Page 77 of Princess

“It is. That’s true. The East Coast was hit by one hurricane after another, and it was completely uninhabitable for years. But there’ve been rumors that some of the flooding is receding now, so Maria and her crew headed out there to check things out. To see what it’s like now and if anyone is out there and if there are any resources left there we can use.”

“Maria’s your girl?”

“No. Maria leads a group of women. They travel around. Do a lot of good. My girl is with her.”

“Oh. Okay. So when will they be back this way?”

Mack glances at his watch again. “Two weeks. Three days. Six or seven hours?”

I laugh at this and reach over to squeeze his arm. “You’re a really good guy. I hope she realizes it.”

“Thanks.”

“Seems to be a suspicious amount of bonding going on around here.”

Grant’s voice comes from behind us, and it surprises me so much I jerk and turn toward him.

He’s grinning down at me, so drenched in sweat that his T-shirt and shorts are sticking to his skin.

I roll my eyes but smile as I haul myself back up to my feet. “Well, you insisted on working instead of enjoying yourself like everyone else, so you can’t blame me if I decided to hook up with another guy.”

“Hey, keep me out of this,” Mack drawls, still cradling little Abigail.

Grant has been working on cleaning some of the junk out of the cabin for the past two hours. He insisted on getting stuff done since we were already coming out this way, but I only gave him the two hours.

I’m pleased I didn’t have to go and drag him away. He’ll always work way too hard.

He’s giving me a wolfish smile as he reaches out toward me.

I dart away. “You’re covered with sweat right now, so you’re going to have to keep your hands to yourself.”

“And you’re the one who talked about hooking up with another man, so you’re going to get a sweaty hug.”

We have a little scuffling match on the dock, and it leads to predictable results.

He finally manages to grab me and swing me around, and the force of my resistance sends both of us into the water.

We’re laughing and sputtering as we make our way over to the shallower water. As soon as Grant can get his feet on the bottom, he grabs me again and pulls me into a tight embrace.

“There,” he says, nuzzling my wet hair. I’m still wearing my bathing suit, but he’s fully dressed. He doesn’t appear to mind at all. “Now I can finally get my hug.”

I wrap my arms around him. “Well, now the water has washed away your sweat, so it’s not so unpleasant.”

“Unpleasant?” He kisses me and runs his hands down my body until he’s cupping my butt under the water.

“Well, not entirely unpleasant. I guess I can put up with you.”

“Good. Because you’re going to have to. For the rest of your life.”

He’s smiling down at me, and for some reason it takes my breath away. He’s the same man I’ve always known, but he’s more than that somehow. Like I’ve caught a glimpse of the man he might have been in a different world. “You look happy,” I murmur.

“I am. I hardly recognize myself since I’ve never been this happy before. Even before lockdown, I didn’t feel like this.” His voice is soft, earnest. We’re not that far away from Mack and the others, but we might as well be alone right now. “I had a good childhood. It was always just me and my mom, but she made it good for me. Then I joined the Army, and I did what I did there. But afterward I was aimless. My mom died, and I had no one I really felt connected to. No roots. No community. I wandered into that job at the bunker mostly because the pay was so good, but it wasn’t until lockdown that everything changed for me.”

I’m listening, wide-eyed. My lips are slightly parted. He’s been more open with me since we worked things out, but he’s only occasionally this verbal.

“Even at first, during the crisis, I think I was happier than before. Because at least I had people. I had a purpose. I had to keep everyone safe. Maybe it sounds selfish, but it was better for me than what I had before. I didn’t feel so… rootless. And I got to at least watch you from a distance.”

I shake my head. “Talk about stubborn.”

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