Page 53 of Hide Away By the Sea

The sand was still warm beneath my bare feet as I made my way down the beach toward the pier, and the sky was ablaze with orange and pink hues. A sliver of purple mingled in with the blue, enough to make me stop for a moment to take it all in. Mothers and fathers dotted the shoreline watching their kids play in the ocean, while sandcastles stood proudly here and there. It was like the beach was a work of art crafted by an unseen hand.

When I finally reached the pier, Jensen was there waiting for me at our favorite bench, gazing out at the horizon. His dark hair was perfectly coifed, and he had on a pair of khaki shorts and a Carolina blue button-down shirt that I knew would bring out the color in his eyes.

We’d spent countless hours on that bench over the years, ever since we were old enough to walk to it on our own. Memories flooded back, making me smile. Jensen turned around when he heard my footsteps approaching and grinned when he saw me.

“You look beautiful,” he said, grabbing my hands.

I glanced down at my long, red and white floral maxi dress. “Thank you. I bought this dress to wear on vacation with Grammy.”

“Maybe one day soon we can take a trip together,” he said, his voice low. The thought sent a wave of excitement through my body.

“I think that would be great.” And with that, we settled onto our bench to watch the sunset together.

“So, what did Nyla want you to see?” he asked. “I’ve been curious about it all day.”

The picture was still fresh in my mind. “It was a photo of my grandmother and who I assume is T,” I informed him. His eyes widened curiously. “Sadly, I couldn’t make out his face; it was blurry,” I added.

Jensen huffed and focused back on the sea. “That’s unfortunate. Where did Nyla find the picture?”

I laughed. “Hidden inside one of the books in Grammy’s library. Nyla and I went through every single one to see if we could find more, but there was nothing.”

Jensen shook his head, his grin widening. “That doesn’t surprise me. But why all the secrecy?”

I shrugged. “Well, obviously, her parents disapproved of the guy. It was clear they thought he was beneath her. Maybe her heart was just too broken to talk about him. I was the same way with you,” I confessed. “I had so much regret leaving you that I didn’t want anyone speaking about you in my presence; it just hurt to hear.”

Jensen moved closer, his gaze flashing with sadness. “We’re past that now.”

“Thank goodness,” I whispered softly. A slow breath escaped my lips as I focused on the darkening sky. “I’m surprised you didn’t want to come to the house and walk with me over here,” I began.

Jensen chuckled. “Believe me, I wanted to, but we have so many good memories here. I wanted to make some more in this exact spot and knew that if I had seen you earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to wait.” He turned his body to face me. “But first,” he said, sighing heavily, “there’s something I need to tell you.”

My stomach clenched. “Uh-oh, is it bad?”

Jensen glanced down at our clasped hands. “You leave for Boston the first week of August, right?”

“Yes,” I said, brows furrowed.

He sighed again and looked into my eyes. “Do you remember Daniel Powell? He was two years ahead of us in high school.”

I nodded. “Of course. He played football.”

Jensen nodded. “That’s right. Well, he started up his own fishing charter business three years ago. He helped me out when my dad started chemo treatments. Now, he needs help so he can be with his mother while she has surgery. There’s a job he needs me to do during that specific week.”

A pang of disappointment settled in my gut, but I understood. I squeezed his hand reassuringly.

“It’s okay,” I said, hoping he could see the genuineness in my eyes. “We’ll get our goodbyes out before you go.”

Jensen cupped my cheek and leaned in to kiss me, his lips soft yet firm. “Speaking of goodbyes. I don’t want there to be one.”

I pulled away from him and smiled, knowing exactly what he meant. “Neither do I,” I replied, smirking.

Relief passed across his face and he smiled, bringing his other hand to my face. “I love you, Everleigh. I know you’re going back to Boston, but I’m willing to do anything to make this work.” His eyes searched mine. “Please tell me that’s how you feel.”

My eyes burned with unshed tears. “Everything you just said is pretty much what I was going to say as well.” I placed my hands over his. “I love you, too, Jensen. And I don’t want to ever stop loving you. Making this work is all I want.”

Jensen pulled me into his arms, and it felt like all the weight of regret I’d harbored throughout the years had finally drifted away.

“What does all of this mean? Where do we go from here?” he asked, running his hands tenderly up and down my back.

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