Page 38 of Falling for the Wrong Billionaire
We move on to the next exhibit, and as we walk, I hear the familiar whispers. Some of them are quiet, but not all of them. I can feel the eyes on us, the way people are looking at Lucy and me. They’re sizing us up, trying to figure out if we’re a couple, or if we’re just a passing moment in the sea of tourists.
Lucy notices it too. She stiffens just a little, her pace slowing.
I catch up to her and lower my voice. "Don’t mind them," I say softly. "It’s just gossip."
She looks up at me, a hint of discomfort in her eyes. "How do you deal with it?"
"How do I deal with gossip?" I repeat. "Simple. I just act like I don’t hear it."
She raises an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "You really don’t care?"
I give her a small smile. "Most of the time, no. People are going to talk. It’s just part of life here."
"But you don’t mind?"
I shrug. "No. It doesn’t change anything. And if people talk, let them. I’m not going to let it stop me from doing what I want."
She looks at me for a moment, her eyes searching my face. I can tell she’s trying to figure out if I’m being serious.
Eventually, she sighs. "I guess that's where we are different, I don't know how to just pretend it's not there."
"I get it," I say quietly. "But you’re doing fine. You don’t have to let anyone’s opinion change who you are."
I stare at her, hoping she will open up more to me. Max runs up to us, his face lit up with excitement. "There’s ice cream over there! Can we get some, pleeeeze?"
We follow him to the stand, and I buy us all cones. Max eagerly digs into his chocolate swirl, making a mess of his face. Lucy hesitates, then smiles at me.
I smirk, handing her her cone. She laughs, taking a careful bite, but the sweetness of the moment isn’t lost on me. There’s a lightness in her now, something that wasn’t there before.
We move to a bench by the water, and I watch as she’s pulled into Max’s energy, her tension easing as she talks to him about the ice cream flavors. But as the conversation shifts, I find myself staring at her — at the way she smiles, the way her eyes light up when she’s with him.
I can’t remember the last time I wanted something this badly.
She glances over at me, and for a moment, our eyes lock. I feel the pull again. It’s like nothing else matters, just her and me, this moment between us.
But then Max giggles and distracts her, and the spell breaks.
Once we finish our ice cream, we start walking again, heading toward the beach. The sand is warm underfoot, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore fills the air. I take a deep breath, letting the salty air clear my head.
Lucy stops at the water’s edge, watching the ocean with a soft expression. Max runs ahead, chasing the ferrets who are having the time of their lives darting in and out of the water.
It’s quite amazing that Nibbs and Pip stay near her and never run off. I wonder what her secret is. Probably just plain devotion.
I stand beside Lucy, the silence between us comfortable but thick with unspoken words.
"What does home mean to you?" I ask, surprising myself with the question.
She looks at me, the answer is slow to form. "I don’t know," she says softly. "I guess… it’s this. Feeling like you belong somewhere."
She pauses, looking out at the horizon. "I never had that growing up."
I want to ask more — want to know why, but I respect the silence.
"You belong here," I say quietly, looking at her. "In Ocean Bay. You’re a part of this now."
Her gaze flickers to me, and for a moment, she almost looks like she’s going to say something else. But then Max calls out, his voice filled with excitement.
"Hey, Liam! Come look at this!"
