Page 12 of Moonlit Harbor Nights

“Penny for your thoughts,” Alexis said, seeming to notice Julia’s pensive expression almost instantly.

Julia chuckled. “Well, it’s just—lately, Cooper’s been?—”

She stopped, because at that moment the waitress stepped up to their table to take their order. As she and Alexis told the smiling server what they wanted, Julia wondered how much to tell her sister. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself and assume things that weren’t true. She would be so disappointed if things between her and Cooper didn’t work out the way she was hoping.

That was what was making her feel so nervous, right? She took a deep breath as Alexis spoke to the waitress. All of a sudden, she felt wildly jittery, and a swarm of self-doubting thoughts filled her mind. Was she really the best person for Cooper? What if everything didn’t work out the way she hoped that it would?

As soon as their waitress walked away from their table, Alexis turned to Julia with a gleeful smile. “I believe you were about to tell me something about Cooper.”

Julia bit her lip, twisting her cloth napkin in her fingers. “It’s not a big deal, really. He just… well, I mean he bought an air fryer. It’s been really fun to cook using it together.”

Alexis lifted both her eyebrows in an incredulous expression. “There is absolutely no way you were about to tell me that Cooper bought an air fryer. That’s the kind of thing you excitedly blurt out at random. It’s not something that you sit and think pensively about.”

“I didn’t really look that pensive, did I?”

“Oh, definitely.”

Julia sighed. “Okay. Fine. You’re right.”

“I know.” Alexis nodded. “So come on, tell me. What were you actually thinking about?”

“It’s just…” Julia’s voice trailed off as she stared into space. “He’s been saying things that… I don’t know. Serious things. Things that imply he’s thinking of a future with us together in it.”

Alexis gasped, clasping her hands together. “Julia!” she practically squealed.

Julia held her hands up, begging her sister to be quieter. “I didn’t mean to make a big deal out of it. I mean, it’s just something I’ve been noticing.” She felt as though her cheeks were bright red. The thought of Cooper wanting to merge futures with her made her feel as though she was filled with strands and strands of Christmas lights. Tangled Christmas lights.

“That’s so exciting!” Alexis spoke in a whisper, but she was every bit as excited as she had been before. “Do you think he’s getting like,serious, serious? Do you think he’s going to?—”

“Don’t say it!” Julia gasped and covered her face with her hands.

“What? Why?” Alexis laughed, tugging on Julia’s sleeve to try to get her to uncover her face. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“Oh, it is. I mean—I guess I haven’t let myself really think about it all that much, but…” Julia felt as though the Christmas lights that were filling her stomach just been plugged in and were glowing full force.

“But what?” Alexis was smiling slyly, and Julia had a feeling her sister was guessing pretty accurately as to what was going on in Julia’s mind.

Which was impressive, because even Julia didn’t have a very clear sense of what was going on in her mind.

“It’s just… overwhelming.” Julia went back to twisting her napkin. “I love him—so much. And I can’t imagine living withouthim or Macey. But it’s… I feel unprepared. Kind of scared, I guess? I guess I haven’t really stopped to ask myself if this is really what I want. I never expected that I would be a stepmother or even be happy living in a town as small as Rosewood Beach.”

“Yeah, but you are. You’re basically already Macey’s stepmom and you two are inseparable. I know how happy she makes you, not to mention how happy Cooper makes you. And you’ve said you never want to leave Rosewood Beach, and that you love it here. You love the people here, and the way they approach life. So even if you haven’t asked yourself what you want, I think the answer is pretty clear. You want to live here and marry Cooper.”

Julia’s eyes widened when she heard her sister say the words so bluntly, and her heart began to race. She had to admit that Alexis was right. She did adore Rosewood Beach and the people there. And it was true that Cooper and Macey meant the absolute world to her and that she was basically already Macey’s second parent.

“See? Your eyes are totally lighting up right now.” Alexis grinned at her. “This is amazing, Julia. I’m thrilled for you.”

“I am excited about the idea,” Julia said slowly, “but I’m also—well, I feel really rattled by it.”

“Oh, for sure, getting engaged is terrifying.”

Alexis said the words so matter-of-factly that Julia had to laugh.

“I mean it,” Alexis continued, smiling. “No matter how much you love someone, a commitment that serious can be really scary. Don’t be weirded out by that, it just means you’re taking it seriously. But if you love Cooper and you think the two of you could build a great future together, you don’t have any real reason to be afraid.”

“I am sure we could build a great future together. But—is that what I’m feeling? Just nerves?”

Alexis nodded. “I think so. When I suspected that Grayson was going to propose to me, I got so excited I could hardly think straight, but I also broke out in stress acne. Vowing to commit to someone for the rest of your life is a big deal. And it might come with ups and downs like Grayson and I have had. But Cooper is a really good guy, and it’s clear how much you two love each other. I know that if he does propose to you, things are going to work out amazingly.”

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