Page 47 of Hide Away By the Sea

“Trisha just had our little girl!” he shouted excitedly.

Gasping, I moved in front of Jensen, my body thrumming with delight. I was happy for Seth.

Jensen’s face brightened and he chuckled. “Congratulations, Seth! I’m so happy for you and Trisha. What’d you name your daughter?”

I listened in and heard Seth tell Jensen they’d named her Amelia Marie Hampton; it was a beautiful name.

Still talking to Seth, Jensen reached for my hand and pulled me to his side. “Everleigh and I are at the aquarium, but we’ll stop by the hospital and see you guys.”

He lifted his brows at me and I nodded; I was perfectly fine with that. They said their goodbyes, and Jensen pocketed his phone.

“I’m so glad he didn’t miss his baby being born.”

I cupped his cheeks. “Me too. But I can’t wait to see Seth. We have a lot of catching up to do. Plus, I’m excited to meet his wife.”

Jensen grinned. “She’s ecstatic about meeting you, too. She’s heard a lot about you.”

We started on our way toward the exit. “Uh-oh, is that good or bad?” I questioned.

Jensen’s eyes twinkled playfully. “It’s all good, I promise. But you should probably know it was Trisha’s idea for me to strut around you with my shirt off.”

I tilted my head back with a laugh, and it echoed throughout the exhibit. “That’s too funny.”

Jensen leaned in close, his voice by my ear. “It worked, didn’t it?”

We made it to the exit and walked out into the blazing sun. “Yes, it did,” I confessed, winking at him. But then I added sarcastically, “I couldn’t help myself.”

Once at his Bronco, he opened the door and caged me in. “You say that like you’re playing, but I think you’re being serious. You couldn’t resist me, could you?”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and shrugged noncommittally. “You’ll never know.” I quickly kissed him on the cheek. “Now let’s go. I’m ready to see the baby.”

He made no attempt to move. Instead, he stared at me, his grayish-blue eyes regarding me seriously.

“Do you want kids, Everleigh?”

That was something I’ve wanted for a long time.

“I do,” I admitted, feeling that desire grow within my chest. “I always have.” Jensen’s gaze bore into mine, and I could’ve sworn I saw a hint of relief flashing through his eyes. “What about you?” I asked. “Do you want a family of your own?”

A slow smile spread across his lips and he nodded. “I do. I’m just happy to know we’re on the same page.”

We got in his car and headed back to the ferry so it could take us back to Southport. Revealing my innermost desires to Jensen scared me, but I told myself I needed to be open; it was the only way to see if things could work between us. I wanted a family more than anything. But what was crazy was that in all the years I’d been in Boston and dated other men, I couldn’t see myself starting a family with any of them. The only one was Jensen . . . it had always been him.

* * *

SeeingSeth and meeting his wife and baby girl warmed my heart. I held Amelia in my arms for over an hour as Seth and I caught up on everything that had happened in our lives over the past decade. My life wasn’t as exciting as his with all his adventures out at sea with Jensen.

Trisha was a beautiful woman and sweet as could be. In a way, she reminded me of Nyla. If I stayed in Oak Island, I could see Trisha and me becoming good friends.

It was almost seven o’clock when we made it back to Jensen’s house. My stomach had been growling nonstop for the past thirty minutes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to just pick up something to eat?” I asked as we walked to his door.

Jensen smirked over at me. “We could, but I don’t think you’ll want to miss out on what I made.”

My curiosity was piqued. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

He slid his key into the lock and opened the door. “It’s one of your favorites. I prepped it this morning, and all I have to do is put it in the oven.”

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