“Hi, Faye,” Mr. Harrison greets me, walking around the vehicle toward me. “Let me get that for you.” He takes my suitcase from me like it weighs nothing, and I follow him to the car.
The passenger window rolls down as I approach. “Hi, Faye. Ready for this weekend?”
“Hi, Mrs. Harrison,” I reply. “I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since we were there in July.”
She laughs. “I’m sure you have. It’ll be nice to get away this one last time.” She rubs her belly that looks as round as a basketball.
“Faye!” Parker shouts excitedly from the backseat.
“Hi, sweet boy,” I say as I open the door and climb in next to him.
He has his stuffed tiger in one hand and a small cup of his favorite cereal snack in his lap.
“Want some?” he asks me, pinching a piece between his chubby fingers and holding it out to me.
“Thank you so much for sharing.” I accept it and pretend to eat it as I toss it out before closing the door. I buckle and turn toward him. “Are you ready to go on the boat?”
“Yes!” he hollers and kicks excitedly. “We’re going on the big boat!”
I laugh.
“He’s been just as excited to see you,” Mrs. Harrison tells me from the passenger seat. “But I’m sure there’s someone who’s even more excited.”
“He’s called twice already, making sure we’re still on schedule,” Mr. Harrison adds with a chuckle.
I can only beam. My heart flutters at just the mention of the boy I love.
I was young and in love. The world was full of possibilities. And I was excited for what my future held. I had so many plans. Being in love with Kaden Harrison changed my life. It gave me hope.
The four hours it takes to get to Nantucket feels like an eternity. And not because I’m bored. Parker keeps me entertained with his cute stories and need for attention, and Mrs. Harrison is engaging, asking about school and if I’m looking forward to the big transition next year. I can talk about what I’m doing after high school for forever. The places Kaden and I plan to visit. Where I’m hoping to attend college. I almost feel bad for them having to listen to me gush about it, except I can tell that Mrs. Harrison is truly happy for me. Mr. Harrison doesn’t say much. He never does though.
I’m trying to contain myself as the island comes into view, wanting to be docked already. I lead Parker to the front of the ferry as we get closer, holding on to him as he stands on the bench, pointing at all the sailboats moored in the harbor.
“Do you see Uncle Kaden?” I scan the faces along the dock, but they’re still too far away to decipher features.
“Uncle Kaden!” Parker screams into the sea breeze, like he will be heard if he yells loud enough.
I laugh. “Nice try, buddy,” I tell him. “Guess we’ll have to wait ’til we get there.”
I fidget as I pace, impatiently waiting our turn to deboard the boat, occasionally extending on my tiptoes and craning my neck in search of his beautiful face. As soon as my feet hit the planks of the dock, I see him standing off to the side, away from the line waiting to board. His smile sends sparks shooting through my chest. I run and practically jump into his open arms. Kaden lifts me off the ground, squeezing me tight. I know we’re attracting attention, but I don’t care. I’ve waited two excruciating months to be back in these arms. Another second would have killed me.
His lips press against my neck.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I murmur in his ear, still not ready to let go.
“Oh, you have no idea,” he responds, squeezing me tighter.
“Kaden, do you think you could put her down for a second to help with the luggage?” Niall asks from somewhere behind us.
My cheeks flush with heat. Kaden chuckles, slowly setting me on my feet.
“Yeah, of course,” he says, brushing a kiss against my temple before heading to the luggage carts being parked on the dock.
Kaden and Mr. Harrison unload the suitcases from the cart with 28 marked on its blue tarp.
I take hold of my own suitcase handle with one hand and Parker’s small hand with the other. He’s rolling his miniature Thomas the Train suitcase behind him, insistent that he can do it on his own. Kaden is pulling another that I presume to be Mrs. Harrison’s.
“Uncle Kaden, we looked for you. Did you see us?” Parker asks as we weave through the pedestrians along the dock and onto the cobblestone sidewalk, which is filled with people perusing the shop windows or lingering outside the restaurants.
“I was looking for you too, little guy,” Kaden tells him. “You’re hard to miss.”
He winks at me, and I smile brightly in return.
“Finally!” a girl exclaims when we reach the curb where a small line of taxis are queued.
I see her instantly. “Maggie!” I call out. My instinctive reaction is to run to her, but I can’t leave Parker. So I wait for her to come to us, wrapping an arm around her as she squeezes me fiercely. “I thought you’d be at Riddles.”
“I’m on break,” she tells me, stepping back. “This one”—she nods toward Kaden—“has been driving me crazy, waiting for you to arrive. You’d think he was in prison all week, being on this island without you. I think I’m pretty great company, but I guess I don’t compare to you.”
“I wasn’t wallowing,” Kaden insists as we follow Mr. and Mrs. Harrison toward the parking lot where their on-island Range Rover is parked. “Besides, Julien was here as well. We kept plenty busy until he left this morning.”
“Whatever you say,” Maggie says with a roll of her eyes. “I have to get back before my mother starts screaming my name … so embarrassing. I’ll come by tomorrow after I get off work around noon.”
“Great! We have so much to catch up on,” I say with a knowing smile, wanting to hear all about the mysterious guy Maggie met at the beginning of the summer.
When I was here for the Fourth, she wasn’t sure if she’d see him again. She was a bit devastated when he canceled last minute that weekend, claiming he had to stay in New York. But according to her recent letters, he’s planning to be on the island this weekend. I’m so curious, because she’s been reluctant with specifics about him, and that’s not like her. Although I do hear way too many intimate details, my face always flushes bright with each overshare. I’m not willing to do the same when she pries, asking what Kaden and I have done. I consider it sacred, only meant to be shared between us.
“Bye, Maggie!” Parker yells after her before she can cross the street, not about to be ignored.
“Bye, Parker! Don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t give me a kiss. You better have one for me when I see you tomorrow!”
Parker giggles. She waves and continues down the cobblestone where her family owns a small store, Riddle Me This, which sells books among other novelty items off the main street. The Andersens have owned the store since her great-grandparents decided to take up permanent residence on the island. Which was actually around the time the Harrison family bought oceanfront property for their family to vacation on Nantucket, about a decade before the invasion of the millionaires who have claimed a water view of their own over the last fifty years.