Page 102 of Capri

“What about you?”

Her thoughts surround her. I can see it. The way she searches the sky for answers as if they’ll be painted for her in galaxies far and wide.

“I want a family.” She smiles bright, as if she can see it clearly. “I want a huge dining room table with so many seats, there’s always room for one more. I want messy floors, fingerprints on the walls, and to make love in the early mornings with my husband. It feels so out of reach and a lot to ask for, but that’s what I want.”

Her smile and the pride in her voice make me want to move mountains to give it to her. Whether it be with me or some other lucky fuck. I want her to have it all.

Fullness to her heart’s content.

“Sounds like a full life,” I tell her sincerely.

“Yeah, I guess it does.” Capri snuggles herself in my arms, and I hold her close. “Do you want kids, Jones? A family?”

I figured this question was coming. I’m almost forty, and Capri just turned twenty-six. That’s a significant age gap. Enough to be on different terms for future plans.

If we stand any chance at being together, these questions are necessary.

“A year ago, I probably would have said no.” I see her heart sink, and I continue, “But today, there’s nothing I want more. It’s taken me a while to come to terms with the trajectory of my life, but I know I’m in a place now career-wise where I can make sound decisions and I don’t have to consider the company.”

Capri gives me a puzzled look, so I explain. “I’ve built Archer Chartering from the ground up. We were struggling to make ends meet when my father died, and I busted my ass to turn it around. To make it profitable. Most people don’t know that. Now, I have more money than I ever planned on making and a team I trust more now to help it succeed even while I’m away.”

“Is that why you’ve worked so hard? To be financially stable and hand over the reins someday?”

I shake my head. “At first, I did it for my father. Still do, but I’m starting to see the error in that. Remember when I told you I made a mistake?” Capri nods. “Well, I wrecked one of his yachts, costing him thousands. I was young and stupid, but he never forgave me. He told me I meant nothing, that he owed me nothing. Not that I expected anything, but Archer Charter meant everything to him.”

“He didn’t leave the company to you…” Capri gasps.

I nod. “He wanted Tommy to have it.” Her hand grips mine tightly. “But Tommy died before him, leaving him no other choice than to leave it to me. Talk about feeling like a disappointment. I never knew I could still feel shame at almost forty over a juvenile mistake.”

“Jones, I’m so sorry. That’s horrible. I hate that he made you feel that way. Like you were nothing to him.”

I kiss her head. “Don’t be. I’m using his hatred to drive me to be better, to work harder. Your advice that day helped me a lot with that. I’m done doing it for him. The last few years have been hard for my mother. Since her diagnosis, I should say.”

“This world doesn’t deserve you,” she tells me, bursting my heart at the seams. “I’m sorry you’ve felt so alone.”

“I don’t feel so alone anymore. You have a lot to do with that, so thank you.”

“It’s nothing at all. You make it easy. I mean that,” she tells me honestly.

I pull her in for a kiss, the distance feeling too far. Capri pours all of herself into the kiss. We know each other’s expectations and the plans we want for our futures.

The question now is…will they align? And who will be the one to compromise?

31

CAPRI

“Arewe supposed to be in here?”

Jones leads me down the dimly lit hallway, heading toward his mother’s suite.

“Probably not, but I have an in with Tracy in administration. She pulled some strings.” He winks.

“You buttered her up,” I whisper, smiling at my chaos maker.

“It got us in here, didn’t it?”

I wasn’t sure what Jones had in store for the rest of the night, but meeting his mom was not what I expected. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to “meet the parents,” and I’m feeling both nervousness and excitement.

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