was for him. He had pictures of them kissing, swimming, dancing. Pictures at his mother’s family winery after high school graduation, both of them dressed up. She remembered feeling like they were finally almost free to live out their traveling dreams. Just four more years. They’d been so close to having it all.
Her favorite picture was taken in ninth grade. They were holding their passports in their teeth and making funny faces. Zev’s hair was long like it was now, with sun-kissed highlights. They’d been preparing for an archaeological club trip to Spain that summer.
Zev’s arms circled her from behind at the same second she became aware of his body heat on her back. “Morning,” she said.
“I like waking up to you naked in my cabin.” He kissed her shoulder. “Did you have trouble sleeping?”
She turned in his arms and said, “I slept great. But I was too excited to go back to sleep. I still can’t believe you have all these pictures hanging up. Didn’t it hinder your sex life?”
“I told you I didn’t hook up with women on my boat.”
“I know, but…” She shrugged.
“No buts. I’ve never lied to you. I’m not about to start. When I bought my own boat and knew the pictures would be safe, I put them up. They’ve been there ever since.” He kissed her again and said, “No Carly-free zones, remember? Come on, I want to show you something.”
He took her hand and headed out the cabin door. “Wait. I’m naked.”
“The sun’s not even up yet. No one will see you.”
“Zevy…”
He snagged the shirt he’d worn last night from the chair and slipped it over her head, kissed the bridge of her nose, and started to lead her out of the cabin.
“Zev, you’re naked. Put some shorts on.”
He looked appalled. “You want me to cover up my first mate?”
She laughed and tossed him his shorts. He put them on and led her up to the deck. She shivered against the brisk morning air, inhaling the scents of the sea. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the carefree feeling of being on a boat. She followed him into the control room, and there on the wall was their Goonies-style map showing where they believed the Pride had gone down. Beside it was a picture of the two of them hunkered over his parents’ kitchen table with his father. Carly had a pencil in her hand, and she was biting her lower lip as she drew on the map. Zev was watching her with the same look on his face, the same love in his eyes she’d seen so many times over the last several days, she knew it by heart.
Her pulse quickened, and she turned to look at him. Sure as the sea was deep, that look was staring back at her. “You took our map with you when you left?”
“I figured it was a fair trade, since I left my heart in your hands.”
“Zev,” she said softly.
He took her hand, drawing her into his arms. “You’re my destiny, babe. I love you. Always have, always will.” He kissed her and said, “I want to start a new one-day list with you, Carly, and I want everything on it to become our reality.”
“I want that, too. But shouldn’t we figure out how we’re going to work as a couple before we jump into making one-day lists? How can we have a real relationship without one of us giving up everything?”
“I don’t have all the answers. I’ll dive for a while; then I’ll come see you. You’ll do your thing, and when you can take a break, you’ll come see me. We’ve gone years without each other, and our love hasn’t lessened. We can make this work, Carly. We just have to be creative.”
She swallowed hard, fighting against the planner she’d become.
“Can that be enough until we see what other challenges we’re facing?” he asked. “You know how diving is. I’m dependent on the weather and on what I find when I’m down there. I’m sure I can take a few days every couple of weeks to head to Colorado. I know it’s not ideal. I’d rather you were by my side every day. But I know how much your friends and your business mean to you. I won’t make you choose between me and any of that. And as much as I’d like to say I could go to Colorado and stay there—”