Chapter 1

Charles glanced at me on the couch as he pulled on his coat.

"What are you thinking about?"

I looked up at him. The long dark coat made him look even taller.

"Nothing. Just eating breakfast."

He shook his head and made himself a cup of coffee.

"You should cut back on the frozen stuff. Eat something nutritious for a change."

Charles was always criticizing my eating habits.

The truth was, I had no interest in food when he wasn't home.

He checked the clock on the wall and started buttoning his coat.

"The round trip will take a week. You—"

I nodded before he could finish.

"I know."

He gave me a surprised look, as if he expected me to say more.

Normally, if he was going to be gone for more than a week, I would have complained that it was too long. I would have told him how much I'd miss him every day.

Once he was gone, I'd figure out exactly when his breaks were, down to the second, and time my calls to catch him.

Today I was quiet. I didn't say one word more than I had to.

Charles patted the side pocket of his bag, glanced toward the entryway, then turned back to me.

"You didn't pack any milk for me?"

I shook my head.

"No. You always say I pack things you don't need. When I do pack milk, you don't drink it."

His lips pressed into a thin line. That was the look he got whenever he was unhappy with me.

"Nova, I haven't had breakfast."

I spread my hands.

"I used to make you breakfast, and you always had an excuse not to eat it. Now you're asking me for it. What do you actually want?"

That was probably the most I'd said to him all morning.

Charles frowned. He clearly didn't like the way I was acting.

"Nova, something's off with you today."

I opened my mouth to answer, but his phone rang.

Charles glanced at me and answered. A woman's bright voice came through the phone, clear enough for me to hear. "Charles, the wind out in the Caribbean is freezing. Do you still have my jacket?"

Charles murmured a soft yes into the phone.

It was nothing like the voice he used with me. One small sound, and you could hear him smiling. "I'll bring it to you."

I could see the screen. Instead of her name, he'd saved her contact as one word: Her.

It said more than a whole conversation would have.

After he hung up, I couldn't help myself.

"Who was that?"

Charles didn't miss a beat.

"Vivian Shaw. She works the concierge desk."

I nodded. She was the woman in the photos.

"Really? I didn't think she worked your route."

He didn't even blink at the question. He had an answer ready. "It's a temporary reassignment. I don't know the details."

Charles stood there in front of me, his voice as pleasant as ever.

Every word was a lie.

Those thousands of photos didn't lie. The scenery in them was more honest than he was.

He'd never once taken me aboard a ship he captained. He'd never shown me any of the scenery along the way.

All those days I sat at home missing him, Vivian was the one standing next to him.

I kept my voice soft. "Charles, do you remember what we're supposed to be doing at the end of the month?"

He straightened his collar in the mirror and answered without looking at me. "Either I'm off or I'm working."

I looked down and let it go.

He didn't have much time off. We'd agreed to use his break at the end of the month to finally try for a pup of our own.

Ten years ago, right after we became mates, he'd touched my face and made a promise. "As soon as I make captain, we'll have a baby."

He'd said that once he made captain, he'd take me out onto the open ocean, where I could smell the salt in the sea breeze.

Then he got busier and busier. He was barely ever home, and even a little intimacy with me had become a luxury.

Even trying for a baby meant timing my ovulation to match his shore leave exactly.

"I'm leaving. Head out on time, and don't forget your keys."

Charles had just started to leave when I called his name again. "Charles."

He didn't like being stopped. His frown deepened.

"Can't you say it all at once? My time is valuable."

"There's milk in the fridge."

Charles curled his lip in irritation.

"Forget it. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

He slammed the door behind him, making it clear he was done with the conversation.

I sat stunned for a moment. Then I took out my phone and looked at my one-way Alaska cruise ticket again.

Seven days. I was going to use them to say goodbye to ten years.