Page 177 of Broken
Prescott’s mom tickled him. “It tastes delicious.”
Unless Prescott was completely missing something, he had definitely found his woman. But, once they solved the case—and he had every confidence they would—she would head back to California.
Not if I have anything to do with it, she won’t.
THREE HOURS LATER,they were back in the slip. Ethan had fallen asleep on a king-sized bed in the lower level, and Prescott’s mom must’ve checked on him twenty times. To say she was a doting Nana was an understatement. His dad was dozing on a cushion at the bow. Jack sat beside Prescott on the couch in the main cabin, Loki sleeping at her feet.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt at peace. But the second he set foot on land, reality would slither back in and he’d be on the hunt for not one killer, but two.
Ethan emerged from the berth.
“Hey, bud,” Prescott said, “You took a nap on a boat.”
Ethan sat next to his mom on the sofa in the stern, and he and Jack joined them.
“Dad and I would love to take Ethan for a s-l-e-e-p-o-v-e-r,” his mom said.
“That would be great,” Prescott replied.
“Ethan, Papa and I want to invite you to a sleepover at our house tonight,” his mom said. “Would you like to come?”
He glanced at Prescott. “Where will you be?”
“I’ll be at our house,” Prescott replied. “And I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“Can Loki come too?”
“Not this time,” Prescott’s mom replied. “I don’t have any food for him.”
“That’s okay, Nana. He can eat my food.”
The group laughed.
“Loki can spend the night next sleepover,” his dad said.
“I bought Ethan a few outfits,” his mom added. “And a toothbrush, and maybe even a toy or two.”
“Toys?” Ethan asked.
“We’re going to have the best time,” his mom said to Ethan.
Twenty minutes later, Prescott was alone with Jacqueline. After walking Loki, they got comfortable on one of the sofas on the bow. Sitting side by side, their entwined fingers rested on her thigh, while they listened to the water lapping against the side of the craft.
“I could stay here forever,” she said breaking the silence.
“I could, but only if you were with me,” he replied.
She turned toward him, a smile lifting her lips. “I would be. Thank you for today. It was perfect.” Then her smile was replaced with a sadness that touched her eyes. “It’s hard for me to have fun.”
“Why?”
“Because I lived,” she replied.
He tucked a chunk of flyaway hairs behind her ear, leaned over and kissed her. “Babe, you can’t spend your life punishing yourself for what happened.”
“Yeah, I tell myself that, but I still struggle with survivor guilt.”
He put his arm around her, caressed her bare shoulder. “You deserve to be happy, Jacqueline.”
