Page 129

Annie smiles softly, watching him for a moment before whispering, “Goodnight, buddy.”
I step forward, pressing a brief kiss to Robbie’s forehead. “Goodnight, kid.”
We stand there for a beat, just watching him sleep. The room is dim, the glow from the hallway casting soft shadows across his peaceful face.
Then Annie looks up at me, her blue eyes catching the faint light. There’s something unreadable in her expression.
I hold her gaze for a moment before nodding toward the door. “Come on.”
She follows me out into the hall, and I close the door behind us. The villa is quiet, the distant sound of the ocean filtering in through the open windows. She turns to me, as if about to say something, but whatever it is never leaves her lips.
Instead, I reach out, cupping her jaw, and press my lips to hers.
It’s not rushed, not heated like all the other times. Just a simple, deliberate kiss.
When I pull back, her eyes are wide, her lips still parted slightly.
“You look beautiful,” I murmur.
Her breath catches.
“Let’s take a walk on the beach.” I run my fingers down her throat and feel her swallow nervously.
She stares at me, wide-eyed, her lips still parted from the kiss. I can feel the rapid beat of her pulse beneath my fingertips as I trail my hand down the soft column of her throat.
She swallows hard. “A walk?”
I nod, my fingers lingering for just a second longer before I step back, giving her space. “Yeah. Unless you’re too tired.”
She hesitates, her gaze searching mine, but then she shakes her head. “No, I—yeah. Okay.”
I let a small smile tug at my lips before I turn and lead the way toward the terrace doors.
The villa is silent as we move through it, our footsteps soft against the polished floors.
The lanterns outside still glow warmly, casting flickering light across the deck, but I don’t stop there. Instead, I step onto the stone pathway leading down to the beach, the sound of the ocean growing louder with each step.
Annie follows without a word, her dress swaying gently in the warm breeze.
The moment my bare feet touch the sand, I feel the tension from the day begin to loosen. The air is thick with salt and humidity, the waves rolling in a steady rhythm as they kiss the shore.
I glance back at Annie. She hesitates at the edge of the path before slipping off her sandals and stepping onto the coolsand. She exhales softly, tilting her head back, eyes closing for just a moment.
When she looks at me again, there’s something softer in her gaze. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is,” I agree, though I’m not sure if I mean the beach or her.
She doesn’t say anything, just falls into step beside me as we start walking along the shore. The sand is firm beneath our feet, still warm from the heat of the day.
For a while, we just walk in silence, listening to the waves, the occasional distant chirp of some nocturnal creature hidden in the trees lining the beach.
It isn't until we're a bit away from the villa that I finally break the quiet.
"So, this dress," I say, glancing at her. "Did you make this one too?"
Annie nods, her eyes never leaving the endless expanse of dark water before us.
"I figured." I watch her carefully, trying to read her expression. "You're really talented, you know."