Page 77 of Our Final Encore

“It’s great,” I glare at him, my lips curving up slightly as I try not to laugh.

We always bonded over our mutual love of music, even though I always preferred more pop-like, melodic genres and he preferred the grittier, acoustic stuff.

After we’re done eating, we slide back into the van. My stomach is so full that I swear my bump grew at least an inch bigger. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going now?”

“Do you not know what a surprise is?” I roll my eyes as he turns back onto the mostly empty backroad that seems to lead nowhere. “Speaking of which, when will we find out the sex of the baby? Soon, right?”

“I figured we’d just wait to find out when they’re born.”

“And here you are, claiming you don’t like surprises.”

“I mean, I’ve already experienced about the biggest surprise someone can have. Why not keep the fun going?” I shrug sarcastically. “Plus, it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s a girl or a boy, I just want them to be happy, and healthy.”

“Me, too.” He grins and reaches over, resting his hand on my bare thigh. I can’t pretend that the contact doesn’t affect me. Goosebumps rise on my leg beneath his touch, and even though it feels more friendly than anything, I don’t really want him to move his hand. It’s comforting somehow. “And for the record, I’ve always liked surprises.”

FORTY-EIGHT

Opal

“Opal…” A warm hand rubs up and down my arm, and I groggily blink my eyes open until I remember where I am. In Alex’s van. How the heck did I fall asleep? I never sleep during road trips.

The sky is dark now, and it takes me a moment to focus my eyes enough to see through the windshield in front of me. “Where are we?”

“Crystal Cove. About an hour from Galveston.”

I finally sit up, and now I can make out the pier standing in the distance ahead of us. I look around, but the parking lot we’re in is almost completely empty. “Why?” I ask.

“Because you love the ocean.”

It’s true. I’ve always loved the water, something about it has always been therapeutic to me. Even just sitting in a bathtub full of water has calmed me down ever since I was a child.

“Yeah, but…why?”

He shrugs. “You deserve a vacation. Why not?”

Sighing I turn my head to look out the window, I can just barely see the moonlight shimmering on the ocean waves in the distance and it calls to me, begging me to come closer.

“You wanna go for a walk?”

“Where are we staying?” I look around, realizing there aren’t any hotels in the immediate area.

“I rented us a beach house.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key dangling from a singular keyring.

“Alex, how did you manage to do all of this while I was sleeping?” My brow arches.

“What can I say? I’ve done a lot of traveling, it’s second nature at this point. And you’re a surprisingly heavy sleeper.” I was never a heavy sleeper until recently, but I can’t really argue. “Plus, I’d do just about anything to make you smile.”

My heart beats faster and I know I’m probably blushing.Why am I blushing?I’m not a twelve year old girl, but for some reason my brain seems to revert back to one when I’m with him.

He cracks his door open. “Come on.”

Before I can gather my purse and water bottle he’s already at the passenger’s side, opening my door for me. “Thanks.” I grab a thin cardigan from my bag, noticing the slight chill in the breeze.

He holds out his hand for me, and I take it, the contact causing butterflies to stir in my belly. We walk down the boardwalk together, still holding hands. I’m not sure if he even notices that or if it’s just out of habit.

The sounds of the waves crashing and the scent of the thick, salty air invades my senses. It warms me from the inside out.

“What beach did you say this was?” I ask as I slide my arms through the cardigan and wrap it tight around myself.

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