Page 100 of Ink & Ambition

“How often did you come here?” I ask as Alex snuck his fingers between mine.

“Not a whole lot. Mostly before Mom was gone. Dad never took us on any vacations after that.”

I squeeze his hand in mine. I wish I could go back in time and erase all the bad memories he’s lived through. I wish I could meet that little boy and tell him that one day he’s going to turn into an incredible man and that all the worries he has right now will fade away. I wish that were true but even still, Alex was still worried about Drew before himself. I doubt that feeling would ever go away for him. I wonder if that’s what Arden feels about me.

A melody drifts by us as we continue walking down the shore. A soft, jazz like rhythm. Looking to my left, I notice it’s coming from a speaker attached to a little cafe on the boardwalk.

“I know this song.” Alex shifts and before I know it, he’s pulled me in front of him, his hands at my waist, mine on his shoulders. “My dad used to sing it to my mom while she would cook.”

Alex sways us back and forth for a few beats before he starts humming the song along with the speaker. I start to recognize it.Dream a Little Dream of Me.Resting my head on his chest, I let him move us side to side. “He’d pull her in. Just like this.”

Alex tightens his hold on me, placing his chin on the crown of my head.

We probably look ridiculous, dancing on the beach in the middle of the morning, but I couldn’t care less. There’s no place on this entire planet where I’d rather be.

Once the song ends, Alex takes a step back and smiles, taking my breath away. For real. I have to catch myself for a moment before I can fall back into step with him. There’s something about his face and this place we’re in together. Something aboutthe way that he’s taken care of me and shown up for me even when we were merely just co-hosts on a silly little podcast. The feeling burns deep inside my gut, in my heart, and I think I know what it is. But I don’t dare say it. How could I possibly? We only just started dating. There’s no way…

“Sunshine?” He asks as he looks back and notices I’ve stalled out on the beach. “You okay?”

I nod, quickly. Too quickly. I need to process all these emotions before I go and tell him what I’m feeling. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? He’s been with plenty of girls. He’s had feelings way more advanced and more often than me. He’ll probably think I’m a fool for feeling this way about him so fast.

Alex kisses my forehead. “Out with it. I can see the wheels turning in there.” He points to my head.

“It’s nothing,” I say as reassuringly as possible. “Just thinking about the breakfast. I hope they have french toast.”

Alex laughs and drapes his arm across my shoulders. “I hope so too, baby.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Margot

Theydidhavefrenchtoast. And scones. And croissants. And pancakes. And every type of egg you could imagine. And it’s a very good thing that Alex and I returned for breakfast because it seems as though we are the only guests at the Oceanside Inn and were then expected to devour everything that was cooked–even though it was really made to feed a small army.

“Susan, you better give that chef a huge kiss for me,” Alex says, shoving his mouth with a forkful of strawberry pancake.

Susan laughs as she refills our coffees. “Will do. I love kissing my husband, so that really isn’t any trouble.”

“You guys own this place together?”

“Bought and opened right out of college. We were just a couple of crazy kids back then but look at us now. Been up and running for twenty-five years and our marriage has been just as successful.” She smiles down at us before heading back into the kitchen.

“That’s such a nice story,” I say, wiping some stray syrup from the corner of my mouth.

“Mhm,” Alex agrees, his mouth still full. After swallowing and taking a sip of coffee, he continues, “It’s pretty inspiring.”

“Does it inspire you?”

“To open an inn? Not really,” Alex jokes.

I put my coffee mug down on the table. “No, to live out your ambitions. It seems like Susan and her husband started from nothing and they’ve built this incredible thing together. It’s just so…”

“I know, sunshine. Living out my own dreams is obviously what I’d want to do in a perfect world but the world isn’t perfect.”

“I just don’t understand why you won’t even entertain the idea oftryingto figure your dreams out. Drew said it himself, he doesn’t want to go to TU. If we can help him find a college he loves with a program he enjoys on the west coast, it’ll be much harder for Oliver to get to him.”

“Margot—”

“And if you stick to your convictions and actually cut him out, you’ll be able to live out your dreams as well. This is possible, Alex. Why can’t you see that?”

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