Page 93 of Break the Rule
“You sure you’re okay with this?” Addy asks. “If you’re too tired?—”
“Is that Eden?” Ella bellows from down the hallway.
Seconds later, tiny feet pitter patter on the floor, and Ella comes racing through the living room dressed in a bathing suit and a tutu before slamming into Eden.
“You took forever,” Ella bemoans.
“He’s on time, baby. He had to work,” Addy reminds her.
“Boring work,” Ella mimics, holding her arms up for Eden to lift her in a second, bone-crushing hug. She presses her tiny face into his neck, the beads in her hair clinking together when she pulls back. “I’m more fun than work, right Eden?”
“Definitely.”
She beams at Addy as if to say, ‘see Momma?’
“Ella, I told you it’s going to be freezing at the beach. We’re going to watch the sunset, not swim.”
“But there’s gonna be water,” Ella frowns.
“Well, yeah,” Addy says, “but it’s November. The beach is freezing.”
“I won’t get cold,” Ella insists.
“Put pants on and a jacket at least.”
“But I wanna wear my tutu.”
“You could wear it over pants,” Eden says. “How about I change, and we both wear a skirt over pants. I’ll be too cold to wear mine without it.”
Ella’s small face pinches up in serious thought before she shrugs. “Okay, if I can match Eden.”
“I’ll help Ella get dressed while you change,” Addy tells him, kissing Eden’s cheek before plucking Ella from his arms. “We’ll meet you back at the front door in ten. I’ve already packed a blanket and snacks.”
“You’re the best, thank you.”
“What can I say,” Addy smiles. “Ella’s not the only one who’s been looking forward to tonight.”
Ten minutes later, Eden’s back at the front door, changed into clean clothes including a pair of black jeans with a red, ruffled skirt he rarely wears because it’s so short but that works perfectly over his jeans. He waits for his girls who appear not a minute later, each dressed in sweats and a hoodie, and in Ella’s case her tutu over it all. Addy grabs an oversized bag from by thedoor and then they’re off, driving across town towards the public parking lot near the pier.
“We won’t miss it, will we?”
“We won’t miss the sunset,” Eden assures her. He’d made sure to talk to Juanita yesterday and arranged to get off work early today in order to spend the evening with Addy and Ella. He knows he can’t make a habit of it, but the day before while eating her cereal before school, Ella had mentioned missing looking for shells at the beach with her mom and Eden, one of their favorite summer traditions, even if neither Addy nor Eden can swim.
Winter isn’t exactly the perfect beach day, but Eden did his best to get the time off while Addy prepped everything else.
The public lot is expectedly pretty empty, a row of cars belonging to those surfing down at the end furthest from the pier and a smattering of people sitting in their cars watching the waves. Addy parks closest to the stairs that lead from the paved promenade down to the shoreline. The engine is barely off before Ella’s carseat is undone, and she’s scrambling out of the car.
“Slow your roll, speedy,” Addy laughs.
“I wanna see the beach!”
“The beach is right there, I can see it,” Eden points out, laughing at the look of pure indignation on her face.
“Eden.”
“Alright, alright. Race you?”
“Okay, you count, Momma.”
