Chase cut the engine and hopped out, grabbing a blanket and a cooler from the back of the truck. Savannah followed, watching as he led her toward the shade of a few ghost trees, their twisted branches reaching toward the sky like something out of a storybook.
“Breakfast by the water,” he said simply, spreading the blanket on the soft sand.
She settled beside him, their knees brushing as he handed her a container filled with fresh fruit, croissants, and cheese. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she took a bite, the buttery pastry melting on her tongue.
They ate in comfortable silence, the kind that was full of understanding rather than emptiness. The sound of the ocean filled the spaces between their words, the occasional call of a seabird overhead making the moment feel untouched by time.
Savannah watched as Chase leaned back on his elbows, tilting his face toward the sky, his eyes half-lidded, utterly at ease.
He looked different here—unburdened. Free.
She wanted to bottle up this version of him and keep it for herself.
“Tell me something you’ve never told anyone,” she said suddenly, her voice softer than she intended.
Chase’s eyes flicked open, his gaze locking onto hers. A beat passed before he exhaled, the tension in his shoulders melting away as he turned onto his side, propping his head up with one hand.
“I have always imagined bringing you here.”
Her breath caught.
“Chase—”
“Don’t say anything,” he murmured, his fingers finding hers, twining them together with effortless familiarity. “Just—know that it’s true.”
And she did. She felt it in the way he looked at her, in the way his thumb traced lazy circles against her palm. She felt it even more when he sat up and tugged her onto his lap, his arms wrapping around her waist like she belonged there.
His lips found hers, soft and slow, tasting like salt and longing and years of waiting.
The world faded, narrowing down to just him—the heat of his skin, the press of his fingers at the small of her back, the way his heartbeat thrummed against herown.
They spent the day wrapped up in each other—walking barefoot along the shore, stealing kisses between playful splashes, laughter tangled with the drift of the tide. When he tossed her into the water, she shrieked, kicking up water that hit him square in the chest.
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that, Montgomery,” she warned.
He grinned, wiping water from his face, his wet t-shirt clinging to every defined inch of him. “That so?”
She lunged at him, but he caught her with ease, spinning her in the shallows, their laughter dissolving into something quieter, something heavier, as his hands settled on her waist.
She stilled, her fingers grazing his jaw, her breath catching at the intensity in his gaze.
“You’re dangerous,” she murmured.
His lips curved. “To you?”
She swallowed, nodding.
Chase’s grip on hertightened. “Good.”
As the sun dipped lower, Chase pulled away, his eyes holding a flicker of mischief.
“Give me three minutes,” he said, then disappeared around the bend.
Savannah watched him go, confusion knitting her brows. Moments later, the low rumble of an engine met her ears.
She turned just in time to see Chase pulling up in a boat.
He stepped onto the bow, holding out his hand.
