Page 28 of A Nantucket Wedding

“So you’re probably over the morning sickness bit,” Felicity said. “I remember—”

“Oh, God, I don’t know. It’s so boring, talking about pregnancy.” Poppy stood up. “I’m going to bed. I can’t seem to get enough sleep. Good night, everyone.”

Jane and Felicity exchanged glances as Poppy strolled into the house.

“I thought we’d sail out to Coatue tomorrow,” David said. “Take a picnic, swim.”

“Sounds good, Dad,” Ethan said, coming out from the kitchen.

Patrick was right behind him, a tall, broad-shouldered, redheaded Viking of a man. “Kitchen’s done,” he announced.

Jane checked her phone—no messages. “Tomorrow’s forecast is for clouds,” Jane told the group, reading from the small screen. “High in the low eighties, wind at fifteen miles per hour, humidity fifty percent.”

“Perfect,” David said.

“No message from Scott?” Felicity asked.

“Not yet.” Jane was on the verge of tears. Damn Scott! But she would drown herself before she cried in front of everyone. She stood up. “I’m going for a walk. Felicity?”

“I’ll stay here. The children,” she added in explanation.

The year had almost reached the summer solstice, and light remained in the sky past nine o’clock. Ethan had brought glow sticks for the children, who were now playing hide-and-seek around the house and in the bushes.

“It’s past their bedtime and they’ve been wild,” Felicity added. “Any minute now one of them will start crying and I’ll have to wrestle them to bed.”

Ethan rose. “I could use a walk after having two helpings of blueberry pie.” He patted his perfectly flat belly.

Uh-oh!Jane thought, but with everyone watching, she said, “Sure. Join me.”

Single file, Jane and Ethan walked through the wild rosebushes to the beach. The white curls of surf were almost fluorescent in the fading light, and they surged up and sank into the warm sand with soft sounds like whispers.

Jane ambled in and out of the waves, aware that Ethan was near her, near enough to touch. Not that she would touch even his hand, of course she wouldn’t. It was enough to have him near. To know that he had chosen to join her.

“You said you enjoy hiking,” Ethan said. “Where have you gone?”

Jane knew she was blushing with pleasure simply because Ethan remembered what she’d said at their first meeting. She bent over to hide her face, pretending to inspect a shell. “Mostly in the U.S. Colorado, Death Valley, Sedona, Mount Washington in New Hampshire. And Scotland, last year.”

Ethan walked nearer to her, almost touching. “So you like adventure, a taste of danger.”

Was that a challenge? Jane said lightly, “Nothing compared to you. Hang gliding? Skydiving?”

“Life is short,” Ethan said. “I believe we should live large, follow our desires.”

Jane sniffed. “Only someone who is independently wealthy can say that.”

“I’m not so sure. For some adventures money is necessary. But some of our best adventures money can’t buy.”

Jane waved a hand at the ocean. “True.”

“Or this.” Ethan stopped her, taking her shoulders in his hands and turning her to face him.

Jane tried to pull away…but she didn’t try hard. Still, she said, “I can’t. We can’t.”

He pulled her closer. “If it were just you and me and the beach and the ocean, tell me you wouldn’t want me to touch you and hold you and kiss you and make love to you.”

Jane put her hands on his chest to push him away, but the contact sent desire racing through her. “We’re not alone on a desert island.”

“Well, we are on an island,” Ethan pointed out. “And right now, we’re alone.”

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