“We’re always around him. What’s the difference?”
“Yeah, but this time you’ll be around him twenty-four-seven for an entire week.”
He leans in and kisses me on my lips. “I’m fine with it. You should be, too. He’s Amari’s dad. It’s not like I have a say on who comes on the family vacations. You guys have already established this yearly vacation. Who am I to change things?”
My chest pangs from how understanding he is. He is such a genuinely good guy. Better than I deserve right now. His kindness makes it harder, because I know he would never intentionally hurt me, and yet, here I am, torn between what’s right and what feels impossible to ignore. Then there’s Kai, who worked around Liam's schedule to make sure he could come. I know he did it for me. But that goes to show what a great guy he is, too. He’s putting my feelings before his own.
“Mom!” Amari yells, running into the room with her pink-and-white striped swimsuit with strawberries on it. “Can I go into the ocean?” she asks, overly excited.
“We need to figure out who’s going to the grocery store first.” I grab her hand—and Liam's—and all three of us head out of the room. “Let’s go to the kitchen and see what’s going on.”
My mouth drops when we enter the beautiful kitchen. There is a blend of whitewashed cabinets, soft blue accents, and wide sliding doors that flood the space with natural light, offering views of the ocean. The gentle sound of waves fills the air through the glass doors that are open, bringing in a slight breeze.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” I mumble to myself while walking closer to the glass doors. I step out onto the patio and breathe in the fresh, salty scent of the ocean. As I stare out into the ocean, watching the waves crash against the beach, a bit of my tension eases away. I’m not going to let myself ruin this vacation by worrying so much. Liam and Kai are adults. If they had a problem with coming here and being around each other for a week, they could have stayed back. I take one last deep inhale,letting the air fill my lungs before turning my head back inside. Just as I do, Kai catches my attention. He’s standing there, his eyes locked on me, filled with so much love it almost stops me in my tracks. The intensity in his gaze makes my heart skip a beat—there’s no hiding the depth of his feelings. For a moment, everything else fades, and all I can feel is the warmth of his affection. Liam pulls me into his chest, catching me off guard. Did he notice anything? I turn around with my back against his chest and his arms wrapped around me as we both stare at the ocean.
“This is beautiful. We need to take more vacations,” he says, causing goosebumps to rise on my neck.
“You work so much; you need to take more time off.”
He sighs, resting his head in the crook of my neck. “After the wedding, I’ll start taking more time off,” he murmurs. “But for now, I’ve got to work all I can to pay for it.”
My heart sinks into my chest with the weight of his words. The reality of the situation tightens around me. I should be happy about the wedding plans. I do love him. So why do I feel all these conflicting emotions?
“So,do you and Liam have a wedding date yet?” Paige asks as she hands me a piña colada she made.
Paige and I ended up going to the grocery store because we couldn’t trust the guys to get what we needed for the week. When we got back, we made them grill burgers for us while we lounged on the beach. Amari has been out on the beach with my momand sister since we got here. Liam’s been inside working so he doesn’t fall behind on his reports.
“We haven’t talked about it much yet.”
Paige’s eyebrows rise in surprise. “Really?”
I squint as the alcohol hits me harder than expected. She definitely overdid it with the rum. “Yeah. Why?”
“Seems like you would have been wanting to plan the wedding soon, since you’ve been dreaming of being married since we were young.”
She isn’t wrong. I’ve always dreamed about my wedding and having a family. I’ve always dreamed about the flowers, the dress, and me walking down the aisle. It’s something I’ve always wanted. But now, I don’t feel as excited.
Paige sips her drink, glancing over at me. “Are you okay with everything?”
I pause for a moment, looking at the shore. Everything feels off now. I haven’t told anyone because I can’t quite put my finger on it. It felt off even before Kai told me how he felt.
“I don’t know,” I mumble. “I'm overthinking everything.”
Paige nods her head and doesn’t push any further, letting the sound of the waves hitting the shore fill the silence between us. But her question lingers, mixing with the doubts I’ve been trying to ignore.
Bryn walks back toward us, water streaming down her body as the sunlight catches each drop, causing her to glimmer with each step. She's dressed in acheeky red bikini, which momdidn't approve of.
She grabs a towel from her beach bag and wraps it around her before sitting down next to us underneath an umbrella we set up to shade us from the sun. “Are you guys not going to get in?” she asks.
Paige scrunches her nose. “I’m enjoying my relaxation out here on the sand,” she says, lifting her drink in a toast to her decision.
“Same,” I say raising my own drink.
Bryn shakes her head. “Then what was the point coming somewhere with an ocean if you’re not going to get in it?”
“I’m only here to check out the California boys.” Paige chuckles.
I snort a laugh. “And have you found anyone?”
