Aya smiled. “This was wonderful. But I’d rather have the perfect life.”
I dipped her back once more, pressing my lips to her necklace before licking the skin beneath it. She moaned even as she tightened her arms around my neck.
“I’ll do my best, pretty girl.”
“Speaking of…”
“What’s that?”
“Well, you know how you planned the wedding, so I set up the honeymoon?”
I set her on her feet, holding her waist. “Yeah. You finally going to tell me where we’re going?”
“How are your mountain-climbing skills?”
My jaw dropped. “Really?” I whispered.
She nodded. “I’ve always wanted you to see the village.”
“Yes!” I fist-pumped. I turned back to face our wedding party. “Aya’s taking me to Nepal!”
She chuckled. “On top of a mountain. Take that, paparazzi.”
“Good idea,” Cam said, looking a bit haggard. He muttered something about vultures before bending down to kiss his wife. He glanced up as the helicopter made another pass.
“How long are y’all staying?” he asked.
“Two weeks.”
Cam narrowed his eyes. “Make it a month, cuz we might join you.”
11
Aya
We stared into each other’s eyes as we danced. Nash’s internal rhythm lent itself well to physical coordination, and he led me in the foxtrot with such ease. I’d had no idea he knew how to ballroom dance.
“What are you thinking, pretty girl?”
I slid in closer, and those gorgeous eyes flashed with the fire of his passion. “I worry you’ll just disappear, as you did in my teenage dreams.”
He pressed his lips to my temple, both whisper-soft and so incredibly grounding. He pulled back and stopped dancing, not caring that our guests were staring at us during what should have been our first dance. He clasped my cheeks with his big hands, calluses rough and perfect against my cheekbones.
“I make you this vow, Aya, and it’s more important than the ones I promised in front of our friends and family earlier: I will find you no matter where you go. If you die, I’ll follow you like that Greek dude did.”
I laughed even as tears filled my eyes. “Orpheus.”
“How you remember those stories and names is beyond me,” he said, love shining from his every feature.
I beamed back at him.
“I mean it, Ay. No matter what. You’re my every breath. The reason my heart beats.” He dipped down until we were exactly eye to eye. “We’ve proved we’re an epic fucking love story, and I will not ever, ever lose you again.”
I kissed him. He groaned before he ravished my mouth with such single focus, I forgot our audience until they began to catcall and cheer.
Nash kept his hands on my waist as he lifted me back upright, making sure I was stable. Then he looked over at his buddies on the stage. “Guess you’ll need to play our song again.”
They laughed before they started the tune at the top. I abandoned the traditional dance posture and wrapped my arms around Nash. He embraced me just as tightly, and his heart thudded in time with mine as he whispered the story of our future in my ear.
Coda
Nash
A Few Years Later
* * *
I took a photo of Aya and our son, Levi, working on a sandcastle. Her rounded belly was covered with sand, and I’d catch hell for that later because I’d been the one to suggest the bikini. It was tiny and red, and I loved seeing my daughter undulate under Aya’s tanned skin.
“Like this,” she said to Levi, showing him how to drip the wet sand onto the tower, then push it into a turret.
We came to this beach on Turks and Caicos each summer. For a week, no one called us. Music and desalination and other responsibilities could wait.
“Good job.” Aya clapped as Levi’s small fingers mushed the sand into a precise rectangle.
“I did it, Mommy! I did it! It looks like yours.”
The kid took after his mother. He liked reading, like his uncle Lev, and he enjoyed making pancakes with Papa Steve. I wasn’t sure there was much Levi couldn’t do. I set my phone aside and hunkered down next to him, hand on his shoulder. It felt a little warm, so I shifted the umbrella, making sure his small body was out of the direct sunlight.
“You did great, Levi,” I said, pressing a kiss to the top of his dark hair.
His big, brown eyes smiled up at me. “Thanks, Daddy. Mommy’s a good teacher. So are you. Can we go swimming now?”
A great swell of love crested, making my heart beat faster. “After some more sunblock soaks in,” I said. “How about some cold juice while I rub it in?”
His pout turned to a grin. “Okay. The juice here is yummy.”
Aya turned toward the cooler and tugged out the freshly squeezed papaya juice, which she poured into his cup. I rubbed in the sunblock while he gulped his drink.
“You spoil him,” she whispered as he went to grab his goggles. Not that he’d dip his face in—swimming wasn’t really his thing yet, and I was more than okay with that. Still, Levi had had lessons each of his five summers. No way I was letting something happen to him. Not if I could help it.
I bopped Aya on the nose. “And you don’t?”
She looked abashed. “He’s just so dang cute.”
“Can’t believe he starts school in a few weeks,” I said on a sigh.
She slid her hand into mine. “Are you sure you don’t want him to go to Holyoke?”
I shook my head. “He and Cash will be in the same place. You know Cash’ll look out for him.”
She nodded. Our daughter chose that moment to roll in Aya’s belly, causing it to distort first to the left then right. I placed my hands on her warm skin and sang softly to the undulating bump.
The baby quieted, just as she always did.
Aya slid her fingers through my hair, holding me close. Levi slammed into my shoulder and flung his short arms around my neck.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t wanted this.
No, I wasn’t the perfect father. I still had a lot to learn. But Levi knew he was loved. And Aya and I carved out time every day for each other, thanks to Steve and his new wife’s willingness to pick up Levi from preschool.
Life was full—too busy, thanks to Oblivion’s last album’s double-platinum status. Bridger had written a handful of those songs—deep, haunting melodies about lost love. He still didn’t talk about his trip to Nepal or the woman he’d written us about.
Aya planned to cut back her hours with the nonprofit after our baby girl was born in less than three months, which meant I’d have more time with her. The guys and I planned to put out another album in a couple of years, for now taking a break from the grind to enjoy our families.
I picked up Levi and turned him upside down, enjoying his squeals. I waded in a few feet, until the water lapped my waist and Levi could dip his legs in.
“Let’s go sit on the surf,” he said after a few minutes, pointing back toward Aya, who waved.