“Tell me what happened to you, Mariella.”
The need to unburden myself warred with the shame I felt deep down to my core.
“Let me help.” He cupped my cheek with his hand.
I couldn’t hold back. Tears slid from my eyes as I turned into his palm. “I couldn’t stay in Florida. Not after my parents died. It was my fault. I should have been with them.”
“Shh.” He pulled me close and cradled me against his chest. “Tell me what happened.”
My voice came out shaky, barely over a whisper. “They asked me to go with them. My dad discovered a new cave system and wanted to map it out. I had plans with a friend, so I stayed behind.”
His hand skimmed up and down my shoulder, gently urging me to continue.
“The tide rolled in, and they didn’t come back. My dad got stuck, and my mom tried to save him. They both drowned.” The floodgates opened and tears poured down my cheeks.
“Let it all out, baby.” Kai held me while I cried.
Years of suppressed pain bubbled to the surface, and he held me until my body was physically incapable of producing more tears. I tugged a blanket over his chest, trying to dry him off.
“Don’t worry about it.” His thumb brushed the last bit of wetness from my cheeks. “Do you feel better?”
“Hardly.” I scrubbed my face with the edge of the blanket. “I’m a mess. I got you all wet and there’s snot dripping out of my nose. I bet you didn’t expect to get doused by the full waterworks tonight.”
“I think both of us are exactly where we were supposed to be tonight.” He sat up and leaned against the cushion. “You’ve got to stop blaming yourself for what happened. Every dive comes with complications, even the ones that are supposed to be easy.”
“But if I’d been there, I could have done something.”
He smoothed my hair away from my face. “If you’d been there, you probably would have drowned too.”
He was right. The rescue team that retrieved the bodies said the same thing. “I would have been better off.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mariella. If you’d been there, we never would have met.” His lips brushed against my palm. A sense of peace spread through my chest.
“I don’t know what to do. My uncle’s been running the dive shop for me since the accident, but he wants out. He’s given me until the end of the month to decide whether to sell it or take it over.” I couldn’t bring myself to think about either option. If I sold it, I’d be cutting free from the last thing tying me to my family. But how could I take it over when I couldn’t stand to get near the ocean?
“Come here.” Kai tugged me closer. “I don’t know about you, but I believe in fate. Something brought us together, and now that I’ve found you, I don’t think I’ll be able to let you go.”
“But—”
“But nothing,”—he put his finger to my lips, shushing me. “I can run my business from anywhere. If you want to go back to Florida, I’ll take you there. You don’t have to decide anything tonight. Just think about it.”
Knowing he was willing to go back with me sent tendrils of warmth curling through my system. I snuggled into Kai’s arms, drawing in his strength. With him by my side, maybe it was time to face my past.