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I raise an eyebrow, enjoying this same banter that has always simmered between us. “Is that right? Are you sure that’s what I said?”
“It surprised me, too,” she replies dryly.
“If it helps, I can say it again. And again.” I kiss her soft jaw, basking in the scent of her perfume. “And again.” Her lobe, the shell of her ear. “Again…”
She squirms against me, another laugh bubbling from her. “Just once more will do for today…”
“I love you,” I whisper.
Her lashes dampen as she turns into my arms. “I love you, too.”
“And I love you, three!” Leo chimes in, wrapping his arms around my leg and grinning up at me.
I chuckle and pick him up, squeezing him tightly. I want to tell him how sorry I am for not being there. For believing, I was better off distancing myself from him rather than actually trying. “What about you? Would you like to live near the beach, bud?”
“Only if Madison comes!”
Madison pokes the dimple on his cheek fondly. “I’ll go anywhere with you, little lion.”
Leo roars. I have a feeling that nickname will stick. “Like a real mommy?” he questions.
She smiles, a tear rolling down her cheek as she looks at me. “Yes, Leo. Like a real mommy.”
I pull her close so that we’re squashed together, unbreakable. Leo is giddy and restless in my arms. I place a kiss on his forehead, then hers. The sun seeps through his hair, coloring it gold, and I know I’ll remember this moment for the rest of my life.
“Like a family, bud,” I say. “A real family.”
Epilogue
o o o
One Year Later…
“Okay, open your eyes.” Roman lifts his hands from my eyes, and immediately, warm light seeps through my closed lids. I frown, my stomach swirling with excitement from a long car ride spent blindfolded. I have no idea where we are. Roman woke this morning claiming he had a surprise for me, and that was it. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going or why.
Slowly, I do as he says and open my eyes. Shock runs through me as I realize that we stand on the sandy porch in the dunes of Hollow Beach, the place where we came just a year ago, fantasizing about living closer to the sea as we started our new life together.
A “sold” sign swings in the breeze, and the fairy lights are lit up despite it being the middle of the day.
“Roman…” I think I know what this might be, but I’m afraid to believe it’s true. He wouldn’t buy this place for me… would he?
Leo is bouncy as he fiddles with the door handle. “Can we go in now?”
“Sure, bud. Go take a look at our new home.” Roman brandishes the keys, inserting them into the lock with a wide, proud grin and letting Leo roam free inside the open space of glossy wood floors and white walls.
“Roman, don’t. Is this a joke?!”
Roman places the keys into my palm. “No, baby. This isn’t a joke. You wanted this house, right?”
I feel like I’m going to faint. I look down at my hands as though I’ve never seen a set of keys before, finding that my hands are trembling. Then, I survey my surroundings, checking to see if this is real or just a dream. It feels real. The ocean is loud and ferocious today, and I can taste the briny air on my lips. The sand is grainy and scratches the soles of my feet, having crept into my sneakers on the walk-up. Across the long stretch of beach, the seafood restaurant is still closed, with shadows bustling inside. Staff preparing for the evening ahead.
“This is too much,” I whisper. “This can’t be real.”
“It’s real.” He rubs my shoulders soothingly as I lean against the wooden railings for support. The ocean stretches all the way to the horizon, my favorite view in the whole world other than the two boys behind me. “It only took me so long because the owners couldn’t decide if they wanted to sell the place.”
I shoot him a sharp look. “I hope you didn’t buy someone out of their home.”
He chuckles. “Relax. They were an old couple who decided to move closer to their daughter in Boston. They were more than happy to leave their house with a new family who can make just as many memories here as they did.”
