Page 58 of The Boss's Hideaway Baby

I shake my head, annoyed at myself. I need to get it together.

I start to get up, but something catches my eye. It’s an old couple, strolling hand in hand along the shoreline. Laughter bubbles between them as they share a private joke.

They seem so at ease with each other, so in love. The sight tugs at something deep within me, forcing me to confront the desires I’ve been fighting to keep at bay.

Is that what I want? To grow old with someone, sharing laughter and memories?

The old couple disappears into the distance, and it hits me all at once. I’m tired of suppressing my longing for love, tired of putting work above everything else. I want to be with Maria. Even if I’ve already lost my chance with her, I need to try.

Fumbling with my phone, I find Maria’s name and hit call. My heart races with every ring, the sound echoing through the morning air.

But wait… it’s not just the ringing in my ear; there’s an echo coming from down the beach, carried to me by the breeze.

“Hello?” Maria’s voice crackles through the phone, but I’m too stunned to answer. There she is, sitting maybe twenty yards from me, her phone pressed to her ear.

“Maria?” I manage to choke out, my voice barely audible.

“Hey, Nathan.” Her eyes meet mine. “Fancy seeing you here.”

My heart leaps into my throat. “Mind if I join you?”

Her gaze lingers on me for a long time. Finally, she nods.

Hanging up the phone, I stand — only to find that my legs are suddenly made of jelly.

As I slowly make my way to her, the beach seems to stretch out infinitely before me. Each grain of sand feels as if it’s trying to hold me back, reminding me of all the missed opportunities and could-have-beens. But this time, I won’t let fear and doubt consume me.

Finally reaching Maria, I plop down beside her on the sand, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement coursing through my veins. The sun casts a warm glow on her face, illuminating her features and making her beauty even more radiant.

This is it. The moment that I hoped and prayed for.

Fingers crossed I don’t screw it up.

CHAPTER 22

MARIA

It seems too crazy to be true. I came to Montauk to forget about Nathan, but as if by some cruel twist of fate, here he is — sitting right next to me.

His presence sends an electric jolt through my body, making my heart race and my palms sweat. A lot has happened in the last few days. I’ve made a lot of decisions and put my life on a new track, and I’ve actually been feeling good about it.

Now I wonder if he’s about to derail all of that.

“Nice morning.” He says it so casually, as if we’re just two old friends bumping into each other on the beach. His voice is like a balm and a burn all at once.

“Yeah.” I sound so chill as well, but I’m acutely aware of the tension that hangs heavy between us.

I lick my lips, trying not to dwell on the question that has been consuming me for weeks: how am I going to tell him? The secret growing inside me is impossible to ignore now, but I’m not ready to face the consequences.

“Montauk really is something special.” He shifts his weight in the sand, leaning back on his hands. “I can see why you love it here.”

That’s what he’s choosing to say? With no explanation of what he’s doing in town, right down the street from the cabin we hid away from the world in?

“Why are you here?” I whisper.

His gaze falls to the sand. “I needed to get out of the city.”

So he chose my neighborhood?

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