Page 68 of No Greater Love
"Beach days will do that," I said, settling into one of the plastic chairs. "I'm pretty tired myself."
"Good tired?"
"The best kind of tired." I looked out toward the ocean, listening to the waves. "I've never done anything like this before."
"Beach vacation?"
"Family vacation," I corrected. "Growing up, our trips were more like military operations. Schedules, itineraries, my father checking his Blackberry every five minutes. This is... different."
"Different how?"
I thought about it, trying to put into words what I was feeling. "Peaceful. Like the point is just to be together, not to accomplish something or check items off a list." I glanced at him. "Like maybe I've been missing out on something important."
Nate reached over and took my hand. "Well, you're here now."
"Yeah," I said, squeezing his fingers. "I am."
We sat there until the campground settled into evening quiet, just holding hands and listening to the ocean. Tomorrow would bring more beach time, more laughter, more of whatever this was we were building together. But for now, it was enough to sit here in the soft darkness with this man and his daughter who were somehow becoming my family too.
For the first time in my adult life, I wasn't thinking about what came next or what I should be doing differently. I was just grateful for what I had right here, right now.
twenty-two
nate
Monday morning broughtperfect beach weather and Paige's declaration that it would be "the most epic sandcastle day in the history of sandcastles." We claimed our usual spot early, and she immediately began work on what she called "The Fortress of Ultimate Awesomeness."
The morning passed in our established rhythm—sandcastle construction, wave jumping, and Paige making increasingly elaborate plans with her “new best friend” Brooklyn and the other kids she'd befriended. Around ten-thirty, Brooklyn came running over with a flyer clutched in her hand.
"Paige! Look! They're doing tie-dye today from eleven-thirty to one! And they give you lunch! Can you do it? Please say you can do it!"
Paige's eyes went wide as she read the flyer. "Dad, can I? Please? It's tie-dye! And lunch! And Brooklyn's doing it!"
I made a show of considering it seriously, stroking my chin like I was weighing the pros and cons of a major life decision. "Hmmmm, I don't know..."
Paige's face fell slightly, and she turned those devastating puppy dog eyes toward Tasha. The look of betrayal was so complete that Tasha immediately stepped in.
"NATHAN..." she said in a voice of mock authority, then paused. "Wait, what's your middle name?"
"Uh... James?" I said, confused by the sudden interrogation.
"NATHANJames CRAWFORD!" Tasha declared with the kind of stern tone usually reserved for major infractions.
Paige dissolved into delighted giggles, and I couldn't help but grin at both of them.
"Alright, alright," I said with an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose we can manage without you for an hour and a half."
We packed up our beach gear a little early and walked Paige to the recreation center, where she practically bounced with excitement as she joined the group of kids gathering for the activity.
"See you at one!" she called, already deep in conversation with Brooklyn about color combinations.
Tasha and I waved goodbye and found ourselves standing outside the rec center, suddenly aware that we had ninety minutes of completely unscheduled time.
"Well," I said, looking at her. "Now what?"
"I'm sure we can think of something," she replied, and something in her tone made me look at her more carefully.
For a moment, we just stared at each other as the same idea occurred to us simultaneously. I could see it in the way her eyes widened slightly, in the slow smile that curved her lips.
