Page 95 of Big Island Summer
“For what?” Humor glinted in his eyes as he parroted his daughter: “No one died!”
Daisy giggled and reached over to grab a marshmallow from the bag Kai held.
Nell just looked into Hugh’s eyes, mute with the horror of what could have happened.
“No lifeguard could have done better,” he assured her, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “Everyone is okay.”
She took a shaky breath and nodded, turning her face back to the fire.
The adrenaline of their ordeal slowly faded as the sun disappeared behind the trees. Gathered around a fire with a dozen people that she adored, her nervous system settled back into a place of safety and contentment faster than she would have thought possible.
With sudden astonishment, she realizedthatwas her default state now.
After years of living in survival mode, always on guard, always terrified… she had somehow come to a place where feeling safe and loved was her norm. It had happened so gradually that she had never fully realized or appreciated the shift.
Suddenly, she was fighting tears again – but this time, they were pure gratitude.
Everett dozed off in her arms while she sat there, soaking it all in. Cassie was talking story with the other kids, happy and healthy and ten times more confident than she had been at the start of the year. Juniper rocked her baby brother back and forth while Ethan and Fern took a twilight stroll on the beach. Lani admired Olivia’s latest painting while Tenn and Emma chatted about a local farm. And Hugh… picked up a phone call and wandered away.
Nell sighed. Life was so close to perfect.
Andclose to perfectwas about as good as anything ever got, so she grabbed ahold of her gratitude with both hands and went back into soaking up the good company along with the warmth of the fire.
A few minutes later, Hugh summoned her with a tap on the shoulder and a quick movement of his chin. He steadied her with a hand under her elbow as she stood, still holding her son. Everett wasn’t even one yet, and already he felt about as heavy as his sister. Nell shifted him in her arms, moving the weight of his head up to her shoulder, and followed Hugh to the edge of the firelight.
“That was Amy’s lawyer,” he said. There was a light in his eyes that made her breath catch in hopeful anticipation.
“And?”
“She signed the latest version of the custody agreement.”
“So Daisy can stay?”
“She can stay.” A grin lit up his face, and he put a hand on her arm. “I have to fly her out for a visit next weekend, but she’ll be back to start at Pualena Playschool the week after that.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Me too.” Hugh let out a huge sigh of relief. “Good lord, what a weight off my mind.”
“Are you going to tell Daisy?”
“Nah, let her roast marshmallows.”
“Don’t you think she’ll be excited?”
“It’s what she wanted, but it’s still a lot to process. I’ll tell her when we get home tomorrow.”
“Yeah, that’s a good plan.” Nell turned towards the ocean, admiring the silver glint of moonlight that danced over the surface of the water. The low rush of waves on the beach moved below them, a soothing white noise that underlay thewarm voices of friends gathered around the fire. She sighed, just appreciating the moment.
“Are you alright?” Hugh stood behind her. He was so much taller that his chin was above the top of her head. When she leaned back, he wrapped his arms around her and Everett both.
Standing there, with her son on her chest and Hugh at her back, her community behind her and the island in front of her, she felt held and supported in a way that she never had before.
“Never been better,” she replied.
He kissed her cheek and then kept his head bent, his cheek resting warm against hers.
“Thank you for being so patient this summer.”
