Page 69 of Fire and Rain
Eden settled on the sofa beside them, listening as Sean read Maverick’s bedtime stories and patiently answered his many questions. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected of Sean, but he surprised her, doing different voices for different animals, even the orca, making Maverick laugh.
When story time was over, Eden gave Maverick his bottle and blankie and carried him to his crib. She stood there for a time, humming to him, rubbing his back until his eyes were closed. She shut his bedroom door behind her and walked back down the hallway to find Sean on his laptop once again. Was he trying to avoid talking to her?
She walked to the fridge. “Want a glass of wine or maybe something stronger?”
He closed his laptop and stood. “Scotch?”
“You got it.” She took down a white wine glass for herself and a tumbler for Sean and poured them each a drink. “Here.”
“Thanks.” He took the tumbler, tossed it back.
“Another?”
“Yeah.” He poured himself a double, but this time sipped.
“Are you okay? You’ve seemed really tense all evening. Dalton really got under your skin, didn’t he? If I hadn’t asked you to dance—”
Sean frowned. “Don’t worry about it.”
She rested her hand on his arm. “How can I not worry after he went off on you like that? What if he spreads rumors on base and makes your job harder?”
“It’s not your problem.” He walked away from her.
“Like hell it’s not. You’re part of my family, Sean. When someone I care about is hurting, it matters to me.”
“You have enough on your shoulders without listening to me whine.”
Eden set her wine down on the counter. “I’m not some delicate flower. I’m strong enough to have my problems and to care about yours, too. You’re clearly upset, so why not talk about it? I can take it.”
“You want to talk about it?” He slammed his tumbler down on the counter with so much force that it made her jump, closing the distance between them in two long strides, rage on his face. “Dalton thinks I’m fucking you, and you know what? That’s exactly what I want to do. But I can’t, Eden. Justin was my best friend, and I came home that night, buthe didn’t.”
And Eden understood.
She raised a hand to his cheek. “You truly believe his death was your fault, don’t you?”
He jerked his head away, took a step back, clearly not wanting the comfort she offered. “It’s the job of the AET to keep the rescue swimmer safe. Instead, I watched Justindie. One minute he was on deck, trying to help the victim … and the next there was nothing but flames.”
The anguish in Sean’s eyes almost broke her heart.
Eden had never asked him for details of that terrible night. She hadn’t wanted him to relive it, and she hadn’t been sure she wanted to know. As unbearable as it was to imagine Justin dying in a few seconds of agony, it was terrible to think that Sean was carrying a weight that wasn’t his.
“You almost died, too.”
But Sean didn’t seem to hear her.
“If I had yelled at him to abandon ship… If I’d just held onto that hoist line...” He squeezed his eyes shut, his right hand a fist. “Two men died because I failed.”
“You broke your arm, tore up your shoulder, and suffered second-degree burns trying to hold onto that hoist line. What more could you do? You’re not God, Sean.” She took a step toward him. “Besides, you and I both know that Justin wouldneverabandon ship and leave an unconscious victim behind. There was never anything you could have done.”
She saw the moment her words hit him, the moment he began to understand. His eyes flew open, and he gaped at her as if he’d never once considered the fact that Justin might have made a choice that night.
Then she stood on tiptoes, cupped his cheek, and raised her lips to his.
ChapterFifteen
Sean stood at an emotional edge,his heart thrumming, his mind caught between the words Eden had just spoken and the warm feel of her lips against his.
You and I both know that Justin would never abandon ship and leave an unconscious victim behind. There was never anything you could have done.
