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“Honey, it’s too cold to swim today. I wish we could, but—”
“But I want to build a sandcastle. I don’t even want to swim.”
I arch an eyebrow. “You’re telling me that you want to go to the beach but not swim?”
She nods.
“And you won’t get there and change your mind and throw a fit?”
She nods again, those wide green eyes peering up at me with pure hope.
I want to make an excuse and come up with something else to do. A picnic at the park. We could sit by our favorite fountain and make a wish on a penny.
But I recognize the look on her face. My exciting day out is about to turn into a nonstop tantrum fest, and I have only myself to blame. If it wasn’t for my poor decisions, I could happily take Yuliana to the beach.
I sigh. “Fine.”
She cheers, both arms swinging above her head.
“But,” I add with a wagging finger, “we are going to a beach closer to our house, okay?”
Her bottom lip juts out. “I want to see the castle.”
“We can still build a sandcastle.”
“No.The castle,” she says again. “The real one next to the water. I want to see that.”
It takes me a second to understand she’s talking about Kirill’s mansion. As soon as I do, my heart catches for no other reason than this is proof that I let her get too close. She has seen her father’s house without even knowing it. She remembers it.
It’s a reminder that I can’t be that reckless ever again.
“Sorry, honey. That beach is closed,” I lie, wincing with guilt even as I do. “But we’ll still have fun somewhere else.”
Yuliana doesn’t look completely convinced, but the threat of a tantrum has passed. By the time we’re pulling up to the public beach parking near our rental, she’s forgotten all about the castle.
I wish I could do the same.
11
RAYNE
“It’s the biggest castle in the whole world.” Yuliana steps back from her creation, wiping her sandy hands on her pants. “It needs a taller roof.”
I lean back on my hands and laugh. “If it’s the biggest in the world, why does it need to be taller?”
She shrugs. “Because.”
“Sound logic. How can anyone argue with that?”
I smile and glance upward. The sun is fading fast. Within another hour, it will be dark. But I’m happy to soak up as much sunshine as possible before we have to go. It’s been a long time since I’ve had an entire afternoon off. I want to make the most of it.
“You make it as tall as you want, baby girl. I’m going to lie here, okay?”
“You should help.”
“I did help! Look at the handiwork around the turret.” I point to the clumpy, misshapen cylinder attached to the side of the crumbling castle. It’s not my best work, that’s for sure.
Yuliana wrinkles her nose. “It’s falling down.”
