sleeves of his matching pink button-up shirt rolled to his elbows.
“Aww, they look so beautiful and happy together, don’t they?” Lani whispered. “Best wishes to them both.”
Loud laughter drew their attention to a knot of young men leaning against a nearby railing, bottles of beer in hand, their boisterousness and camaraderie instantly recognizable. Geo nodded at them. “Team guys.”
She grimaced, her pleasure at the sight of the happy couple draining away. The bride had not only married her husband, she’d married the whole community and the demands it brought with it. It wouldn’t be an easy or glamorous life, not by a long shot.
“Well, good luck to them both, then,” she said. “They’re gonna need it.”
Geo quirked his lips at her. “Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, huh?”
“Hell, yeah, I got the T-shirt.” Tugging on his arm, she steered them past the wedding and on down the beach. “How about you? What sort of relationship skeletons do you have in your closet?” She’d said it lightly, teasingly, and was surprised to feel his biceps tense.
He didn’t say anything for a few beats, then, “I lived with someone for about a year once. His name was Jake.”
It took a moment for his meaning to sink in. Careful to keep both her face and voice neutral, Lani said, “His name?”
“I’m bi. So yeah, ‘closet’ is a pretty good word for it.”
Risking a glance up at him, she could see how rigid his jaw was, his lips compressed into a tight line. How much trust had it taken for him to reveal that? A pang shot through her. More than she’d ever know.
Instinctively, she hugged him tighter. “Thanks for telling me that,” she said softly. “What happened with you and Jake?”
He took a deep breath, the stiffness in his body slowly, incrementally, draining away. “He got tired of pretending to be my roommate. It was during DADT, so he couldn’t ever be anything else.”
Lani didn’t reply, because what was there to say? She leaned her cheek on his shoulder as he went on, “I loved him, but not enough to fight for him, you know? When he walked out, I...let him.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
After a lengthy pause, he shrugged. “Me, too. It was a long time ago, though.”
“No one since?”
“No one serious. I really don’t let myself do serious anymore.”
“Yeah.” She grunted. “I’m with you on that, even if my one foray into a no-strings hookup didn’t end with, uh, no strings.”
Geo cast her a sympathetic glance. “A baby is one hell of a string, isn’t it?”
“I know! Jesus Christ, can’t I do anything right?”
She’d meant the words to sound flippant, but they came out throbbing with pain, and hot embarrassment immediately burned its way through her. Before she could babble on, he reached over and covered her fingers with his.
With an internal sob, Lani clutched on to him, grabbing hold of the silent comfort he offered. “Wow, I’m sorry,” she forced out. “You’re sitting ringside to a real shitshow, aren’t you?”
“What?” He chuckled softly. “And here I was thinking how brave you are. Silly me.”
She just shook her head.
“Look.” Geo slipped his arm around her waist and turned her to face the ocean. “See those guys?” He pointed, and under the weak moonlight glowing on the water, she could just make out some black rubber boats with shadowy figures inside, rowing away. “Those are BUD/S students. It’s mid Hell Week.”
Unbelievably, a laugh bubbled up in her chest. “Are you saying my life is like Hell Week?”
He threw her a reproving look. “I’m saying that by this point in the Week, those guys are so punchy from lack of sleep, they’re hallucinating all sorts of crazy shit. Their skin is so chafed that the saltwater feels like acid, but you know what? They keep going.”
She stared at the tight group of boats.
“Those dudes out there are the most determined sons of bitches on the planet right now. They’ve made it this far, and no way are they gonna fuckin’ quit. Not when they’re already halfway there. They’re exhausted, in pain, scared of what’s next, but they’re gonna keep going.” He gave her a squeeze. “Just like you. You’re brave as fuck, Lani.”
Before she could protest, he went on, “You are. You told me what you were going to do, therapy and whatnot, and by God, you’re doing it.” He grinned. “That’s what I have a ringside seat to, and I gotta tell you, I’m sorta diggin’ it.”
She couldn’t help but huff out