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Lucy's chest ached as the pressure increased. She sniffed and rolled her shoulders, trying to relieve the tension. "I don't know, Nana. I think so, but I'm so afraid of getting hurt."
"If you love him, just give him time, ok sweet pea?"
She sniffed and went back inside, laying on the cold and lonely bed. "I'll try, but I have to protect my heart, Nana. I won't be caught in a nightmare like Mom. She loved dad so much, and it killed her."
Lucy yawned and plugged her phone up. "I have to go to sleep now. Maui is tomorrow, and I'm going to go on a whale watching tour."
"Pack the motion sickness pills, just in case. Love you, sweetie."
"Love you too. Good night." Lucy pulled the covers up. She liked the breeze off the ocean and left the balcony door partially open. Not that late, but she didn't know where Mason was. This was good, though. She didn't need to become addicted to sleeping in his arms.
She shivered, tossing and turning as she tried to go to sleep, tried to ignore the worry that he was working or in trouble somewhere.
MASON SAT ON THE OTHER balcony lounger in the dark and watched Lucy toss and turn. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop on her conversation with Helen, but when he'd walked to the door, he'd heard her soft voice. He'd changed course to walk around the side of the house to their balcony.
But her words had stopped him cold. All the hope he'd started to feel shriveled into a ball and died.
He frowned and looked up at the sky. She didn't want anything more than this vacation. Her mom had died from loving her dad. What had she said about it? Her mom had been trapped by her dad's drug addiction.
Did Lucy think he was trying to trap her? He knew she'd felt a little suffocated today and they'd fought.
I won't be caught in a nightmare like Mom.
Her words haunted him. He didn't want to trap her or give her nightmares.
Maybe he should give her some breathing room. Tomorrow they'd go to Maui. He could give her independence back. She'd claimed he was trying to steal that before, hadn't she?
He sighed and gently picked her up bridal style. She murmured but didn't wake, even when he laid her in bed. When he finished changing and brushing his teeth, he tried to resist pulling her close.
But she curled into his side and sighed. His stomach twisted, and he wrapped his arms around her. He had to let her go when they returned to Texas, but he'd treasure these little moments forever.
The next day, Mason woke to an empty bed. Lucy was doing yoga on the balcony, and he just laid there and watched her. The way her muscles flexed, the way her curves jiggled.
He wanted to hold her close and never let go.
He frowned, throwing off the covers and stalking into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Last night, he'd decided to let her go, hadn't he? He had to stick to his guns.
At breakfast, he told Lucy he wasn't going on the whale watching tour.
She blinked those big, beautiful eyes and frowned. "You're not? But I thought—"
He shook his head and stabbed his fork a little too violently into the food. "I saw there's a charity fun run at the same time. I'd rather do that. Is that ok?"
She pursed her lips then took a drink of her juice. Finally, she nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's fine. I mean, we're both adults. We can do our own things. God knows we don't have to be in each other's hip pockets the whole trip. I didn't know you were a runner. What do you like about it?"
Mason shrugged, and they chatted about workouts and other hobbies. The entire morning, he was tense. He definitely needed to release some tension and work out the thoughts that kept swirling in his head.
When they got to Maui, she took a cab to the whale watching tours, and he went to the town where the charity fun run was taking place. A starting line and a group of runners were already standing, stretching and waiting.
He wasn't in the best shape, his injury keeping him from some of his more strenuous workouts. But cardio was always helpful. He usually alternated between running and biking. Too bad he had left his headphones back in their room.
The race started, and he followed the crowd, neither pushing himself out front nor falling back. The air was still cool in the morning, but the sun was shining and sweat already beaded his brow. Soon, his head was steadily getting clearer as he thought of his future.
His stomach was still unsettled and had been all night. Simon's call yesterday had been a punch in the gut. It might've hurt worse than when he'd been shot in the back. It would've been tough, but really it was just one more way to prove himself. Now he didn't have the FBI waiting on him, he'd just continue with the Rangers.
They'd probably stick him in a desk job, if not this year then in the next two or three years. Even before his injury, they were asking him to take on more administrative duties. He focused on his breathing as he ran, coming to terms with his lost dreams.
A motion to his left had him turning his head to look at the bay. A pod of whales were jumping, causing massive splashes. His steps slowed as he watched.
