Page 13 of Beginnings By the Sea

His words were filled with conviction and left no room for doubt; he was willing to give up his own happiness just so that mine would stay intact. All of a sudden, my mouth felt dry as I looked into his intense gaze.

“You would seriously leave town to keep me out of the press?”

He nodded solemnly. “In a heartbeat. I know how wild it can get.”

His touch lingered for a moment before he released me, his palms sliding away from my face.

“It’s a good thing I can handle crazy then,” I said with a soft laugh. “I was an ER doctor for several years. There was a lot of craziness there.”

Cohen blew out a relieved sigh and smiled cautiously at me. “So, you’re not giving up on me yet?”

Taking one of his hands in mine, I pulled him through the parking lot toward the restaurant. “Not yet,” I replied with a smirk. “You still have to meet my friends. The real test is about to begin.”

* * *

Everleigh, Jensen, Michelle, Grady, Seth, and Trisha were all sitting at our circular table in the corner when we walked inside the restaurant. It was where we always sat. Everleigh spotted us first and stood, her face glowing as she smiled.

“Hey, you’re here!”

Mine and Cohen’s talk outside had made us a few minutes late.

“Yes, we are,” I laughed, moving over to the two empty seats between her and Trisha.

Jensen, Grady, and Seth all stood, and they shook Cohen’s hand while introducing themselves before I could get the chance. It was nice seeing them being friendly with Cohen; there was no doubt in my mind that they wouldn’t be. We sat down and Evie came right over to grab Cohen’s drink order, which was a beer like the other guys had. She already knew mine would be a Malibu sunset. I’d fallen in love with the fruity drink when she made it for me a few weeks ago.

Everleigh grinned and clasped her hands under her chin. “So, Cohen, how do you like Oak Island?”

Cohen gave her that dashing smile of his that made his cheeks dimple. “I’m enjoying it,” he replied, his voice smooth like velvet. His eyes darted to me playfully and he winked. “I’ve been thinking of taking up surfing.”

My mouth dropped and I gasped. “What? You never told me that.”

He shrugged and winked again. “I think it could be fun.”

Jensen chuckled, garnering Cohen’s attention. “If you want to learn to surf, come over to our house,” he explained, placing a hand over Everleigh’s.

Everleigh nodded in agreement. “Jensen can teach you. It’ll be great.”

Seth and Grady both chimed in, saying they also wanted to join. Seeing them all welcoming Cohen into the group warmed my heart. Evie returned with a tray with Cohen’s beer and my drink on it, but there was also a bottle of champagne and eight flutes, with one of them filled with a bubbly clear liquid that looked like soda; she handed that one to Everleigh.

“All right, let’s get this night started,” Evie called out. She set the tray down and passed out the flutes.

I took my glass and hooked a glance around the table. “Champagne, huh? Who ordered this and what are we celebrating?”

Evie smirked over at Everleigh, and everyone else tried to hide their smiles as if they already knew what was happening. Evie went around the table and filled our glasses before walking away. Everleigh smiled over at Jensen and he nodded at her. When she focused on me, there were tears in her eyes.

“What is going on?” I asked.

Everleigh beamed and flourished a hand at our filled glasses. “Maybe I should’ve waited to have the champagne brought out after I got your response. But I’m hoping you’ll agree to what Jensen and I want to ask of you.” Everleigh placed a hand on her belly and my heart stopped. I knew exactly what she wanted to ask me. “Nyla,” Everleigh said, her voice barely above a whisper. I raised my eyebrows in anticipation, and she glanced up at Jensen, her gaze tender before meeting mine again. “Jensen and I want to know if you’d like to be our son’s godmother.”

My throat tightened and my eyes stung with emotion. I squealed and leaped over in my chair, embracing her.

“Like to? I would love to be your son’s godmother!”

Tears streamed down my face as she hugged me tightly. Jensen smiled at me from behind Everleigh, his hands held up in defense.

“Granted, we hope nothing happens to us,” he said with a chuckle, “but you never know.”

Everleigh sat back, wiping the tears from her cheeks as I grasped her hand in mine. “I would do anything for you, Everleigh. There should be no doubt about that.”

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