Page 69 of Sacrifice

I smiled, feeling warmth spread through my chest. He always knew how to make things better; how to lift the weight when things started to get heavy. “I could really use the fresh air, too,” I said. “It’s so nice by the water.”

“Sure is. We’ll head down as soon as the food arrives,” he said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’ll just be you and me.”

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, imagining the peacefulness of the cove, far away from the cameras, the questions, and the past. “I can’t wait.”

Sebastian’s hand lingered at the side of my face, his thumb brushing lightly across my cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He kissed my forehead gently. I was about to tilt my face up to kiss him properly when a soft chime from his phone signaled the arrival of the food. “Looks like our picnic has arrived,” he said, pulling me to my feet.

We headed outside, where a delivery person stood with a huge basket overflowing with bags and neatly packed containers. Sebastian took the basket and briefly went back inside to grab a blanket, glasses, and cutlery, and then he returned, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Ready for the biggest and best meal you’ve ever had?” he asked, leading the way toward the winding path down to the private cove. “I ordered everything I could possibly think of for you to try.”

“I can see that,” I said, motioning to the heavily laden basket. “It looks like you’ve got enough food in there to feed an entire village.”

He laughed and led me down toward the water. The sun had already started its descent, casting a warm golden hue over everything. It felt like a moment outside of time; a rare reprieve from the chaos that had consumed our lives for so long.

As we reached the cove, Sebastian laid out a blanket, and I kicked off my shoes, enjoying the feel of the cool sand beneath my feet. The sound of gentle waves lapping against the shore was like music to my ears.

I’d never been to a beach while I was living up in Alderwood, but I’d always dreamed of it, and now I was fortunate enough to live right next to one. I’d painted it many times—that was still my favorite hobby—and each time it looked different, depending on the weather or time of day. I loved trying to capture thosedifferences on the canvas, experimenting with different colors and brushes to capture the ever-changing environment.

Of course, nothing I painted could compare to the experience of actually being here—the sound of the lapping waves and squawking gulls, the smell of the sea breeze, the constant play of light across the surface of the water. It was incredible. Quite literally a dream come true for me.

Sebastian began unpacking the food, revealing an array of treats that smelled heavenly. “This looks amazing,” I said, practically salivating at the sight.

He grinned. “Like I said, I got a lot for you to try.”

“But surely I can’t try it all.” I eyed the brown paper bags on the edge of the blanket. “You’ve only unpacked half of it, and it already looks like too much.”

“You can just have a little taste of everything. Then you can pick your absolute favorite.”

“Good idea.” I pointed to a pale green biscuit. “What’s this?”

“A pistachio macaron from New York’s top bakery.” Sebastian picked it up and pressed it to my lips. “Like I said… only the best for my girl.”

I nibbled at it and let out a groan of delight. “Oh my god. I’ve already decided. This is my favorite thing,” I said after I’d chewed and swallowed.

Sebastian watched me with a grin as I took a bite, clearly enjoying the way I savored each morsel. “Wait until you try the salted caramel éclair.”

As we ate, the sky began to change hues, transitioning from warm golds to cooler shades of pink and purple. I took a deep breath, letting the salty sea air fill my lungs.

“This is perfect,” I murmured, moving closer to Sebastian. “I could spend the whole night here.”

He wrapped an arm around me, holding me close as the darkness began to settle around us. “Here’s to a perfect night,” he said. “Well… almost perfect.”

I glanced quizzically at him. “Almost?”

He smiled. “You still haven’t tried everything,” he said, gesturing to the unopened bags.

I patted my stomach. “All right. I think I’m ready for round two of the food extravaganza.”

He reached into the closest bag and started pulling out smaller bags and containers. “So, in this one, we have the éclair I mentioned earlier,” he said, handing me a small pastry. “You can try that first. It’s from the—”

“From the very best bakery?” I finished for him, flashing him a teasing grin.

He chuckled. “I’ve been saying that a lot, haven’t I?” he said. “But it’s the truth. I only ever want to give you the best, baby.”

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