Page 75 of Bought and Broken

We both laugh.

“I’ll ask Dane and figure out a way to ask Tate too.”

“You still haven’t come out to Dane yet?” she says through gritted teeth. “It’s been weeks, and from what you tell me, it’s getting serious.”

“I know, but we’re not ready to put a label on things. Honestly, I’m not sure we will at all. I’m leaving, remember?”

Summer rolls her eyes. “That’s what you keep saying.”

“I mean it. I even emailed someone about a house I found…”

She gasps. “You did? Where? Why are you only telling me this now?”

“It was just yesterday.”

“Well, where is it?”

“Myrtle Beach.”

“People actually live there? It isn’t just like… touristy stuff?”

“Yes, people live there, Summer. And it isn’t all that expensive, plus it’s close to the beach. I have good memories there. I think that’ll help with being away from everyone.”

“If being away from everyone is too hard, maybe that’s a hint not to go.”

I don’t respond to that.

When we get into the lot, we drive up and down for ten minutes trying to find a spot. Once we do, I grab the stuff from the trunk while Summer gets Astrid out of her seat and somewhat awake. The second she sees the beach, she’s squirming like crazy. Summer carries her until we’re in the sand.

We find a spot and put our stuff down. I get the blanket and chairs out while Summer wrangles Astrid to put sunscreen on her.

“Listen to Mommy, okay, Astrid?”

“Otay!” she says, jumping from foot to foot.

“You have to behave while we’re here. I know the water is pretty, but it can be dangerous. We have to go slow.”

“Slow,” she says with a head nod.

God, she’s so freaking cute.

“And you have to hold Mommy’s hand, okay?”

“Otay, otay, otay!”

Once Astrid is all set with her sunscreen and in her floaties, we manage to keep her entertained for a few minutes while we get down to our bathing suits and sunscreened up too. I grab the buckets, shovels, and sandcastle stuff, and we make our way to the water.

Astrid squeals excitedly when the water touches her toes. She’s a little hesitant, but ends up going in up to her knees. Summer tries getting her to go a little deeper, but she doesn’t want to. So we sit right there and play with the wet sand and waves.

The beach is busy as hell, a bunch of people playing in the water and lying in the sun. Further down, people have a volleyball net set up and they’re having an intense game.

I watch Summer interact with her daughter, and it makes my heart happy. It’s amazing how much she’s turned her life around after finding out she was pregnant, and she did it all herself. She had no help from Astrid’s father, Tommy, who took off to college to play football. He didn’t think a child was worth staying for, I guess. And of course, her parents didn’t do a thing. Summer loves her daughter so much, you can see it in how they are with one another.

When it’s time to eat, we go back to our blanket and I pull out the food while Summer puts more sunscreen on Astrid. We sit and eat, watching the people along the beach as we do.

“Can you watch her while I go to the bathroom?”

“Yeah, of course.”

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