Chapter Nine
235 Words
Rowan’s workshop sat near the far end of the harbor.
The entire place smelled like cedar and seawater.
Elena loved it immediately.
“You spend all your time here?” she asked.
“Most of it.”
Sunlight streamed through the windows while Rowan sanded a wooden beam.
Strong hands.
Focused expression.
Entirely unfair.
“You’re staring again,” he murmured.
“I’m appreciating craftsmanship.”
“Sure.”
Elena wandered toward the shelves lining the wall.
Then she noticed a framed photograph tucked partially behind a toolbox.
A younger Rowan.
Another man beside him.
And a small boy.
Theo.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Elena looked back carefully.
“Is this Theo’s father?”
Rowan went still.
“Yes.”
Something in his voice made her chest tighten.
“What happened?”
Silence stretched.
Heavy.
Painful.
Finally Rowan set down the sanding block.
“My brother died during a storm five years ago.”
Elena’s breath caught.
“He was out on the water. I should’ve gone with him.”
The raw guilt in his voice shattered her heart.
“Rowan…”
“I was supposed to be there.”
She crossed the workshop slowly.
“You can’t carry that forever.”
“I know.”
But he looked like a man who absolutely did.
Elena touched his face gently.
And for the first time since coming home, Rowan let himself lean into the comfort.
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