Part 22 (2/2)
”For telling you I hated you. I don't. Never have.”
”Okay, so you don't hate me.”
”Ah, there's something else, too. I'm here to ... to claim what's mine.”
Blu came to his feet slowly. ”I don't think there's anything of yours left on the boat. At least, I haven't
seen anything.” ”Oh, but there is.” She reached out and laid her hand on his heart. ”This- This is mine, isn't it? Yougave it to me without telling me days ago. You didn't say the words, but you do love me, don't you, Blu? You love Amanda, too.” ”Don't.” Blu backed away. ”You know who I am, what I've done. You don't want-” ”That's right. I'm no longer naive. I know exactly who you are, and I love who you are.” Blu needed air. But h.e.l.l, he was standing outside and there was a slight breeze. Still, he felt almost dizzy. ”Breathe, Blu. It helps if you breathe.” He took a solid gulp of air, deciding that was the problem-he'd forgotten to breathe. ”There, that's better.” She stepped forward and rubbed his chest, her warm little fingers curling into his flesh. ”I saw you. I made Brodie take me to the wharf, and I saw everything. I saw the way you called Salva's attention away from Mort and Amanda. I saw you sacrifice yourself to save them. I saw-” ”Jeez! Brodie was supposed to keep you away until it was all over. I'm sorry. I had no right to play G.o.d with Mandy's life. I-”
”Shh. Don't be sorry. We're alive and free because of you. Don't be sorry.”
Angry with himself, Blu growled, ”Then what the h.e.l.l should I be?”
She hesitated. Stared up at him a long minute. ”Can't you just be ... be mine?”
Blu could see tears had entered her eyes. His anger vanished. ”Yours?”
”Mmm.” She nodded. ”Yes, mine. I know I'm really young, and that my memory is still gone for now.
But I've been remembering a few things. Grandpa says I've always been an honest person. A hard worker.”
h.e.l.l, she was trying to sell herself to him. Blu didn't know what to say.
”Grandpa says, dance forward. Don't go backward. He says a man that is good bone-deep is hard to find, and when a woman is lucky enough to find one- Well, I thought maybe we could dance forward together. That's if you-”
”You've talked to Perch about me? About us?”
”Yes. I told him that you and I... We... Say you saved us because you love us, Blu. Say you saved us because you want me.”
His hands had started to shake. Blu pulled her into his arms, sighed when her body melted against him. She felt so d.a.m.n good, he almost forgot what he was going to say. ”I want you,fille. G.o.d, how I want you. It works both ways, though.”
”Meaning?”
”What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine. You know how that old saying goes.”
”Yes, I think I know how it goes.”
Blu bent his head and kissed her gently, then ran his hand down her back and pressed her against him. ”You want to take a ride to heaven?” he asked. ”I'll sharemine if you shareyours.”
He felt her rub against him, felt her little breathy sigh escape her lips. On tiptoes, she looked him in the eye, then whispered, ”I love you.”
”I love you, too.” Then he bent his head and kissed her parted lips. ”Welcome home, Angel.”
Slowly she stepped back and slipped the b.u.t.ton through the hole and let the sarong float to the deck. Standing naked in the moonlight, she said, ”I've been home for a while. I've decided home is a feeling, not a place. And I've been feeling like I've been home ever since I saw your face in Salva's office. I truly am home, Blu duFray-” she stepped closer and snuggled against him ”-and I'm going to stay right here forever.”
Epilogue.
”He's actually holding her like he knows what he's doing. I can't believe it. If I wasn't standing here-”
”Peeking out the window,” Ry pointed out from his position in front of their yellow kitchen stove. He glanced at Kristie, who had volunteered to set the table, and winked.
Kristie smiled, then watched Blu's sister squeeze closer to the window. It was Sunday, and she'd learned that dinner at Margo and Ry's had become a tradition for the Crew, as they called themselves-Blu's family and extended family included Rose and Brodie, Mort and Jackson. And of course, Margo and Ry.
”Margo, I just washed those windows this morning. Your nose is cute, but come on, baby. He's not going to drop her.”
”Did I say he was going to drop Mandy?” Margo quickly glanced at Kristie. ”He won't, will he?”
”No, he won't drop her,” Kristie promised. ”Blu wouldn't hurt a fly.”
She saw Ry and Margo glance at each other, their expressions bothshowing concern.
”Maybe I should rephrase that. He wouldn't hurt a fly unless the fly had malicious intent on its mind, with its sights set on one of us.” ”Whew! You had us worried for a minute,” Margo said.
”I've seen Rose's sc.r.a.pbook. I know who Patch Pollaro is. More importantly, I know who Blu duFray is.” Secretly, Kristie wondered if she was the only one who really did.Her Blu was the gentlest man on earth.
”Oh, look. She's leading him over to the swing, Ry. Come look.”
Ry stayed where he was at the stove, stirring a mixture that had just started to boil. ”Margo, is this
supposed to look like this?”
She quickly glanced in his direction. ”How should I know? It's a new recipe.”
”We're never going to eat unless one of us gets serious here.”
”Well, one of us is. And don't you dare let it burn.”
”Remember, I don't cook, baby. We've got eight people for dinner and if you leave me in charge, h.e.l.l,
we'll all starve.”
”Where's Jackson? Get him in here.”
”Somebody call for me?”
From the window Margo said, ”Jackson, help Ry. He's burning dinner.”
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