This definitely grabbed Eva’s attention. She wiggled until they made room for her, then sat on the fence rail in between them. “Yes. I can. But not if it’s bad. Or scary. Or if it will hurt someone because Mommy says we can’t keep secrets that cause someone else to be hurt because—”
“No, it’s not bad,” Sam interrupted, probably knowing that you had to interrupt Eva sometimes to get a word in edgewise. “But it is a secret and you can’t tell Mom, just for tonight.”
Eva’s eyes got big. “Okay.”
Sam gave Noah a nod indicating he had the floor. Noah bit back a laugh. These two. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with them almost as much as he did Marilyn.
“I’m going to ask your mom to marry me while we’re at the beach this weekend.”
He was prepared to field the same sort of questions as he had from Sam. The bigger questions—about inclusion, and family, and changes.
He should’ve known better.
“Do you have a ring? Can I see it? Is it pretty? Is it a diamond? How are you going to ask?” Eva fired off each question in rapid succession. “Are you going to get flowers? Ooh! You’ll be at the beach. What if you write ‘will you marry me’ in the sand? What if you—”
He reached over and put a hand gently over the rugrat’s mouth. “How about if I promise to take lots of pictures so you can see them and give you all the details when we get back on Monday?”
She pulled one finger away from her mouth, big eyes staring at him. “Does this mean you’ll finally be my daddy?”
He kissed her tiny nose. “Yes. If that’s what you want.”
“Can I be a flower girl in the wedding?”
Noah laughed. “That you’ll have to wait and talk to your mother about. But not until after I ask her to marry me first. Remember, secret.”
“Okay.”
“Are you guys coming?” Marilyn yelled from the porch. “Since when don’t you move fast for ice cream?”
Both kids jumped down from the fence and Noah swung Eva up onto his shoulders. Sam tentatively reached out his hand toward Noah, and Noah immediately grabbed it to hold.
The kid would outgrow that soon, and Noah would take every second he could get.
They walked back toward the house. Toward Marilyn. Toward ice cream. Together.
28
Marilyn stood at the base of the path that led up to the spa facility on San Amado, a private Channel Island. She could hear the women ahead of her—most of whom she’d met yesterday—laughing and joking with each other, ready for their afternoon of pampering. They’d been nothing but kind and inclusive toward her since she and Noah arrived a day and a half ago.
But she didn’t want to go to the spa.
For multiple reasons. For one, she wasn’t particularly interested in anyone but Noah putting their hands on her body. Nothing about that seemed relaxing.
But more because she wanted to go back down to the beach again.
She’d never been to the beach before this weekend.
She didn’t want to be rude to the women who’d been so kind to her…but her heart yearned to be closer to that ocean for the limited time she had here.
“Want to blow this joint and go for a walk instead?”
Marilyn spun to find Annie behind her.
“You’re the bride.” Marilyn smiled at her friend. “Isn’t your presence required at the pre-wedding pampering?”
“No, I already told Charlie this morning that I was going to pass. She, always being willing to take one for the team, agreed to use my scheduled massage and hers.”
Marilyn laughed. “Good friend.”
“I want to walk and was going to go toward the cliff side of the island and check it out. I’d love for you to come with me.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt you if you want to be alone.”
Annie linked her arm with Marilyn’s. “There’s nothing I’d like better than to spend time with you. I can see all of them in Oak Creek anytime, plus I can hardly understand how anyone would choose to stay inside while they’re here.”
Exactly.
They turned and walked toward the beach, then cut north along a well-marked path.
“You’re getting married tomorrow, you know.”
Annie’s face lit up in a wide grin. “I know. I’m so ready. I’ve been in love with Zac for so long—since we were kids. Even when I knew he couldn’t be mine.”
“Yet, he’s yours now, no doubt about that.” Marilyn knew Zac and Annie’s history was rooted in some