“Is what?” She looked around and gasped. “Oh my gosh. It is! It’s Jeremy and Ashley. Are they—”
As if to answer her question, they stopped to share a long kiss while the water lapped at their feet.
“We knew it!” Pen said, then covered her mouth. But they were too far away to hear her.
“We called it,” I said. “I wonder why they were keeping it a secret?”
“Who knows? Maybe they wanted privacy.”
“Or maybe they were trying to stay just friends.”
“And caught feelings,” she said with a shrug. “It happens.”
We watched as they walked farther down the beach. Then I held out my fist, and Pen bumped it.
We weren’t bad at this detective stuff.
I helped her pack up our things and carried the canvas and easel back to our hotel. Our room had a balcony with a stunning view of the ocean. I propped her still-wet painting against a wall so it could dry and tucked the easel into a corner.
“What should we do next?” she asked. “Do you want to go swimming? Or are you hungry?”
“I could eat.” I sat on the edge of the bed and reached for her. “But first, come here.”
Drawing her close, I slid my hands around her waist. She draped her arms over my shoulders as I brought her in for a kiss.
“You have a little paint on your cheek.”
“Do I?” She tried to pull away, but I held her tight.
“Just a smudge.” I kissed her again. “I’ve been thinking about something.”
“Yeah? What?”
I felt a strange ping of nerves, a lot like I used to feel before taking the field. The hit of excitement made me smile. “Now that you’re my wife, maybe it’s time we work on changing your name.”
“To Haven? Oh, I definitely want to. I’ll figure out all the paperwork when we get home. I’m sure it will take some time for the students to get used to it, but they will.”
“Not to Haven.” I cupped her cheek. “I mean to Mommy.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “You mean?”
I nodded. “Pen, I want to have a baby with you.”
She took a trembling breath, and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. “Oh, Theo.”
“If you’re not ready, it’s all right. I’ve just been thinking about it a lot lately. I want a family with you.”
Pushing me down onto the bed, she threw herself on top of me. “I would love to have a baby. I want that so much.”
I rolled her onto her back and kissed her deeply. “How about now?”
“I don’t think I’m fertile right this second, but we can certainly practice.”
“Practice makes perfect.”
She giggled as I took off her bikini and ditched my shorts. We came together to the sound of ocean waves crashing on the beach outside. Her body melded with mine as we moved in a steady rhythm, her whimpers and sighs music to my ears.
Later, we lay in bed together, our bodies sated. Her head rested against my chest, and I traced slow circles on her skin.
