Page 68 of Love Unexpected
I dropped my phone onto the sand in front of me like it would burn my skin if I held it any longer. “Oh, geez,” I said, my hands flying to my cheeks. “Oh, geez, oh geez, oh geez.”
“Rosie?” Diedre asked, concern heavy in her voice. She shifted the baby from one arm to the other and draped another blanket over her already swaddled form. The afternoon had been warm, but with the sun having already disappeared behind us, there was a definite chill in the air.
“Isaac just got to my house,” I said. “My mom just texted.” I lowered my head onto my knees and took several breaths, but the narrowing of my vision told me just how little oxygen I was actually taking in.
Diedre placed a warm hand on my back. “Hey. You’re fine. Everything is going to be fine.”
I breathed for a few more moments, focusing on the rhythmic motion of Diedre’s hand sliding up and down, up and down. She didn’t say anything, which I appreciated. Iwouldbe fine. I just needed a minute to breathe my way into feeling centered again.
I finally lifted my head off of my knees and looked out at the horizon, to the fine line where the deep blue of the ocean melted into the navy night sky.
“Better?” Diedre said softly.
I only nodded. Better, yes. But not better enough to say actual words.
Isaac was at my house.
Walking up the stairs. Looking through my bedroom.
An image of my bed flashed through my mind with a bolt of startling clarity. I’d combed my brain for any details of what Isaac might see when he entered the private space of my childhood and had concluded that while he might see a little too much in-person evidence of my teenage angst, there wasn’t anything I should be too terribly embarrassed by.
But I’d forgotten about my bedposts.
How could I have forgotten about my bedposts?
“Oh, hey, she looks green,” Jade said, lowering herself onto the sand beside Diedre. I hardly heard her words; I was too focused on trying to remember whether or not the fourRandom Ibeanies, one in each of the original signature colors, were still adorning the bedposts of my queen-sized bed.
“Isaac is at her house right now,” Diedre said softly.
“Yikes. That’s gotta feel weird.”
Yes. Thank you, Jade, for stating the obvious.
I pulled up my phone and considered texting my mom back, asking her to race up the stairs and hide the beanies before she let Isaac in, but it was likely already too late. And what was the point, really? I’d shown Isaac with my kiss exactly how I felt about him. It likely wouldn’t surprise him to know I’d been a fan long before we’d even met.
Max walked over and pressed his sandy four-year-old hands to my cheeks. “Aunt Rosie?” he asked. “Remember when you said you wanted to learn how to find shark’s teeth?”
A surge of warmth filled my heart. He’d called me Aunt Rosie. I was an only child, so there was no chance I’d ever be an actual biological aunt. But I’d loved filling the role for Shiloh, and the thought of doing the same for Max had a certain rightness to it that warmed me from the inside out. I pulled Max onto my lap, catching Jade’s smile over his head, and snuggled him against me. “I do remember that.”
“Do you want me to teach you right now?” Max asked. He tilted his head up and looked at me, his eyes flashing in the light coming off the pier.
“It’s getting dark, kiddo,” Diedre said. “And Rosie has a lot on her mind right now. I’m not sure she...”
“Actually, I think I’d love to hunt for shark’s teeth.” I shifted, releasing my hold on Max so he could stand up. “I could use the distraction.”
“Yes!” Max said, his enthusiasm sparking joy in my chest I hadn’t expected. “I know just how! And I know the best spot. Come on!” He started to run toward the water before Jade caught him and pulled him back. “You’re gonna put your sweatshirt on before you teach Aunt Rosie anything,” she said, shooting me a knowing grin. I wondered if she’d suggested he call me Aunt Rosie or if he’d just decided on his own. Either way, I hoped he’d never stop. “And you better not get your shorts wet. You’ll be miserable on the way home if you do.”
“Mimi,” Max said in an exaggerated tone that made him sound fourteen instead of four. “I know how to do it. I won’t get wet.” He turned to me, his expression serious. “Can we use the flashlight on your phone?” He looked back at Jade. “Will it hurt the turtles?”
Diedre was the one that answered. “The turtles won’t start laying their eggs until next month, so you can use the flashlight now.”
“Yes!” he said again, reaching for my hand. “Come on, Rosie. Just follow me and I’ll tell you where to go.”
Oh, my heart. His confidence was the cutest.
Max walked beside me, tugging my hand gently along as we approached the water. It was low tide, so we had a good ways to go before we were anywhere near the waves.
Max stopped and shined the light down onto an area that boasted a thick covering of broken bits of seashells. “This is where we might find one,” Max said. “The waves bring them up with the shells.”
