Page 18 of Bear's Midlife Bridesmaid
Jace adjusted the main sheets, watching the luff of the sails. “Fortunately, I don’t have to wait for the wind to cooperate. There’s a lot I can control with the sails and their positioning, but it’s mostly justour propulsion. The rest is up to the rudder. Here. Take the wheel and you’ll see.”
She glanced at him uncertainly before she slowly put her hand on the wheel. “What should I do?”
“I just want you to see what it feels like. Take it a little starboard. To the right,” he added, once again remembering that this was his world and not hers. Jace hoped they might be able to blend some of that and share a bit of each other’s passions. It was hard not to get ahead of himself when he could feel that bond between them continually growing.
Erin gave the wheel a slow tug to the right. “Whoa.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty responsive. That’s one of the things I like about it, though. I’m much more connected with the water when I’m sailing this than when I’m behind the wheel of one of those yachts. It’s like the difference between riding a horse down a trail or taking a luxury sedan down a smooth highway. They have their benefits, but I have my preferences. Try going left.”
She did as he asked, causing the boat to swerve once more. Jace easily adjusted the sails to keep everything in check, and she laughed. “I don’t think those explorers you mentioned would have made itvery far if I was in charge. I can’t even imagine what it would’ve been like to sail completely across the sea with no land in sight.”
“You know, this boat is capable of that.” He wound the sheeting around a cleat, satisfied with where it was for the moment. The day was mild, and now that he had everything in place, he shouldn’t need to make adjustments for a while.
“Really?” She looked around at the boat once again. “I guess I assumed you’d have to have a much bigger ship to make that happen.”
“Oh, no. You should see some of the crazy sailors and what they get out and do. I’m not going to say I’ve never considered it, but it would be a hell of an undertaking.” Jace took the wheel back from her, giving her time to relax and get used to the movement of the boat.
Erin scooted over, but she no longer had a death grip on the railing. “I’ve never been on a cruise, Gretchen and Hugo’s wedding voyage notwithstanding.”
Jace had managed to put most of that out of his mind. Bringing Erin back to his house had been a much more pleasurable thought. Other than a quick report to Rodney to let him know about the unexpected turnaround, he’d been much morefocused on having his mate in his home and bed. “I never did ask if you’d ever been able to talk to Gretchen.”
“Yeah, and a lot of good that did. She actually knew about Hugo and Blaire, and she didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, he could do whatever—and whomever—he wanted as long as she got to live like a kept woman. It was her dream, she said, and I ruined it.”
He could see the hurt and pain that still lived inside her, and he wished the salt spray could wash it all away. As he learned how to be a father, Jace had come to understand he couldn’t make everyone’s problems disappear. He couldn’t make them any better by telling someone to think positively or blithely giving simple advice. Still, he could feel his bear getting uncomfortable as they spoke. “It’s not right of her to put the blame at your feet. If she wanted you to be a part of the wedding, she should’ve told you what her relationship with Hugo was like.”
“Maybe.” Erin flicked her fingers unenthusiastically in the air. “Everyone’s got their way of thinking about relationships, and I’m sure the gap widens when it comes to being a shifter versus being a human. I don’t think it’s right for either one of themto use each other, but I doubt they look at it that way at all.”
“You could be right.” They were far out from the harbor now, leaving behind the mass of boats that often choked the coastal areas. A few sails showed on the horizon, but no one was around to hear them. “Does Gretchen know about you? About being a shifter and a witch?”
A strand of hair had escaped Erin’s short ponytail. She combed it back with a fingernail. “Yeah, but that’s because she’s a witch, too. That’s not my secret to tell, so if she asks, you didn’t hear it from me.”
He put his arm over the back of her seat, both for his own comfort and because he wanted to be closer to her. “Scout’s honor, although I never was a Scout.”
She laughed. “I’ll remember not to tell you any more secrets, then. Not that I have any others to share,” she added quickly.
“I’m sure there are plenty more secrets,” he replied. Jace was eager to find out all of them. “Is that how you and Gretchen know each other? Is she in your coven?”
“No,” Erin replied quickly. “I don’t mean that in a bad way, but she’s just not really like us. We’re all shifters, for one thing, and she just…I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”
“That’s okay,” Jace assured her. It was all right, whether that meant she didn’t want to explain or that it would take a while. He had all the time in the world while he was out there in the bay with her at his side. “Does she know how to heal plants like you do?”
“Gretchen’s specialty is remote viewing. She can see things in her mind that she can’t see physically. That was how she knew some kids were picking on me on the playground. Oh, hell.” Erin pressed a hand to her forehead. “That’s probably how she knew Hugo was cheating on her. But anyway, these kids were picking on me.”
Jace relaxed, letting the warm sunlight flood over his body as he listened to Erin recount the first time she met Gretchen, as well as how their friendship had grown and changed over the years. He liked watching how her face changed with each part of the story. Smiling, laughing, shaking her head, knotting her brows, twisting her lips. Every now and then, he tweaked the sails, but he was mostly absorbed in her. This was his mate, the person he was supposed to be with. He’d spent so much of his life without her, and now he had a lot of lost time to make up for.
When she reached the point of being invited tothe wedding, Erin stopped her story and let out a long sigh. “Well, that was kind of therapeutic. Thank you.”
“No problem.” Jace felt that familiar sensation of another boat coming up on them, and he looked over his shoulder to check the location. He saw no other boat, though.
“What about you? Any friends you’ve had since childhood?” she asked.
The eagerness in her eyes told him it wasn’t just a polite question meant to make up for all she’d shared. Erin genuinely wanted to know. “My brothers, if that counts.”
“Sure, it does.”
“I think so, too,” he admitted. “We’re all pretty close. I think I mentioned that our clan all lives right there on the shore near my house. It’s been that way for generations, with the houses all being passed down from one to the next. We’ve seen a lot of history.”
“That’s lovely,” she said softly.
