Page 46 of Rose
“Will!I can’t swim! Stop!” she screamed, her voice bouncing off the breeze.
But he didn’t stop. He kept moving, each step taking them closer to the one place she avoided—deep water. She loved the beach, sure. Loved the sun, the breeze, the sand between her toes. But the ocean? That was a line she didn’t cross. Her purple two-piece was for sunbathing and flicks, not swimming.
“What are we having, Beautiful?” he asked, voice low and teasing as the water crept closer.
“Baby, noooo!” she yelled, her voice breaking with laughter and panic. He stood in the shallows, cradling her in his arms just above the surface.
“Answer me or your ass going swimming today,” he warned, lowering her body little by little until the cold kissed the top of her foot.
“William!” she gasped, laughing through her panic. Her squeals were half terror, half joy, and all his favorite sound in the world. That laugh—so full of life it made his heart thump harder in his chest.
“Three seconds,” he said, eyes full of mischief. “Three... two...”
“You so damn goofy,” He giggled seeing her laughing tears.
“One—”
“Okay! Okay! We’re having a girl! A beautiful baby girl, now please bring me back to the shore!”
He smiled, leaned in, kissed her lips... and dropped her.
Ahzii hit the water with a splash, her natural curls soaked, her gasp drowned by the waves. She panicked, thrashing until strong arms scooped her up again. She clung to him—arms wrapped around his neck, legs locked around his waist like she was truly drowning.
“That wasn’t funny! I was drowning!” she yelled, punching his shoulder, but not letting go.
William was laughing so hard he could barely talk. “Beautiful, we’re closer to the shore than the deep end. You could’ve stood up if you weren’t too busy panicking.”
“You still wrong for that. Me and your daughter are mad at you,” she muttered, pretending to pout.
“Oh really?” he said, walking deeper into the water, holding her like she weighed nothing.
“Yup. So start kissing up.”
Their playful banter slowed as their eyes locked. Love wrapped around them tighter than her legs around his waist. The air shifted—soft, sacred.
“Baby, I know you said you were scared about being a mom... especially because of your past,” William said, his voice now low, serious. “But the way I’m holding you right now? I’ll hold you like this in every season of our life. You don’t have to do it alone. Ever.”
Ahzii’s eyes burned, her voice barely above a whisper. “Promise?”
William nodded, his thumb brushing a droplet from her cheek. “With my life. You’re an amazing wife, Beautiful. And you’re gonna be an even better mother. To all ten of our kids.”
She laughed, heart full. “Ten?”
“At least.”
“I love you so much, Will.”
“I love you more.”
And in the middle of the Thailand ocean, sun on their skin and love heavy in the air, William kissed her slow and deep—like forever wasn’t long enough.
“Ahzii? Ahzii? You good? Why are you crying?”
Taylor’s voice yanked her back to reality like a splash of cold water.
“Yeah… my bad.”
She wiped her tears, her fingers trembling as she adjusted the throw blanket covering her legs. The soft fabric grounded her in the moment, and it hit her then—she wasn’t on a beach in Thailand wrapped in William’s arms. She was on Taylor’s couch, in a beautifully decorated living room of yellow, gray, and white.
