Page 54 of Summer Ride

“If there is a god, I lost faith in him long before Axel.” She turned to him. “Your family isn’t religious.”

He shook his head. “They’re more like… scientists. My father grew up in a religious household. Then he went to medical school. My mother was raised by hippies who believed in Mother Nature, not God.” He smiled. “I wish you could have met my grandparents. They were… unique. They would have loved you.”

She smiled. “Your family has taken me in like I’m one of you.”

“You are,” he said quickly, taking her hand in his. “And so is the little one that you’re carrying.”

She glanced down and then nodded. “I suppose we should talk about our future.”

“I’m up for whatever you want,” he said softly. “You know my feelings. If you hadn’t kept running from it over the past six years, we’d already be married.”

She turned her head towards him, and he was happy that he didn’t see fear in her eyes.

“You’re the first person outside of my family that knows my truths. And you didn’t run away.”

“Never. You’re my life.” He pulled her back against his chest and covered her stomach with his hands. “Both of you are.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I suppose I could get used to the idea of marrying you,” she said as she rested back against his chest. “Do I get a ring?”

“It’s in the safe at home,” he admitted. “It was my grandmother’s. Fair warning, it’s not a diamond, but a topaz. I think you’ll like it.”

“If it belonged to your grandmother, then I’ll love it,” she said with a sigh.

They watched as the last rays of light disappeared.

“I’m hungry,” she said. “How about we dig into that chocolate cake I know Isaac packed for us?”

“Excellent plan.” He helped her up from the sand, then they made their way across the grass.

“I love vacations,” she said later through a mouthful of chocolate as they lay in bed.

“Ditto,” he said with a laugh.

“Tomorrow, we kayak or paddleboard.” She set the empty plate down on the nightstand. “So that I don’t gain too much weight on this vacation.”

He set his own plate down and pulled her into his arms. “Soon, you’ll be gaining a lot of weight.” He ran his hands over her flat belly.

She covered his hands with hers, and he felt her sigh. “Will you still feel the same about me when I’m fat and worn out from chasing a kid around?” she joked.

“Always.” He smiled. “Maybe I’ll love you even more.” She turned in his arms and held onto him.

“Thank you for planning this. I needed the time. Needed to get away from what was happening.” She searched his eyes.

“Always,” he said again, and kissed her.

The next morning, they ate fresh fruit and the little breakfast quiches that were always a huge hit at the camp, and then Carter pulled two paddleboards from the locked storage area under the house and dragged them to the water.

They packed a small bag with sandwiches, snacks, and water, then slid both of their phones into a waterproof bag to keep them safe.

He didn’t know how far they were going to go but wanted to be prepared for anything.

An hour later, he realized his crucial mistake.

“I forgot sunscreen and a hat,” he groaned as he felt his skin sizzling.

“Oh.” She stopped paddling and then motioned to a bag. “I threw some in there.”

He glanced back at the waterproof bag that he’d tied to the back of his board. “Let’s hit the beach there so I can put some on.”