Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“Usually never this early, but I’d bring Jimmy and he’d play in the sand, or we’d look for sea creatures among the rocks. Not a lot of tourists find this beach, and the parking is harder and you have to walk in, so it doesn’t get crazy busy. It was perfect for us. Then, when he got older and didn’t want to go to the beach with his mom, I’d come out here just to think. Or walk.” I stopped to take off my shoes. “I miss the ocean. Walking along the beach.”
Hand in hand, we did just that, quiet for a while as we strolled.
“In all our time together, Matt never came here with me,” I mused as the wind ruffled my hair. “I never asked him to, not that he would’ve come if I had. But I never wanted him to come. It was my place away—away from my duties, from the mundane, from the grind.”
“Maybe you would’ve preferred to keep it to yourself,” he murmured, his tone and volume matching the vibe perfectly.
“You’re not a person I want to get away from,” I said, bumping into him softly. “When I need a break from my life, I go to your house.”
“Our house,” he amended, gently squeezing my hand.
“Listen, I was thinking about what went down with Matt the other day. Specifically about that divorce money. You’ve done so much to share your life with me, and I’ve had that money just sitting there, solely in my name. This is going to sound absurd, but I never even thought about it. It literally never crossed my mind. I’ve been dealing with the Ivy House funds and not thinking of Jessie Evans’s funds. When we get back, we’re going to use it to pay off your—our house or put it into retirement funds, or at least put your name on it with mine.”
“No.” He looked down at me. “Don’t. Keep it as security. It’s clear Matt was controlling you financially. I never want you to feel like you’re in that position again. You need to have funds in this world that are solely yours.”
I stopped and turned to him, running my hands up his arms before stopping on his chest. “You are unbelievably sweet, and your desire to make sure I have an escape route is…” My eyes misted. “It’s really incredible. You’re incredible. But I’m not the same person I was. If I need an escape route, I’ll make one. I’m giving myself a paycheck through Ivy House, just in case something happens with the house, and we have the businesses and everything we’re starting to work on. I have more than I ever did, both in terms of funds and control. Not to mention, I could just take a bar of gold out of the closet and be done with it. Or ransack the attic. Who would notice? No one has bothered with inventory.”
He laughed, his eyes so blue, and ran his fingertips along my jaw. “True.”
“That money is mine, less than I probably should’ve gotten, and I want to use it for what it was meant for—starting a new life. Starting my life. I’ve chosen to do that with you, and I want that money to back that choice.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze lingering on my lips. “Fair enough. We’ll pay off the house, then. Or look into using it as a down payment for a beach house for when we want to get away. Because, love…I don’t think you are allowed to retire. Not in the way you’re thinking.”
I looked at the sky. “Right. Good point. That whole situation hasn’t really sunk in. The living-forever thing. No compute.”
“Especially since we’re just trying to make it through each skirmish.”
We started walking again, and he took my hand.
“In other news,” he said, his voice still subdued, “what are your thoughts about last night?”
I stopped him again, turning so I could look out at the ocean, and slipped my arms around his middle. I leaned against his body, and he wrapped his arms around me, resting his cheek against my head.
I’d always come here to run from my problems, to shed the emotional baggage for a short time. This place had been a haven. But now, with him, there was no emotional turbulence to table. No fear or dread of what I’d come home to—even though we were in a dangerous position. I was able to enjoy this place in a way I never could. It was just beautiful. Just peaceful. Tranquil.
“God, I love you, Austin. I love how serene you make everything. How you take care of me and look out for me. How you respect me, and how you’re okay with my taking the reins at times. You’re perfect for me.” I hugged him a little tighter. “As for last night…I don’t know.”