Page 116 of A Game Plan for Love

“Having fun?” I ask, leaning over the back of Addie’s chair. Her eyes lift from the book she was reading—the fantasy one she bought me at the airport—and a content smile overtakes her.

“I’msorelaxed.” She sighs. “We’re going to get massages later.”

“We?”

I could be down for a couple's massage. Maybe Henry and Sawyer would take Nora.

“Oh, sorry. The girls and me.” She nibbles on her lip. “You can come if you want.”

“No, he can’t,” Maren says, eyes locked on her book.

“That’s alright,” I kiss the top of her forehead. Her skin scorches my lips. “You should put on some more sunscreen,” I say, noticing the flush of her skin, even beneath the umbrella.

She lifts, and my throat dries at the sight of her in the purple one-piece bathing suit. It’s relatively modest, but covered in flowers and thoughts of her little set flood my mind. Addie catches my look, and her cheeks flush even further.

“Stop.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

Her breath hitches. “Stop looking at me like you want to fuck me.”

“I do.”

“Gross,” Nathalie calls out from her chair. She’s a few dirty Shirley’s deep and has no room to talk. She’s spent the last half-hour blowing kisses at Deon, who has to dunk his head beneath the water every time.

“You are no better than any of us,” Sawyer says. She perches her sunglasses on her nose, and Henry does the same beside her.

Addie rubs sunscreen into her soft skin, and I have to look away. These swim trunks are not going to hide any boner. She laughs loudly and smears sunscreen on my nose.

“Can you take Nora later?” Addie asks, looking at Henry and Sawyer.

“Sure. Why?” Henry asks.

Has he even been listening?

“They’re going to fuck,” Maren says plainly.

She’s not wrong, but a nice quiet dinner also crosses my mind.

“Oh, right, sure.” Henry blushes, “We can go walk around…somewhere.”

“Thanks.” I trail along Addie’s shoulder. “Holler if you need me.”

With that, I store my phone and wallet in her bag beneath her chair and leap into the pool, wadding toward Nora, who is forcing everyone to play a very wild game of Marco Polo.

Deon’s eyes are squeezed shut as he calls ‘fish out of water’ and Jack quietly slips into the pool, holding a finger up to her lips to quiet Nora’s giggles. While Deon’s back is turned, I leap on him. His limbs flail, and I laugh loudly as he tries to dislodge me.

“Get off of me!” he screams, smacking my back.

“Get him, Nora!” I yell, and she joins in, splashing him with water until we’re all laughing, even Deon, who has a small smile on his face when Nora splashes me by accident.

Her small legs kick and her arms splash as she swims toward me, the floaties on either arm doing the heavy lifting. When she reaches me, her arms snake around my neck and she holds onto me like I’m a life raft in the middle of the open ocean.

The last few days have flown by in an emotional blur—happiness, pride,belonging.

I’ve spent so much of my energy the last few years searching for where I belong, for a love as steadfast as the ones my friends have found for themselves, that at times it’s hard to believe I’m here, with Addie and Nora—a part of a family.

But if I had to do it all over again—make every mistake, go on every bad first date, spend lonely nights questioning my life—to find Addie and Nora, I would do it in an instant.

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