Brothers of Paradise Series

“But then I was hooked. I loved the wind and the waves, learning how the sea works. I even joined the Navy later.”

His eyes grow wide. “You did? Like, as a soldier-sailor?”

I have to stop myself from laughing. “Yes. Exactly like that.”

“Did you have to fight?”

“No, I was lucky enough to avoid that. But I patrolled for a long while.”

“That’s cool. And you started to learn here?”

“Yes, this was the first place I got on a boat. But,” I say, crouching down again, “there’s no pressure. Sometimes you’re scared and it’s the good kind, you know? Where you have to do it anyway to grow. But then there’s the kind of scared that gives you a stomachache, and then it’s important to listen to it, and say no.”

The boy nods throughout my little speech, as if my words make sense. They do to me, but I’ve never tried to explain this to anyone before.

He pushes up his glasses. “I think it’s the first kind of scared.”

“All right. In that case, let’s get you on a boat today, buddy. You can do it.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I can.” He tugs on the life vest. “But maybe not quite yet.”

“That’s all right. Let’s see… Do you see that lady there?” I turn and point to Lily, currently painting the face of a small girl with pigtails. “You could get a tattoo. Something for luck.”

“My mom would kill me if I got a tattoo.”

Damn. I thought it would sound cooler than paint. “Well, it’s only temporary. Maybe an anchor on your arm, like a real sailor?”

His eyes light up. “That would be really cool.”

There are only a few other kids waiting to be sized up, and I know Parker can handle it. I nod toward the face-painting table.Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.

“Let’s go.”

“Is it okay if you go first?” he asks me, with perfect sincerity.

I blink. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, of course.”

Lily sees us as we approach. Her eyes meet mine, and the look is laden with things unsaid. I want to know what she feels about yesterday. I need to know if she regrets it, if it was as explosive for her as for me.

“Hey,” I say. “This little man wants a tattoo of an anchor on his arm, like a sailor.”

Fredrick leans closer and looks curiously at Lily’s brushes and face paints. I’ve seen how good of a painter she is, and this is nothing for her. The kids are getting a masterpiece for free.

She smiles at him. “Of course. Do you want it in any specific color?”

“Blue. But…” He looks up at me. “Hayden is going first.”

I nod seriously and start to roll up my sleeve. “Yes, I am. Could I also get a blue anchor?”

Lily shoots me a delicious smile. She’s enjoying this. “Really?”

“Yes.” I take a seat in the chair. Fredrick is watching us, his eyes interested. He follows Lily’s movements as she dips a brush in water and then swirls it around and around in the azure paint.

“Did you know he was in the Navy?”

She nods at him. “I did, yes.”

Frederik narrows his eyes at me in accusation. “Do you know this lady?” He asks it as if it’s a crime. I see Lily trying and failing to hide her smile.

“I do, yes,” I admit. “I’ve known her since I was your age.”

“Oh.” He looks thoughtful, watching as Lily starts on my arm. Her touch is careful, the paint is cold against my skin. “Was it scary being in the Navy?”

“Sometimes, yes.”

“When you were attacked?”

“We were never attacked, buddy. But sometimes you’re in situations that are tense, or you get caught in storms, or have to do drills that are pretty uncomfortable.”

“What did you do? To make it through?”

I try to focus on his honest questions and not on the fact that Lily is only inches away, painting away silently and listening to my every word.

“Hmm. You take it one step at a time. Focus on what you can change and let go of what you can’t.”

“That makes sense,” he says, nodding seriously. “Oh, that looks good.”

I glance down at my arm. Lily has painted an intricate anchor, with a rope wrapped around it. She’s mixed some green in with the blue and it almost looks like a proper tattoo. I’ve always known she’s amazingly skilled with this sort of thing.

This close, I can practically count the freckles that dot her nose. It had been too dark in the greenhouse. I need to be with her again-to see her in sunlight.

“Thank you.”

Lily looks up at me. “Yeah. Of course.” She leans back and clears her throat, shooting Fredrick a smile. “You ready to get the same thing?”

“Yeah.” He jumps into the chair I just left, legs swinging. I watch as Lily prepares the brush, as she starts to paint on his skin with smooth, skilled strokes. She could do this blindfolded.

He looks up at her. “Do you sail too?”

“Not very often, anymore. I did when I was a child, though.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, it can be nice.”

He sighs, a massive, exaggerated child-sigh. “I have to sail today.”

“You do?” Lily’s voice is soft. I watch as she fills in the outlines of the anchor.