“Yes, probably.”
“Can you bring me to the beach at least once when I can swim?”
Swimming is on Harper’sonly if you’re with melist. If he’s asking, then I know it’s a pretty big wish for him. I’ll have to take him somewhere warm and tropical this upcoming summer. Some place where I have to put a lot of sunscreen on him to keep him from burning.
“Sure,” I agree, already thinking up plans.
“Take a walk with me?”
The house is mostly empty as we leave, minus Joey and Lee standing in the kitchen, having what looks like a very intense conversation. Small dunes line the side of the pathway towards the water, impeding my ability to see down the beach until we reach the other side. Colby stands in the water up to his ankles with Eli clinging to his back like a barnacle. A little down the beach stands Trevor and Beau, looking intently down at the sand with twin curious faces. Seems like a better bet.
I tug Harper after me towards Trevor and Beau. As we approach, Beau crouches down with a very serious look on his face.
“Is it a shark?” Harper asks seriously.
“A microscopic shark?” Trevor replies, face devoid of humor.
“Yes, possibly.” Harper lifts his chin. “I heard about them on TikTok.”
“Oh brother,” I mutter under my breath. Harper elbows my ribs with a scowl.
“No, look.” Beau points at the sand, brushing some of it away to reveal the dried skeleton of a seahorse.
Harper howls with laughter, earning him a slightly startled look from Beau and Trevor. His fingers come up to cover his mouth as he holds in more laughter. The answering grin on my lips is borderline painful. Beau carefully brushes the remaining sand away from the seahorse as if it’s the most precious thing on earth. Standing to his full height, he presents it to Trevor with a shy smile.
“For you, sweetheart.”
Trevor takes the gift with a tender, tremulous smile. “Thank you, Beau.”
“Nauseating,” Harper mutters.
With a smile at Trevor and Beau, I tug Harper towards the empty beach in front of us. Harper sighs with pleasure when I wrap my arm around his shoulder, tugging him close against me as we walk. We leave footprints in the sand behind us, proof that we exist. Harper pulls away from me to dip his toes in the water. It lasts approximately one second before he comes running back.
“Water is freezing,” Harper says, tucking his arm around my waist, under my shirt.
“No shit.”
Harper pinches my side hard. “I had to see for myself.”
The world is hushed around us as we walk the length of the beach. Every now and then we dip down to pick up a shell, and Harper’s smile is so genuine that my heart aches at the sight of it. By the time we return back to the house, I’ve got twenty sandy shells stuffed in the pockets of my jeans.
Colby stands on the raised back porch, wearing an easy grin while grilling lunch for everyone. Through the windows Trevor and Beau are visible puttering around in the kitchen, probably preparing sides for our lunch. Weird, awkward tensions crackles through the air when we take a seat at the outdoor dining table.
Eli kicks my leg under the table, trying and succeeding to get my attention. “Benji called. That’s why Trevor went inside with Beau.”
Oh shit. I press a kiss to Harper’s cheek and power walk into the house. Trevor stands in the kitchen, face pinched, with his phone to his ear. At the sight of me, he relaxes just enough for me to know my presence is needed. Beau’s eyes glance at me as he chops lettuce, slowly dumping it into a large serving bowl.
“They’ve been talking for about fifteen minutes,” Beau tells me, lips downturned. “Only hearin’ one side of the conversation has me pretty concerned though.”
Trevor paces the length of the kitchen now, lip caught between his teeth as he tears dry skin from his lip. Oh, this isn’t good at all. Trevor is cool and calm, never riled up. When I reach my arm out, hand palm up, Trevor violently shakes his head.
“I hear you, Benji. But I also don’t think you’re capable of handling this by yourself. I really think you need to talk to Claire.” Trevor listens patiently, lip still caught between his teeth. His eyes go wide and he attempts to sidestep me, but I grab his forearm to stop him. “Jackson’s here. He wants to talk to you.”
The minute the phone is in my hand, I lift it to my ear. “Are you safe? Did he hurt you?”
“No, no, Jackson,” Benji whispers, voice barely audible. “I’m fine.”
“You’ve got Trevor pretty worried.”
