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On one of our last days, Wallace took us to a seafood restaurant by the coast. Holly was excited and tried everything she could, where I stuck with chicken fingers from the kids’ menu. Milo made fun of me, of course, as I dunked the chicken in the ramekin of ranch while Holly ate squid.
“It’s good, Aunt Maddy. You should try it.” She waved her fork in my face.
I crunched my nose and leaned more toward Milo, trying to get away as fast as I could from the pink, flippy, squid that Holly was forcing my way. Milo let me tuck my face into his shoulder and then jokingly told Holly to lay off. Wallace was laughing the entire time.
“I’m glad my discomfort brings you three happiness,” I muttered as I took another bite of my chicken. “I was going to offer to get ice cream but…”
“Okay, okay…” Holly put her fork with the slimy squid on it down. “I’ll stop. I’ll stop.”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at her. I adored this little girl. “Do it again and lose the ice cream.”
Her eyes widened, and she kept her fork to her own plate. I smiled at her, glancing back to my fries and chicken. Under the table, I could feel Milo’s hand on my thigh, squeezing just enough to get me to move closer to him. I noticed Wallace watching us, so I attempted to keep it casual. The heat in my cheeks told me it was anything but.
After dinner, we walked the boardwalk to the same ice cream parlor Milo and I went to on our date. Holly ordered the biggest waffle cone she could. Wallace stuck with a single scoop of vanilla, and Milo and I ordered the same treats we did on the night we kissed. We sat at the same table as we ate our ice cream, and then once we were done, we made our way to the coast to whale watch. Wallace and Holly went ahead, Wallace picking her up and pointing out the ocean when a whale would pop up.
Milo and I stayed back, his arm around my waist holding me close as we watched. It felt almost unreal, to be in the same place where we danced to Thomas Rhett, moments away from our firstrealkiss.
“It’s hard to believe that it wasn’t long ago we were here on our date,” I finally muttered, not taking my eyes off of Wallace and Holly.
“Not for me,” Milo replied. “I think about that every day.”
I looked up at him, noticing his eyes on me and not the ocean.
“When we get married, it’s going to be right here with that song playing as we dance.” He wrapped his other arm around me, pulling him closer to him.
I laughed as I placed my hands on his chest. “Whenwe get married?” I parroted. “Is this one of those if we are still single by the time we are forty, we will marry each other?”
Milo grinned and shook his head. “No, this is we will get married someday. You just don’t know it yet.”
“You’re not proposing, are you?” I asked, furrowing my brow and arching my back.
“Not right now, no, but I will be. And when we get married…”
“It will be right here,” I murmured, a smile forming. “ToUs, Someday.”
Milo nodded, his grin tugging at the corners of his lips. I loved Milo more than I could even fathom. His eyes were focused on mine. Wallace and Holly’s voices were in the background, cheering as a whale surfaced, but my attention was fixated on Milo. His grin, his eyes, his blonde hair flying in the wind. I loved this man, and I missed him.
I stepped up on my tippy toes and pressed my lips to his, him taking a deep breath as the kiss deepened. Every shiver that trailed up my spine brought me back to life, a feeling I only had a few times before we stupidly paused the relationship we both so badly wanted. But here and now, it only made sense. It made sense to be with him forever, to keep him here, never letting him go. This moment, bottling it up forever. Ignoring the outside world and keeping this…keeping us.
Milo broke the kiss and gently kissed my forehead, pulling me closer to him.
“I wish we could just stay here,” he whispered.
Me too…I love you…forever and ever…
“Dad!” Holly came rushing toward us, breaking the spell I was under. “Dad! Grandpa Wally said I can stay with him tonight. Can I?” She jumped toward us as she got closer. Milo relaxed one arm, bringing me to his side again, his eyes still glossy from our kiss.
“I didn’t offer. She insisted,” Wallace laughed as he appeared. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt. We can make s’mores with my firepit that never gets used, and you two can relax for the night.”
“Are you sure, Dad?” Milo asked, pulling Holly close to him, keeping both of us near him.
“I hardly ever get to see my granddaughter, so yeah. I’m sure.” Wallace nodded, a dad glare on his face as he stared at Milo.
“Jeez, okay.”
“The dog too,” Wallace growled. “Niko…is that his name?” I nodded. “He stays, too. He’s already at the house. A dog that big would rather be in a house than in a hotel room anyway.”
“He’s more of a handful than Holly,” I admitted.
