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Page 112 of Rum Sips and Salty Lips

I find Sienna across the room. She looks happy as she talks animatedly with Haley. Then she glances up and her eyes go wide. She and Haley make a beeline for us.

Carina shocks both of them by giving them hugs.

“I knew it,” Sienna shouts over the noise. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It’s against the friend code to bring up good news when a friend is going through a bad time.” Carina sips her water.

Sienna laughs, deep and full-throated. “Fine. If that’s how you want to play it.” She turns to Haley. “Called it.”

“I didn’t argue with you!” Haley turns back to Carina. “How long?”

Carina and I look at each other. She shrugs. “There’s no sense in denying it now.”

I take the full green light and kiss her temple. “Since the day of the charter.”

“No you didn’t!” Haley says, her eyes full of giggles.

“I didn’t know you had it in you! I need to know everything,” Sienna exclaims.

“Later.” Carina’s hand drifts to the waistband of my shorts.

Sienna is pulled away, and Haley gives Carina a sign saying she’s watching us but goes to talk with Christian and Autumn.

Carina turns to me with fear in her eyes. “What if I fuck up again?”

“We’ll work through it,” I assure her.

“What if I want kids and you don’t?” She shakes her head like this will break us. Like I forgot something fundamental about her and I’ll come to my senses and call off this whole relationship.

“I want kids. Do you want kids?” I admit.

“Maybe. Yes.”

“Great. That’s dealt with.” Her arms wrap around my waist and mine are around her shoulders. She is absolutely everything to me. My home. My anchor. My whole life.

Now everyone will know.

epilogue

CARINA

Six monthslater

We hikeup the trail in our swimsuits and water shoes. No cameras in our hands and no phones. No one around to capture the moment. When we get to the top, I take a deep breath. Not from the physical exertion, but from the beauty of it all.

Orion and I stand on top of a twenty-foot cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The water is turquoise and sapphire blue. With barely any wind, no waves crash below, just gently lap at the rocks.

With the lack of wind, we got to this spot using the motor on theTwisted Rigginginstead of sails, but we’ve done plenty of sailing in the weeks since we left Wendell Beach for the Bahamas. I’m starting to think I’m pretty good at it. I can’t believe how much sailing Orion has done on his own. At night when we’re anchored he holds me close and whispers how happy he is I’m here.

“You sailed across the ocean with friends before,” I remind him.

“Yes, but there was significantly less cuddling.”

We’re away from home for over a month. It was my idea, surprisingly. He made arguments about how he needed to be around for high season. But spring break had passed, and he could step away like he had before. The boat has satellite internet, so I can work remotely when I need to.

The last few months with my dad have turned out better than I thought it would. I was assigned another project manager, who seems to think that as long as nothing goes wrong, then he doesn’t need to be involved.

I wish I could say I made attempts to repair my relationship with my parents. But I haven’t. If they haven’t noticed something is wrong, then it’s not on me to fix everything. I don’t always have to be the responsible one.