The Heart of Us (Love in Isolation 4)

“Wow, I think I might be speechless.” She’s grinning as she looks up at me and shields her eyes from the sun.

“You’ll get there,” I say confidently.

“That would be amazing. I’d love it if we could do this again sometime.”

“I’m ready when you are. There’s something special about being out there. It’s hard to describe.” I hold out my hand to help her up. She dusts the sand off her perfect ass.

“I get it. I’ve always been obsessed with the ocean. It’s why when I left my ex, Florida was the only place I could imagine starting a new life.”

“I hope you do,” I mutter, meaning it. “You’ll always have a place to work and live.”

“Thanks. That means a lot.”

We take our boards to the garage and place them back on the wall. Then I lead her to the outdoor shower. “Might want to rinse off before going inside,” I say, opening the door. “You can keep your clothes on.”

“I planned on it.” She steps in, and it takes her a few minutes. Once she’s finished, I jump in.

“I think I want to take a hot bubble bath,” she admits when we go inside.

“You should. You’ll probably be sore tomorrow.”

“After yoga yesterday and surfing today, I might not be able to walk tomorrow.”

I pop a brow, and the thought has my mind wandering. “Enjoy.”

“I’ll start on dinner when I’m done.”

Our eyes meet, and it seems like she wants to say something more but doesn’t.

While Tatum is finished with her bath, I shower. After an hour, she comes downstairs, and I see she’s just as sunburned as I am. I realized we forgot sunscreen as soon as I got in the shower.

When she sits at the opposite end of the couch, I can tell something is wrong. Her demeanor has drastically changed from an hour ago.

“Everything okay?”

Tatum shakes her head. “I just got this weird text message.”

I scoot closer to her, and she hands over her phone. Based on the area code, it’s a local number, but not one I recognize.

Unknown: Hope you’re having fun. Enjoy it while you can.

I read it, and while it seems threatening, it could be a wrong number.

“I think it’s my ex.” Her hand shakes as she reads it again. I don’t like seeing her so worked up, but I also wouldn’t put it past Justin. Right now, I want to comfort her.

“It could be a wrong number because it’s local. I get weird texts all the time,” I admit.

“Things like this?” She locks her phone.

“No, but that doesn’t matter. It does happen.”

“He won’t stop until I’m dead, Easton. He won’t.” A sob escapes her, and I hold out my arms. At first, she hesitates, but then she falls into them.

I hold her tight and pet her wet hair, trying to calm her. “I won’t ever let that happen. Ever. You’re safe here with me, Tatum.”

No matter what, I don’t let go, not until she makes the decision to pull away. When she does, I brush my thumbs across her cheeks, wiping away the tears. “Have you called your lawyer yet?”

“No, but I will. I need to. I hoped that I could just ignore all of this, and it’d go away. This is proof it won’t.” After sucking in a few deep breaths, Tatum excuses herself to make the call. I’m so angry that this man still has so much power over her.

Twenty minutes later, she returns and I can tell she has been crying again.

“He thinks getting a temporary restraining order on Justin needs to happen, especially since he’s searching for me. He stressed how important it is to have a paper trail of these things in case it escalates.”

“I agree. We can go on Wednesday, if that works for you.”

“Sounds great.” She doesn’t sound enthused. “I’m not your problem, but here we are again.”

“Tatum,” my voice softens. “You’re not a problem, period.”

“You keep saying that, but it doesn’t change the way I feel. If you knew all of this would happen the day you met me, would you change it?” She meets my eyes.

“Hell no. Meeting you has been a highlight, and I know that’s cheesy as fuck to say. But I mean it.” Plus, she’s beautiful, charming, and caring.

“That makes me feel a little better. Glad you wouldn’t erase my existence if you could.”

“Never. I do want to ask you a question,” I gently say.

“You can ask me anything.”

“Why did you stay with him for so long if he’s this insane?”

Tatum sucks in a deep breath, keeping her focus on the floor. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”

Tension fills the room, so I change the subject, knowing that’s all she’s going to give me. “On another note, next time we’re outside, we can’t forget the sunscreen. Keep doing this, and we’ll look like lobsters,” I say.