“I saw.” I held him tight. “It was a perfect throw.” I started attacking him with kisses.
He giggled as he wriggled in my arms. “Jump! Jump!”
I knew exactly what he wanted. I grabbed one of his hands as I slowly stood up, and Miller grabbed his other hand. We all ran down to the water together.
Every time a wave came we lifted him up so he could pretend he was jumping them. It was his favorite thing in the world. Well, this and football. And I’d keep doing this until my arm ached because his smiles made me smile.
I looked over at Miller. And I was very aware that he was smiling over at me instead of down at our son.
And I have no idea why, but I could feel myself blushing. How could he still make me blush after all these years?
***
“Wake up,” Miller whispered. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Miller, you know I don’t like surprises.” But I could already feel myself smiling as I sat up in bed.
“Oh, I think you’ll like this one. I got the monitor so we don’t have to worry.” He held up the baby monitor. “I just need you to come with me.” He put his hand out for me.
“Shouldn’t I change?”
“No. You look amazing just the way you are.”
I smiled and slid my hand into his. I loved that whatever he had planned didn’t require me to change into something fancy. Orput on many clothes in general. I had gone to bed in one of his old t-shirts.
I held his hand as he guided me out of the beach house and down the stairs of the deck.
The sand was cold now. But I knew I didn’t need to hop along on it for very long because I could see our destination in the distance.
Miller had strung lights between two beach umbrellas and there was a blanket underneath them. It was like a little piece of our backyard at the lake house had been plopped down in the middle of the beach. But it also reminded me of the little blanket fort he’d made me one of those first nights, years ago, at the beach house when I swore I needed to be outside.
“Happy anniversary, a few days late,” Miller said when we reached the blanket.
I smiled up at him. “Happy anniversary. This is a little different than saying ‘I do’ in the snow.”
“Just as perfect.”
I smiled and looked out at the water. I’d fought so hard not to fall in love with Miller years ago at the beach house. But it had taken me a few months and a beach in California to make me realize that I’d already fallen. A spot just like this, hundreds of miles away from here.
“May I have this dance?” Miller asked. He stepped away from me and then put his hand out.
There wasn’t any music. But I’d never pass up a dance with the most handsome man I knew. “Always.”
He pulled me back in close and we swayed to the sounds of the waves crashing.
“We’re going to be okay,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and smiling up at him.
“I know.” He kissed my forehead.
We both stared out at the water as we slow danced. I knew better than anyone else that loss eventually faded into a dull ache. Which eventually faded to a blurry memory. We were definitely going to be okay eventually. Even if my heart still hurt right now. If I’d learned anything about a life with Miller, it was that he always made everything better. He knew exactly how to cheer me up. And a summer sun in the middle of winter to chase away the cold. Ever since we’d stepped foot on the beach I couldn’t help but smile. But this? Right here with him? I could already feel my heart healing.
“And before I forget,” he said and smiled down at me. “We have champagne. And midnight snacks.”
I laughed. “I thought we gave up midnight snacks?”
“Not on our anniversary.”
“Oh, of course.” I laughed as he pulled me down onto the blanket. After giving birth to Jacob I’d stopped eating late night ice cream as I tried to lose the extra weight. But sometimes everyone needed a little late night ice cream. And Miller didn’tdisappoint, because he pulled out a container of mint chocolate chip from the cooler.
