Forever Too Far (12 page)

The bed filled up the entire “bedroom”. It touched every wall. I crawled up in it from the doorway

and kicked both of my shoes off before curling up into a ball and falling fast asleep.

It was late afternoon when I woke up. The gentle swaying of the boat was soothing. I was thankful I

didn’t suffer from motion sickness. It would be bad if I did. Stretching, I sat up and reached in my

pocket to pull out my phone and turn it on. I’d been avoiding this. Rush would know I was gone by

now and he would be upset. I wasn’t ready to deal with him just yet. I still needed some time to

decide what to do.

I didn’t check my voicemails or text messages once I turned my phone on. I just slipped it back into

my pocket and climbed the steps out of the small cubbyhole onto the main deck. Dad wasn’t around

but he’d mentioned at the airport that he had a job working at the marina and he needed to go in this

afternoon. In return they allowed him to keep his boat docked here for free.

The small fridge held a few bottles of water and I took one out and grabbed a banana from the basket

of fruit he had sitting on top of the fridge before walking out to sit in the sunshine. It was breezy but sunny. Similar to the temperature in LA.

“Abe know you’re on his boat? He don’t strike me as the kind to hook up with barely legal women,” a

deep voice asked from behind me. I spun around to see a guy in his mid-twenties standing in the boat

docked beside my dad’s. He was shirtless and his jeans hung low on his hips. It was obvious he did

manual labor. He was slender but solid. His long brown hair was bleached from the sun and it was in

a low ponytail. Several strands were loose. I couldn’t see his eyes because he was wearing aviators.

“Do you speak?” he asked with a smirk and took a drink from the water bottle in his hand.

“Yes,” I replied, still slightly startled. I hadn’t been expecting Dad to have neighbors. This was a

boat for goodness sake. How many people lived on their boats?

“Where’s Abe? Or are you crashing?” He was relentless in his questioning.

“I don’t know. I just woke up and he was gone,” I replied.

The guy raised one of his eyebrows. “So he does know you’re here?”

What was he, the damn police? “Abe is my father. He’s very aware that I’m here,” I replied a little

more annoyed than I’d meant to.

A grin broke across his face and he had perfect white teeth. Not what I’d expect from a guy who had

hair like his and lived on a boat. “You’re Blaire. Nice to meet you. I’m Captain,” he replied and took

another swig from his water bottle.

“Captain?” I asked before I could stop myself. I knew it sounded rude.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“That’s just... it’s an odd name,” I replied.

He let out a low chuckle. “Not really. I’ve been living on this boat since I was sixteen. That’s ten

years now. Reckon if anyone’s a Captain I am.” He shot me a wink then turned and walked back

inside his cabin.

Left alone again, I leaned back in my seat and propped my legs up in front of me on an upside down

ten gallon bucket. My phone began ringing and I debated even looking at it. If it was Rush I was going

to want to answer it. Maybe it was time I did. He needed to know where to find me.

I glanced down and, sure enough, Rush’s name was on my phone screen. I clicked answer and held it

to my ear. I wasn’t sure what to say to him. I’d been an emotional mess when I’d run. I needed space

and time. Now I was missing him. How could I marry him if I couldn’t even stand by him when he

needed me? Was I always going to get this upset when he wasn’t around when I needed him?

“Blaire? Please, God, tell me you answered this phone,” Rush’s voice was laced with panic. I felt

guilty.

“It’s me,” I replied.

“Where are you, baby? Please tell me where you are. I swear I won’t ever leave you again. I’m done

with dealing with my sister’s shit and being the parent my parents weren’t. I just need you. Please,

where are you? I’m at Rosemary and you’re not here.” He was so worried. I’d scared him. My throat

tightened and my eyes stung.

“I’m in Key West with my dad,” I replied.

“Fuck. Did he come get you from the airport? Are you staying on his boat? Did he feed you?” Rush

paused in his many questions and took a deep breath. I could tell he was trying to calm himself down.

“He did come get me and I’m fine. He had bought some groceries before I got here so I’ve eaten,” I

paused and squeezed my eyes tightly shut in order to hold back my tears. I didn’t want to cry. Rush

would completely go insane if he heard me crying. “I’m sorry. I was upset and I needed to get away

from it all. I needed time to think.”

“I know you’re upset. You had every fucking right to be upset. You went through a scare without me

and I hate myself for it. You should have left me. Hell, I would have left me,” he stopped and took a

deep breath. “Can I come get you? Please? I need you, Blaire.”

Would it always be like this? Would I always come second to Nan? Would our baby come second? I

knew he believed he was done with her but I knew better. He loved his sister and it would kill him to

ignore her when she needed him. I guess what I needed to ask myself was
could I live without him?

No. It was that simple. Even with my heart still hurting from his not being there for me and the baby

yesterday, I needed him I still couldn’t imagine life without him.

“Nan overdosed. I found her unconscious in her hotel room. I left my phone in her room when I rushed

off with the paramedics to take her to the hospital. That’s why I didn’t answer you. I’m so sorry,

Blaire. I am so damn sorry.” The pleading in his voice broke my heart. I should have known it was

something that serious. Rush always answered my calls and texts.

“Is Nan okay?” I asked. Not because I cared about Nan but because I cared about Rush.

“Yeah. They pumped her stomach. My mother is taking her to a center in Montana to get her some

help. I can’t keep trying to control her. I have you and our baby to focus on.”

I looked up as my dad stepped into the boat. He was carrying a paper bag in one hand and a gallon of

sweet tea in the other. I wasn’t ready to leave him just yet. I had just gotten here and I liked seeing

him happy. Or at least content.

“I want to stay and visit my dad for a little while,” I told him knowing he was going to argue. I was

missing him something fierce and I knew he felt the same way.

“Okay. Can I come visit him too?” he asked

My dad was watching me and a small smile tugged on his lips. I didn’t have to tell him what Rush had

asked. He already knew. “Tell the boy to come on. I got room for one more.”

“I’d like that. I miss you,” I replied.

Rush let out a sigh. “God, baby, I miss you too. So damn much. I’ll be there as soon as I can get a

flight out.”

I needed to get to Blaire. I needed to hold her and reassure myself I hadn’t just lost her and that she

and our baby were okay. Then I was convincing her to go home with me and marry me immediately. I

didn’t want to wait anymore. I shouldn’t have waited this long.

My plane had landed thirty minutes ahead of schedule. We’d taken off earlier than planned. I didn’t

want to wait around until the time I’d told her to be here and I didn’t want her coming to the airport

alone. I grabbed a cab and told them to take me to the marina. I’d find Abe’s boat myself. Key West

wasn’t a big place. I’d find her before she had time to leave.

Stepping onto the pier that went between the rows of docked boats I looked for any sign of Blaire or

Abe. I’d called her but it had gone straight to voicemail. There were sailboats, fishing boats, and

even houseboats docked in this place. Several of them had people living aboard. I was getting close

to the end when I saw a guy standing near the back of his boat. He had his arms crossed over his bare

chest as he stared over at the boat next to him. I started to ask him if he knew where Abe Wynn’s boat

was when I followed his gaze.

Long blonde hair hung down her back and blew carelessly in the wind. The familiar sundress she was

wearing was a favorite of hers lately because it was one of the few things that still fit her. The small stomach that had developed over the past weeks was taking up more room and the length on it was

shorter than I preferred. Taking in the sight of her I felt whole again... until I realized that she was what the shirtless guy was staring at. She didn’t realize it because her back was turned and she was

looking out at the clear blue water as the setting sun set off an array of colors. But I saw it.

My inner caveman wanted to go jerk him off his boat and throw his ass in the water. I couldn’t do that

though. As pissed off as it made me to know he was looking at what was mine, I understood why. She

was breathtaking. I wanted to stop and stare at her too.

I took the other caveman route and headed straight for her father’s boat and jumped in then pulled her

into my arms before she could spin around to see who it was.

“Rush,” she said in a contented sigh and the caveman felt like pounding on his chest. She knew it was

me. I loved that. I buried my nose in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. She smelled so damn

good. Today her sweet smell was mixed with the sea. I wanted to strip her naked and find out if she

smelled like the sea everywhere else too.

I placed both my hands over her stomach just to remind myself that our baby was still okay. He was

healthy and Blaire was fine. Every time I thought about her bleeding and cramping my heart felt as if

it had stopped. I’d basically abandoned her the last few days trying to get Nan under control so I

could leave. My last words to Blaire had been harsh and that was all I could think about when I’d

found her gone. Had my words made her cramp? I didn’t deserve her but I wasn’t going to let her go.

“I’m sorry. God, Blaire, I am so damn sorry. I love you. This will never happen again,” I promised

even though the words sounded familiar to my ears. I winced, realizing I’d said this before. I should

have never gone to LA. “I love you,” she replied simply.

“I love you too,” I replied holding her as we stood there watching the sunset over the water.

When the dusk was finally settling down around us I bent my head down to her ear. “Is there a hotel

we could sleep in tonight? I’m gonna need you and it won’t be quiet.”

Blaire turned around in my arms and slipped her arms around my waist. Her green eyes were

twinkling with amusement. “I can be quiet,” she replied.

I reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, then traced her jawline before feeling her

soft plump bottom lip. “I can’t. “

A pleased smile pulled up each corner of her mouth and she stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to my

mouth. “You can whisper your naughty words in my ear,” she replied.

I pulled her bottom lip into my mouth and sucked on it before slipping my tongue inside her mouth to

taste her. She clung to my arms, and moaned softly, and swayed into me. Fuck, no way was I gonna be

quiet tonight. “Unless you want your daddy hearing me groan from the sweet taste of your pussy and

cry out your name when I come inside you then we need a fucking hotel.”

Blaire pressed her body closer to mine and another moan escaped her. “God, Rush. I swear, if you

keep talking like that I’m gonna have an orgasm right here.”

I cupped her ass and pulled her up against me before covering her mouth with mine again. If she was

that swollen and turned on that words could get her off then I was going to fucking make that happen.

A loud cough caused Blaire to freeze in my arms, then she slowly eased back from me and peeked

over my shoulder. Her cheeks turned bright pink and she ducked her head into my chest. The fact she

was burying herself against me was the only thing that kept me from losing it. I didn’t like the idea that him seeing us together embarrassed her.

I glanced back over my shoulder to see the guy who’d been watching her when I walked up. Having

Blaire in my arms again had made me forget all about everything around us. Not that it would have

mattered. I wanted him to know she was mine. I wanted everyone to know.

“Thought y’all might wanna get a room,” the guy said with a smirk and lit a cigarette.

“We’re just fine. Maybe you need to find another direction to look in,” I replied. I made sure the

warning was in my voice.

The guy chuckled and blew a puff of smoke. “Watching the sun set is my thing. Shame if a guy can’t

watch something that beautiful from his own boat.”

The flicker in his eyes as he glanced down at Blaire in my arms made my blood boil. Blaire must

have felt me tense up because she instantly flattened herself against me and pressed a kiss to my chest.

“Let’s go inside. I want some alone time with you,” she said, just loud enough for me to hear.

I looked back down at her and relaxed. She was mine. I needed to calm the fuck down. “Lead the

way.”

Blaire grabbed both my arms and pulled me into the small kitchen. I could see the door that led down

into the boat and the idea of getting tucked away down there with Blaire was pretty damn appealing.

“How much longer until your dad gets home?” I asked walking her back toward the stairs.

“Not sure,” she replied with a giggle.

“Does that bedroom have a door with a lock?”

“Yes but I’m not sure when Daddy will be home. We can’t just go in there,” I replied, unable to keep