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“Please, Miss Brooke?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah! Pullleeeeeeeeeeeze!” Sydney asked.
“Well, how could I say no to them?” Brooke asked.
“Perfect. Want to meet us at the entrance in an hour?” I asked.
“I’ll roll Morgan out of bed and we’ll meet you there.”
I hung up and scooped my twins into my arms. I carried them both into their bedrooms and helped them get ready for the water park. I called a cab for us to get there and piled us all in, and the kids chattered excitedly the whole way to the park.
When we pulled up out front, Brooke and Morgan were already waiting. Brooke avoided my gaze but opened her arms wide and smiled big for my kids. Something felt a little off, but I figured she just didn’t want to give anything away about what had happened between us the night before.
Despite some early awkwardness, it ended up being a great day. We all went down water slides and ate overpriced food. Morgan and Brooke kept going down the massive pyramid water slide to try and convince the twins to go down it with them. I knew they would never tackle something that big. The smile on Brooke’s face throughout the day was priceless, and it filled my heart with so much joy to see her happy.
This was the type of happiness a woman like her deserved.
We had so much fun with the water slides and the rides that the reason I had invited her there in the first place completely fled my mind. But on top of that, I had no idea how to even bring the idea up. Asking her to babysit meant stretching out her vacation as well. I wasn’t sure she’d go for it, especially if it meant staying alone, or even with us, after Morgan went home.
“Daddy! Watch this!”
I watched my daughter take Brooke’s hand as the two of them jumped into the water. Daniel jumped in after them, swimming underneath to try and get all the way to the bottom. I was poised, ready to jump in if they didn’t come up for air within the next couple of seconds.
And just before I took off, Brooke emerged with Sydney wiping at her eyes.
“I went down far! Did you see, Daddy?”
“Yes I did, sweetheart,” I said, as I took long deep breaths trying to slow down my racing heart. “I saw it all right.”
They did it over and over again, putting me on the edge of a damn heart attack every time they sank to the bottom. I had paid a lot of money in private swimming lessons beginning when they were only two. I knew that they knew how to swim fairly well for their ages, but the pool at the park was much bigger than any they’d ever been in. And filled with way more people.
We stayed the entire day until the kids were practically falling over with exhaustion. I gathered everyone up and loaded us into the car, then I dropped the girls off back at the pier. I wanted Brooke to come back with us so we could sit down and talk, but I also didn’t want to ruin the day. The kids had a blast and I had fun watching Brooke play with them. The water slides were great and sharing lunch together had been full of laughter and good times.
I didn’t want to ruin that with a conversation that could possibly go south.
I waved the girls off then took my sleeping kids back to the house. I lugged them inside and came out to pay the cab driver, making sure to tip him well for his time. I watched the cab drive off as my toes dug into the sand, and I found myself looking over at the pier in the distance.
I wondered if she was writing. If she was inspired by the events of the day. I hoped she was. I turned around and walked back inside as the snores of my children hit my ears.
I’d bring it up to her soon. But for the moment, I wanted to snuggle on the couch with my kids and enjoy the sound of the ocean crashing against the shoreline outside.
CHAPTER 8
BROOKE
I rushed around my bedroom, jamming my things into my suitcase. It was our last day on the island and Morgan and I were furiously trying to pack. We had slept right through dinner and were going to be late for our flight out if we didn’t get going. But I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that it was all coming to an end.
It had been a beautiful few days on the island. The inspiration I drew from the relaxation allowed me to get a quarter of my book written. My heart felt a little lighter and I felt as though I was finally making progress Maybe it was the fact that I had woken up to the horizon every morning or maybe it was the beauty of the island. Whatever my inspiration had been, I hoped I could still draw from it once I got back home.
“Girl, have you seen my thong?”
“Can’t you buy another one?” I asked. “We’re already late as it is.”
“That’s my lucky thong, though.”
“Don’t tell me you have one of those superstitions like men with their lucky sports socks,” I said.
“That’s gross. I wash the damn
