After All (Cape Harbor #1)(96)

“Everything is so beautiful from out here,” Brystol said, staring back at the town.

“Cape Harbor is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been,” Brooklyn added. Bowie only nodded along, watching as his navigation equipment showed them growing closer to where they would spread Carly’s ashes.

He shut the engine off and let the waves move them forward the last couple of yards. He dropped the anchor without saying anything, and without looking at Brooklyn. He didn’t want to see her face, see the remembrance in her eyes, and he didn’t want her to see it in his. Being out here, knowing this was where their lives had changed and being so close to shore, it ate him up on the inside. There were so many boats that could’ve easily come out to save Austin, but they hadn’t. There hadn’t been a Mayday call until it was too late.

Bowie motioned for his Bs to move to the stern, where the diving platform was located. It was going to be easier to access the water from here, and he didn’t want Brystol leaning over the side.

“Can we swim off this boat?” she asked Bowie.

“Of course. Maybe we’ll spend the night on the water.”

Brystol looked excited. “Have you done that before, Mom?”

“I have. It can be fun.”

Bowie unscrewed the lid of the urn and handed it to Brystol. With Brooklyn’s help, they shook the contents into the ocean. Bowie hadn’t planned to say anything, but the words came out of their own volition.

“You’re with Austin now, Carly.”

“That’s all she ever wanted,” Brooklyn added.

They left Brystol standing there, giving her a moment to say goodbye in private. When she climbed the ladder back to the main deck, Bowie and Brooklyn were sitting there on the semicircular white leather couch, waiting.

“Come sit with us for a second,” Brooklyn said, patting the cushion between them.

“If you’re going to tell me you’re getting married, save it. I’m not stupid. I see you making googly eyes at Mom all the time,” Brystol said.

“I do want to marry your mom someday. Right now, though, we have something really important to tell you.”

Her mouth dropped open, and she gaped at her mom. “Are you pregnant? Am I going to be a big sister?”

Brooklyn pursed her lips and shook her head slowly. “Sorry, you’re still going to be my baby.” She leaned over and pinched her daughter’s cheeks. “But what we do have to say is going to be a shock, your feelings might be hurt, and you’re going to have a lot of questions. Before we say what we need to say, I want you to remember that I love you more than anything in this world. Grandma and Grandpa love you. Nonnie loved you. Simone loves you. Okay?”

Brystol seemed like she was on the verge of tears. Brooklyn inhaled deeply. Bowie wanted to be next to her, but they had agreed to put Brystol in the middle of them.

“All your life I believed with my whole heart that Austin was your father. It wasn’t until I came here that I learned otherwise.”

“Austin isn’t my dad?” Her voice cracked.

“I’m sorry, baby girl. Austin and I hadn’t been getting along for a while, and one night we had a big fight and he said some things, ending our relationship. I turned to Bowie for comfort . . .”

“Brystol, while your mom, Austin, and I were growing up, we were always together. Your mom and I were best friends, and from the first day I met her, I was in love with her. The problem was, Austin saw her first, and she fell head over heels for him. As we grew older, your mom and I started working together . . .” Bowie paused. “Man, this is hard.”

“Look, baby. I’m not proud of the way I acted, but for a long time I loved two men, and when one broke my heart, the other one was there to mend it.”

“You’re my dad?” she asked through tears. “How do you know?”

Bowie and Brooklyn shared a look. They had agreed they would keep Carly’s name out of it; they didn’t want to ruin Brystol’s memory of her grandma. Bowie cleared his throat. “When I first saw you, I wondered, so I had a DNA test run to be sure.”

“How long have you known?”

“Not long.”

“Did you know when you took me fishing?”

He nodded.

“I thought something was up when you referred to Austin . . . well, as Austin and not my dad. When we were at the party thing, you called him my dad.”

“You’re very perceptive. I have something for you.” He dug through his pocket and pulled out the velvet box and handed it to Brystol. He had opted to leave the bear at home, for a different day.

She gasped after she opened the box. “This is beautiful.”

“It was my great-grandmother’s. She gave it to my grandma, who gave it to my mom. I don’t have a sister, so it goes to you.”

“To keep?”

“Yep, until you have a daughter, and if you don’t, you give it to someone who means the world to you.”

“Will you help me put it on?” Brystol asked Bowie. He checked with Brooklyn first, who had tears in her eyes. He held the delicate necklace in his hands and waited for Brystol to move her hair. He fumbled with the clasp a few times until he was finally able to secure it around her neck.

“It’s been a long time since this necklace had a home.”