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“What? You got a new manicure?”
“No!” This time she does hit me, a hard slap on the shoulder. “Look again, you bozo.”
And then I see the massive rock on her ring finger.
“Holy shit, you’re engaged.” Leo returns with a champagne flute for Gia and impeccable timing. “Congratulations to you both.”
“Thank you.” Gia gives a little bow. “That was partly why I worked so fast to get the patio project done, because getting married here is a dream.”
With the sounds of the ocean and mood lighting from the stained-glass windows, it does feel like a dream. “Midnights is moving up,” I say.
“And it’s all thanks to you.” Talia looks up at me with pride. “And Gia, of course.”
“And you,” I tell her, our eyes locking, and it’s hard to look away. She bites down on her lip again.
“Well, I’m going to go converse,” Nyla says by means of dismissal.
“I’m going to go… over here,” Gia says.
And our friends disperse as Talia and I slip into a moment that’s just us.
“Join me for a walk on the beach?” I ask, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“I’ll go anywhere with you.”
I guide us down the steps and onto the sand, her arm still looped through mine as we approach the glistening blue waves of Malibu, life feeling like it’s unfolded in a way I could never imagine; endless work opportunities, and endless love from the woman beside me who I’m still not convinced I deserve.
When we reach the waves, Talia wordlessly begins kicking off her shoes. “It feels like a good day for a swim,” she says coyly, pulling her dress over her head to expose the matching black bra and panties beneath.
I glance around. There are only a few other people milling about the beach, but they’re a distance away.
But when has that stopped me before?I wonder to myself, pulling my shirt over my head and moving to my pants.
Talia walks backwards into the waves, coaxing me forward with a tantalizing wave of her fingers. It feels like a challenge, and as soon as I’m down to my boxers, I chase after her, grabbing her by the waist and tackling her into the waves, her laughter drowned out by the water as we slip beneath.
When we emerge, I have her locked in my arms, pulling her to my chest so her body is flush against mine, the water pushing and pulling around us. She smiles at me, and I want nothing more than to kiss her, to celebrate our lives in this moment, so I bring her mouth to mine. Our lips dance together in a slow kiss, one that welcomes patience and suggests we have all the time in the world.
Because we do.
I hold her to me, swayed only by the tide around us, her legs wrapped around me as I lose myself in Talia, in her salt-stained lips, in this beautiful life in Malibu we’ve managed to find love in.
THE END
