Accidental Shield

“They’ve been inseparable since he got home,” Flint says. “The situation was never right up till recently to have our own pet. Kid’s been hounding me over it for years. I just started telling him maybe we’d think about it recently. After he’s had a few days with your boy, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

I glance at him as he grins my way. That warmth isn’t just in the ground anymore.

A heatwave rushes through me like pure sunshine. I swear, the grin on Flint’s face could turn January into mid-July, and it’s not just because he’s so good to his son.

I’m safe with him. That’s what I keep coming back to. Like it’s something I’ve been missing, an easy afternoon walk on the beach with this big slice of muscle who could moonlight as an underwear model. I know I’ve been starving for safety for a long time.

“Bryce, come say hello to Valerie!” Flint shouts.

“Coming, Dad!” Bryce expertly floats the board all the way to shore, where Savanny springs off without getting wet. The cat runs up and curls himself around my ankles, purring as he headbutts my leg. I give the cat’s back a long stroke with one hand.

“Bryce, this is Valerie,” Flint says.

“Aloha, Valerie,” Bryce says, stepping closer, looking me up and down. “Heard some stuff about you.”

“All good things, I hope?”

He nods. I straighten and instantly notice that he has the same striking blue eyes as Flint. His smile mirrors his father’s, too, just a tad more crooked, like he’s still growing into his face.

In fact, I’m sure this is exactly what Flint looked like when he was young. For some reason, that makes me smile. “Aloha, Bryce. Nice to meet you.”

“Good to meet you, too,” he says. “I’m sorry you were hurt in the accident. I hope you get better soon.”

“Every day it gets a little easier.” Needing to give credit where it’s due, I add, “Thanks to your father.”

He grins. Pure devotion shines in his eyes as he looks up at Flint. “He’s a pretty cool dad. I like him.”

“Oh, you like me, do you?” Flint asks him, shooting him a cocky smile. “Glad to hear I’m not out of the running after Grandma spoiled you rotten for a week.”

Bryce shrugs, but his eyes glow even brighter. “Yeah, I mean…you’re cool sometimes.”

Chuckling, Flint moves like lightning, grabbing his son and launching into a flurry of tickles while he flips Bryce upside down. The laughter from them both makes me want to laugh too, but I feel like I shouldn’t.

I’m not part of this. Of them.

I’m a strange woman intruding on this happy family, a burden Flint never wanted. Happiness isn’t something I can add to their lives. I’m threatening to take him away from this.

Sure, I really have a sense of woe-is-me right now. No idea if that’s normal for me or not.

“Scat, boy,” Flint says as he sets Bryce’s feet back on the ground. “Get back on your board.”

Bryce laughs and runs to the water. He floats the board back in, climbs on, and then stands up and starts paddling with fluid strokes.

“He looks like he’s done that a hundred times,” I say.

“At least a thousand,” Flint answers. “Bryce loves the water. That’s the main reason I bought this place. This cove is perfect and pretty safe, no surprise currents or anything. We rarely get any rough waters around here. He can play to his heart’s content.”

“He’s a lucky kid,” I tell him with a sigh.

“Want to sit down?” he asks.

I look at him slowly, gnawing my lip. It’s like a change in air pressure in the space between us.

We’d been so comfortable around each other before, when I thought we were married. but now…

Now it just feels stifling. Neither of us knows what to say or how to be.

“Fine,” I say, awkwardly second-guessing my choice of words. “I mean, sure.”

He looks at me, and I can feel his sadness as well as my own.

“I’m sorry for all this shit, Val. I wish I’d done better.”

“Me, too, Flint. I get why you had your reasons.”

I walk beside him to where he has a towel laid out on the sand.

I sit down on it, digging my butt into the comforting warmth of the beach, and say, “You can go back in the water, too, if you want. I’ll just sit here and watch.”

“Is that what you want?” he asks.

Whatever else I’ve learned about him, I know he’ll do what I ask, if he thinks he’s helping me. “It’d be a shame for you and Bryce to waste such a beautiful afternoon. I just need some sun.”

And some space, I almost add, but keep my mouth shut. There’re too many feelings to even try to process.

“Okay. Be back soon.”

He starts walking away and my gaze drifts out to sea. A few lazy white sailboats bob in the distance, probably tourist ships or rich locals out for sun and wind. In the island life, you’re never far from a beautiful sunset or a fortifying breeze.