Flynn scrubbed his damp face, drying the tears. If it had been anyone else but Sage on that beach, he would’ve been embarrassed by the outpouring of pent-up emotion. But part of him appreciated the ability to be vulnerable with someone who understood his grief. At least, partially understood. He still hadn’t told her the whole story.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, stroking his hand as they sat side by side in the sand. “It must have been awful.” Her voice carried on a tentative breath, as if she couldn’t even imagine what he’d experienced.
She sat so close he felt the heat radiating off her body. She didn’t seem to mind his wet clothes and hair soaking her own as she sat pressed up against him, her head bent toward his.
Cap didn’t seem to mind, either. The compassionate pup nestled his muzzle in Flynn’s lap, gazing up at him with comforting big brown eyes.
Flynn scratched the scruff at his neck, letting him know everything would be okay. Eventually.
“Are you going to open it?” Sage asked softly, casting a timid glance at the time capsule resting in the sand beside him.
“Yes, but there’s something I need to tell you first.” A tremor of foreboding traveled through him, scattering goose bumps across his skin. He didn’t want to open this particular wound to the harsh light of day. But if he didn’t, he knew it would never heal.
“What is it?” She threaded her fingers through his and folded them closed, clasping his hand in a tender, reassuring hold.
“The night Kevin died—” His throat constricted around the words, raw and swollen. The backs of his eyes stung. Come on. Keep going.
He gulped air, forcing himself to continue. “The night Kevin died, I was supposed to be with him. We agreed to meet at the cave before high tide. I was supposed to bring my letter and the item I’d chosen, and then we’d bury the time capsule together. Only, I never showed.”
The confession burned like acid, and it hurt to swallow. He pictured his brother waiting for him as the hours ticked by, the tide getting higher by the minute.
He felt Sage’s gaze but couldn’t bring himself to look at her. He couldn’t bear to see disapproval and disappointment in her eyes. Once again, he’d left someone hanging.
Instead, he stared straight out to sea, watching a bird dip its wings in the water. “I’d planned to be there. But that morning, you texted, asking to get together that afternoon to go over a new route for our post-graduation sailing adventure. I knew it was cutting it close, but I thought I could hang out with you, then meet up with Kevin afterward.” A sad, sardonic smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “Except, I should’ve known better. With you, I always lost track of time. And—” A fresh surge of grief grabbed hold of his heart, gripping tightly.
He squeezed his eyes shut, forbidding the tears from falling.
Sage pressed her fingertips against the back of his hand, firm yet gentle, encouraging him to go on.
“When I finally checked the time, I realized I’d never make it, so I decided I’d stay with you and apologize to Kevin later. I figured he’d get bored waiting around for me, go home, and we could try again the next day.” Shame coated his words, thick and rough so they scraped his throat on the way out.
“I didn’t even call, counting on an apology later to smooth things over. But I never got the chance.” Blinking, he glanced up at the sky. Puffy white clouds dotted a blanket of blue, looking down on him, passing judgment. Judgment he deserved. “Kevin went into the cave at high tide because he’d wasted time waiting for me. If I’d been there like I’d promised, he would still be here.”
Anger and self-loathing sat in his stomach like a smoldering coal. A reminder he carried with him, eternally stoked by his regret.
“There’s no way you can know that for sure.” Her tone was kind and gentle, but he heard the quiver of pain. And it pierced right through him.
“I can be pretty darn certain,” he said bitterly. “If I wasn’t such a selfish jerk, my brother would still be alive.” Pressure built in his chest, making it hard to breathe. “This,” he rasped, “is why I’ve devoted my life to achieving all the things Kevin couldn’t. Because of me, he never had the chance.”
The horizon line blurred, becoming a jumble of muted blues. He thought of how he’d given Sage Mira and turned down the promotion. Was he being selfish again? What would Kevin want him to do?
As if she could read his thoughts, Sage gave his hand the kind of squeeze that said, You’d better listen up. “What happened to Kevin was an accident. A horrible, tragic, heartbreaking accident. I know you miss him. So do I. But you loved Kevin. Fiercely. You’d do anything for him. And he knew that, without a doubt. One decision you made at eighteen doesn’t change the bond you two had or how much you loved him. Or how much he loved you.”
Her words tore into his heart like a rigging knife, ripping away the tattered seams of a wind-beaten sail so they could finally be repaired.
He forced himself to meet her gaze, broken anew by the unconditional love reflected in her glistening sea-green eyes.
“Kevin wouldn’t want you to live his life,” she said, her voice soft and trembling. “He’d want you to live yours. He was so proud of you, Flynn. He always said people like him ran the world. But people like you were the ones who knew how to live in it.”
A surge of warmth washed over him, as real and tangible as the sun’s rays. Had his brother really felt that way?
Sage leaned closer, as if to ensure he didn’t miss a single word she said. “Kevin may have cared a lot about making money and a name for himself, but he cared about you more.”
Cap wiggled in the sand beside him as if he wholeheartedly agreed.
Flynn let her words sink in, and the tightness in his chest released, like a pressure valve being opened. “How’d you get so wise?” he teased, using levity to ease his mounting emotions.
“Must be all the books I read.” She smiled through her tears.
The wind tossed her curls around her face. A few strands stuck to her tearstained cheeks, and her nose glowed a pinkish red. But she’d never looked more beautiful.
She’s the greatest blessing in your life. And you’d better do everything in your power to show her that every day, in as many ways as possible.
He reached for the time capsule, ready to face whatever he found inside.
Heart thrumming, he entered the code in the manual lock—their birthdate, which was easy to remember.
As he flipped open the lid, he broke into a grin.
Great minds think alike.
A blue and white friendship bracelet rested inside.
Sage gasped, her entire face beaming like the sun hanging low in the sky before them. She scooted closer, tears shimmering in her eyes as he lifted the letter.
A sheet of white paper, neatly folded into a symmetrical square.
He carefully smoothed out the creases.
A single word stared back at them from the center of the page.
Family.
A lump lodged in his throat.
Here come the waterworks again.
“Well,” he said with a raspy chuckle. “He gets bonus points for brevity.”
Sage laughed, light and lilting—the most captivating, cleansing sound.
He slipped an arm around her shoulders, one hand petting Cap, as the sun dipped toward the horizon line, splashing pinks and gold across the waves.
Although he sat anchored on shore, not sailing across the sea with the wind at his back, he’d never felt freer.