Chance Encounter - Jerry Cole Page 0,59

but Ava was happy running around.

We grabbed lunch at a fish and chips place before heading back to the house. Ava was tired, and Amy admitted to needing a nap as well.

We sat out on the deck to take in the water while the girls all slept. It was cooler than this morning, but the view was too good to ignore. We sipped beer and talked about life. The fact that we were all settled down was surprising to all of us, but we were happy. Jackson admitted to being nervous about the baby, but we told him that he’d be fine. Becca and Mari were pros now, and they’d help out, even though they got Ava when she was older. Gram had a lot of experience, and they were parents. They would understand their baby.

“I could get used to this. Imagine just waking up and walking to the beach. We should look into a timeshare or a vacation home. Something like that,” Jackson said as I shared a look with Gray. “If we had something this size, we could be here together and be fine.”

“We’re not doing as well as you are, but we might be able to manage it. I’ve been doing good at my gig, and he’s raising the bar at the theater,” Gray said, nodding at me.

“Even though I don’t live there, my company is fine. I could look into getting a house for us at home too, but I like being close to Gram.” Jackson frowned and sipped his beer. “Living this close to her has been great.”

“She’s happy. I feel like I should have done this before rather than moving away, but she wanted us to live our lives. She did fine, but once she was alone, I knew I needed to be here.” Gray smiled, and I squeezed his hand.

“I like that I can take care of her and not worry about working a lot here. I can let Amy relax even if she doesn’t want to.” Jackson laughed, and we nodded. Our girls were busy, even the smallest one.

“What do you want to do for dinner tonight?” Gray asked, and I took a mental inventory of the fridge.

“We bought that shrimp. Let’s grill that and steam the crab legs. We can make a bunch of veggies and throw some rolls on a plate. There’s that cake that we could have for dessert. With some wine and beer, it will be perfect.” I smiled before I felt Jackson looking at me with a raised brow. “She can share Ava’s juice. Slow down, Daddy.”

“That sounds great. Can you throw some chicken on there too? Do we have any left? Amy is supposed to watch how much seafood and fish she eats.” Jackson asked as I shook my head.

“Of course. She’s been great about watching what she eats,” Gray said as Jackson shrugged with one shoulder.

“You won’t say that when she sees that cake. She likes sweets a lot more in pregnancy,” Jackson said as we heard the door open behind us.

“Jackson. Are you talking about me?” A voice rang out, and he winced.

“Baby, I was kidding. They have an incredible chocolate cake for dessert.” Amy walked forward to kiss him, sitting on his lap as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Uh-huh.” Amy winked at us, looking fresh and beautiful.

The other girls woke up, and we walked on the beach for a while before dinner. After tonight, we only had one more before returning home. I didn’t mind going back home, but it was beautiful here. It was relaxing.

We ate dinner outside at the table, lit by the deck lights and some lamps. It was a good feast, and Ava played with her toys after she finished, while the girls talked before her bath. We talked about going to another part of the town the following day to have lunch and look around. It seemed easier to go out to lunch and have dinner with the ocean view where we could relax.

We ended the night with cake and one last beer after the girls got Ava to bed. Gray and I locked up the house, headed upstairs to get some sleep. “This is incredible,” I said as I shut the kitchen lights off.

“I think Jackson is onto something. We should look at a beach house. This isn’t too far, and Gram could travel here.” She’s willing to travel for the wedding, so this was just a car ride.

“That’s true. It’s an easy enough trip for