Page 68 of Dirty Fighter

I wanted her to be safe.

“So I showed you how to put the hurt on someone who didn’t know how to respect boundaries.” I huff a laugh into her hair, remembering how focused I’d been on the purity of my intentions.

“And I caught you with an elbow you weren’t expecting.”

“Definitely not the manliest oooph ever uttered.”

She winces, an echo of her face after it happened. “I felt so terrible!”

She spun around, apologies spilling from her lips as her fingers tentatively brushed the spot where she’d caught me.

“I know. But I took hits a hell of a lot harder on the ice, even back then.”

I told her so at the time, but she didn’t believe me. She looked so worried. And I couldn’t stand it.

So that’s when I put my hand over hers, pressed it into my side and held it there as I tipped her chin with the crook of my finger so she could see that I was fine.

That’s what I’d told myself. It was dumb. On some level, I knew what I was doing. Knew that no good could come of it.

But for those few heartbeats when it was just her and me, looking into each other’s eyes… it was worth it.

I thought so, anyway.

A log settles over the grate, and Rowan’s gaze flicks away. There’s a stitch between her brows that makes me wonder if she’s thinking about the rest.

I clear my throat, not wanting to give up the ease between us but knowing this conversation’s about ten years overdue. There are things I need to say to her. Things I might not have the chance to say again.

I open my mouth just as she says, “There’s something I need to talk to you about… and it’s… I should have done it before… but…”

She takes a nervous breath, and I squeeze her hand. “Hey, it’s okay. Let’s talk. It’s the perfect time.”

But then she’s pushing to her feet and offering me the hand I was holding the second before to help pull me up.

Funny, but I let her, not entirely sure why she wants us to relocate from the fire. Unless it feels too intimate, maybe.

“Come with me.”

23

Jason

She seems nervous. A little uncertain as she leads me back to our bedroom. I stop at the doorway, confused, as she kneels in front of the stacked bags and boxes she brought with her.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this. And I mean, I think it’s okay, but it feels a little strange.”

She looks over her shoulder in my direction without actually making eye contact.

“You asked me what I was doing here, why I came. And making sure that your family’s things were cared for was the truth… but I also came for this.”

I step closer as she unzips the large duffel and removes a bubble-wrapped bundle about the size of her thigh. From the way she’s handling it, it’s got some weight to it and is a little cumbersome as she pulls it into her lap to unwrap it.

I drop down beside her and watch as she removes the outer wrap to expose a shiny metal cylinder within. It’s topped with a solid cap and there’s a plaque with an inscription on the side that reads:

In loving memory of Ed Stanvic and the time he and the generations of Stanvics before him spent on this island. May their love and memories always be a part of this place.

My emotion grips my throat, and I turn to where Rowan is watching me.

“It’s a time capsule.” She opens the lid and sets it aside. “It was the only thing I could think of to do for Ed. I knew what this place meant to him. To your family. And I thought, if I could leave something behind, even if my mother sold it, he’d—” She breaks off, blinking back the tears welling at her lids.