Page 85 of Chasing Sunsets

“Better safe than sunburned,” Avie retorts, then turns to me with a sly smile. “Speaking of hot things … I hear Anson dropped the L-word.”

I groan. Anson warned me that Sebastian had told her, so I knew this girls’ beach date was an ambush. “Yeah, I heard Sebastian spilled the beans.”

Avie grins. “Which is why we all know. He told me, I told Amiya and Eden, Parker told Audrey, and Audrey told Heather at work. So, now, it’s public knowledge.”

I prop myself up on my elbows, squinting at her. “You guys need a better gossip pipeline.”

Amiya laughs. “Why? This one is so efficient.”

Eden, who has been quietly stroking Mina’s tiny foot, looks at me with a knowing expression. “So? How do you feel about it?”

I sigh, tipping my head back toward the sun, letting the warmth seep into my skin. “I feel the same,” I admit. “I love him. I just … I never planned to.”

Avie makes a noise. “No one ever plans to fall in love, Tabby.”

“No, but I mean … I wasn’t supposed to.” I sit up, crossing my legs. “I came here for a fresh start. I wasn’t looking for forever. And now …” I hesitate, searching for the right words. “Now, I feel like I have to tell him everything.”

The mood shifts, the weight of my confession settling between us. Even Leia seems to sense the change, her attention flickering away from the sandcastle she’s building.

Amiya frowns. “Everything?”

“My past. My family.” I swallow, running my hands over my thighs. “I can’t just keep avoiding them. If I’m staying here, if I really want to build a life with him … I have to face them.”

Eden nods slowly, her fingers still tracing patterns on Mina’s leg. “Is there a reason you’ve been avoiding them? Did something bad happen?”

I shake my head. “No. Nothing like that. It’s just … I wasn’t happy or fulfilled. My parents had lofty expectations for all their children and zero tolerance for any deviation. They demanded we have the best grades, get into the respectable school, get the right degree, marry the perfect spouse, and succeed in business. All of their choosing. No exception. No excuses.”

Avie studies me for a moment. “And you weren’t okay with any of that, so you left.”

“Yes.” The honesty stings as I say it. “But I don’t think I can keep running. And Anson deserves to know who I really am. I’ve told him bits and pieces, but if I don’t tell him all of it, it’s like—”

“Like you’re not giving him all of you,” Eden finishes softly.

I nod.

Silence stretches between us for a moment, only broken by the distant crash of waves and Leia chattering about the seashell she just found. Then, Avie claps her hands together, as if to shake off the weight of the conversation.

“One thing about Anson is, he doesn’t have a judgmental bone in his body,” Amiya says. “No matter what you have hiding in your past, you can trust that he’ll understand.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about. It’s my family. They won’t accept me or him,” I mutter.

“You’re an adult. They have no choice but to accept. If they don’t, then that’s on them, not on you. But I agree; you should tell them. They may surprise you,” Audrey says. “Mine did.”

I look at her. “They did?”

“Yeah, Parker and I had a complicated past, and he wasn’t my parents’ favorite person. I won’t pretend they welcomed him with open arms right away; it took time, but they came around eventually. Thank God.”

I nod. The prospect of Frederick and Rosemary Harmony accepting their daughter’s choice to paint landscapes and live in North Carolina with her fisherman boyfriend seems unlikely, but a girl can hope.

“Well,” Amiya says, “we’re not going to solve it all today. But we have plans tonight, so we can help you come up with a strategy over some food and wine. And you’re not backing out.”

I blink. “Plans?”

“Leia’s staying with Sabel,” Avie explains, lifting Leia’s hair and tying it into a ponytail as she talks. “And Eden’s taking Mina to Wade. That means we’re free for dinner and cocktails.”

Amiya smirks. “Yeah, the guys are going out for beers to celebrate Anson closing on his house. Except for Wade. He’s on daddy duty tonight.”

I can’t help but smile at that.

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