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“I actually know the answer to this because I wondered myself. It used to be made of wood until 1926 when it was destroyed by a fire.”
“I didn’t realize it was that old. How many miles long is it?”
“Three. I can’t believe you haven’t been here before.”
“I said I’d been to some restaurants and to a music festival, but all of that was down at the other end. I’ve never walked the whole boardwalk.”
“This is my favorite part of this area. I love walking on the beach, but sometimes it feels like too much work, and having a boardwalk is a nice change.”
People ride by us on bikes and scooters and runners jog by as we stroll along, taking our time. “Whoa, what’s that?” I point to what looks like a large statue ahead of us.
“It’s King Neptune.”
As we approach, I can’t take my eyes off of the bronze creation. “It’s gorgeous.”
“It’s thirty-four feet tall to the point of his trident.” He points out some other details I missed, and I enjoy his enthusiastic delivery. He can’t help but be charming.
“How do you know all this stuff?”
“I did a tour when I first moved here and I remember some of what I learned. This statue is amazing, so of course the details stuck with me.”
“We need a picture of us standing in front of him.” I wave to a couple of teenage girls. “Hey, would you mind taking a pic of us? I figured you’re the generation that knows how to take the best pictures.”
They both smile, and one of them says, “Sure.”
I hand over my phone, and Rogan and I get into position in front of King Neptune. He wraps his arm around me, drawing me close, and we smile. I retrace my steps back to the girls. “Thank you so much. Would you like me to take your picture?”
“No, thanks.” With a quick wave from each of them, they walk away.
I look over the pictures, and I’m impressed with how great they came out. Rogan comes up behind me, peering over my shoulder. “Look how great we look together.”
I lean my forehead against his cheek. “You’re right. We do.”
I put my phone away and we wander along once more, Rogan taking hold of my hand.
“I love this time of day,” he says. “When everything is winding down and you get that sense of peace that’s hard to achieve during the work day.”
I nod, glancing over at him. “I think that feeling is magnified when you’re near the ocean. It’s one of the reasons why Scarlett and I wanted a beach house.”
“It is. The whole world slows down near the coast. And it’s the most beautiful place to live,” he says.
A soulful tune drifts over to us, and we follow the sound to a street performer playing a saxophone. We stop to listen, and Rogan draws me into his arms and starts swaying us from side to side. My arms slip around his neck as I smile up at him. “This is perfect.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead and I can feel him smile. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. What do you think about grabbing some fried dough or ice cream?”
“Yes to either.”
“We need to cut across to Atlantic Avenue. There are plenty of good eats there and some shops you might be interested in.” I let him lead me, my head pivoting from side to side as I take in our surroundings. We come to a well-known ice cream shop, and we move to the window and place our order. It only takes a couple of minutes and then our ice cream cones are being handed to us. Rogan places the money down on the counter while I grab some napkins for us.
Returning to the boardwalk, we find a bench to sit on while we lick at our ice cream and watch the sky darken. “I’d rather be licking your pussy,” he says, making me choke.
“You should warn me when you’re about to slip some dirty talk in unexpectedly. I could choke to death if you don’t.” He laughs, and I say, “That’s funny?”
“No, but you are. I like knocking you off balance in the proverbial sense. It’s fun to see your reaction.” He wipes his hand on a napkin.
Ignoring him, I lick my vanilla soft serve and stare out at the water. A mother and father pass by with their toddler son walking between them.
“Do you want kids?” Rogan asks.
