Page 69 of Beach Vibes

She drove to Teddy’s house, arriving five minutes after nine. Rather than knocking, she texted to say she’d arrived. Seconds later the front door opened, and he stepped out onto the porch. They looked at each other before rushing together. The second his arms came around her, she relaxed into his embrace, welcoming the sense of homecoming.

“Now I can breathe,” he murmured, his body pressing against hers.

“You must have been so scared.”

“Down to my bones. Orchid’s tough, but when I saw her lying on the sidewalk, I knew it was going to be bad. I’ve never been so glad to be wrong.”

Teddy kept his arm around her as he led her into the house.

“But she’s okay now,” she said as she dropped her bag onto the entry table and faced him.

He nodded. “She’s banged up. Like I said, there are a couple of stitches.” He grimaced. “She was trying to pop the curb like she’s seen Atlas do.”

She must have looked confused, because he added, “You ride fast toward the curb and pull up on the front handlebars right before you hit it.”

“Or you could use the driveway,” she said.

He grinned at her. “There’s nothing cool about that.” The smile faded. “She and I are going to have a talk later, though. At least she was wearing her helmet, or it could have been worse.” He drew in a breath. “I want them to be kids, you know? Have fun, take risks, but there’s always a downside.”

“Risk,” she said lightly. It was something she’d avoided her whole life. She’d always been a “take the driveway” kind of person. Until now—with Teddy. He was the biggest chance she’d ever taken.

“Do you have pictures of Valonia?” she asked. “I’ve neverseen her.” She paused at his look of surprise. “Should I not have asked that? She’s a part of your life, Teddy. If she hadn’t died, you’d still be together.”

Something she’d thought about back before she realized he was attracted to her. She’d tried to talk herself out of her crush by pointing out that Teddy hadn’t broken up with his late wife. Their marriage hadn’t fallen apart and ended on its own. It had been severed by cruel fate.

He took her hand. “We’ll have to be quiet,” he said. “The pictures are in the hallway by the bedrooms.”

He led the way, flipping on an overhead light as they went. She saw a set of double doors and an archway at the far end of the hall. In between were dozens of framed pictures.

She released his hand and walked to the large wedding portrait of Teddy with a petite, dark-haired woman. They were both smiling at the camera, looking happy and very much in love. The woman was lovely—curvy and pretty, with a bright smile and a hint of mischief in her eyes.

There were pictures of them on vacation, then a side shot of her showing off her pregnancy belly. Beth walked down the hallway, taking in pictures of Christmases and birthdays, the swaddled newborn shot of each of the kids. Halfway to the main bedroom, the pictures changed from a family of five to a family of four. There were still the birthday parties, the family by the tree, but the heart of them all was gone.

She felt the pain almost as if it was her own. She wondered how lost the children must have felt to suddenly not have their mother. How had they all survived? She looked at Teddy, knowing he would have felt it most of all. His life’s partner ripped away with no warning.

Unexpected tears filled her eyes. She did her best to blink them away, but he saw them and quickly pulled her back to the front of the house.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly. “You’re upset.”

“I’m not. It’s fine.” She brushed away the moisture. “Obviously I never knew Valonia, but looking at those pictures, I felt so sad. As if I could touch the grief.” She grimaced. “Sorry. I’m not making sense.”

Instead of answering, he drew her close again. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You understood.” He drew back enough to look at her, his gazing locking with hers. “I want you to know how much you mean to me.”

His voice was fierce, his expression intense. She got what he was saying—something had happened between them. Not just tonight, but from the moment they’d met. She didn’t understand it, wasn’t willing to name it just yet, but it was real and alive and she never wanted it to end.

“You matter to me, too.”

Because he did, and while he was completely unexpected, she was so grateful to have found both him and them.

* * *

“This is silly,” Beth said as they slid into a booth at the small café in the busy shopping center.

“It’s not silly.” Jana put her hands on the table and leaned toward her friend. “It’s long overdue. You’ve been feeding me for weeks. The least I can do is return the favor once in a while. Besides, we’re celebrating my calculus test. I got another B and I’m thrilled.”

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