Page 1 of Finding Forever

Gina

This was a bad idea. I watched Chris unlock the door to the beach cottage he’d leased for two weeks. Mycah squirmed excitedly at my side, viewing the same action as me through a completely different lens. In his mind, his dad was opening the door to a vacation brimming with nonstop fun and fulfilled promises.

I knew better. There would be nothing fun about a vacation with my ex-husband. A vacation I had been so sure he would back out from up until a couple of days ago.

The moment Chris pushed the door open, Mycah sprinted inside. First, he jumped on the sofa, then abandoned that post just as quickly to climb onto a barstool in the kitchen and spin around. His enthusiasm was nothing short of contagious and I smiled at the energy he possessed, no matter how awkward I thought this “vacation” was destined to be.

Trying to silence the doubt in my mind, I took time to look around the cottage and had to admit, I loved it. While the exterior was quaint and modest, the interior was like a modern dream. It had an open floor plan where you could see into the kitchen from the living room. The two rooms were separated by a huge island with white barstools. Wooden sofas with white cushions occupied the living room along with a sixty-inch television. Every detail was beautifully executed and inviting. There were two doors attached to opposite sides of the cottage's hallway, which I assumed were the three bedrooms and a bath. The perfect setting for a family vacation.

If only…

“Daddy, can we go swim now?” Mycah asked, his brown eyes latching on to his father, who had just pulled out one of his two phones.

“Just a second, kiddo,” he responded absently, his fingers flying over the screen. He didn’t even look up to meet Mycah’s eager gaze as he walked deeper into the cottage, leaving us alone in the living room.

“Mommy, do you want to swim in the ocean with us? Daddy promised we could. Penny is coming. You can, too!”

Before I could answer, Chris re-entered the front of the cottage and squatted his six-foot frame so that he was eye-level with Mycah. Anyone who saw the pair would immediately know they were father and son. Mycah had inherited his dad’s dusky complexion, along with the upturned brown eyes that had made Gina fall hard for Chris when they first met in high school. Even now, they were both dressed in white jean shorts and dark blue t-shirts. A total coincidence.

“Hey, bud. Remember that even though we’re on vacation, I still have work to do and won’t be able to do a lot of things with you.”

My heart sank right along with Mycah’s expression.

Chris tried to save face. “That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! I’ll try my best, okay?”

Mycah nodded, his expression dimmer than I cared for.

Sighing, I avoided shaking my head. I didn’t want to give Chris something to complain about later. Always the one to over-promise and under-deliver. Aside from his job as a professional driver, it seemed to be the only thing he was really good at.

Chris rose to his full height and avoided my burning gaze as he trekked back to whichever room he had claimed as his own. His head was down and his face was contemplative as he stared at his phone, but I knew he felt the unspoken words between us. Once he was out of sight, I turned to Mycah with my sunniest expression. I gave him a gentle smile while guilt that didn’t belong to me began to assail me.

“Hey, honey, I hope you’re hungry. Remember, we packed all your favorite goodies!”

Mycah perked up at the reminder, setting my heart momentarily at ease.

“Yeah!” he exclaimed, clapping his little hands. “And I brought some for Penny to try as well.”

“She’s going tolovethem,” I reassured him, happy that the disappointment in his eyes had beenreplaced with a new spark of joy upon mentioning his friend.

“Let’s go put on our swimming clothes so we’re ready whenever Penny gets here. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah!” he shouted again, transforming the smile on my face from forced to genuine.

We found the room where Chris had deposited our bags. I immediately walked over to Mycah’s miniature suitcase to find his favorite swim trunks and water shoes.

While I did this, my mind was overcome with thoughts of why I was here. Admittedly, I’d only agreed, thinking he would eventually change his mind. Chris had brought this trip up off-handedly months ago. Due to his track record, I’d assumed he would eventually fall through. Always at the last possible moment, I’d receive a text with some half-hearted apology and directive to let Mycah know he’d make it up to him.

When he called me two days ago to fill me in on travel details, it was hard to contain my shock.I couldn’t remember the last time he kept a promise. Something always came up just in time for him to wiggle out of his obligations and task me with the burden of explaining it to our child. Not this time.

My divorce from Chris had been finalized two years ago. Even before that, the distance in our union had been evident. Embarrassing as it was to admit, Chris and I should have never married in the first place. He wasn’t ready for the responsibilities that came with having a wife and child.

I shook those thoughts away and focused on helping Mycah change. The contentment on his face was enough to get me excited about our swim date. He went on and on, informing me about all the seashells he planned to collect with Penny. When he was done dressing, I told him to wait for me in the living room while I got ready.

He really loves this Penny,I mused, pulling at my pants as I undressed. Mycah was not a shy child, and other children seemed drawn to him instinctively. His charming smile and curious nature made him an easy friend and great playmate, so it didn’t surprise me that he’d managed to make a friend when Chris took him to work one day. I had never heard him talk as animatedly about any of his other friends, so I was intrigued to meet this child.

All I knew was that she was the daughter of Chris’ boss. It still didn’t explain why he was so drawn to her. My thoughts were rudely interrupted when Chris barged into the bedroom halfway through my outfit change. Frantically, I snatched up my discarded blouse and held it in front of me. My eyes widened. Something Chris probably didn’t notice because he was texting away on his phone.

“Chris, you can’t just walk into my room without knocking,” I said, my tone admonishing.

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