September
“How is the best teacher ever doing today?”
Ava dropped her oversized bag in the entryway of their suite and stepped into Sam’s embrace. These days her apartment felt a little crowded with two desks lined up against the wall across from their bed, one for each of them. Sam was still working from home, but that would change when Scholar Central officially moved to Seahaven next spring. He and Ben had started scouting office space in some of the commercial buildings, and she was sure they’d find something suitable.
For now, she enjoyed coming home to find Sam there, on a video call with his fellow workers, or leaning back in his chair trying to solve some coding problem in his head, or typing furiously at his keyboard, getting a new idea down before it escaped him. He always broke off what he was doing when she came in and greeted her with a hug and kiss.
They both had work hours that stretched beyond dinner, but they made it a point to put everything away by eight and cover their workstations with the decorative weaving Ava’s parents had given her on her birthday, before they went out on the balcony, wrapped themselves in blankets if the night was cool and talked for an hour to wind down. Today was a Friday, which meant she didn’t need to rush to get any more work done tonight. Sam had promised to order food so they could simply relax.
“I’m really good,” Ava told him, still in his embrace. “I took my students to Shelbridge Heights today. Remember that place?”
“How could I forget our picnic amid the devastation?” Sam joked. “It was very romantic.”
“Until we got into an argument,” she reminded him. She was grateful they’d found their way to a place where disagreements were few and far between. They had found ways to fit in fun and adventure around their jobs. They got up early for walks and surfing now that they’d both had lessons with the Surf Dads and Moms, hiked and camped on weekends, had bonfires on the beach with friends.
“An argument about whether or not I could do more than kiss you,” he said. “Glad you came to see my side of things.”
“Me, too.” They exchanged a grin that promised all sorts of fun later, but Ava was tired from her day at work—and thirsty. She went to look in the refrigerator. “We talked about forest fires and patterns of regrowth. It was great.”
“I’ll bet the kids loved it.”
“They’re so happy outside,” Ava said. “So am I. I have the perfect career.”
“I have the perfect girlfriend.” Sam followed her into the kitchen area and kissed her neck just under her ear. Ava felt the sensation down to her toes.
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Our food should be here in ten minutes,” Sam pulled back.
“Wonderful.” Ava poured some juice, put her things away, changed into more comfortable clothes and freshened up. When the food arrived, they took it out on the deck since the evening was warm.
“I was thinking,” Sam said when they were comfortably situated, “about kids of our own.”
Ava, her fork halfway to her mouth, stilled, then set it down on her place. “Kids of our own?” she repeated.
Sam nodded and reached over to take her hand. “Is it possible to time things so a baby arrives over summer vacation?”
Ava found herself counting months. “I’d need to get pregnant next month to line that up right.”
“Exactly.” He squeezed her fingers. “And I want to marry you first.”
Ava stared at him. “What are you asking me?”
“Ava Ingerson.” He put his plate down and came to kneel before her, still holding her hand. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Love and joy and wonder welled up inside her and other things she couldn’t even name. They’d fit into each other’s lives so easily since Sam had moved in, she wondered if he’d grown too comfortable to want anything to change. “You want to get married—by next month?” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, it was so close. On the other, she didn’t want to wait another minute to join her life to Sam’s for all time. She was ready. Was he?
“I know it’s crazy, but I don’t want to wait any longer,” he said, echoing her thoughts. “I want to know I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to start our family. I want to cherish you forever. Can you understand that?”
She nodded. It was the same way she felt about him. And to have a baby—she wanted that, too, but she was almost afraid to admit it. Starting a family meant they really would settle down.
“Say yes,” he urged her. “We’ll start the wedding plans today. Everyone will help us.”
“Yes.” She leaned forward and kissed him, almost dumping her plate of food on his lap in the process. “Yes, I will marry you, and yes, I want to have a baby. I really want that, Sam.”
“I do, too. I love you.” He took her plate and placed it on the floor of the deck, then pulled her to her feet, rising with her. “Ava, I’m going to spend my life making you the happiest woman on earth.”
“I already am.” Could she really be getting everything she wanted? Ava found herself braced for the next shoe to drop, but maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe it was perfectly fine to want a husband, children—a community she loved.
“We could start now,” Sam suggested. “After you’re done with your dinner.”
“I’m done.” Ava laughed at her own eagerness. She was already unbuttoning her blouse, neighbors be damned. She backed up to the sliding doors and inside, leading Sam to their bed. Once she’d tossed her blouse aside, he took over undressing her. Moments later they were under the covers. “This will only be practice, though. I’m on birth control,” she reminded him. “I’ll have to go off it.”
“Practice is just fine,” Sam said as they joined together. Ava sighed as he filled her, knowing she’d remember this the rest of her life.
“I’m sure I’ll enjoy every minute of it.”
Sam couldn’t get enough of Ava. Lost in the feel of her, he let pure sensation guide him. Every curve of her body under his hands made him want her even more. When he was with Ava, he felt like his only purpose was to worship her. He didn’t know how making her feel good made him feel so turned on, but it did, and tonight he wanted to show her what she meant to him.
He took his time, showering every part of her with his attention. Ava moaned as he touched her, urging him closer, but he held off until he knew she was as close as he was to losing control.
Knowing soon they would try for a baby made him hungrier for her than he’d ever felt before, something he wouldn’t have thought possible. When their first throes of passion were over, Sam found himself unable to stop touching her. Their second round of lovemaking was slow and thorough. Their third, sometime later that night, was fast and hard and hot.
He couldn’t sleep even after Ava had been softly breathing beside him for quite some time, so he got out of bed slowly, crept through the still-open door onto the balcony and allowed the moonlight to bathe him.
I’ll be a good husband and a good father, he vowed to the ocean and the stars. I’ll never leave her. I’ll protect and provide for my family.
He didn’t feel like he was making any promises he couldn’t keep. Sam hadn’t felt this sense of purpose since the day he and Ben came up with the idea of Scholar Central. Energized, he wanted to pace the deck, or sneak out to run on the beach, but instead he kept watch over his sleeping wife-to-be and whispered more promises as the night slowly passed.
Early in the morning, he slid back beneath the covers, ready to kiss Ava when she woke.
“Morning,” she murmured sleepily sometime later.
“Morning.”
“Sleep well?” She pushed up onto her elbows and blinked in the sunlight streaming in.
“Best night I’ve ever had.”
“I wish you two could be my trial customers,” Penelope said when they gathered for their predawn walk. It was a Saturday. The men had gone surfing; it was just Emma and Penelope with Ava today. “Unfortunately, Fisherman’s Point—I mean, EdgeCliff Manor—won’t be done by then. I’ll still be waiting for the delivery of all my appliances.”
“I know,” Ava told her. “But I hope you’ll help me hold the wedding at the Blue House.”
“Of course! I’m so excited.” Penelope bounced on her toes. “I’m so happy for you. Sam is a great guy.”
“He really is, and he and Noah get along so well. What are the chances of that?” Emma said.
“We’re really lucky.” Ava linked arms with her friends. “I’m so glad he agreed to stay here. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d gone back to Chicago.”
“I’m glad he didn’t figure out a way to change your mind about going with him.”
“No way. I’m staying right here.” She turned to Penelope. “Meanwhile, you’re getting closer and closer to being ready for business. Aren’t you thrilled?”
“Thrilled—and scared. I need to get a bunch of bookings, fast. I wonder if you would mind doing a bridal photo shoot at my place in the next few weeks? We could get flowers, and you and Sam could dress up so I can get some good shots up on my website. I’ve had an idea. I thought if I could get someone kind of famous to have their wedding at Edgecliff Manor—someone like a minor celebrity—then that might drum up a lot of business. I need some beautiful photos to entice a person like that to book their wedding with me.”
“I’m game. Anything to help a friend.” She couldn’t wait to buy her wedding gown. Searching for one would be so much fun. “You two will come along to help pick out my dress, won’t you?”
“Of course,” Emma said. “And I’m sure Noah would be glad to take some photos.”
“Awesome.” Penelope hugged them both. “Maybe I won’t have to sell my boat, after all.”
“You’d better not. You deserve that boat,” Ava said. “Someday you’ll have to take us out on it.”
“Someday,” Penelope promised.
“What do you think about a picnic?” Sam asked when he returned from surfing.
“That sounds nice. What should we pack for lunch?” She was already heading for the refrigerator to see what she had on hand when Sam snagged her fingers in his and stopped her.
“Emma’s already making a basket for us. I asked her when I picked up Noah to go surfing.”
“Really? I was just there and she didn’t say a word.”
“It was a surprise.”
“You pulled it off. You’ve put some thought into this.”
“Yes, I have.” He stole a kiss. “I think about you all the time. Didn’t you know that?”
“I had a feeling.” Ava let him gather her close and enjoyed the comfort of being in his arms. “It’s kind of more exciting to go on a picnic when someone else packs the basket.”
“It’s the mystery of what it will contain.”
“And where we’re going.”
“You’ll see soon enough. Come here.” He led her to the bed. “We’ve got an hour before it’s time to pick up the basket.”
“How ever will we pass the time?” Ava wondered dramatically.
“I can think of a few ways.”
They were a little late getting to Emma’s house, but she greeted them with a broad smile.
“Have fun, you two. I think I outdid myself with this lunch.”
“Everything you make is incredible,” Ava told her.
They took the RAV4, Ava content to be the passenger today. She daydreamed about the future as they drove along the ocean, but when they circled through the Leaf to the shopping district by the main tourist beach in town, she sat up straight to get a better look around.
“Are we going to Seahaven Castle?”
“You guessed it. We’ll picnic on the bluffs in front of its entrance. There’s just one quick stop we need to make first.”
Ava got out of the car and joined him on the sidewalk. Sam had parked in front of Ashbury Jewelers. He took her hand and led her to its door.
“Sam?”
“Time you had a ring, don’t you think?” He ushered her inside, and Ava let him, dazed by the idea. She hadn’t even thought of a ring. “Noah said this is where he and Emma found theirs. I figured it was the best place to look.”
“Of course.” She felt a little shy as they approached the counter. A broad-shouldered man, whose name tag read “Lance,” looked up and greeted them from where he was sketching on a piece of paper.
“Be with you in a minute.” His pencil flashed across the paper, and Ava saw he was drawing a ring.
“Lance designs most of the jewelry we sell.” A smaller man came out of the back of the shop. “Hi, I’m Gary. Can I show you anything?”
“We’re looking for an engagement ring,” Sam told him.
“How wonderful to be able to design any piece of jewelry you want,” Ava said, still fascinated by Lance’s sketch.
“If you can’t find what you want in one of the trays, we could always design a ring together,” Lance offered.
“We’re kind of in a hurry,” Ava told him, “but someday I’d love to do that.”
“Well, why don’t you take a look at some of these,” Gary said. “We have loads of rings to choose from.”
Sam made a game of handing her five or six rings at a time and making her choose the best one from each lot until they had five finalists lined up on the counter. She liked one in particular, a platinum swoop that reminded her of an ocean wave, set with five diamonds of cascading size, but she played the game until the end, finally holding up the one she’d decided on, secure in the knowledge it really was the one for her.
“Let’s try that on.” Gary handed the ring to Sam, who slid it on her ring finger. “That’s not bad,” he said approvingly. “Is it too loose?”
“Actually, I think it’s just right.”
Gary checked to be sure and nodded. “That’s a coincidence. Usually we’d have to resize it for you.”
“I guess it really must be the right ring,” Sam said.
Ava slid it off and handed it back to Gary, who took Sam to the till to wrap up the transaction.
“Onward to the Castle,” Sam said when they were done, taking her hand again. She liked how much he liked to touch her. He was never overbearing—just present. He enjoyed being connected to her, she thought, and she enjoyed it, too.
They got into her car, drove onto the bluffs and turned into the large parking lot beside the Castle.
“The view here is fantastic,” Sam said as they got out.
“The view everywhere in Seahaven is fantastic.” Ava laughed. “But it’s very romantic to have a castle in the background.”
“I sure hope so.”
Ava carried a blanket, Sam hefted the basket and together they made their way to the grassy area between the Castle and the bluffs. Once they were seated, Ava opened the basket and began to lift things out. There was a bottle of wine, two glasses, a baguette, a platter of sliced cheese and salami, several salads, crudites and dip.
“We’ll never be able to eat all this,” she said, laughing.
“I bet we can make a pretty good dent in it.”
They spent the next half hour doing just that. When they were done eating, Ava leaned against Sam, her head on his shoulder, lifting it only to take a sip of wine now and then.
“I never want to leave,” she murmured. “This is perfect.”
“I’m glad to hear it because I never want to leave, either.” He pulled a little box from his pocket and opened it. “You sure you still want to marry me?” he asked.
“Positive.” Sam slid the ring on her finger and kissed her until she was breathless. She held up her hand to get a look at it. “I love it. I love you, too.” Ava thought she had to be glowing. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy before.
“Good.” Sam kissed her again. “I can’t wait for the wedding.”
“Do you think we’ll feel different after it?”
“I think so. Don’t you?”
She nodded. “There’s something special about making a commitment in front of your family and friends,” she said. “Especially when the person you’re making it with believes in commitment.”
“I do believe in commitments. You know that, right?”
She nodded again. “It’s something I love about you.”
He wrapped an arm around her. “I love everything about you.”
“I get that you and Ben have been through a lot and of course you want him as your best man at your wedding,” Chitra said when Sam called his sisters to tell them the news, “but I don’t see why it can’t be best sister instead.”
“If it was, I’d be the one filling that role,” Priya said.
“Nonsense, I would,” Leena said, stunning them all into silence. Leena wasn’t usually one to put herself forward.
“What happened to peace and love and putting yourself last?” Chitra asked her.
“I never said anyone should put themselves last. One of the most important things you can do is acknowledge the best parts of yourself. And I’m the best sister. So there.”
“There’s no way I could choose between you three,” Sam said before a fight could break out. “You’re all fabulous sisters. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
There was another pause.
“Who are you and what have you done with Sam?” Priya asked, laughing.
“Are you feeling all right?” Chitra asked him. “You never admit you need our help.”
“My work here is done,” Leena said. “You are a fully realized human being now.”
Sam groaned. “Don’t let a little praise go to your heads. You’ll need to be good sisters to Ava from now on, too.”
“We will,” Chitra assured him.
“Can’t wait to meet her,” Priya said.
“I wouldn’t have encouraged you to fall for her if I didn’t like the sound of her,” Leena said. “I’m sure she’ll be a wonderful addition to the family.”
“Speaking of additions to the family,” Chitra said. “Are you thinking of having kids?”
“We’ll see,” Sam said, wanting to maintain a little mystery. If he wasn’t careful, his sisters would think they could run his life.
“You’re right, Chitra,” Priya sighed. “If Sam has babies, we’re all going to have to move to California. I can’t live far from my nieces and nephews.”
“At least he picked somewhere sunny,” Leena said.
“When we come out for the wedding, we can look around at real estate,” Priya said.
“Real estate?” Sam repeated. Would his whole family really uproot to join him here?
“Let’s focus on one thing at a time,” Leena intervened. “First let’s get Sam married. Then we can worry about the rest of our lives.”