Page 20 of A Constant Christmas

“Remind me to wipe that off before we prepare food on it,” I giggle.

“Definitely,” he smiles. “Now, let’s try this whole beach thing again.”

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Twenty minutes later, we are back sitting outside in the warm weather as the ocean breeze blows around us. Staring out into the waves, I’m reminded of the last time we were here, and I was staring into the water.

Tyler brought me here to get me away from whatever was bugging me. My ex was stalking me and making my life a living hell. But I didn’t tell anyone for fear he would hurt them too. Terrified for Tyler’s safety, I left him in the dark.

So, he spent months watching me fall apart, slowly descending into a deepening depression, unsure of what was really wrong with me.

But it was here on this island that I knew what had to be done. I had to confront my past head-on if I was ever going to escape it.

And I did.

And I won.

Being here with Tyler in this magical place helped me to do that. I saw a future with him that was bright and beautiful, but we could never have it being held down by the chains of the past.

When he brought me here, never pushing me to know what was truly the matter, I knew that he was the man for me. This man who had been so patient and loving even though I was damaged to what seemed like was beyond repair. But he stayed. And he loved me through every second.

Yes, the last time I stared at these glassy waves, I was scared but determined that I had to make a better life for myself…for us. This little paradise convinced me to fight for us so that we could always have our own slice of paradise.

Tyler interrupts my thoughts, “What are you thinking about, Kansas?”

“The last time we were here.”

“What about it?”

“Just thinking about how being here with you made me want to fight like hell to make sure that you and I would have a future together.”

He doesn’t respond with words but instead with a warm smile and by taking my hand in his.

We sit in silence for a little while getting lost in watching the waves rolling in.

Finally, I say, “Can you believe that it’s been almost ten years since we’ve been here?”

“I know. It’s crazy because it doesn’t seem that long, yet so much has happened in those ten years that it feels like it should feel longer,” he replies.

“We need to bring the kids here.”

He just nods.

“I’m serious, Ty. I feel like lately, I’ve been so caught up in the day-to-day that I’m forgetting that we need to make all these awesome memories with them.”

“Sam, I’ve brought up vacations before, but you never seemed all that interested in it.”

I sigh. “I know. But I think it’s because the thought of taking three little kids on vacation sometimes seems like more work than a relaxing trip. But twenty years from now, we aren’t going to remember how much work it was. We are going to remember the fun that we had and all the good things we shared.”

“So, you want to take a vacation with the kids?” He asks. “Okay. When do you want to go?”

“Soon,” I say. “Like after Christmas before the girls start back to school. Is that too soon?”

He shakes his head. “Not at all. I’ll make it work. Any particular place you want to go?”

“I don’t care as long as we go somewhere and just enjoy the moment with our babies. Speaking of which, have you called your sister today?”

“No,” he says pulling out his phone. “Let’s do that right now.”

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