Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Over the next several minutes, Carys ran back and forth to the shore to grab water in the buckets.
I couldn’t contain my smile. “I can’t believe this is Sunny’s first time at the beach. I’m so glad she likes it.”
“Yeah. I’m gonna have to find a way to take her more often—not exactly easy when you live in the city.”
After grabbing my bucket, I built a sandcastle that Sunny soon mashed down into nothing. We were having the best time. People looked at us and smiled, probably assuming we were a family. In a way, we are. A pseudo-family. From almost the very beginning, Carys and Sunny had felt like family to me, though I’d tried hard to resist that feeling.
Sunny enjoyed playing in the sand until we decided to take her for a dip before the sun went down and it got too cool. We took turns holding her as she splashed and laughed. I spun her around, her feet grazing the water, and lifted her over the small waves that came in. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had this much fun. Something about being around Sunny made you forget about all the unnecessary bullshit in the world. Her smile and laughter were contagious.
When we got back to our blanket, Carys wrapped Sunny in a towel and sat for a while, cradling her and looking out at the water. An ocean breeze blew her damp hair around. Carys’ strawberry blond hair looked more reddish brown when wet.
While they were chilling, I opened the cooler and cracked open a beer. I continued to watch them as they faced the water. I would never forget this peaceful snapshot in time. I will never forget them.
Droplets of water dripped down Carys’ smooth skin, and I wished more than anything I could lick them off. My dick twitched, and I scolded myself for turning what was supposed to be an innocent moment into something else.
When Sunny resumed playing in the sand, Carys turned toward me, her lean body now facing mine, providing a clear view down her top. My eyes were glued, my ogling obvious. I couldn’t help it. She was so fucking beautiful.
The next thing I knew, a pile of wet sand hit me in the face. I’d been so wrapped up in eye-fucking Carys, I hadn’t noticed Sunny getting ready to propel it toward me. That woke me up for damn sure. Carys and I broke into laughter, and Sunny squealed.
I should’ve been completely content, but there was a tightness in my chest that wouldn’t subside. Pretty sure it was my brain battling with my heart.
* * *
Later that evening, Carys took a shower while I watched Sunny out in the living room. Lately, Sunny had been holding on to furniture and trying to walk. But I never expected to see her take a few steps toward me on her own. She fell on her butt soon after, but it was a valiant effort.
Carys had told me that while many babies walk by the time they’re a year old, there could be a delay with Sunny. Kids with Down’s typically walked later on average, closer to two. At fifteen months, Sunny was apparently ahead of the curve, because she was definitely attempting it.
I turned on the TV and kicked my feet up, never expecting to see her moving toward me again from the corner of my eye. I soon realized she wasn’t holding on to anything. One foot in front of the other, Sunny was walking toward me.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, moving my feet off the ottoman.
Struggling to balance, with a wide stance and wobbly legs, Sunny had a huge smile on her face. My heart raced as I reached my hands out to receive her. Her smile grew bigger until she landed in my arms.
Oh my God. Sunny had officially walked. She walked. She was walking. Holy shit. I’d just witnessed her first steps, and Carys was in the damn shower! She’d missed the whole thing.
Lifting Sunny up, I rushed over to the bathroom door and knocked. “Carys!”
“Yeah?”
“Sunny just walked! She walked several steps toward me.”
Her voice echoed. “Are you kidding?”
“No! I wish I’d gotten it on camera, but it happened too fast.”
I heard the shower turn off.
A few minutes later, Carys emerged, wrapped in a towel, her hair drenched.
“I can’t believe I missed it. I’ve been trying to get her to walk to me for weeks with no luck. She’s come close, but it never happened.”
“I know. That’s why I feel so damn guilty. I didn’t even do anything. She just…did.”
Carys’ skin was flushed, probably from the hot water. She shook her head. “She loves you, Deacon. You just have to exist, and that’s enough to motivate her.”
I swallowed, unsure how to respond. I didn’t want Sunny to love me. I sometimes wished she’d forget me the second I left, so she wouldn’t wonder where I was.