Page 17 of Paradise

Levi made his way into our room about ten minutes ago, and we’ve just been sitting out on the balcony enjoying some coffee.

“Good morning,” I echo Sara, holding the door open. “Come in.”

She follows me out, and I drop down on the little sofa that I was previously occupying with Carson. Sara makes her way to the edge of the balcony and stands next to Levi.

“Your view might be better than mine.” She stares out at the ocean in awe.

“I’m sure it’s a lot nicer from all the way up there.” Carson points to the sky, and we all crane our heads to look even though there’s a balcony above us and we wouldn’t be able to see the top of the building anyway.

Sara hums between her lips playfully, then addresses me. “I thought we could have a girls’ day, Logan. Get massages, hit the salon and spa, basically recover from the long flight yesterday?”

I sip the remainder of the steaming liquid in my coffee cup. “Sounds great to me.”

“What about me?” Carson asks, kicking his leg up on the coffee table. “Do I not get a spa day?”

“I would enjoy a spa day,” Levi pipes up, grinning from ear to ear.

Sara chuckles. “You guys have a full day planned with Gary.”

I snap my gaze to Carson, amused, and his eyes go a little wide. “What?”

Sara brushes her hands together in front of her body. “Time to do some nice, stepfatherly bonding, Carson.”

Carson groans, rolling his head on the back of the couch. “I thought this was supposed to be your honeymoon or something, Mom. Shouldn’t you and Gary be doing happy couple activities?”

“We will.” She nods. “Once Hayden arrives, we’ve agreed to spend the rest of the time together as a couple and you guys can have your vacation any way you want. But for now, it’s family time.”

Levi chuckles, smirking at Carson. “While you’re off bonding with your new dad, I’ll be riding waves and catching STDs.”

Sara laughs, throwing an arm over Levi’s shoulder. “Oh, no, Levi. You’ll be joining Carson and Gary today.”

“What?” he groans. “Ms. Raines, c’mon. I’ve never surfed in the Pacific Ocean!”

She pats his shoulder. “Well, you’ll get to do it later in the week, Levi. That, and you can catch all the STDs you want.”

I snort, and Sara drops her arm from Levi’s shoulder and steps toward the door. “Logan, shall we?”

I slap my hands down on my thighs, ready to go. “Yep.”

I kiss Carson on the lips, and when I pull back, he gives me a desperate look. Laughing, I stand up. “You’re gonna be fine. Don’t say anything inappropriate.”

“Unlikely,” he answers, as I’m following Sara inside the room again. I slip my feet into my shoes, grab my phone, then wink at Carson over my shoulder before we both head out into the hallway.

While we wait for the elevator, Sara knocks shoulders with me. “I’m excited to spend the day with you. I thought we could start with some massages, then grab some lunch and hit the salon after.”

I smile at her, feeling warm from head to toe. “I think that’s a great idea.”

Sara has really stepped up as a parent figure for me over the last few months. There have been multiple occasions we’ve had days, just the two of us, and more times than I can count, she’s comforted me through the grief and stress that came along with my dad leaving. She’s a genuinely kind person—I can see where Carson gets it from.

They’re two sides to the same coin; both loving, caring and sensitive, but where Carson is goofy and light-footed, Sara is level-headed and grounded. Carson dreams for the things he wants, makes sacrifices for those he loves, whereas Sara sees what she wants, and she fuckingtakesit. All amazing qualities and living in a house with these two personalities has been such a refreshing and new experience.

I can see the parts inside Carson of his father, from the stories he’s told me of him, and it makes me love him even more. It seems Sara’s personality mixed with Christopher Raines’s was the perfect concoction.

We ride the elevator down to the ground floor, and it looks like Sara has already figured out where to go, so I follow closely behind her through the lobby and to another part of the hotel. We head through a door that’s marked with a plaque that readsspa, and we’re greeted by a cute, bronze-skinned girl wearing a peach dress and a lei around her neck.

“Aloha, what service can we provide you today?”

“I called earlier about both of us getting massages this morning, last name is Briar.” Sara smiles at the woman, and she starts typing away on her computer.

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