Chapter Thirty-Six
Jess
The next morning, I woke to the bed jostling under me. My eyes sprung open, and I shielded them from the harsh sunlight coming in through the open windows. The curtains hadn’t arrived yet so each morning the sun was unyielding over the ocean.
But it wasn’t only the morning sun waking me up. Gina’s little feet bounced her body up and down on the bed. She managed to wedge herself between Noah and me.
I rolled over, and Noah stared up at his daughter with one eye open.
“Wake up!” Gina said.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“It’s seven,” Noah said, adjusting himself under the covers. Noah and I had settled into a more intimate routine. Part of that involved him wearing nothing to bed.
I pulled Gina down to me and tickled her. Her squeals of laughter filled the room.
“You said the waves were big in the morning,” Gina said after I was finished with her.
I tucked her against me. “The waves aren’t big at all around here. So we can go at any point today.”
“How about now?” she asked.
Noah kissed my shoulder. “We are up now.”
I groaned and dug my face into my pillow. My new bed was so comfortable. It was hard to get up on a regular day. But I did promise them. And if Gina was up, there was no way Noah or I would be able to get back to sleep. I hoped Noah would entertain an afternoon nap while Gina slept.
I sat up in bed, feeling the twinges and aches in my muscles. I hadn’t lifted anything particularly heavy yesterday, but I was still so sore from being on my feet all day and moving things around the house. Today was going to add to that.
“What’s for breakfast?” Gina asked.
I had no energy to do anything, let alone cook. “How about cereal?”
Noah rolled over and grabbed Gina from my side of the bed. She kicked her legs up. “Gina and I are going to make pancakes. Come down when you’re ready.”
“I’ll be right there,” I said.
“Take your time,” Noah called from the hallway. “Gina is cooking today.”
I expected a huge mess by the time I got down there, but I saw no reason to rush.
Noah really did take to being retired. And he wasn’t one to sit around and watch television. I suspected his willingness to help with chores around the house and sharing responsibility with Gina was him making up for lost time. In the brief period we were officially together, he had transformed into a better version of himself. And Gina was one lucky girl to have two people—three including Mom—to love her as much as we did.
It was something I always regretted not having. When I was younger, Mom never tried to be the maternal figure I needed. But with that experience, I was better equipped to be able to give someone—Gina—what she needed. I was never going to replace Wendy, but I could strive to be the best role model I could for the growing girl.
I rolled out of bed and walked over to the windows, peering across the ocean.
Living at Mom’s, we didn’t have this unobstructed view of the sea, so it was still a novelty for me since moving in with Noah.
Today was going to be a good day.
When I went down into the kitchen, I’d been right about the mess. There was flour and egg all over the counter surface. Gina wore the apron we’d made together, but the colored hand prints on the front were nearly covered with white. Gina and Noah were by the stove, and she grinned from ear to ear. Her face was paler than normal, caked with spots of flour across it.
Noah held the spatula and helped Gina flip one of the pancakes.
There was a stack several pancakes next to them. One of the requests from Noah when we ordered new appliances was a griddle. Gina loved breakfast foods, and it was only natural for us to purchase the tool for the house. It was much bigger than I pictured from the website. It took up most of the counter, but it looked like Noah was able to make six pancakes at a time on it. Which sped up the time from making the batter to eating.
“I’ll set the table,” I said.
“We’re almost done,” Noah said. “Coffee is over there.”
I stacked three brand new plates with forks and knives on top and headed over to the breakfast nook. As I set the table, a warmth spread through my body.
Gina’s laughter from the kitchen and Noah’s encouraging voice painted a picture of a family that I always wanted to be a part of. Now that I was in it, I never wanted to let it go. When I was done, I stood there for a minute and closed my eyes, holding onto that moment. Noah and I had no intentions of taking this relationship further for the time being. We had found our niche, and I wasn’t going to rush anything. We saw how that turned out last time. I didn’t regret taking him to Australia the first time, but pushing him right after about Gina wasn’t one of my best moments.
Though, if I hadn’t, would we still be hiding our relationship from her in Minnesota? I wasn’t sure.
Noah and Gina came into the room. Noah carried the pancakes while Gina balanced the syrup and butter in her hands.
“Let me help you,” I said, taking the crystal butter dish from her. It was a gift from Mom, and I wanted it to last longer than a week in our house.
Noah put down the plate and lifted Gina into her booster seat. “Bon appetit!”
“This looks great,” I said.
“Wait until you taste them,” Noah said, sitting down at the end of the table. “I added a secret ingredient.”
“Powdered sugar,” Gina said to me.
Noah opened his mouth in mock-shock. “It’s not a secret if you tell her.”
Gina giggled, and Noah shook his head while smiling.
“In any case, I can’t wait to try them,” I said, placing a pancake on Gina’s plate. I cut it up into several large pieces, and she doused them with syrup before digging in. “Don’t each too much though. You don’t want a full belly for surfing.”
Gina put down her fork and wrung her hands together in her lap.
“I didn’t say you can’t have any.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
“What’s wrong, honey?” Noah asked.
“What if I fall down?” Gina said.
I reached over and touched her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. I tucked her hair behind her ear and lifted her chin with my finger. “You probably will fall down. That’s part of learning. But your dad and I will be right there to help you onto your feet. Don’t think you need to be perfect on the first day. It took me a while to learn.”
“It did?” Gina asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes, it did.”
Gina sighed and picked up her fork, her appetite returning.
I went back to my plate and felt Noah’s eyes on me. I lifted my gaze and met his. He had a small smile on his lips, but his eyes sparkled.
A ripple of heat moved through me. I matched the contentment in his expression. I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten so lucky in life, but I didn’t question it.
After we had eaten, we changed into wetsuits and headed down to the beach.
I knew we lived on the shore, but after living in a home that was five minutes from the sand for most of my life, it was a strange sensation to walk down the steps attached to the terrace and be right there.
Mom found two surfboards in her garage. These wouldn’t disintegrate like the boogie board, but a few days ago, I had a local surf shop clean them up. Thanks to Noah and his unlimited bank account, I was able to afford the highest quality maintenance on them. Leaning against the concrete wall, the boards looked brand new.
The waves were already rolling in and that time of morning would be perfect for practicing techniques of the board prior to actually hitting some bigger waves.
I showed the two of them how to hold and maneuver the board on the sand. It was step one to getting comfortable with the board. While I didn’t intend on letting Gina go out on the water alone, as she was way too young for that, she needed to understand how to balance her weight and the like.
Once I was comfortable with them and their understanding, we headed for the water.
The moment we stepped into the surf, Gina clung to my leg, hard enough that it stopped me in my tracks.
I looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to go,” Gina said.
Noah came over and held my board while I dropped down to Gina’s level. I moved the stray strands of hair off her face. “You can do this.”
Gina’s eyes welled up with tears. “What if I get hurt?”
“I don’ think you will,” I said. “The waves aren’t that big on this beach, and if you fall, you will land in the water.”
She blinked a few times in a row.
I smiled at her. “That’s part of learning. That’s why you wear the life vest. And I’m going to be right there with you the whole time.”
“You promise?” Gina asked.
I pulled her against me in a tight embrace. “I promise.”
Gina checked her life vest one more time before we waded out into the water.
Noah squeezed my hand before giving the board back to me.
Once we reached a safe distance, I positioned Gina on board, laying her down in front of me. She held onto the strap, her knuckles showing under her pale skin.
I glanced over a Noah. “Let’s wade here for a minute to get used to the water.”
Noah nodded. We were at a safe distance from each other so we wouldn’t bump, but I had the urge to bring him closer to me. Little did both of them know that I was nervous too. I wasn’t an expert by any means, but I wanted Gina to stay safe. Surfing was a way of life down here, and I didn’t want to ruin the experience for her by having a bad wipe-out the first run.
After a few minutes of wading and several encouraging words to the both of them, I spotted the perfect swell.
“All right, here we go,” I said.
Gina flattened herself against the board, and so did Noah.
“Start paddling,” I said to Noah.
I cupped my hands and paddled through the water as the swell reached us. Our speed picked up, and I jumped up onto my knees. The board moved swiftly through the water below us.
“Gina, sit up,” I said.
She got up onto her knees, and I grabbed her under her armpits to lift her up.
I felt her heart thrumming under my fingertips, matching my own racing one.
“Keep your feet grounded,” I encouraged.
I glanced at Noah who had already wiped out in the water.
“You can do it, Gina!” he called out to us.
“I’m doing it!” Gina said with a squeal of delight.
“You are,” I said. “Now, twist your body to the side. Yes, like that. Use your arms for balance.”
As the wave moved from under us toward the shore, our momentum slowed.
“I’m going to put you in the water now,” I said.
“Okay,” she said.
I lifted her and slowly dipped her into the water. I wanted to show her there was nothing to fear from falling, and how the life vest would keep her afloat. I held onto the board and hopped off too, making my way over to her. Her little feet treaded water like a pro.
She reached up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I did it.”
“You did,” I said, unable to help the broad grin on my face. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I was scared. It wasn’t bad.”
“See, the life vest helped,” I said.
“I love you,” she whispered into my ear.
I looked over at her, and she was smiling. Those words made my insides flutter. I stroked my hand through her hair. “I love you too.”