Page 172 of Ugly Beautiful Scars

"When was this?"

"Yesterday. I was half-asleep on this bloody surfboard, and what happens?" She leans forward, eyes wide with dramatic anticipation.

I take the glass of cider she hands me and shrug. "Okay, what happens?"

"He gets knocked off his board by this massive wave. And his swim shorts—those ridiculous board shorts with the little flamingos that I bought him as a joke—they just…" She makes an explosive gesture with her hands. "Gone! Ripped clean off! He's there, starkers in the ocean, and this family with little kids shows up on the beach."

I laugh. "Oh, no."

"Yeah. We couldn't find the shorts so the poor bloke had to hide behind his surfboard." She gestures with a cheese knife for emphasis. "You know what he said? 'At least the water was warm.' As if that's the concern when your bits are on display for all of Bondi Beach."

I laugh again. She starts telling me how they eventually made it back to their car, but my attention drifts toward the window. Through the glass, I can see Sean's figure moving along the shoreline. His bare feet leave temporary imprints in the wet sand, evidence of his life that the tide will soon erase. The book in his hands is already open, but he's not looking at the pages. Instead, his gaze is fixed on the horizon as he's lost in thought.

Is his mind heavy with worry?

Or is he thinking happy thoughts about our family and meeting our baby boy soon?

"And then he had the nerve to suggest—" Raven stops mid-sentence, following my line of sight. "Oh for—" She sets down her glass with an exaggerated sigh. "I've lost yah already and I just got here!" Her smile softens, all irritation dissolving. "I'll wait."

"Huh? For what?"

She nods toward the windows. Sean has now settled on a piece of large driftwood, his book balanced on his knee. "For you to stop making heart eyes at your sweetie. You do this every time, yah know. Get all dreamy. So I'll wait while you have a moment. But come back because I'm ready to drink." She pats her oversize bag. "Non-alcoholic for you. But I brought the good stuff me."

"I'm not—" I start to protest, but my eyes drift back to the colorful outside world beyond the window. The world that holds Sean. Even from this distance, I can see the easy grace of his movements, the strength in his shoulders, the way he looks casual, but I know he's ready for anything.

"Fine," I sigh. "Be right back."

Raven grins like she won something. "Tell Romeo to stay far enough away that he can't hear me tell you about my sex adventures."

I'm already moving, pulled by the invisible thread that connects me to Sean. I open the patio door, passing beyond the windows into the life all around me. The wooden deck is warm beneath my bare feet, and the salt air fills my lungs. I take the stepscarefully, one hand on the rail, the other cradling my belly. The sand is hot between my toes, then cooler as I approach the wet line where waves gently crest and recede.

Sean turns before I reach him; that sixth sense of his is always aware, always alert. His face breaks into a smile that makes the air catch in my lungs, and in this light, with the endless blue of the ocean behind him, he looks like something from a dream. He's a fantasy I conjured during those all years of isolation.

But he's real. So magnificently, beautifully real.

I run the last few steps and he catches me. His strong arms lift me into a gentle spin and we're both laughing, faces tilted toward the sun, breathing in the salt and each other.

When he sets me down, his hands linger on my waist. The book is abandoned in the sand, pages fluttering in the sea breeze. His eyes are so warm, so present. No shadows lurking now. Just Sean, my Sean, gazing at me like I'm the only woman in the world.

I rise on my tiptoes to kiss him, my fingers threading through his hair. "You're my purpose too," I whisper against his lips.

Whatever comes next, we'll face it together.

For now, this moment is perfect. And I've learned that perfect moments are rare enough to be treasured, rare enough to sustain you through darker times.

So I hold on tight, feeling the steady rhythm of Sean's heart against mine, and I choose to believe in the future we've fought so hard to deserve.

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