A Walk Along the Beach(93)

I smiled and looked down at my sister’s gravestone and the Bible verse we’d had etched there. “But the greatest of these is love.” It was love Harper had spoken of in her last words to me. Love. I felt surrounded by it. Besieged by love from Sean, who refused to give me up. From my brother and Chantelle and of course our father. Love was all around and I could feel it, just as Harper had whispered in her final word to us.

My visit complete, I stood up from the bench, running my finger over the metal plate Sean had placed there. In loving memory of Harper Lakey.

“You ready, boy?” I asked, as I tugged at Bandit’s leash, leading him back to the car.

The sun broke out, rare for a February day, and, wanting to take advantage of it, I headed to the beach. It’d been a while since I’d walked there, and I’d missed the exercise, the feel of the wind on my face, the call of the seagulls, and the rushing sound of the waves as they broke over the sand.

    I parked and Bandit jumped out of the car, eager to stretch his legs. I released him from his leash and off he took, bounding over the first sand dune and toward the water with an enthusiasm that had me laughing.

The sound of my laughter carried in the wind and came back to me almost like an echo. After my sister’s death, I wondered if I would ever really feel joy again. I could laugh, and that was a start.

I called out to Bandit and he turned at the sound of his name. He raced back to me, his tongue falling out of the side of his mouth in his excitement. I shook my head at his boundless energy. He immediately raced off again, chasing a seagull.

With the sun out, a few others had ventured onto the beach, taking advantage of the afternoon. Feeling the warmth of it, I lifted my face to the sky, letting it spill over me. This was exactly what I needed in the middle of a dreary winter that seemed to go on for far too long.

To think that just a year ago Harper had announced she intended to climb Mount Rainier come summer and had signed up for conditioning classes. A year ago, I hadn’t known Sean.

What a difference a few months could make.

“Willa.”

Sean’s voice came to me and I whirled around to see him walking along the beach, toward me.

I immediately started toward him, my heart leaping with joy. “I didn’t think you were due back until tomorrow,” I said, holding my hands out to him. He gripped hold of them and brought me close for a hug.

    “I wasn’t, but the shoot went better than expected.” He slipped his arms around my waist and kissed me.

I would never tire of this man’s kisses. Oh, the things he did to me made me forget we were in full view of all of Oceanside. I looped my arms around his neck and gave myself over to him, welcoming him home.

Bandit raced to Sean’s side and Sean bent down to pet his faithful companion. “Did you miss me?” he asked, glancing up at me.

“I always miss you.”

“Good. Missed you, too. Did you sleep?”

“Like a newborn.” How could I not? Sleeping in Sean’s bed while he was away, surrounded by his scent, was all that was necessary. Feeling close to him was all the comfort I needed for my weary body to give way to blissful rest.

“I’m thinking you should make sleeping in my bed permanent,” he said casually, although the look he sent me was serious.

“You want me to move in with you?”

“I can think of nothing I want more. But there are conditions.”

“Conditions?” I asked, wondering at his mood.

“I want you there as my wife.”

I leaned my head against his shoulder as we walked arm in arm, the salty scent of the air filling my senses. “Are you afraid I’m going to have a change of heart about us?” I asked. I’d hoped by now he knew how deeply in love with him I was.

He squeezed my hand. “I know what I want, Willa, and it’s you at my side for the rest of our lives. You as my partner, the mother of my children. I’ve had my time in the limelight, entertained a certain amount of fame.”

“And beautiful women,” I reminded him.

He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “I have a beautiful woman now.”

I looked up at him and smiled. Until Sean, I’d never thought of myself as beautiful. Harper was the one in the family who got all the beauty, but who was I to argue.

    “You’re the one I want, Willa. You’re the one I love. Say you’ll marry me.”

“Yes,” I whispered, tears in my eyes. His eyes held mine as he removed an engagement ring from his pocket and slipped it on my finger.

Sean turned me into his arms and squeezed me hard. “Thank you. I promise to be the husband you deserve.”

The diamond shone in the sunlight and I whispered, “But the greatest of these is love.”

He stared down at me quizzically.

“That’s the Bible verse on Harper’s marker. Life is all about love.”

“Yes, it is,” he agreed. Bandit bounded back to us, kicking up sand.

We kissed again, sealing our commitment to each other, and then continued down the beach.

Walking together hand in hand toward our future.