Daphne tilts her head. “You said your family's rivals are actually kind of nice, though.”
“Theyare,” Dawn admits. “Theirsonis not.”
Maddy shifts slightly in my lap. “…But he’s hot.”
Dawn turns her head slowly. “That is not the point.”
I gesture to myself, deeply offended. “Wait—excuse me? You have a boyfriend, remember?”
Maddy just laughs, completely unapologetic. “What? You can’t deny he’s hot.”
“Oh really?” I shoot back, pulling her a little closer.
She tilts her head up at me, smiling soft and sure. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you for him.”
Kiara fake gags. “Why do you two always have to flirt in front of people?”
“Because we’re in love,” Maddy says sweetly.
“Disgusting,” Noah mutters, but he’s smiling.
Laughter rolls across the porch, blending with the sound of the ocean and the last light of the sun slipping into the water.
I glance down at Maddy. “Hey,” I whisper, leaning closer so only she can hear me, “do you want to take a little walk on the beach?”
She nods, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah. I’d love that.”
We stand, her hand slipping into mine without hesitation. Together, we start toward the edge of the porch.
“Where are you two going?” Mom calls, standing next to Luke, not even trying to sound subtle.
“Just a walk,” I answer casually.
“Don’t go too far, kids!” Dawn adds with a grin—then winks.
“Oooh,” Bailey sings, nudging Kiara, who smirks right on cue. “Romantic beach stroll.”
Maddy giggles and hides her face briefly in my shoulder. “You guys are ridiculous,” she whispers, but there’s no real complaint in her voice.
We walk for a while, hand in hand, the sand cool beneath our feet and the ocean humming beside us. After a few quiet minutes, she nudges me with her shoulder. “Want a rematch?”
I glance down at her, already smiling. “You wanna race again?”
“Absolutely.” She crouches slightly, dropping into a dramatic ready stance, eyes sparkling with challenge. “This time, I’m gonna win fair and square.”
I huff a quiet laugh, adrenaline kicking in even though I already know how this ends.
“You ready?” I ask.
“Oh, hell yes.”
“Alright.” I step beside her. “One… two… three—”
We take off at the same time, feet pounding through soft sand, laughter tearing out of both of us as the wind rushes past. “This Love” by Taylor Swift playing in my mind.
She’s fast—still faster than me—hair flying behind her like a victory flag.
I push harder, closing the distance inch by inch until I finally catch her, wrapping an arm around her waist and lifting her clean off the ground.
