Much like Abraham had done years before, Bernard spoiled us with free drinks, lavished us in kind words, and made sure we didn’t miss any of his big events. Though I didn’t want to attend The Ferry House’s New Year’s Eve Fairy Ball, I knew our time on the beach would be cut short in order to keep the commitment. While my man would never admit it, he loved the attention he garnered in the scene, telling his stories to all who would listen and smiling brightly as he kept them entranced. Though I still didn’t feel comfortable hanging on his arm, I continued to hang on his words, loving the drawl as much as I had the first time I heard it in The Gallery on State.

I felt Cal’s gaze before I caught it and peered over my shoulder to find he was staring at me rather than at the sky.

“What?” I grinned, happy to be looked at and actually seen.

"How does someone get more beautiful every day?" he asked, reaching over to push a lock of windblown hair off my forehead.

I dropped the drink, letting it saturate the sand as he looped his arms around me. Instead of being enveloped by hurt, I was wrapped in Cal, his long limbs draped around my body, his face buried in the crook of my neck. Loosening the hug, I stayed within his grasp as I rolled over to gaze at the endless expanse of the sea, knowing that we were infinite too.