Page 36 of Summer Kisses

"You want a family."

He sighed. "After the way I grew up, I suppose it was inevitable. I crave a large family. Especially now that Luna’s getting serious with Axel, Hudson’s dating Elena, and Dalton is having a baby and moving out. It seems like the next natural step, even if Shep and Coop aren't moving in that direction."

"I guess it would be." I moved my feet in the sand, enjoying the warmth on my skin.

"Have you thought about what you want?" His voice was soft.

"I always wanted to work at the library on the island and live on the beach. The second one seems so out of reach. I feel like I can't even think about marriage and kids. If I can't afford a house, what kind of life would I be offering a family? I can't raise a family in an apartment. I've been reading a few financial books, and the advice is to get a new job and make more money. But to do that, I'd have to move off the island."

"I don't want you to move," Brady said tightly.

"I don't want to either. But I don't see how this dream is going to come true for me." I turned over onto my stomach, settling my head onto my folded arms.

Brady sighed heavily. "I wish I could make things easier for you. That real estate wasn't so crazy expensive."

I smiled. "You have no control over that."

Brady looked down at me. "You can tell Ivy to keep an eye out for cheap options. I'll help you renovate."

I closed my eyes tightly so he wouldn't see the emotion those words conjured. "I can't ask you to do that for me."

"That's what friends do."

"You've already done so much for me."

"You're the one who moved in with me and is filming my show—" Then Brady broke off like he'd just had an idea.

He shifted on the sand. "You know you're working when you're filming."

"That was part of our agreement."

"Yeah, but look at how my viewership has increased with you on those two shows." He pulled out his phone and scrolled to a site that indicated his viewers and ratings.

I sat up to see it better. "That's from me?"

"It's all because of you. More viewers means more advertising and more money. You're the reason why I'm going to be earning more money. You should continue filming with me, and I can pay you. It would be like a second stream of income."

"I couldn't do that. You should keep the money."

"Hazel—"

"Brady—" I said stubbornly.

"Do you have any idea how much I make doing this show?" he finally asked.

"A few thousand a month?" I guessed, knowing that all the kids wanted to be streaming stars these days but not really knowing how it worked or what the appeal was.

He pulled something else up on his phone, and I sat up to see it better. It was a listing of the most popular streaming shows that focused on video games. "Oh, my god. Millions? I had no idea you could make that much money."

"I'm not making as much as those guys yet. But the possibility is there."

"Why didn't you say something before?" I asked him.

"I didn't tell anyone about it because they wouldn't understand.”

I frowned, trying to understand his logic. "But if you told them how much money you could make, wouldn't they have to respect it?"

Brady shook his head and chuckled. "Money is meaningless to my dad. He would use that as reason to think it was a waste of time."

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