“Yeah,” I promised. “You took care of me. Like you always do.”
A beat passed. The waves crashed in the distance. And the only thing louder was the sound of my heart falling for him all over again.
I gave him the space he needed until he was ready to talk.
Callum wasn’t a man who filled silences just to fill them. He processed things slowly, quietly, like he was kneading each thought into shape before offering it up. And I knew better than to rush that. Sometimes, the most loving thing you could do forsomeone was justbe there.Beside them, feeling it with them, so they weren’t alone.
So I stayed still, hand in his, our towels nearly overlapping as we both lay on our sides facing each other. The breeze carried the faint scent of salt and sugar—coconut sunscreen and the sweet citrus peel I’d rolled between my palms before coming down here. Waves rolled in and out like a metronome. My phone still played Harper’s album quietly, a song that was honey-smooth and just slutty enough to make me grin.
Callum let out a slow exhale, eyes still on the horizon. His thumb swept gently over my fingers. My heart thudded. I stayed silent, letting him find his way.
“They took it better than I expected,” he said finally, voice quiet but sure. “Mum cried a little, but said she always knew it would happen sooner than I wanted it to. That she was just proud I stayed in it as long as I did.”
I blinked, the sting of emotion hitting unexpectedly.
He looked at me, eyes tired but soft. “Dad said he wasn’t surprised. Told me…” He trailed off, then let out a breathy laugh that wasn’t quite laughter. “Told me he could finally breathe a little easier knowing I was choosing a life instead of just a legacy. And here all this time I thought—” he cut himself off, swallowing.
I pushed myself up and reached for him, cupping his cheek. He leaned into it, eyes fixed on mine as I leaned over him.
“They understood,” he added, voice thick with emotion. “They saw everything you and I have walked through. The timing, the storm, the way the world has shifted for us. And they said…” His voice went quieter, just for me. “They said it was time for me to choose peace.”
A beat passed.
I kissed his knuckles. “And does it feel like peace?”
He hesitated. Then he nodded. Just once. “Bittersweet,” he admitted. “But aye. It does.”
And there, on a stretch of glittering white sand, the sound of Harper’s sugar-sweet voice filling the air, I realized something:
Letting go didn’t always have to mean losing. Sometimes it meant finally choosing the life you didn’t believe you were allowed to have.
I didn’t say anything right away. Just held his gaze and let the silence wrap around us like a blanket. The kind that didn’t need mending or explanation.
Then I grinned and rolled onto my back with a dramatic sigh, reaching for my phone. “Well, you’ve officially earned a selfie.”
Callum groaned as I flipped my camera, angling it for the light. “Christ, not this again.”
“You look hot when you’re emotionally vulnerable.” I snapped a few pictures, my gold hoops glinting in the sun, and then tilted the phone toward him. “Now smile for your fiancée.”
He didn’t. He lunged.
With a startled squeal, I dropped my phone and scrambled to my feet, but I wasn’t fast enough. His arms wrapped around my waist, hauling me up like I weighed nothing.
“Callum!” I shrieked through laughter, clutching his shoulders as he started running down the sand toward the surf. “Don’t you dare?—”
Too late. The water hit our feet, then our knees, then our waists. I was still gasping when he dipped me, dunking us both under in one glorious, breathless splash.
When we surfaced, soaked and breathless, I looped my legs around his waist and kissed him like it was my last chance to taste him. He was laughing into my mouth, water streaming down his face, his arms locked tight beneath my thighs.
“Mmm. Didn’t get to finish what I started earlier,” I whispered against his lips, voice sultry and sweet.
A strangled sound clawed up my throat as I ground against him, the water doing nothing to cool us down. One of his hands slipped up, tugging at the string around my neck, loosening my bikini top just enough that one wrong move and my whole tit would be out.
“You’re such a fucking tease,” he growled, voice rough with want. “Wearing this slutty little bathing suit, showing off that tattoo of yours. Practically leaving nothing to the imagination.”
“And you love it.”
“I’ve been thinking about you grabbing your tits all goddamn morning,” he rasped. “Now it’s my turn.”
