Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
Bobby
I didn’t realize how much we needed this until we got here.
The small beach house sat right at the edge of the shore, where the sand met the wooden deck in a seamless blend of nature and comfort.
The waves rolled in slow and steady, carrying the scent of salt and sun-drenched driftwood through the open windows.
The sky stretched endlessly above us, and for the first time in a long time, I felt something in my chest loosen.
The tension that had been coiled there for years began to fade, just a little, just enough for me to take a deep breath and believe that this moment belonged to us.
Gabbi had planned the whole thing without telling me.
She had tossed the car keys into my hands that morning, smirking as she told me to "just drive" while she and Liam bickered in the backseat over the music. It wasn’t until we reached the coastline, the bright blue ocean stretching in front of us, that she finally told us what she had done.
"A weekend," she said. "No reporters. No courtrooms. No nightmares.
Just us." And damn if that didn’t sound like exactly what we needed.
Now, standing on the deck with a beer in my hand, I watched Gabbi and Liam run along the shoreline like kids.
The water was cold, but neither of them cared.
The waves chased after their feet, their laughter carrying over the wind.
Gabbi shrieked when Liam tackled her into the surf, her blonde hair plastered to her face as she shoved him off with a dramatic gasp.
"You little menace!" she huffed, flicking water at him.
Liam smirked, shaking the water from his hair. "You're slow, old lady."
Gabbi gaped at him, placing a hand over her chest. "Old?" She turned toward me, her eyes wide in mock betrayal. "Bobby, did you hear that? He called me old!"
I took a slow sip of my beer, barely hiding my grin. "I mean… he’s not wrong."
Gabbi narrowed her eyes, pointing at me. "You're next."
I chuckled, shaking my head as I watched them splash each other like nothing in the world had ever hurt them.
And maybe, just for these few days, that was true.
For the first time since we had found Liam, he looked like a normal teenager.
No shadows in his eyes. No weight pressing down on his shoulders.
Just a boy playing in the waves, laughing like the world hadn’t stolen six years from him.
That night, after Liam had passed out on the couch, exhausted from the sun and too many s’mores by the bonfire, Gabbi and I took a walk along the shore.
The moon cast silver light over the waves, and the water glowed where it lapped at our feet.
Her hand brushed against mine, and I took it, our fingers tangling easily.
"Think he’s actually enjoying himself?" Gabbi asked softly, looking out at the ocean.
I glanced back at the beach house, where Liam was sprawled out on the couch, one arm dangling over the side, snoring lightly. "Yeah," I murmured. "I think he is."
Gabbi smiled, her expression soft, content. "Good."
The silence between us was easy, the way it used to be before life tore us apart. But underneath it, there was something else. Something simmering.
I pulled her closer, sliding my hand up her arm, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips. She inhaled, tilting her face up toward mine, her lips parting slightly.
"You keep looking at me like that," she murmured, "and I’m going to think you have something on your mind."
I smirked, brushing my thumb along her jaw. "I do."
Gabbi swallowed, her pulse fluttering beneath my touch. "Yeah?"
I leaned in, my lips hovering over hers. "Yeah."
Then I kissed her.
It started slow, lingering, a familiar warmth settling between us.
But the moment she curled her fingers into my shirt, pulling me closer, something inside me snapped.
I deepened the kiss, my hands sliding down to her waist, gripping her like I never wanted to let go.
She pressed against me, her body molding to mine, her breath catching as I kissed her harder, deeper, like I needed her to breathe.
She whispered my name against my lips, her voice trembling, and God, I needed her.
I lifted her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carried her further up the shore, away from the waves.
The sand was cool beneath us as I laid her down, hovering over her, my hands trailing over familiar curves, relearning the shape of her body.
The moonlight traced every inch of her, making her glow.
"Bobby," she murmured, her hands sliding over my shoulders.
I kissed her again, slow, deliberate, full of every unspoken word we had never said. We took our time, every touch a promise, every breath a reminder of what we had lost and what we had found again. There was no rush. No desperation. Just love, steady and unshaken.
Afterward, she lay beside me, her head resting on my chest, her fingers still tangled with mine. I traced lazy patterns on her back, memorizing the way her skin felt against mine.
Gabbi sighed, a soft, content sound. "I love you."
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the words settle into my chest before tilting her chin up, looking into her eyes. "I love you too."
She smiled, pressing a slow kiss to my collarbone before settling against me again.
For the first time in years, everything felt right.
The next morning, I woke up to the smell of coffee and the sound of seagulls. Gabbi was already on the deck, her feet propped up on the railing, a book in her lap. She looked over when I stepped outside, her smile easy, her eyes still filled with sleep.
"Morning," she said, holding up a mug. "Coffee?"
I walked over, plucking it from her hands before sitting beside her. "Thanks."
She nudged my foot with hers. "Liam’s still asleep."
I smirked. "Shocking."
We sat there for a while, watching the waves, letting the quiet be enough.
Later, when Liam finally woke up, we spent the day fishing, swimming, and soaking up the kind of peace we hadn’t known in years.
That night, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Liam sat beside me on the sand, watching Gabbi twirl in the surf, laughing as the waves crashed over her feet. He glanced at me, then back at her. "I don’t feel scared all the time anymore."
I swallowed, my chest tightening.
I didn’t say anything, just reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
Liam exhaled, then smiled—small, but real.