Page 91 of On The Beach

"I've worked my whole life to build something," she said, her voice barely above a murmur. "And yes, I work hard. Yes, it's exhausting. But do you really think that means I can't love you, too? That I can't find space for you in that life?"

"I don't want to be something you have to make space for," I said, my voice thick with emotion I'd been trying so hard to suppress. "I want to be…I want to be something you choose. Because you want me, not because it's convenient, or easy, or something you feel obligated to keep."

Her face crumpled, and she took a shuddering breath. "Mick, I wouldn't be here if I didn't choose you. I wouldn't have stayed as long as I have. But…you keep pushing me back, shoving me into a box labeledtoo ambitious for love. That's not fair."

"I do love you, Belle."

"And I love you, so I don't understand?—"

"I can't become Dr. Nicholas Augustus again, and you're all into that world. I am who I am now, and I like who I am. I don't want to change."

She took a shaky breath, her voice softer now, almost pleading. "I don't need you to change who you are. I don't need you to leave Reef Harbor or give up your life here. But I need you to let me decide if I want to be a part of it. Can you…can you at least give me that?"

I felt my defenses start to crumble. She wasn't asking me to give up my life, my sanctuary. She was asking to be let in.

I took her hand, rough and calloused against her softness. "Belle…I don't want you to regret this. I don't want you to ever look back and feel like you gave up more than you got."

She looked down at our joined hands, her thumb brushing over my knuckles. "Maybe that's a risk I'm willing to take. But it has to be my risk, Mick. Not yours."

I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of it settle in my chest. I wanted her. God, I wanted her more than anything. But wanting her and believing I deserved her were two different things.

"Okay," I whispered, my voice barely holding steady.

"Iwillget better at work-life balance. I promise."

"And I'll try to get better at not making decisions for you without your input."

She laughed softly, and her eyes filled with hope. And in the quiet that followed, with her fingers laced in mine and the ocean whispering just beyond the walls of the hut, I let myself hope, too.

CHAPTER 32

bottom of my heart

BELLE

Icalled Anna, needing moral support, maybe a little sympathy.

Anna answered after one ring. "What's up?"

I groaned. "It's complicated."

She laughed. "Complicated? Is that code for I've somehow made a huge mess of my life but want to pretend it's sophisticated?"

"More or less." I flopped back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. "Mick wants me to leave. He thinks he's doing me a favor. The whole noble,my life is too simple for you; you're destined for greatnessnonsense."

"Oh, please." I could practically hear her rolling her eyes. "What does he think you are, a prized racehorse? Run free, Belle, go win gold medals, and change the world. I'll be here, toiling away in obscurity. Give me a break."

"Right?!" I bolted upright, feeling vindicated. "He basically thinks I have no work-life balance and that I'm going to, I don't know, burn out like he did."

There was a pause, and then Anna snorted. "Well…"

I narrowed my eyes, even though she couldn't see me. "Well, what?"

"He's not wrong."

"Oh, come on, Anna! Whose side are you on?"

"Belle, honey, I'm on your side," she said in the tone she used when I was being particularly dense. "But you have to admit, you are a terrible workaholic. Completely obsessed. You don't exactly have what I'd call a balanced lifestyle."

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