Page 94 of Shift the Tide

So easy, in fact, that the girls had started a relentless campaign months ago, constantly asking if Izzy could move into the small townhouse.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Izzy and Eliza came trudging up from the shore, Eliza dripping wet and grinning.

“That was terrible,” she declared as she dropped onto the sand beside Quinn.

“No, it was great. The Izzy and Lizzie dream team,” Izzy said as she sat beside Kiera.

“No, it was bad,” Quinn stated. “You want to help me with the castle?”

Eliza nodded, clearly eager to escape the waves for a while, and the two of them fell into quiet collaboration, sculpting small towers into place.

Kiera took the moment of distraction and turned to Izzy, who was toweling off beside her. Izzy shot her a knowing smile, raising an eyebrow. “You’re staring.”

Kiera huffed a small laugh, heart racing.Don’t overthink it. Just say it.

“Iz,” she started, voice soft. “Move in with us.”

Izzy’s hands froze, her towel slipping from her fingers onto the sand.

“I mean it,” she said, reaching out and brushing a damp strand of hair away from Izzy’s cheek. “I want you to live with us. The girls love you and want you around, and so do I.”

Izzy’s lips quirking upward, mischief flashing in her eyes. “Kiera Phillips,” she said slowly, teasingly. “Icannotlive in sin.”

Kiera rolled her eyes, laughing. “Oh my god.”

Before she could respond, Izzy turned toward the girls. “Hey, Lizzie? Quinn?”

The two of them perked up instantly, sharing a glance before nodding with barely contained excitement.

Kiera looked confused. “What?—”

Eliza and Quinn sprinted a few feet up the beach to their beach bag. They dug inside the bag, then ran to Izzy, depositing a small box into her hands. Quinn bounced with excitement while Eliza held her hands in a pleading gesture.

Oh, Kiera realized.

The world around them seemed to contract as Izzy knelt before her, her bright blue eyes filled with a deep and sure emotion.

“Kiera,” Izzy started, her voice shaky, and fingers tight around the small box. “I was going to do this later tonight, but since you kind of walked right into it…” She took a breath, shaking her head with a small grin. “You… and the girls… and this life we want to build together — it’s everything, and I don’t want to wait.”

The ocean blurred into background noise, drowned out by the rush of blood pounding in Kiera’s ears.

“I love you,” Izzy said, her gaze softening. “I have loved every moment I have spent with the three of you over this past year. And I don’t just want to move in with you. I want to marry you.”

Kiera let out a shaky laugh, barely holding it together. “You planned this with Eliza and Quinn?”

Izzy glanced sideways where the two pairs of wide eyes were watching them. “They’ve been very good at keeping this a surprise.”

“How long have you known?” Kiera said, turning toward her daughters.

Eliza and Quinn erupted into giggles.

“Wait, wait, we have a thing!” Eliza said, waving her arms frantically. Quinn began tearing apart the sandcastle. Kiera watched in amusement as the girls dug wildly, sand flyingeverywhere, before they unearthed a small seashell-covered box and held it up in triumph, grinning ear to ear.

“We made this!” Quinn declared proudly, holding it in both hands.

Kiera opened the lid, her heart stuttering as she saw what was inside — a piece of paper, decorated in Eliza’s loopy handwriting and Quinn’s very enthusiastic use of stickers.

Say yes, Mommy!!!

Kiera laughed through the blur of her tears, clutching the note to her chest as Izzy reached for her hand. “No pressure,” Izzy teased, though Kiera could hear the emotion in her voice. “But they worked really hard on this.”

Eliza crossed her arms. “Yeah,andwe practiced!”

It felt impossible to breathe with how much she loved the three of them. “Oh, well, in that case…” She turned back to Izzy, eyes shining. “Yes.”

Izzy let out a breath before surging forward, pulling Kiera into a deep kiss, the kind that promised forever.

The girls whooped in triumph, launching themselves at Kiera and Izzy in a blur of limbs and laughter. They all collapsed into the sand in a tangled heap, breathless and grinning, the air ringing with giggles and shrieks. The tide crept closer, curling around their feet, the ocean a steady rhythm behind them. Sunlight spilled across their faces and for a brief, tender moment, Kiera found herself in awe that this beautiful, chaotic, and perfect life was real.

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