Page 60 of Beach Vibes

“An unexpected baby?” she asked.

He chuckled. “It was more we didn’t do anything to prevent it from happening.”

“You mentioned you were introduced by friends and clicked right away. So no drama in the relationship?”

“None. I figured out I wanted to marry her within two days.”The smile returned. “She took a day or two longer, but we both sensed a connection right away.”

“I can’t imagine what that would be like,” she admitted. “The instant knowing.”

“You don’t believe in that?”

“It’s more I haven’t experienced it. I seem to be a more slow and steady kind of person.”

At least, that was how it had been with Ian, she thought. Their first few dates had been a little awkward, but they’d both hung in there and had eventually figured out what worked for them. Until it hadn’t.

“I don’t know what that’s like,” he admitted.

“There’s an element of caution that’s probably both good and bad.” She hesitated, then added, “My mother was very much a ‘just go for it’ kind of person. She wanted to experience everything, and if it was dangerous, all the better. But when I was little, that kind of attitude frightened me. I wanted security and safety more than adventure.”

“Of course you did.” His voice was gentle. “Kids need to feel secure most of all. Once they know they’re taken care of, they can be comfortable exploring.”

She appreciated that he understood what she was trying to say. “My philosophy hasn’t changed all that much. I tend to think things through and act sensibly.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not exactly exciting.”

Their server returned to take their drink orders and explain about the specials. Beth ordered a glass of white wine, and Teddy did the same.

When they were alone, she said, “Did you and Valonia always plan on having a big family?”

“After Atlas was born, we debated whether or not to have a third kid. Then she got pregnant. The decision was made forus. I don’t know if we would have kept having children. Three seems like plenty.”

“But you love them.”

“Every second of every day. They get me through.” He looked at her. “You and Ian didn’t want children?”

“We did.” She paused and tried to remember the conversations she and her ex had had about starting a family. “At least at first. But we wanted to wait a couple of years, and then somehow the idea got lost.”

Their server returned with their drinks and left. Beth picked up her wine and took a sip.

“I think we drifted apart. Toward the end, we seemed to be living separate lives. One day he said he thought our marriage was in trouble. The words shocked me, but I knew he wasn’t wrong.”

She explained about how they’d made the decision to work on their marriage. “We started counseling and doing all the things. After a couple of months, we had an assessment meeting with our counselor.” She drew in a breath and braced herself for the telling.

“I was so happy. I talked about how close we’d gotten and how in love with Ian I was. I said that having things fall apart had ended up making them so much better.”

Teddy’s expression turned sympathetic. “Ian didn’t agree.”

“No. He said while he appreciated that we’d both tried, he wasn’t in love with me anymore, and he wanted a divorce. Then he walked out of our session, and that was it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. Once I got over the shock and we split up, it didn’t take me long to realize we really hadn’t had a very good marriage. I healed and moved on. Ian is engaged, by the way, and I only wish him the best.”

She realized she meant the words, which was a nice testament to her character. The shock of finding out had both fadedand given her the nudge she’d needed to start looking around for a life of her own.

“You’re still friends?”

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