She was so busy looking around that she barely registered stepping onto the dock. It wasn’t until they came to a stop in front of a vessel that looked too big to be called a simple boat that she realized what was happening.

“What is that?”

Braden laughed, and she tried to pretend the sound of it didn’t curl her toes. “That’s a boat. And our transportation to our lodgings for the night.”

“I knew it,” she said. “You are hiding me away somewhere.”

He squeezed her hand. “Only for a night or two.”

He stepped onto the boat and steadied her while she did the same. She stumbled a little as it rocked under her feet.

“Do you get seasick?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Good. I’ll show you around.”

There was a plush interior that had all the comforts of a modern living room, a galley kitchen outfitted with everything a gourmet cook needed to turn out a perfect meal, two bedrooms, beds piled high with fine linens, and a bathroom that, while small, had everything anyone could need at sea.

Above deck, the stern was spacious, with teak lounge chairs and cushioned benches, a staircase rising to the covered bridge.

“Make yourself comfortable,” he said. “I’m going to cast off and then we’ll be on our way.”

He stripped off his jacket and she watched as he hopped easily off the boat, untying the ropes that kept it attached to the dock and throwing them back onboard. Muscle rippled under his long sleeve T-shirt as he worked, and the memory of his back under her hands as he moved inside her flooded her body with warmth. She looked away when he jumped back on the boat, one of the ropes in hand, not wanting him to see the flush on her cheeks.

He stopped on the bottom step leading up to the bridge. “Come up. You’ll get a better view.”

She followed him up the stairs, avoided looking at his big thighs, his perfectly sculpted ass. When they reached the bridge, he put the key in the ignition and she both heard and felt the boat’s engine gurgle to life underneath them. A moment later, they were coasting away from the dock, slowly at first, then more quickly as they moved toward the buoys that marked the harbor.

She settled onto the chair next to where he stood, manning the wheel like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“You never mentioned a boat,” she said, loud enough to be heard over the wind.

“It was my father’s. The love of his life, I think.” He hesitated, a mix of emotions playing across his features as he looked out over the water. “I haven’t been here since he died.”

“Over six years ago?” She knew it had been that long from the passing conversations they’d had about their families.

He nodded.

“Why?” she asked him. “It’s beautiful.”

It took a moment for him to respond. “It seemed like something that was his.”

She had to fight the urge to get to her feet, stand next to him, wrap her arms around his waist. Had he and his father been so distant, the rift between them so wide, that even after his father’s death Braden couldn’t be sure his father would want to share something so meaningful with him?

It was impossible for her to imagine. Her relationship with her family wasn’t perfect — especially with her brothers — but she knew they loved her, hoped they knew she loved them. She hadn’t left anything unsaid with her mother. Even after Erin’s sudden death, Nora didn’t doubt that her sister knew she was loved, that she was loved by Erin in return.

They passed the buoys and Braden opened up the engine, speeding out into the open water, the wind too loud for them to talk. That was probably the idea. Braden had never been forthcoming with details about his history. She doubted he was in the mood to confide when there was so much to settle between them.

They passed a couple small islands, lush trees with deep green leaves lining the shoreline, then continued farther out into the Pacific. The rocking of the boat was meditative, the hum of the engine conspiring to put her to sleep.

After awhile Braden looked over at her with a smile. “Why don’t you go below deck? We still have about forty-five minutes. Plenty of time for a nap.”

“I’m okay.”

She didn’t want to nap. It was already difficult to keep her bearings. To hold onto the reality that had brought them here when every minute she felt like she was falling deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, into a world that existed on a parallel plane, one where there was nothing between them. Where there was just this man that touched her so deeply, that awakened feelings she didn’t know she could have for someone.

“You can sit on the bow,” he said, pointing to the front of the boat and the guardrail that ran along it. “Dangle your feet over the side.”

“Maybe I will.” It would keep her awake.

“There should be drinks in the fridge if you’re thirsty,” he said as she made her way to the stairs. “Food, too.”

“Thanks. Can I get you anything?”

“I’m good.”

She descended to the deck, then stepped onto the narrow walkway between the enclosed cabin and the edge of the boat. She held onto the handrail while she made her way to the front of the boat, the wind blowing her hair around when she finally stepped free of the cabin.

The water passed swiftly under them, the spray dousing her as she lowered herself onto the front of the boat and dangled her legs over the side. It was an almost indescribable feeling, hurtling through the air ten feet above the sea, the salt spray hitting her face as she floated above the abyss. The water was the greenest she’d ever seen, the sun turning it into a net of emeralds, briefly illuminating the mystery at the surface before the water turned dark below.

She was captivated by it, by the islands that sped by every fifteen minutes, the houses that hugged the shore. She tried to imagine the people that lived in such a magical place. What did they do for work? How did they get groceries? Were they happy?

She was surprised to find that the idea appealed to her: the thought of waking up to the ocean with no place to go, no battles to fight. She shook her head. She was losing her grip on reality. On all the things that mattered to her. That had always mattered to her.

The sky had become increasingly overcast by the time the boat’s engine slowed. She looked up to see that they were approaching a large green island, a wooden dock jutting out into the water. At first it looked like nothing but woods nestled behind a sloping cove, but a moment later a house came into view, standing sentry on a hill over the beach.

She turned around, looked up at Braden. His eyes were already on her, and she wondered how long he’d been watching her. He navigated toward the dock, slowing the boat further as they approached.

She drew in a breath. So this was it: the place where she would get her answers.

For better or worse.