“You have all of this and you’re not home very much?” Colton shakes his head. “If I lived here, I’d never leave!”
“Boys,” I warn them. “Use your manners.”
I follow Ethan and the kids up the stairs, all the while reminding myself to keep breathing. The first door we come upon is where Wyatt will be staying. It’s decorated in all navy and beige, with dark wood furniture. There’s a giant king-size bed in the center of it. “This ismyroom?” Wyatt stands still for a full minute like he’s lost his ability to speak.
Ethan says, “Ash, Colton, you’re across the hallway.” He leads them out the door to a room even bigger than Wyatt’s. It’s decorated in greens and grays and has two queen-size beds instead of one larger bed.
The twins immediately throw themselves on top of the duvets and start squirming like they have ants in their pants. Ethan leads me back out into the hall and calls to the kids, “Get your swimming suits on while I show your mom her room.”
He takes my hand, and I follow him silently back down the stairs. I should compliment him on his beautiful home, but my tongue feels like it’s tripled in size and won’t let me make a sound.
Ethan leads me through an enormous kitchen, so bright and sparkling white, I’m tempted to put my sunglasses on. The marble island is bigger than my whole bedroom in Gamble. We walk down a small hallway that ends at a closed door. “This is your room.” He opens the door on the most stunning image I have ever seen.
The floor is covered in a Tiffany blue carpet with an intricate white border, the bed has a sheer canopy the likes of which I dreamed about when I was a little girl, and the bedding is a pristine white covered with an array of light blue and white throw pillows. I walk across the room to the window like I’m being pulled by an invisible wire. Tears come to my eyes. “This is perfect, Ethan. Just perfect.”
With a smile on his face, he says, “Put your swimming suit on and I’ll meet you out back by the pool.”
I have no idea how I’m going to find the pool, but I’m sure it’s here somewhere. I put my suitcase on the bed and tentatively begin to unpack. There’s no way I brought the right clothes with me. I mean, I’ll probably look okay for the baseball game and Disneyland, but the rest of it? I’ll look like Elly May Clampett (from the oldBeverly Hillbilliesshow) in a room full of fashion models.
I hurry to put on the red one-piece I’ve worn for five years. It’s faded and snagged and honestly looks so drab I’m tempted to say I forgot it. But the idea of playing with my kids forces me to get over myself and put it on. Throwing on an old T-shirt of Everett’s, I open the bedroom door and pad through the house on bare feet. The tiles are deliciously cool, and the carpet is so soft it feels like I’m walking on clouds.
I hear everyone before I see them as I make my way through the house. Wyatt calls out, “Cannonball!” His war cry is followed by the inevitable splash. Two more follow which means all of my boys are living their best life.
There’s a big, comfy family room on the other side of the kitchen. The whole back wall appears to be missing, and it leads out to the patio with an outdoor kitchen and seating area full-on with two couches and a giant square coffee table.Who lives like this?
I hear more splashing, which causes me to look up and beyond the immediate grandeur. A few short steps away is the most stunning swimming pool I’ve ever seen. The blue is dark, but not so dark as to obscure the terracotta brown and white tiles that adorn the edges. There are mini potted palms every eight feet or so surrounding it, which makes it feel like a secret garden. Sleek brown loungers surround the perimeter of the water, and beyond those are several modern statues framed by more tropical plants.
“Mom, look at me!” Ash calls from the diving board at the opposite side. He jumps up high and my mind’s eye slows him down like a slow-motion scene in a movie. My son looks transcendently happy. I turn to look at Wyatt and Colton. They’re all clearly ecstatic to be here.
Finally, I spot Ethan, who’s taking off his robe. He calls out, “Let’s go, Moira, last one in is a rotten papaya.” Of course, he wouldn’t say anything as common as a rotten egg. I pull my T-shirt off over my head and edge closer to the water.
I feel like I’ve taken too much nighttime cold medicine, but instead of falling into a fever dream, I’ve slipped into a fantasy, the likes of which I’m not sure I can absorb. I decide to let myself enjoy our time here. Ethan wants to give us the best vacation of our lives, and I need to let that happen. For my own sake, as much as for my children. I need to take their example and give into the pleasure of the moment, instead of constantly worrying about the future. We’re in this incredible place with an incredible man. Even if it’s not forever, we’re here now, and maybe that’s enough.
Chapter32
Ethan
The muscles in my face are sore from smiling so much. Moira, the kids, and I spend what’s left of the afternoon poolside. Moira seems to have shed the worries she had when we first arrived. We lay side-by-side on loungers while the boys play with a beach ball in the water when she lets out a happy sigh. “Remember when we talked about what a perfect day would be like?”
I grin over at her. “Is this it?”
She nods and smiles back.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too. I can’t remember ever being this relaxed.”
At that exact moment, Colton climbs out of the pool and pads over to Moira. “I’m starving.”
“And that concludes relaxing time for today,” she says lightly, starting to get up.
“You stay right there. I’ll run in and go see what’s for supper,” I tell her.
She lays back down with a grin. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
I pop the lasagna that Sandra made in the oven, then have a quick shower and get changed. By the time I’m back in the kitchen, Moira and the boys are making their way inside to do the same. While they’re gone, I take the big salad bowl out of the fridge and set out an assortment of salad dressings.
By the time my guests appear—the boys are in their pajamas—I have our dinner waiting on the patio table outside. Moira looks lovely in a black tank top and a long, patterned skirt. Her presence feels right here; it’s almost like she came with the house and has always been here.