followed the familiar river as it wound to his grandpa's favorite spot. They rounded a bend and saw Ray already fishing, his canoe tied to a tree. Mason steered them next to it and hopped out.
He took the lead rope from Caroline and tied it to another tree, then turned to help her out of the canoe. She splashed into the water and gasped. "Oh, that's cold."
Ray finished reeling his pole and strode through the water to them. "Glad you could make it, son. Good to see you," he slapped a hand to Mason's shoulder and squeezed. Mason winced at the rough grip as Ray asked, "And hello, missy. Who might you be?"
Caroline held out a hand to shake and said, "Hi, I'm Caroline, Mason's girlfriend."
Ray's gaze swung to Mason, and his blue eyes narrowed. Before Mason could explain, Will came through the trees, shaking his leg. His hair was in a high and tight but was the same black as Mason's. He was a little leaner but had definitely bulked up while deployed.
Caroline gasped and lowered her sunglasses again. "Hot damn. Not one, but two? It's going to be a great day."
Mason didn't have time to say anything, as Will saw him and took off running straight at him. Will tackled him, and they splashed into the shallow water with a laugh.
"Mason! You made it!"
Mason grunted and hugged his brother back, shoving his head into the water and immediately jerking him back up as he sputtered and laughed. Will sat up and splashed him.
Mason punched him in the bicep, both of them slowly standing to their feet in the shallow water. "Damn, did you do nothing but work out while you were deployed? Holy shit, lay off the creatine, will ya?"
Will laughed, slapping him on the back in a tamer bro hug. Mason wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders and glanced at Caroline as she said, "Hello, I'm Caroline, Mason's girlfriend."
Will stepped forward and took Caroline's hand, bending at the waist and kissing the back of it. "Pleasure to meet you, miss. Too bad Mason saw you first. I'm Will."
Caroline quirked a brow and blushed, but Mason saw Ray cross his arms and frown. Mason ran a hand through his now wet hair and walked to where his grandfather stood with feet spread wide.
"What's going on, son?" Ray asked in that tone that brooked no argument, the one that said he knew you were full of shit and was just waiting for you to own up to it.
Mason sighed, "She's not my girlfriend. That's just our cover story. I'm protecting her until she can get into WITSEC, but I need to see Lucy today. So I brought her along."
