“What?”
“Just now, we passed a McDonald’s, and there was a little boy and a little girl, and she was giving him her French fries.”
“Okay … and what? You want to go to McDonald’s and get fries?”
“No. It reminded me of us. Of how we’ve always been.”
“What do you mean?” she says softly.
“How when we were younger, if you had fries, you’d give me some. If you had ice cream, you’d let me have a lick. If you had a Coke, I’d get a sip. If I was down, you’d make me smile. You’d sing to me. You’d tell jokes. You’d dance. We’d laugh. We’d stare at the sky. We’d swim. We’dread. We’d talk about our dreams and our goals. And you supported me every single time, no matter what.
“You have always been there for me, Mia. You have always supported every single selfish thing I’ve done, and you’ve never asked for anything. And I’ve always had you there, and I’ve always known I’ve had you there. And you’ve been the best friend I could ever ask for.
“And I love you. I love you to the very depths of my being. And that means I have a responsibility to show you that I will always be there for you, come hell or high water.
“You can come to me for anything. You can tell me anything. You can be anything.
“I’m not going to leave you right now. I’m not going to leave you ever.
“You are the best listener I’ve ever met, and you’ve made me a better listener, but I realize I could do better. Because I know I said you could come to New York, and you’ve already told me you don’t want to come to New York, and you don’t want to go to England.
“Coconut Beach is your home. It’s our home.”
I grab her hands and squeeze them. “I’m not leaving, Mia. I’m not leaving you. I’m not leaving Coconut Beach. I’m moving back.” I’m not sure how I ever thought there was a possibility that I wouldn’t move back. Not knowing how badly I missed being around Mia, every single day that I’d been away. Coming back to Coconut Beach had been like ripping a bandaid off. Seeing Mia every day, being next to her, laughing with her in person. It had reminded me of just how much distance had taken from me. There was no way I could go back to the friendship that had existed when I’d been in New York.
“You’re moving back?” Her jaw drops and I can see the genuine shock in her eyes, but then it’s followed by something that resembles hope and that makes my heart thud. Mia is excited about the possibility of me being back home. She’s not hiding how happy the idea makes her. My heart soars as I stare into her open and trusting eyes. Eyes that had always been a beacon of warmth and comfort to me. “But you don’t want to be here. You love New York. You?—”
“I never loved New York more than being with you, Mia.”
“But you left. You left me behind. You moved on with your life.” My heart drops at her words. Had she really thought that? How could she think I’d moved on with my life?
“I never wanted to leave and stay gone. I have loved you since I wasa teenager, and I was scared that it would break my heart, being here, not being able to have you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I never thought that there was even a possibility of you loving me. And if I’m being really vulnerable and honest with you, a part of me stayed away because I couldn’t face the reality of loving you and wanting you and needing you and you being with someone else. It would’ve broken me every single day.”
“But I didn’t even know you had those feelings for me.” Her eyes search mine and I watch as she swallows hard. There’s a lump in my throat as I wait for her to process everything that I’ve told her. I’m glad to finally let it all out. It had been a burden carrying my love for her without being able to tell her. It had been a burden having that weight on my shoulders, wanting so much more from her and being scared to lose her if she knew the truth. In fairytales, the prince always gets the princess and they always live happily ever after. But I wasn’t Prince Charming and she wasn’t Cinderella. There was no guarantee that she’d love me back. There was no guarantee that I wouldn’t ruin everything. There was no guarantee that I wouldn’t live my life wishing I’d never told her. Though, I suppose fear had made me miss out on what could have been years of happiness. My fear had paused life.
I never wanted to pause life again.
“I know. I wasn’t brave enough to tell you. I was scared. But somehow, some way, we figured it out, and we are here together, and we love each other.” My words don’t seem adequate. I want to explain to her that she means the world to me, that life for me doesn’t exist without her, but I don’t know if she would think I was being hyperbolic.
“You know you can always tell me anything, Luke.” There’s an ethereal softness to her words that hits me in the gut in the most beautiful way. This woman is my woman. Has always been my woman. Would always be my woman.
“I guess I’m finally strong enough to admit that it’s always been you.” I grin. “Who needs all the billions I make in New York, any way?”
“And who knows? Maybe if we find the hidden treasure at Hidden Cove, we’ll be billionaires anyway.”
“I already have a lot of money, Mia. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“But if I find you a treasure, I will also have a lot of money,” shesays, laughing. “I don’t want you thinking I’m with you just for your money.”
“I would never think that, Mia. You know that.”
“I know,” she says, reaching up to touch me on the side of the face, reassuring me that I’ve haven’t made her feel like a gold digger. “I think I got caught up in my feelings as well.”
My phone rings again and I want to ignore it, but the familiar twitch of my brain makes me look down at the screen.
