Page 164 of At First Catch

A marina.

A future.

Me.

“I got scared today,” he admits.

My fingers tighten around his.

“Why?”

He stares toward the darkening bay.

“Because for the first time in my life, I realized I have something people could take away from me.”

The honesty in his voice makes my chest ache.

He isn’t only talking about the marina. I can see that in the way his eyes flick briefly toward me before returning to the water.

He finally has a life he wants badly enough to fear losing.

Something cold moves through me at the thought of him carrying that fear alone all afternoon.

I turn fully toward him.

“You know what I think?”

He shakes his head.

“I think you’re finally building something worth protecting.”

His gaze snaps to mine. Emotion moves openly across his face before he can hide it.

For so long, Nolan has treated attachment like a weakness. As though wanting something gives the world another way to hurt him.

But standing here now, I see it differently. His fear doesn’t mean he’s weak. It means he cares. Deeply enough to fight for what he’s created.

I step between his arms, my back resting lightly against the railing. His hands settle around my waist as naturally as breathing.

“You’re not losing this,” I whisper.

I can’t promise what the investors will decide or what challenges the marina will face later. But I can promise he won’t face any of it alone.

His face contorts, a familiar emotion flitting across his features. He wants to believe me.

I slide my hands along his chest.

“This place is yours because you made it matter again,” I tell him. “An investor doesn’t get to take that away just because they show up with money.”

His thumb moves along my side.

“They could make everything easier.”

“Would it feel like your marina afterward?”

His jaw tightens.

“No.”