Page 84 of Chasing Sunsets

I take a sip of my beer, considering. “Maybe a little.”

Parker snorts. “Liar.”

I smirk. “All right, fine. A lot. We had a lot of fun.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “Man, remember when we moved in here? We thought we had it all figured out. No responsibilities, no strings. Just fishing, drinking, and picking up girls.”

I chuckle. “Yeah. We were lucky bastards for sure.”

He smirks. “I still think we’re lucky bastards.”

I nod, taking another drink. “We are.”

We sit there in easy silence for a while, letting the game play, letting the memories drift between us. There’s something about nights like this that make the past feel closer, like I could blink and find myself back at twenty-two, drunk off my ass, trying to convince Parker that jumping off the pier in the middle of the night was a good idea.

But we’re not those guys anymore.

And honestly? I don’t want to be.

“So,” Parker says, eyeing me, “you really told her?”

I exhale, shaking my head. “Yeah.”

He grins. “And?”

“And what?”

“Come on, man. What’d she say?”

I smirk. “She said it back.”

His grin widens. “No shit?”

“No shit.”

He lets out a low whistle. “Damn. Never thought I’d see the day.”

I shrug, but there’s no use pretending it doesn’t mean something. That she doesn’t mean something. Everything.

“Guess we’re both moving into new territory,” Parker says, stretching out his legs. “You and Tabby, me and Audrey.”

“Yeah,” I say, glancing over at him. “You ready for that?”

He exhales, staring out at the water. “More than ready. That woman is all I’ve ever wanted.”

I nod. “Yeah. Me too.”

We go quiet again, watching the game, drinking our beers, letting the night settle around us.

It might be the end of an era, but for the first time, it feels like something better—a new era—is beginning.

Tabby

The sun is warm on my skin, the sand hot beneath my towel as I stretch out beside the girls. The sound of the waves rolling in and Leia’s delighted giggles as she builds a lopsided sandcastle make for the perfect background noise. Mina is nestled against Eden’s chest under the umbrella, her tiny fingers occasionally curling into the fabric of Eden’s cover-up, completely content.

It’s one of those days that feels like summer should—lazy, sun-soaked, and filled with laughter. I push my sunglasses higher up on my nose and glance at Avie, who’s called Leia over and is now applying another layer of sunscreen to her back while the little girl wiggles impatiently.

“She’s turned into such a beach baby. She tans so easily, just like her dad,” Amiya says, rolling onto her side.

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