Chapter 68
Claire
Summer vacation started with a four-hour drive, a cooler wedged between our feet, and Lily singing off-key in the backseat with complete confidence.
Bill and Emma had begged off at the last minute, all gentle smiles and vague excuses about errands and aching joints.
They’d tried to make it sound casual. I didn’t buy it for a second.
If anything, they were smiling too much, watching us too closely, like this had gone exactly the way they’d hoped.
“Go,” Emma had said, waving us off. “You kids have fun.”
Kids. Right.
The beach was already warm when we finally arrived, the air salty and thick, the parking lot buzzing with families and coolers and umbrellas.
Lily vibrated with excitement the entire walk to the changing rooms, narrating every shell she spotted on the path like it was a discovery of historical importance.
When I came out, tugging my cover-up into place and scanning the crowd for them, I found Ethan immediately.
He’d already changed.
I had a second to register that he must have stripped down under his clothes because now he was standing there in swim shorts, skin bronzed and familiar and unfairly gorgeous, the sun catching on his shoulders like it knew what it was doing.
He looked relaxed in a way that still startled me sometimes, easy in his body, smiling at something.
And then I noticed the girls.
They were hovering. Two of them, maybe three, all early twenties and confident in that way you are when you are young and beautiful. They approached him with boldness, one of them touching his arm.
I felt something sharp and unreasonable twist in my chest.
I had no real claim on him. We were taking things slow. I knew that. I had no right to feel this attached. And still, some part of me felt vindicated just watching the scene unfold, like my instincts had been right not to fully trust how charming he could be.
Lily tugged my hand, pulling me forward, and that was when we heard him.
“I’m sorry,” Ethan was saying easily, not unkind. “But I’m here with my family.”
Family.
As if he sensed us, he turned then, flashing that devastating smile like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“There are my girls,” he announced, and scooped Lily up without breaking stride.
The girls froze. One of them flushed immediately.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “We didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”
They retreated fast, apologies tumbling over each other as they escaped, and I didn’t even get the chance to correct them.
Not that I tried.
I hated how pleased I felt. Hated the butterflies that erupted anyway. Hated that I was smiling.
Ethan turned then, finally really looking at me.
The grin slid right off his face.
He stared.
Not subtly. Like he’d forgotten where we were. Like the beach had gone quiet around us.
I suddenly became very aware of my two-piece. Of my skin. Of the heat. Of the way his eyes lingered with an intensity that made my stomach flip and my pulse trip over itself.
Lily saved me.
“Claire,” she said loudly, peering at my face. “Why are you red, like a lobster?”
I groaned.
Ethan bit his lip, failing spectacularly at hiding his smirk. “Yeah, Claire,” he said lightly. “Why are you so red?”
I shoved both of them away, mortified. “Go in the water. Both of you. Now.”
“Oh!” Ethan said, snapping his fingers. “We almost forgot.”
He dug into the bag and pulled out the sunscreen, applying it quickly to Lily while she bounced in place, barely tolerating the delay. He smeared some on himself with exaggerated seriousness, then turned to me.
“You want help?” he asked, far too innocent.
“I already did it,” I said, rolling my eyes. “But thank you for the selfless offer.”
He laughed, loud and easy, and then suddenly scooped Lily up again.
She squealed as he bolted toward the waves, her laughter carrying over the sand as they ran.
I picked a spot away from the densest crowd and dropped my towel, settling down to watch them. Lily shrieked with delight as Ethan splashed her, their laughter blending with the sound of the waves.
Something warm and bittersweet settled in my chest.
Not long ago, I’d fought against him having custody of her. I’d been scared. Protective. Certain I knew best.
Watching them now, it was impossible not to see how wrong I’d been.
Ethan glanced over at me, caught my eye, and then he and Lily charged back toward shore.
I knew what was coming.
“Attack!” Lily yelled.
I barely had time to protest before they grabbed me, mostly Ethan, and despite my shrieking insistence that I did not want to get wet, I was unceremoniously dumped into the cold water.
I came up sputtering, laughing despite myself, reaching for him.
And then it was on.
We dunked each other mercilessly, splashing and laughing while Lily cheered from the shallows like a referee who had clearly picked sides.
Later, we decided to eat at one of the ocean-side restaurants that lined the beach.
I managed to secure us a table on the crowded outdoor deck after a bit of maneuvering, it required a bit of smiling apologetically and pretending I hadn’t absolutely been aiming for that exact spot.
As I sat down, the breeze carrying the smell of salt and fried seafood, it struck me that this indeed had been a very good day to come here.
A very good day for a date.
The thought alone sent a small rush of butterflies through me.
Ethan had suggested the beach specifically because it was far from the nosier residents of our town, and I’d appreciated that more than I’d said out loud.
We’d been together for a month now, quietly, in a way that belonged only to us.
We hadn’t told anyone. Not yet. We didn’t want opinions or expectations pressing in before we’d even figured out who we were to each other now, as adults, as people shaped by ten years of very different lives.
Lily and Ethan came back a few minutes later, arms full. Ethan had the plates balanced precariously, Lily struggling bravely with a tray of drinks. I jumped up to take hers before disaster struck, earning a relieved smile from her.
The food looked incredible. Fresh seafood piled high, fries crisp and golden, even Lily’s burger looked unfairly good. We dug in immediately, talking with our mouths half full about the crowd, the noise, how it felt like the entire world had decided to come to the beach for summer vacation.
When we finished, Lily wasted no time.
“Can we go back to the ocean now?” she asked, already sliding off her chair. “I want to build a sandcastle.”
She grabbed both our hands before either of us could answer and dragged us toward the shore, laughing at how easily she could pull us along. Ethan immediately began exaggerating his struggle, lagging behind on purpose.
“My back,” he complained loudly. “I’m too young to feel this old. Lily, I think you need to carry me.”
She giggled and tugged harder. I laughed with them, the sound coming easier than it had in a long time, the simple joy of it settling deep in my chest.
Once we reached a quieter stretch of beach, Lily dropped to the sand and started digging with intense focus.
Ethan and I sat a little distance away, close enough to watch her, far enough to have space.
That was why we were here, really. Away from town.
Away from eyes and assumptions. Giving this thing between us room to breathe.
We didn’t talk at first. We didn’t need to.
Ethan’s hand found mine in the sand, his fingers closing over my own, warm and steady. I shifted closer without thinking. He glanced down at me.
“Okay?” he asked softly.
I hummed in answer, content, leaning into his side.
After a moment, I asked, “So… what’s next?”
He smiled, that familiar teasing curve of his mouth. “Probably one or two more water fights where I absolutely destroy you. Then we pack up and head back before dinner.”
I snorted. “Sure, you will.”
He laughed, then I clarified, quieter, “I didn’t mean today. I meant… in general.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he pulled me closer, wrapping an arm around me and resting his chin on the top of my head.
“This,” he said simply. “This is my future. Right here. In between my arms.”
My chest filled so suddenly it almost hurt, like I might float straight out of my body if I wasn’t careful.
Then he added, amused, “And, look at that. Seems like my future is running away.”
I looked up just in time to see Lily sprinting down the beach, chasing a retriever puppy with floppy ears and boundless enthusiasm. Ethan pressed a quick kiss to my lips and stood.
“Be right back,” he said, already jogging after her.
I watched as he and Lily both took off after the dog, laughter trailing behind them, and felt something settle inside me, warm and hopeful.
I wished, with all my heart, that the future Ethan talked about would come true.