Page 34 of Marlin's Faith

I laughed, and watched Faith from afar, as she dipped her toes in the surf and wandered aimlessly back and forth in the water in her shorts and bikini top, hugging her swim suit cover up around her shoulders like it was fuckin’ freezing out here, when the temp was in the high eighties or low nineties.

She looked lost, but at the same time, physically she looked healthier. She’d put some weight on her; I could see it from here. Her bones no longer stood out prominently against her skin, and she’d tanned up some, too I ground my teeth a bit when a couple of college dudes turned their heads as they went by, but Faith, thankfully, was oblivious to it.

I went to help some of the guys out getting the grill started and food cooking, but my gaze never wandered off of Faith for very long. I wanted to keep her safe, she needed tofeelsafe. She deserved that and much more, and I was in a place now, and I was beginning to think she was too, where I needed to take a more active role in her life again. This bystander bullshit was for the fucking birds.

“Heads up, Brother. Here she comes.” I looked up at Nothing and then back the way of the water, and sure enough here she came. So fuckin’ beautiful it made the center of my chest tight, although to some extent, I was betting that had more to do with the fucking tragedy of it all.

“How you doing, Baby Girl?” I asked her when she came up.

“Fine,” she lied. I smiled and let her get away with it.

“Good to hear.”

I fixed her a plate and had Trike pass it to her, she smiled at the prospect and thanked him for it and sat down between Hossler and my guitar. I turned back to the grill and did up some more meat, wondering how I’d managed to get drafted into grill master in the shuffle of things. Not like I minded. It was fresh caught fish on the menu tonight, and I had to head back to the Scarlett Ann when the shindig was over. Johnny and I had to shove off early the next morning to make a killing off some spring breakers. It was our busy season, and we’d spent the majority of the week on the water. So much so, that Cutter had to take Faith to her first appointment this week. The first one I’d missed. I had to chuckle when she’d come out and asked what I was doing the first time after our little… hell, I don’t know what you would call it. I guess ‘break up’ is as apt a description as any.

Truthfully, Hope and I had argued about that one. I’d told her I’d given her sister my word on it and that was it, I was taking her. The Captain had to talk his woman down because she and I were about to get into a solid scrap over it. I damn sure would have still won. If taking Faith to her appointments was the one thing I could hold onto, then I damn sure was going to grab onto it with both hands. You could pry it from them when they were cold and dead.

I went and sat down beside my guitar and Faith startled, looking from it to me with a frown. I smiled like the damned Cheshire cat and she rolled her eyes, turning back to Hossler. Hossler laughed at me and gave me an acknowledging nod and I just shook my head. By now I was pretty sure Faith had somehow gotten it into her head that I didn’t want her, which was just plain stupid and ridiculous seeing as she was all I could ever fucking think about.

I sighed inwardly and ate my fuckin’ food, watchin’ the sun set over the water and the bonfires start up along the beach. Pyro had gotten ours going and it was already throwing off that good campfire smell that I loved almost as much as the salt in the wind as we cut across the water.

Faith got up and went over to her sister, across the fire who was doing a shot with the Captain. She knelt by her sister and they laughed about something. I didn’t hear, or care what. It just did my heart some fucking good to see Faith smile.

I set aside my plate, and Hossler took it, bringing me a beer and gesturing with hers toward my guitar.

“Play something for us,” she bossed and I smiled. I picked up the instrument and settled it across my lap. Faith had perked up some, in interest and I shot her a bit of a roguish grin and plucked out a random scale to make sure everything was tuned up enough. Satisfied, I plucked out the first few notes of her song,Hope Never Dies. Her eyes went real wide and I smiled, I think it really flipped her switch when I started to sing it.

She stood slowly, those gorgeous gemstone eyes fixed on me and I didn’t even try to hide it, or pretend. I sang my girl her favorite song and said with every bit of me,I’m right here if you need me. I haven’t gone anywhere.

Her eyes welled and she turned away from me, to the ocean crashing on the shore down the beach, as if it were calling her just as surely, but I didn’t quit. Even when she walked away to get a grip. Hope made to stand up, but the Captain pulled her down into his lap. I caught this in my periphery, because my gaze was locked solid on Faith, as she moved wraith like through the sand, a beautiful dream.

18

Faith…

I could feel him watching me, even from way down by the water and I could feel my muscles relax, minutely. I cursed myself for being so damn weak that he could still make me feel so safe, just by the weight of his gaze. I looked at the fading pink scar on my finger and sighed. Was it strange that I almost treasured the thin scar now? As much as it had bled, it was also the last time Marlin had touched me, and countless times in the weeks since, I have closed my eyes and remembered the warmth of his calloused fingers around my own.

God, I must be pathetic.

I looked back and there he was, standing in his cargo shorts and motorcycle vest, barefoot in the sand beside where the rest of the club’s men set up the grill and coolers. Pyro and Lightning had been amassing and walking circles around the pile of wood meant for the fire for the better part of an hour now, and I had to smile.

“Whoa! Sorry.”

I bent and picked up the plastic disc that had landed by my feet up from the surf and held it out to the man my age it had gotten away from. I forced a smile that felt timid and handed it back to him. He smiled and took it.

“Pretty eyes,” he remarked and I was suffused by a bit of glow from the compliment.

“Thank you,” I murmured and he jogged backwards to his friends.

I checked back towards our camp, for lack of a better word, but Marlin had relocated a few steps away, where he was now manning the grill.

“You coming, Faith?” Hossler asked as she jogged, near breathless, out of the surf.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there.”

I soaked up some of the sun’s last rays for a few minutes more before trudging my way up the beach towards the friendly club gathering.

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