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That was one of the things I loved most about him.
Johnny took note of what I liked and what was important to me, and he made the effort with all of it. Maybe we couldn’t make it to the beach every week or every month, but that didn’t mean he’d forgotten what I enjoyed doing when I was here.
The two of us had been walking along the stretch of beach for quite some time. It was approaching sunset, and most of the beachgoers had already left for the day. Johnny and I were intent on finding some gorgeous shells as we walked, and I felt compelled to speak.
“This is nice. Being here with you this time around feels right,” I told him.
Holding my bucket in one hand, the fingers on Johnny’s other hand were linked with mine. They squeezed gently as he returned, “I kind of spent most of the time with you last time we were here, too.”
“I know. But we didn’t come here together two years ago,” I noted.
“How do you feel about it? About all that has happened since then?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure I could describe the feeling that moved through me at the thought of what that trip had resulted in for me, but I knew I liked it. And since I thought he should know, I tried my best to explain.
“I’m not sure I can put it into words,” I started. “Something about this, just walking together down the beach right now, for example, feels the same and so very different from last time. I don’t know. Two years ago, I was nervous, but I was excited. I still feel the excitement today, but the nervousness has been replaced by gratitude. I know that probably doesn’t make any sense, but—”
“It makes perfect sense, Kiera. I think if there’s one thing I have to say about how I feel about all that we’ve experienced over the last two years, it would be that I’m grateful. There’s so much else there between us, but when it all boils down, I’m just so thankful to have you in my life,” he replied.
I let out a small sigh of relief. Maybe he did understand how I felt. Perhaps it was possible for him to know precisely how I felt about him and the two of us being together, because he felt exactly the same way.
“When I came here two years ago for that trip, I never imagined any of what happened would actually happen,” I told him.
He let out a laugh. “I can’t say I imagined it would happen, but I know the moment I saw you walking down the beach that I absolutely hoped it would.”
“So much has changed since then,” I said. “I’m officially running my own business, you’re doing your own thing, we moved in with each other three months ago, and we fell in love. Can it possibly get any better?”
There was an extended silence as we continued our stroll down the mostly empty beach. “I think there’s still a lot left to look forward to,” Johnny eventually stated.
Of course, there was.
I didn’t think things would end here, because we’d somehow managed to suddenly accomplish all we wanted to as a couple. I didn’t know what was ahead next for us, but I was eager to find out.
“I’m so glad you feel that way,” I returned.
The next thing I knew, Johnny came to a stop, his grip on my hand tightening. When I looked at him, my face scrunching up in confusion, he jerked his chin forward. I looked in that direction and saw what he was indicating.
“Let’s walk up into the dry sand and go around them,” he suggested.
As we moved from the wet sand to the dry, I kept my eyes focused on what had forced us to move. There was a young couple, probably close in age to us, and they were getting some professional photos taken with their baby, who, if I had to guess, was probably eight or nine months old.
I kept my eyes on them, surprised by the sudden sense of longing I felt. That feeling was only amplified when the parents sat their baby down in the wet sand and waited for the waves to roll in. When they did, it was the sound of that baby’s laughter that took everything up a notch for me.
“Oh, that sound is the best,” I declared.
“The baby?” Johnny asked.
I hadn’t planned to say the words I did, but for some reason, they came out before I could stop them. “Yeah.”
Johnny didn’t immediately respond as he led us beyond the family and their photographer. Once we made it past them and back onto the wet sand, where we’d ultimately find more shells, he asked, “How do you feel about them?”
“Who?” I countered.
“Babies,” he clarified. “Do you want to have children one day?”
I swallowed hard, feeling slightly unsure. This was the first time this conversation had come up between us, and Johnny and I hadn’t been in any situations yet where I’d had an opportunity to see him around young children. While I knew how I felt about them, there was a small part of me that was just a touch terrified right now.
What if Johnny didn’t feel the same as I did? Would he still want me? Would we be able to work things out between us?
