“Picky, aren’t we?” He heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. I won’t commit avicide,” he agreed, grinning down at her, gray eyes crinkling. “At least not today.”

The cheek ache was back in full force, but Julia couldn’t help returning the smile. When he looked at her like that, her insides went all light and fluffy. She bit her lip and turned away, inching out into the water until the gentle afternoon tide swirled around her bare ankles. “I appreciate the offer, though,” she finally said, struggling to keep the light, playful tone of their conversation. “Do you give all the girls you kiss stuffed animals as gifts?”

He shrugged. “Would you believe me if I said I haven’t kissed that many girls?”

“The taxidermy might be part of your problem,” she teased.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He chuckled. “Though if I was serious about taking that up as a hobby, I might need you to give me shooting lessons. You said your dad taught you?”

“He did.”

“I heard you tell Harry he’s a marine.”

“He was Brigadier general. Retired now.” Julia kept walking, feet splashing through the water. “Since I never plan to own a gun, learning to shoot might have been a bit wasted on me.”

“I think our paintball team would disagree with you.”

“I suppose.” She tried to suppress the proud smile tugging at her lips. “And I was quite the hustler at carnival games.”

Luke shook his head. “Here I am, trying to tempt you with one measly stuffed animal, and you already have a collection of giant teddy bears.”

“My mom got rid of all that stuff ages ago. I only saved one.” She grinned. “A jumbo-sized taco.”

“A treasure destined to become a family heirloom,” he teased. “I’m sure your dad is very proud.”

“I don’t know about that.” Julia laughed, but the happy sound ended on a hollow note. She didn’t want to weigh this moment down, didn’t want to delve into all the ways she felt like her choices had not been the ones her parents wished she’d made. “He wasn’t around a lot when I was growing up, but when he was, he made sure to teach me three things. How to shoot a gun, change a tire, and cook a steak.”

“Interesting combination,” Luke mused.

“Being independent and self-sufficient was a big deal to him. And I get it. I understand he wanted to make sure I could manage on my own, that I would grow up never having to count on anybody else…” Julia hesitated, watching the waves roll in and out, water cresting in frothy white bubbles. “But I also think it might be nice to have someone around to help. To do things for me. Not because I need them to but because they want to. And I’d do things for them. Because I want to.”