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Bryce moves slower than he did yesterday, and I notice him massage his lower back several times. I want to question it, but I don’t want to upset him. I have to trust that he’ll communicate his needs with me.
The sound of waves crashing on the shoreline amplifies as we make it out of the campsite. Towering above us on the edge of a jagged cliff sits a white lighthouse with a red roof.
“I can’t believe this is real. It looks like we’re in a painting.”
Bryce adjusts the strap on his backpack, and smiles. “Aren’t you glad we didn’t go back to the inn?”
“For the record, I’d have been happy either way. But this is beautiful.” I slip my phone out to snap a few pictures.
“Wait until you see the view from up there.” Bryce gestures to the lighthouse.
My eyes widen. “We’re going inside?”
“All the way to the top.”
I surge ahead of him, eager to see what it looks like inside. “I’ve never been in a lighthouse before.”
“There’s not much to see in there, but it’ll be great when we get upstairs.”
“Have you been here before?”
“Nope.”
We enter through the red door, and start our ascent on the narrow staircase. I peek out the small windows along the way, but they aren’t big enough to gauge how high we really are. Sweat beads along my forehead, and my cheat heaves as we continue upward.
“Almost there,” Bryce huffs.
I glance back at him. He’s holding onto the railing with his left hand, and pushing off his crutch with the right. “How are you doing back there?”
His gaze zeroes in on my ass. “Oh, I’m doing just fine.”
My cheeks heat, but I see past his inuendo. “You can tell me if you need to stop, or if this is too much.”
He reaches out, and squeezes my hand. “I know.”
When we reach the top, we drop our backpacks onto the floor in the circular room, and I rush over to the window.
My lips part, and my breath leaves me in a whoosh. “This is incredible. Why aren’t more tourists here?”
Bryce leans forward, gazing down at the blue water crashing into the rocky shoreline. “This place isn’t open to the public.”
My head jerks back. “We’re trespassing?”
“No, no. The lighthouse keeper had family stay at the inn a few years back, and we took good care of them. So, I pulled a few strings to get us in here.”
I blink up at him. “You did all this for me?”
“All this?” He side-eyes me. “It’s just a lighthouse.”
“It’s not just a lighthouse, Bryce.” I tug his arm until he’s facing me. “You put effort into planning this whole weekend. And you’re helping me with my bucket list. You didn’t have to do any of this. Don’t diminish all you’re doing for me.”
“I’m doing this because I want to. Because ...” He glances down at his feet. “Because I care about you.”
I stroke his cheek with the back of my hand. “Why do you look so forlorn when you say that?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve let myself get close to anyone.”
I slide my hands around his waist, and press myself against him, closing my eyes as my head rests on his chest. “I’m scared too.”
