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“Same,” I confessed. I peered at the ocean and breathed in the salty sea air. The water was rough with the winds. “It’s been months since I’ve walked out here.”
Everleigh’s arm brushed against mine, but she moved away when my eyes locked onto hers. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze to the pier.
“How long are you inland for?”
I loved hearing the sound of her voice. There were so many times I wanted to call her over the years, but I couldn’t do it. My pride wouldn’t let me.
“A few weeks, maybe more,” I answered.
Her eyes widened. “Wow. Is that a first for McLean Charters? Your dad used to stay gone all the time.”
I nodded. “Yeah, he did. This’ll probably be the only time my guys will get this much time off. I needed to get Seth back.”
Everleigh gasped. “Oh my God, Seth. I haven’t seen him in forever. How is he?”
“He’s doing great,” I replied. “He’s also married. Her name is Trisha. We met her in Wilmington at the St. Patrick’s Day festival about ten years ago, and they’ve been together ever since.” This was my chance to test her. “And now they’re expecting a baby girl,” I added. “That’s why I wanted to make sure we were back before she gave birth.”
Everleigh kept a smile on her face, but she turned away from me. “That’s awesome. It seems like everyone’s having babies right now.”
Michelle was right . . . there was a hint of jealousy in her tone. It took all I had to keep from grinning smugly. Everleigh brightened her smile and focused back on me.
“Congratulations, by the way. I guess I should’ve told you that I ran into Michelle while I was in town.” She bit her lip and glanced down at the sand. “How does it feel to know you’re about to be a father?”
I had a choice to make. Either go along with the charade or tell her the truth. I wanted to know if she’d missed me just as much as I missed her over the years. Maybe even a part of me wanted to see a fraction of regret on her face. I tried to move on, but something stopped me every time. Rachel always told me it washope. The hope was that Everleigh would come to her senses one day and find her way back home. Now she was back, and it wasn’t because of me. I didn’t want that realization to fuel my resentment, but it did. It would make things much better if I knew our separation hurt her just as much as it did me.
My silence caught Everleigh’s attention and she lifted her head, her hazel-green eyes regarding me curiously. “Are you okay?” she asked.
I nodded. “I just needed to think about your question.”
Her brows furrowed. “You are happy with becoming a father, aren’t you?”
She was going to kill me when she found out I was lying to her, but I needed to see her reaction.
“I am,” I replied, searching her face. “Michelle and I are ecstatic.”
Longing flashed in her eyes, but it disappeared quickly; it wasn’t enough of an answer for me.
“I’m happy for you,” she said, taking a step away which put more distance between us. Then, she turned around and pointed in the direction we’d just came from. “We should probably head back. I’m sure your wife is ready to spend time with you since you’ve been gone for so long.”
I felt terrible for lying to her, especially after everything that had happened with her grandmother. But if Rachel were here, I knew she’d coax me to keep it up. She never wanted me to give up on Everleigh.
Everleigh picked up her pace, almost as if she was trying to run away.
“What about you?” I asked, catching up to her. “Anyone special in Boston?”
I hated the thought of her with other men, and Rachel knew that, but it didn’t stop her from telling me when Everleigh was seeing someone. It just so happened that a couple of weeks ago she told me that Everleigh was still single. I was curious to see how Everleigh responded, but she kept her focus straight ahead, her expression blank.
“There’s been a few,” was all she said.
I waited for her to elaborate, but I could tell she didn’t want to speak any more about it. The last thing I wanted to do was push things when here I was, the one lying about everything.
We arrived back at the walkway, and I grabbed my boots while she picked up her sandals. Everleigh’s gaze lingered on her grandmother’s blue house, her eyes full of sadness.
“My dad told me the house is yours,” I said, my voice low.
She nodded and slipped on her sandals before we walked up the path to the back deck. “I still can’t believe she left it to me,” Everleigh replied, her words full of disbelief. “I thought for sure she’d leave it to my mother.”
When we reached the deck, I looked down at her, a small smile playing on my lips. “I’m not surprised,” I said as I stood before her. “This house reminds me of you just as much as it does your grandmother. I guess the question is . . . are you going to keep it?”
