The man looked up at Woods and then back at me. "Okay," he said, then turned away.
"Im not leaving until theyve found him," Woods said.
I turned around and reached for his hand. He laced his fingers through mine. "Okay," I said. "Well stay right here. "
"Youll stay with me?" he asked.
"Im not leaving your side. "
"Thank you. "
We sat there for the next four hours. Rush had brought Woods a blanket from one of the ambulances to keep him from getting cold since he was soaking wet. He didnt say anything, he just dropped it on his shoulders. Rush had been out there, too. He had been the reason Woods hadnt drowned. They had both lived this nightmare.
After the police questioned Bethy, Darla came and took her home. Blaire took Nate and went home at Rushs insistence. The crowd had thinned. Helicopters spotlighted the dark water and boats searched in vain. It was impossible to see in the dark.
Woods sat there beside me, not letting go of my hand and staring at the water. Watching them look for Jace. He wanted Jaces body found. I understood that. He didnt want to leave the beach until he knew Jace wasnt out there alone.
Finally, the helicopters left. The boats went away. The paramedics packed up and drove off. A police officer tried to get us to leave but they werent going to argue with the owner of the Kerrington Club. They finally left us.
We werent alone, though. Rush stood off in the distance, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. At some point hed changed clothes. He was staring off at the dark water, too. I kept thinking this was a dream I would wake up from, but it never ended. I glanced over to our left and Thad sat there on the sand with his arms wrapped around his legs and his knees bent, like a little boy who was lost.
They all hurt.
And there was nothing I could do. Nothing anyone could do.
The sound of the ocean crashing against the shore wasnt soothing like it had once been. It now felt like a taunt. Reminding us that it was stronger. It was in control.
Someone else moved in the darkness and I watched as Grant came running down the boardwalk. He hadnt been at the party. I never knew if he was in town or somewhere else. The guy never stayed in one place.
He stopped at Rush and Rush turned his eyes to look at him. They stood there for a moment, then Grant hung his head and dropped to his knees.
It was morning when the searchers found Jaces body washed up one mile down the shore.
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Woods
I stood under the shower spray and let Della wash me. She washed my hair and body so methodically and thoroughly. She never said a word. She didnt ask me questions. She was just there beside me. I needed her to stay there. If she left me I was afraid the reality would set in and I couldnt let it. It hurt too fucking much.
"Youre clean," Della said softly, opening the shower door and stepping out. She picked up a towel and began to dry me. And I let her.
When she was finished she wrapped the towel around herself and pressed a kiss to my chest. "Go, get in bed. You need to sleep," she told me.
She turned to walk away and I reached out and grabbed her hand. "Dont leave me. " The words sounded more like pleading. They didnt sound like me at all.
She shook her head. "Im not. I just need to get dry. Ill be in bed in a minute," she assured me.
"Ill wait," I told her as I stood there. I was scared of my own nightmares now. I couldnt lie down and face them without her with me.
"Okay. Ill hurry," she said. I saw the sadness and pain in her eyes.
She dried off her body and wrapped the towel around her hair, then went to the dresser. When she opened it and pulled out a pair of panties, I moved toward her.
"No. Dont wear clothes. " I wanted her in my arms just like this. I wanted her warmth to reach my empty coldness inside. She was the only reason I was still alive. If it hadnt been for her I wouldnt have stopped until Id drowned, too.
"Okay. "
She reached for my hand and took me over to the bed. I lay down and she climbed in beside me, then pulled the covers up over us. If Rush hadnt come back I wouldnt be here now. I held on to her tighter.
She wouldve been here without me. I didnt want to think about that. Not being there to protect her. To hold her. Not being there to spend forever with her.
"I came back for you. " My voice sounded hoarse.
She tilted back her head and looked up at me. "Thank you. "
I didnt say anything else. I wasnt sure what to say. Within minutes, my eyes were too heavy to hold open and the smooth heat of Dellas skin gave me the comfort I needed to fall asleep.
When I opened my eyes, I stared at the ceiling. It was late afternoon. I could tell by the sunlight through the windows. Dellas slow, even breathing told me she was still asleep. I hadnt dreamed. Thank God.
I hadnt wanted to dream. It all replayed over and over again in my head. Jace was going to propose to Bethy. Hed been ready to spend his life with her. We had been right there together and everything had been fine.
Then Bethy had changed all that. Shed turned a summer night we were all supposed to enjoy together into a nightmare. One that would never leave us. One that we would all relive over and over the rest of our lives. Remembering the helpless feeling of knowing he was gone and there was nothing we could do to bring him back.
I had lived on this beach my entire life. We had seen more than one death from the water but it had never been a death that impacted me. It had never been someone I loved. It had never been real.
It was real now.
Della moved in my arms and I held her tighter. She was my glue right now. Being able to touch her was keeping me together. Last night shed sat right there on that beach, refusing to let go of my hand.
When they had found his body she had wrapped her arms around me and used every ounce of strength to hold me as they covered him and took him. I couldnt have made it without her. Holding her reminded me that I was alive. I hadnt drowned. When she walked away from me or left me for even a moment, I was under that wave again, being sucked away and unable to fight it.
"Woods?" Dellas concerned voice brought me out of my head and I blinked, then focused on her face. "Im here," she said simply, and brushed the hair from my forehead.
I reached up and touched her face. I didnt have words just yet. I couldnt talk about it. I just needed her near me.
She moved her body over mine until she was on top of me. She straddled my waist and pressed small kisses to my neck and shoulders. This was her way of easing my pain. I could feel it in each gentle brush of her lips. Her hips moved down until I could feel her wet heat slide over me. The contact was all I needed to be ready.
Della lifted her hips and I slid into her with ease. When I was completely inside she leaned forward and rested her head on my heart. We stayed there a few moments. Joined in a way that only she could achieve.
When her hips began to rock against me she didnt seek my mouth or get frantic with her need for release. She just loved me. She used her body to love me and hold me in the most intimate way.
I wrapped my arms around her and held her against me. We moved with each other in a perfect rhythm that was selfless. Its purpose was to heal and comfort. When Dellas warmth began to tighten around me and her body started to tremble, I cried out her name and she followed me.
After I filled her with my release she didnt move from me. She held me inside her as we stared into each others eyes. All the pain and devastation of last night was there. We didnt need words.
"He would have wanted you to come back," she finally said.
"I know," I told her.
She pressed a kiss to my cheek. "He loved you. "
"I know. "
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Della
The beach was empty. It was the middle of the day in August and the beach was empty. Almost forty-eight hours had passed since Jace drowned. Tourists had alr
eady gone back to their lives. It was the locals who were left to mourn. Woods hadnt wanted to leave the house yet. I was going to have to make him eventually but I didnt want to push him.
I thought I should call Tripp but I didnt know what to say. He was probably with family. I would see him tomorrow at the funeral. I knew that. I just felt like I should call. Say something. He would mourn this just as hard as Woods. Jace was his cousin. He was like his little brother.
Then there was Bethy. I hadnt called Bethy. I wasnt sure how Woods would react to that. He obviously blamed her for Jaces death. I was afraid he always would. I wasnt sure if forgiveness could be granted to her for this. Not from Woods.
Rush had dropped by that morning to check on Woods. He had still been sleeping. Id told him Id let Woods know he came by. Grant had stopped by an hour later. His red-rimmed eyes reminded me of Woodss hollow look.
Woods hadnt been awake then, either. He had slept until eleven. When he realized I wasnt in bed with him he had jumped up and come after me. He hadnt said anything but pulled me into his lap. We had sat there for an hour in silence.
Finally, I had told him about Rush and Grant stopping by. Then Id convinced him to get dressed and eat something. I turned from my view of the gulf and walked back into the kitchen to check on the chicken Parmesan I had put in the oven.
Woods walked out of the bedroom freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. "I need to go to the office today," he said.
"Lunch is almost ready. Can you eat first?" I really wanted him to eat.
"After we eat I want us both to go. I want you with me. "
I didnt ask why, I just nodded. Right now he seemed to need me. I would be whatever he needed me to be. It was my turn to be the strong one. This time I would be his shoulder to lean on.
"It smells good," he said as he walked around the counter to kiss me. He was doing that a lot lately too. More than normal. Sometimes they were desperate, hungry kisses that led to more, but most of the time they were kisses that held words he couldnt say.