Connor

“I don’t know, man.” Anthony makes a face and shakes his head. “It’s muggy as fuck here.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that a few times since we got off the plane.”

Panic rises as I sift through my suitcase. I push aside shirts and send shorts flying. Of all the fucking things I could possibly forget, how could I make it all the way to Brazil without the one thing I actually need? This trip means everything to Brynn. This is where she came as a child. The beach outside our hotel room is the same beach she planned to come to when she thought she needed to escape. This is where she wanted to celebrate our two-year anniversary. Her parents arrive tomorrow, for fuck’s sake. She doesn’t know they’re coming, and now when they arrive, it’s going to be the biggest letdown in the history of letdowns.

Oh, yeah, I invited your parents and Walt for no reason. Certainly not because I was planning on asking you something and now I can’t!

Anthony’s hand touches my flailing arm. “Connor, chill. The ring is in your carry-on.”

I grunt and rake a hand over my forehead. “Thanks. I’m just nervous.”

Grabbing the carry-on, I quickly locate the ring box and open it. A cushion-cut diamond glints back at me. I’ve saved money since the day I knew Brynn would stay in Brighton. Every portion of a painting sold went into the ring fund, and another portion went into the house fund.

Anthony fills a glass with water from the bottle the hotel left on the dresser. “What do you have to be nervous about? You know she’s going to say yes.” He picks up the paper coaster the bottle had been standing on and throws it at me like a frisbee. It falls short, landing on the bed.

I snap the ring box shut and lock it in the in-room safe. “Quit acting like you weren’t nervous when you proposed to Julia.” I snatch the coaster off the comforter and toss it in the trash.

He scoffs. “I had that shit on lock.”

“I’ll make sure to tell her that,” I say, pulling a clean T-shirt over my head.

“Please don’t.” The desperate words tumble from his mouth. He grins, and I laugh too.

“Come on.” I grab the keycard and stride to the door. “The girls are waiting for us downstairs. I’m starving.”

Brynn

Connor has been acting weird all day. Jumpy. Forgetful.

Truth be told, I’m having a hard time too. I wanted this vacation more than anybody else in our group, but when it came down to it, leaving my work was harder than I thought it would be. Planning an event like the one I’ve been working on takes careful preparation and attention to detail. Oh yeah, and a keynote speaker. I’ve been searching, but I’m being met with reluctance at every turn. So far, nobody has wanted to talk about their experience with postpartum depression.

My non-profit aims to provide resources for women dealing with this illness, but how can I advocate for them if I can’t get someone to share their experience and demystify it? If I want the shame of the condition stripped away, I need someone who can speak from personal experience. I don’t need someone with a case as advanced as Amy Prince’s, I just need someone.

I’m trying hard to lay on this beach chair and read my book, but I keep losing my place. Finally I give up and set it down beside me. My eyes fall closed and I let my mind wander. I’m almost asleep, thanks to the calming, rhythmic sounds of the ocean, when my eyes fly open. I am the person who should talk. Of course. Of course!

Excited to share my epiphany, I turn to where I last saw Connor on the beach. He’d been tossing a football with Anthony, but he’s no longer there. When I don’t immediately spot him, I pull my sunglasses down my nose and scan the area. No Connor. Actually, nobody from my group is anywhere to be found.

My phone buzzes on the table beside me.

Connor: Can you come up to the hotel? I need help with something. Thanks, babe.

I get up, throw on my white cover-up, stow my book in my little beach bag, and sling it over my shoulder. Pausing outside the lobby entrance, I reach down to swipe sand from my feet.

“You make a fine sight, Ms. Montgomery.”

I smile, straightening, and reach for Connor. He’s wearing his navy blue swim trunks and a white t-shirt. “You aren’t too bad yourself.”

Taking my outstretched hand, he leads me away from the entrance and around the front of the hotel.

“What do you need help with?” I ask. Connor doesn’t answer. He pulls me along behind him, up a flight of stone stairs, and then we walk for another minute. My black slides smack the floor loudly with our steps.

“Connor, what is going on?”

“You’ll see.”

We round another corner, and come onto a stone terrace with a curved balcony. Beyond it, the sea sparkles. Connor walks me to the balcony wall.

“It’s incredible, right?”

I look out. The water sparkles, crashes, and rolls back out to do it all over again. “It’s breathtaking.”

Connor stands behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. My whole body relaxes into him. It’s still and quiet, and then Connor speaks.

“I love the tan on your skin, and the freckles that dot your chin. I love you so much, I don’t know where to begin.”

Turning my head against his chest, I peer up at him. He winks and nods, encouraging me to play.

I look back out to the ocean, thinking. “If I were a mermaid, I would grow a purple fin.”

His chuckle rumbles against me. “You’re one-of-kind, I’m glad you’re not a twin.”

I smile. “Me too. I call that a win.”

Connor shifts, lowering his lips to my ear. “Will you marry me, Brynn?”

I make a sound. Something like a squeal and an intake of breath. My hands are at my face, my fingers shaking.

Connor drops his arms and I whirl around. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a ring, and starts to bend down.

I grab his arms on his descent and pull him up. “Yes. Yes a thousand times. Don’t get on a knee.” I stick out my hand. “Put that ring on my finger and kiss me. Kiss me until I can’t breathe.”

Connor listens. He slides the cool metal over my warm skin, and slips a hand through my hair until it stops at the back of my head. Dipping me back slightly, his face looms over mine and he pauses, his eyes roaming mine. He lowers his lips, and kisses me the way I asked to be kissed. He steals all my breath, just like he already stole my heart. Thief.

Somewhere nearby, a throat clears. Connor brings us upright and my eyes open.

“Dad?” Shock rolls through me as I take in my dad, and the people standing next to him. “Mom? Walt?” I laugh, and tears prick my eyes. Julia and Anthony smile, and Anthony kisses the side of Julia’s head.

I look back at Connor. “This is amazing. I can’t… How…” I shake my head. My body feels light and airy, like I could just float away at any second. “You did good.”

Connor squeezes my waist. “I only did what I’ve been planning to do since the day your shirt told me to fuck off.”

I laugh and snuggle in closer.

“Okay, okay, I want my daughter,” my mom calls. Reluctantly, I peel my body off Connor’s.

There are countless hugs, many toasts, a dinner I hardly remember. Inside I’m soaring, high on emotion. At the end of the evening, we say goodnight and go to our room.

Connor peels off my clothes, lays me on our bed, and with the patio door flung open, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, he pushes into me slowly. Our pace is unhurried. The tempo set by the knowledge that we’ll be doing this with each other for the rest of our lives.

Two years ago, I thought I would come to this beach to get lost.

But, no.

I came here, and I was found.

The End