Page 44 of Key West Promises

Tess gave Kaitlyn a sideways glance. “This whole thing was your idea, you know. You should be proud.”

Kaitlyn hesitated, then shrugged. “I just wanted to do something that mattered.”

Leah linked arms with her niece. “Well, you’re doing it. And you’re not alone.”

“We couldn’t be prouder of you, sweetheart,” Gretchen said.

“I’m ready to dive into the water. Who’s with me?” Chelsea asked.

They all got up and walked toward the water, the easy rhythm of the ocean settling over them. Eventually, Leah attempted an impromptu yoga pose in the sand, only to topple over, sending a spray of sand onto Tess and Chelsea.

“I’m just testing the softness of the beach,” Leah said, sprawled on her back. “It passes.”

Chelsea snorted. “I swear, you were a circus performer in a past life.”

Kaitlyn ran into the water first, her head diving into a large wave.

“Look at her,” Gretchen said. “That’s my daughter.”

Chelsea smiled. “No matter how bad you feel about Jeffrey and Sarah, you should be proud of the way you raised Kaitlyn. She’s an incredible young lady.”

“She’s all grown up. It’s hard knowing what my place is in her life now.”

Chelsea laughed and slipped her arm through Gretchen’s.

“Don’t you worry about it. She’ll always be your baby, and from the looks of things, she’s going to need her mother.”

Kaitlyn looked back at her mother and her aunts and smiled. It wasn’t perfect—there were still unspoken tensions, unfinished conversations—but here, now, there was peace.

She hated to admit it, but with everything that was about to happen in Key West, she imagined that peace wouldn’t last much longer.

The sound of footsteps in the sand behind her made Kaitlyn glance over her shoulder. Will was walking toward her, his hands in the pockets of his board shorts, his easy stride making it look like he had all the time in the world.

“Hey, stranger,” he said, stopping beside her.

Kaitlyn smiled slightly. “Hey yourself.”

“I saw your aunts heading back up the beach. Figured you might still be out here.”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. “I wasn’t ready to leave yet.”

Will studied her for a moment before stepping closer. “What’s on your mind?”

Kaitlyn let out a breath and ran a hand over her ponytail, her fingers toying with the ends of her hair. “Everything. Too much.” She huffed a small, humorless laugh. “You ever feel like you’re standing in the middle of a storm, but everyone else is just going about their business like it’s a sunny day?”

Will tilted his head. “Yeah. I’ve felt like that a time or two.”

She nodded, staring out at the water. “My father and my sister are coming to Key West next week.”

Will didn’t react immediately, giving her space to continue.

“I don’t even know how to process any of this. One minute, I’m furious at my parents for keeping this from me. The next, I’m overwhelmed by the idea that I have a sister who might actually want to know me.”

She could tell his silence meant that he was letting her work through her thoughts.

“And my dad…he stayed for her, you know? He left me behind but stayed for Sarah. I try not to think about what that means, but it’s hard not to.”

“So, your dad stayed with you and your mother when he already had another child?”

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