And Casey is doing well in school. She’s happy.
Life now is as it should have been ten years ago.
I’m not bitter about losing those ten years. Do I wish that Adam and I had had all that time together? Of course I do. But we didn’t, and it meant Casey was able to get well. It was how it had to be. Both Adam and I have accepted it because we have each other now, and that’s all that matters.
My cell starts to vibrate on the table beside me, pulling my eyes from the view of the ocean.
I see the name on the display, and I instantly feel sick.
I knew this call was coming. I just didn’t expect it to be today.
Knowing I can’t hide from this, I take a deep breath and answer, “Hello?”
“Evie Taylor?”
“Speaking.”
“I’m calling with the test results.”
Another deep breath. “Okay. Go ahead.”
“Positive.”
My breath rushes out of me.
“Miss Taylor?”
“Thank you for letting me know.” I hang my cell up, curling my fingers around it.
My stomach clenches. My mouth dries.
Adam and I are in a good place. We’re settled and happy. We’ve found our happy.
This…I just don’t know. This could change everything, and not for the better.
My fingers immediately go to the necklace hanging around my neck. The necklace that holds my wedding ring. Adam has the same, his wedding ring on a chain around his neck. He wanted us to wear them close to our hearts until the day we’re ready to put them back on our fingers.
But this, now…I just don’t know—
“Hey, babe.”
I turn at the sound of Adam’s voice. He must have just gotten home from the surf school. I didn’t realize the time.
He’s smiling. I guess I’m not because he takes one look at my face, and his smile drops.
“What’s wrong?” He steps through the door, coming out onto the patio, toward me.
“Nothing.” I clear my expression, forcing a smile.
No more lies, Evie. Tell him.
“You’re sure?”
I’m nodding my head before I realize I’m doing it.
Tell him.
His expression clears. “Good, because we need to go.”
“Go?” Then, I immediately remember. “Oh God, yeah, the surprise.”
Adam told me this morning right before he left for work that he had a surprise for me.
“It’s not the surprise. It’s your surprise. And you seriously forgot?” A smile tips up the corner of his lips. “Because I remember you trying to persuade it out of me this morning.”
“I didn’t forget. I just misplaced it for a second. And yes, I’m ready to go.” I get to my feet.
I’m trying not to think of what surprise he’s gotten for me on what would have been our wedding anniversary. He hasn’t mentioned the fact of what today is, and neither have I.
I figure he hasn’t mentioned it because he’s leaving our past behind and focusing on the future.
Adam wraps his arms around my waist and brushes his lips over mine. “Tell me you’re happy.”
He asks me to say this all the time. It’s the reassurance he needs from me. And I will give Adam anything he needs.
But right now, I feel deceitful.
I press my lips together and smile. “I’m happy.”
And I am. I really am. I just don’t know if he’s going to be happy when I tell him what I have to tell him.
I have to tell him.
“Me, too, babe. Now, let’s go ’cause I’m dying to show you your surprise.”
I will tell him. I’ll just do this surprise thing, and then I’ll tell him.
Evie is distracted. She thinks I can’t tell, but I can tell. And it’s making me nervous because I have no clue what’s bothering her.
I want to ask her, but I don’t want to spoil things before I get to give her the surprise I’ve been working on all week.
I’ve bought her a space to sell her drawings in. It’s right by the surf school and just recently became available. Evie can turn it into a gallery and won’t have to sell her drawings out of the Shack anymore.
I know she’ll be pissed that I’m spending money on her, but since she wouldn’t let me give her any in the divorce that she pushed for—yeah, I’ll be rectifying that little issue soon enough because I want her to be my wife again—I’ve taken to buying things for her.
I’ve also taken to doing good things with my money, which equates to mostly giving it away.
I just kept enough to keep Evie and me comfortable. She’s struggled financially all her life, and I don’t want that for her anymore.
And I still get a lot of earnings from the studio, which helps to facilitate the surf school. It’s still in its early days, so it’s not making a lot of money right now.