Page 97 of Chasing Stars
I tear off the paper and lift the lid, pushing the tissue paper aside…a wet suit.God love him. He really tried.“Oh…another wet suit.” I bite back a grin. I don’t need anything for Christmas, being in our home, surrounded by loved ones with Miles, is all I could ask for. Bless him for getting me another wet suit so we can spend evenmoretime together.
“Not just a wet suit. A top-of-the-linewinterwet suit. You won’t feel the cold water at all. There is a hood, gloves, and even booties for your feet!” He grins proudly.
“This is great, baby, thank you.” I smile, pulling him toward me for a kiss.
“Can we go right now?” Miles asks excitedly.
“Right now? No. It’s Christmas Eve.” I laugh incredulously.
“Yeah, but we’ll be back. Come on. We haven’t been out together in a while. The surf report says the waves are amazing. Please. Plus, it’s Christmas Eve and this is the closest I get to religion.” Miles does the hands folding thing again and he looks so cute my chest constricts. “It’s only three. No one is coming over until six,” he urges.
I’m mostly ready for company. We’re having a slow-cooked pot roast and vegetables. Aunt Leona is bringing some seafood dishes to keep things Italian, and dessert is off my radar because Miles’s mom said she’d bring it. I sigh and then relent, but not without an eyeroll. “Fine. Let’s go.” I tell him, but his excitement is rubbing off on me too. “But only for an hour!”
Fifteen minutes later,we’re pulling up to Cove Beach. It’s after three, and the December sky is already turning shades of cotton candy as the sun sinks lower into the horizon. Miles was right though, I’m not cold. This new suitispretty cool.
We trek down to the beach and get to work waxing our boards. I’ve since adopted Miles’s longboard as my own, and he seems to love his shortboard. “You ready?” he asks me with a lopsided grin. He can’t contain his excitement.
“Sure,” I say, “but Miles, just a few runs. It’s Christmas Eve.” But I have to force away my smile. This man has stolen my heart in every way possible. If he’s happy, I’m happy.
“I know, I know.” He pulls me to him and plants a kiss on my lips. “Let’s go!”
Then he’s off, running full force into the ocean, the one place he feels untouchable. I follow him more slowly; it’s been a while since I’ve been out. But my arms have gotten stronger and no longer feel like limp spaghetti as they slice through the water. I duck under each crashing wave with expertise. The butterflies I once felt coming out here long gone. Now, I feel something like Miles does. Invincible isn’t the word, but peaceful might be. I feel at home in the ocean just as much as he does now.
Miles waits on his board, watching as I make my way to him. Once I do, I spin around and sit up. I’m so warm in this wet suit, the cold December air doesn’t even give me a chill.Impressive. “You made it.” Miles grins.
“Are you happy?” I joke, splashing him.
“Hey now,” he says, holding his hands up in defense. Then, more seriously, he says, “Coming out here with you has been some of the best times of my life so far.”
His emotion catches me off guard. “Mine too, Miles. I love it here,” I say sincerely.
“I love you, Jenna.So much,” Miles says tenderly. “I never knew it was possible to love another person like this, so selflessly. Your happiness is all that matters to me.”
“Is that why you dragged me out here in forty-degree weather on Christmas Eve?” I tease, splashing him again.
Miles ignores my remark and looks up at the sky. “Look, first star.” He points to a bright spot in the sky that I am pretty sure is actually Venus and then grins at me. “This is my favorite part.”
“Mine too,” I murmur, reaching across the water for his hand. He takes it and pulls me and my board closer to him.
“Do you remember last year, when I told you I didn’t care about surfing every day anymore because I have you? And you make me feel alive?” Miles’s eyes penetrate mine. He doesn’t look away until I answer.
“Yeah,” I say slowly.
“That’s still true. You make me feel alive, every single day,” he croaks.
“You make me feel alive too, Miles.” I smile, wondering what the heck he is trying to say.
“And you know how I love to surf at night, chasing the stars, because it makes me feel invincible?” Miles asks.
“Miles, I know all of this,” I say quietly. “What are you trying to say?”
He grins widely, glancing behind him at the wave building and starts paddling. “Race you!” he calls over his shoulder and then he’s gone.
“That jerk!” I say to no one but myself. I laugh and start paddling after him, catching the next wave and riding it in smoothly. When my feet touch the sand I yell, “You stole my wave!”
But Miles isn’t ready to paddle back out for another one. He’s on one knee, holding a diamond ring, grinning at me. I rush to him.
“Beat ya,” he croaks.
