In Deep Waters (22 page)

"I never told him I was a mermaid. When I brought Madison back to the ship..." Kayla had gained one family but lost another. Ben and Madison. The crew. Emotion clogged Kayla's throat. "When he saw me...the look in his eyes, the fear."

"He needs time. It's not every day you see a mer-maid."

Kayla separated the two talismans. "I can't wait for Ben to come around." Her heart told her he was the one, but only if he accepted her. "Loucan offered to escort me to Pacifica. He said I would be safe from Joran there."

Joran was a mer who wanted the four necklaces so he could steal the treasure for himself. He was dangerous and would stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

"No one has seen Joran in months. He could be dead." Phoebe's eyes clouded. "You can come with Kevin and me."

"Thanks, but you're newlyweds--"

"You're my sister." Phoebe took her hand. "Fam
ily."

Family.
The word encompassed so much. So many. Tears welled in Kayla's eyes. Jason or Ianu. He would always be her father--the one who had raised her, loved her, protected her. Loucan had explained her father's obsession with the
Isabella.
Ianu located shipwrecks for Pacifica. The last ship he'd found before taking Kayla away and shedding his tail and gills to keep their past a secret had been the
Isabella.
He'd never completed the work he'd started as a mer so the location remained a mystery to the residents of Pacifica.

"It's still so hard to believe." Kayla sighed. "It seems like a dream."

Phoebe gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I know."

"And I know what I want to do. I want to see Pacifica." Kayla handed Phoebe her necklace. "But first I have to talk with Ben. Say...goodbye."

"I'll be here if you need me."

"Thanks."

Phoebe hugged her. "That's what sisters are for."

Ben watched Kevin Cartwright work on the computer in the communications room. Things kept getting more
complicated by the minute, and he didn't know what to do. He'd learned the true identities of Phoebe and Loucan.

Kayla was with two others like herself. Ben tried to tell himself that having them here was a good thing. "So you trust old fish boy?"

Kevin looked away from the computer monitor. "Who?"

"Loucan."

"It's not so much a matter of trust. He hired me to find Phoebe and her siblings. I'm just doing my job." Kevin typed on the keyboard. "What about you?"

"Me?"

"Are you going to let him swim off with your woman?"

"She's not my woman." At Kevin's pointed glance, Ben leaned against the desk. "She's a mermaid."

"So is Phoebe. Let me tell you, she has one nice tail."

He couldn't believe how normal Kevin sounded talking about his wife. Merwife? Ben didn't want to go there. "Loucan seems dangerous. He's always lurking around."

"He shows up when you least expect it, but the guy's good stuff. He needs to find all four talismans."

Ben shrugged. "I've been wondering what my cook could do with him. Loucan Thermidor. Grill him with a white wine sauce."

"Don't forget the capers and garlic."

"And a twist of lemon."

Kevin smiled. "Thanks for letting me use your computer. I'd better see what Phoebe is up to."

As soon as Kevin left, Ben called his parents. On the third ring, his father answered.

"Hey, Dad. Is Mom home?"

"No, she's having her hair done."

Silence. The miles separating them seemed to increase.

His dad cleared his throat. "Congrats on discovering the
Isabella,
son. I always knew you'd find her."

The pride in his father's voice brought a lump to Ben's throat. He'd succeeded. Not with dreams, but with hard work. "Thanks."

"So what's up next?"

"We'll bring up the artifacts and--"

"No," his dad interrupted. "I meant what ship are you going after once you're done with the
Isabella?"

"There's more gold than you can imagine." At least that was one good piece of information Loucan had relayed. "I won't have to go after another ship. Ever."

"What will you do?"

"Don't know, but I won't have to worry about money."

"Dreams are more valuable than any treasure, son."

"How can you say that?" Ben gripped the receiver. "You always talk about hitting the big one. Finding the mother lode."

"True, but given the choice I'd rather have my dreams. That's what matters, not whether you hit the jackpot or not."

His father sounded just like Kayla.

Kayla.

A heaviness centered in Ben's chest. "Dad, this is a strange question, but do you believe in mermaids?"

"I never really thought about it before, but it would be a shame not to believe."

"It would be unreal."

His father sighed. "Could you imagine anything more wonderful than an honest-to-goodness mermaid?"

Ben could think of several. "Thanks, Dad."

"Keep sending those e-mails and give Madison a kiss. Love you, son."

Ben hung up the phone and laughed. His father, the ultimate dreamer, thought seeing a mermaid would be wonderful.

Wonderful? It was anything but wonderful. Unbelievable, out-of-this-world, wacky.

Wacky Waterton.

That's what Kay la's classmates had called her. None of them had ever looked further than the name. Ben's heart sank. He wasn't looking further than her tail.

Damn. He was as guilty as all of them. No, it was worse. He knew her, cared for her.

Loved her.

And he'd hurt her. Walked away from her when she needed him most.

What an idiot he'd been. Kayla had given him everything. She'd located the
Izzy.
Saved his daughter. Given him her heart.

Never once had he given her anything in return. All she wanted him to do was to dream, to believe. He'd failed in the worst possible way. Failed her. Failed himself.

So Kayla was a mermaid? If that was the worst thing they had to deal with, they would be lucky.

Ben only wondered if it was too late for a "they."

Kayla had told him it was never too late to dream. He hoped she was right.

Chapter Twelve

Standing at the railing, Kayla gazed at the vast amount of water stretching beyond the horizon. This was her new world. She just wasn't ready to leave her old world yet.

"Mind if I join you?" Ben asked.

She gripped the railing so hard her knuckles turned white. "Please do. Join me, that is."

Rays from the setting sun gleamed in his black hair. "How are you doing?"

Her life had been inverted and submerged underwater. His reaction hadn't helped matters, but he was talking to her. That was a positive sign. "Okay, I guess."

"A lot of info to chew on, huh?"

"You could say that." Talking like this as if nothing had happened felt strange. But it was easier and safer. She needed a little of both right now.

Dolphins frolicked in the distance, their chatter a soothing melody. The smell of the sea tickled her nose, but the salt was also a comforting scent.

"Kayla."

"Ben," she said at the same time. "You go first." After goodbye, Kayla didn't know what else could be said.

"Thanks." Ben took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I freaked out this afternoon. But when I saw you and your tail...it was so unbelievable, so unreal. Mermaids were something Madison dreamed about. They weren't real. I wasn't ready to face the truth."

"And now?"

He looked down at her legs. "I'm getting there."

A start. Kayla released the breath she'd been holding.

"I prided myself on being practical and realistic. Dreams were a waste of time. Worthless. Not real. Seeing you proved me wrong. I was too proud to admit it earlier, but now... Dreams and mermaids." A trace of wonder filled his voice. "Who am I to say what's real or not?"

"They're real if you believe." She wanted to hold on to the glimmer of hope she saw. "The magic is in the dream."

Ben nodded. "My father said something similar. I spoke with him tonight."

Kayla knew how Ben felt about his dad. She touched his shoulder. When she realized what she had done, she pulled her hand away. "How did it go?"

"Better than I imagined it would." Ben sighed. "Tonight I realized he's happy just chasing his dreams. That's more important than making them come true."

"Did you tell your father?"

"No. Not yet." Ben's jaw tensed. "All my life, I've wanted to succeed. To be the exact opposite of my father. I found the
Izzy.
My father never fulfilled one of
his dreams. But I'm not happy and he is. I need to rethink my definition of success and failure."

"It's not that simple."

"I know." A wry grin graced his lips. "You showed me dreams aren't black-and-white. Neither is life. If I hadn't been so closed-minded, so practical, I could have shared my father's dreams. We could have found the
Izzy
together."

"It's not too late."

He touched her arm. "I hope not."

The small gesture meant so much. Kayla wished she could ignore the tingles racing up her arm.

"I was so worried about the cost of dreaming, I didn't see the price I was paying for not dreaming. For not believing. I want to believe, Kayla. In everything. In us."

She swallowed. Hard. "Us?"

"Us." His gaze locked with hers. "Words can never make up for the way I treated you, but I'm sorry. I hope you'll let me make it up to you."

The sincere look in his eyes filled her with warmth. She knew he meant each and every word. "Apology accepted."

"You forgive me?"

"I do." Kayla smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was a mermaid, but I only found out about it the day before we found the
Isabella.
At first I thought I was allergic to something because of the itching. And then I thought it was because I was falling for you."

"For me?"

She nodded. "Pounding heart, rapid pulse, sweaty palms, butterflies in my stomach."

He laced his fingers with hers and she drew strength from his touch. "Kayla..."

"When I discovered the truth about being a mermaid, I was afraid of losing you. Nothing like finding out you're half fish to make you start doubting yourself. And everything else."

"Kayla, if I'd known..." She raised a brow and he grinned. "Okay, I still would have freaked out, but I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."

She knew what he'd meant. Her heart pounded so loudly she couldn't hear anything else. She had to say this. She might not get another chance. ' 'I came on this expedition because I wanted answers. I thought I needed them to go forward with my life. But I found something more important. Two things, actually. You and Madison."

"I know how you feel about Madison." He squeezed her hand. "You saved her life. I can never repay you enough for that."

"You don't have to repay me." Kayla took a deep breath. "I love you, Ben."

His eyes widened.

She smiled. ' 'You can be bold and daring, sweet and tender, practical and pigheaded. You're more pirate than prince. But those things make you who you are--the man I love."

"Kayla..."

She placed her fingertips on his lips. "You don't have to say anything."

"I want to say something."

His gaze was practically a caress. She recognized the tenderness in his eyes. It was the same the first time he'd kissed her. A lump formed in her throat.