by Krista Lakes
Ivy seemed confused at first, and so did Dallas. She stared at Laura and then back to Ethan.
“Wait, so we're the only ones who are allowed in here all day?” Ivy asked.
Ethan nodded. “Yeah, kiddo. It's just us. We can do whatever we want. Also, I heard through the grapevine, that in about an hour or so we'll be getting some ice cream. It could just be a rumor, but I'd like to believe it's true.”
The two kids got so excited they started skipping across the sidewalk and whooping. From where Laura stood, it seemed that they were happier than they had been in almost two years.
Ethan and Laura walked hand in hand toward the funnel cake kiosk.
“This is so amazing,” Laura said, looking around the park. She was so used to waiting in lines for each ride that the idea of having the place to herself felt like the most extravagant thing she could imagine. “Thank you.”
“You haven't even seen the best part yet,” he said. “You ready?”
“You mean renting out this whole place wasn't the best part?” she asked.
“Not even close,” he said and began walking a little faster. “Hey, kids! Hold up a second. There's something I want to show you.”
The kids stopped skipping and turned around, running back up to Laura and Ethan.
“What is it?” Ivy asked. “We're ready to go swimming.”
“Oh, then you're going to love this,” Ethan said.
He led everyone past the kiosk and turned to the right.
Laura had been to Water World a couple of times in her life, but it had been years since she had gone. The last time she'd gone was in high school, so she expected some things to have changed. However, even though it had been so long, she knew something was different as they approached the wave pool. Where there was once just cement along the water's edge, there was now white sand.
The wave pool looked like a legitimate beach. The sand was silky smooth, and there were four outdoor lounge chairs situated in the center, complete with a giant umbrella. It looked like paradise.
“What do you think?” Ethan asked.
“This sand,” she said, shaking her head. “This was never here before.”
“I know,” he said, walking toward it. “Feel it.”
Laura followed him and kicked off her flip flops, letting her bare feet sink into the sand. It was already warm with the morning sun. It was so soft and fine compared to the sand she was used to.
“I couldn't take you to the beach,” Ethan said, motioning to the white sand. “So I brought the beach to you.”
“Ethan, you did this?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He shrugged and managed to look a little bashful. “I mean, I promised you and the kids that you were going to see the beach and I wasn't about to break that promise.”
She ran toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him right there, overwhelmed with happiness.
“How on Earth does someone bring in enough sand to make a real beach?” she asked, as soon as she'd broken the kiss.
Ethan shrugged. “I just made few phone calls and got in touch with some friends who owed me a couple of favors.”
Laura glanced over, to see that Ivy and Dallas were already busy playing in the sand. They'd found some plastic toy shovels and were clearly in the process of making a sandcastle.
“I can't believe this is real,” Laura said, reaching down to touch the sand. “It's magic. Thank you. For everything.”
“You are very welcome,” he said. “Just wait, though. Any second now, the waves should start.”
Just like that, the wave pool whirred to life. Laura turned to face the water, watching as it lapped against the sandy shore. If she didn't know that she was standing in a water park, she would have believed that she was on a real beach.
“How is it not cold?” Laura asked. It was still only mid-May. It wasn't unheard of to get snow this time of year, yet she was perfectly comfortable in her swimsuit. Warm even.
“Infra-red heaters,” Ethan replied, motioning to tall iron palm trees. “They put out heat.”
Laura stared open mouthed at him. He had thought of everything.
“Laura, look what Dallas and I are building,” Ivy called to her. She had to shake herself to walk over. She strolled along the sand, feeling it squish between her toes to see their sandcastle. They already had a pretty decent start.
“This place is so cool,” Dallas said. “When you were a kid, was this your favorite place to go?”
Laura chuckled and took a seat next to him in the sand. “No, I only got to go a couple of times, and it was never like this. There wasn't sand here at all, and there were always huge lines of people. This is a lot different than when I went.”
“I want to live here,” Ivy said, with a huge smile. “Can we just move here? We can play on the beach all day every day.”
“I wish,” Laura said. “That would be fun.”
Ethan walked up and took a seat next to Laura. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. The two of them stared at the water, admiring the waves. Laura relaxed into him and let out a nice, long sigh. For the first time in a while, she felt completely at ease. Her worries were gone, and the only thing that mattered to her was that present moment.
“It's peaceful, isn't it?” Ethan said.
“It really is,” she agreed. “You want to go swimming?”
“Do I?” he said, quickly standing up and taking her hand. “Do you even have to ask?”
Laura stood up, and as soon as she was on her feet, Ethan grabbed her by the waist and lifted her from the ground. She squealed and giggled as he carried her toward the water.
“It's going to be freezing!” she said. “Don't throw me in!”
Ethan laughed and increased his pace. He was taking giant steps through the sand, with Laura draped over his shoulder.
“Dallas! Ivy! Save me!” Laura called out, laughing the whole time.
The kids looked up from their sandcastles but didn't run to help. They just giggled as they watched Ethan playfully throw Laura into the water. To her surprise, it wasn't cold at all and in fact, was quite warm. When she stood up, her hair had fallen into her face. She pushed it to the side to see Ethan standing there with a playful smirk. He was still completely dry, except for his feet.
“I'm going to get you,” Laura said, running toward him.
Ethan took a step back, but Laura was too fast. She tackled him in the waves, and they began to wrestle in the water playfully. The kids finally came in with them, and all four started splashing each other. Within seconds, they were all soaked.
“I love the beach,” Dallas said randomly.
Laura laughed as she lifted him into the air. “I love it, too, buddy. Now, what do you say we go finish that sand castle you guys started?”
“That's a great idea,” Ethan said. “I'll race you guys. Last one to the sand castle is a rotten egg.”
Laura set Dallas back down, and all for of them sprinted out of the shallow water and back to the warm sand. Ethan let everybody else get there before him and pretended to be panting with exhausted as he approached the castle.
“You guys beat me,” he said.
“You're a rotten egg,” Dallas said, giggling.
“I know,” Ethan replied, laying on the sand. “That's a bummer, huh?”
They spent the next hour or so building the sandcastle, and by the time they were done, it looked like the Taj Mahal. It was at least as big as a dog house, with two stories and intricate windows engraved in the walls by Ethan.
“I need a picture of this,” Laura said, pulling out her phone.
“Wait, hold on,” Ethan said, hopping up from the sand. “I'll take the picture with you and the kids next to the castle. It'll be a family picture for you.”
“We want you in the picture, too, Ethan,” Ivy said.
Laura shrugged. “You want to be in it?”
“Sure, yeah,” Ethan said, smiling. “Let me just grab an employee.�
�
He jogged off and a moment later came back with a young lifeguard. Laura handed him the phone and then all four of them situated themselves around the castle.
“Okay, say cheese,” the kid said, holding out Laura's phone.
“Cheese!!” the group shouted.
The employee took a few pictures. “There you guys go. Such a good looking family.”
Laura smiled. “Thanks for taking those.”
“Not a problem,” he said.
Ethan walked up to him a moment later. “Hey, do you think we can get some ice cream?”
“Of course,” the lifeguard replied. “I'll be back in a few minutes. I'll just bring all of the flavors, and you guys can choose.”
“Perfect,” Ethan said.
The rest of the day was spent eating ice cream, going down water slides and playing in the waves. At one point, the kids even decided to dig a giant hole in the sand. They somehow convinced Ethan to get into the hole feet first and then they buried him up to his neck. After that, Laura and the kids turned Ethan into a giant beach mermaid, by creating a fish-like outline in the sand below his protruding head. He was a good sport about it, though, and even smiled for the dozens of pictures that Laura took with her phone.
For lunch, they ate pizza and funnel cakes. The kids smiled the entire day and Laura did, too. So much so that by the time the afternoon came around, her cheeks were sore from it.
Ethan had gone out of his way to make the best day for her and her siblings. He had spoiled her non-stop for the past twenty-four hours and made her feel like she was a princess. For once, her heart didn't hurt, and she wasn't sad. Everything finally just felt right. Needless to say, she had a whole lot to smile about. It was, in every sense of the word, a perfect day.
Chapter 27
Laura
Everyone was quiet for the ride back home from Water World. Laura and Ethan relaxed in the third-row seats, while Dallas and Ivy slept soundly in the middle row. Laura hadn't seen the kids this tired in years. A day of fun in the sun, going on rides and building sandcastles had taken it out of them. They weren't the only ones who were feeling it, though.
Laura was beat. She could feel a sunburn on her nose and couldn't seem to stop yawning. She was just glad it wasn't her that was driving because she wasn't sure she was going to make it home awake. It was the good kind of tired, though. The kind of tired that meant you'd spent the day the right way and squeezed every drop of life out of it that you possibly could.
“Pass the bucket...” Dallas mumbled in his sleep. “I need to make the castle bigger.”
Ethan nudged Laura and pointed toward Dallas. They both listened in, watching as he stirred.
“It's my turn to go on the water slide,” he whispered, then smiled right before falling back asleep.
“That's the cutest thing I've ever seen,” Ethan whispered.
“You really made them happy today,” Laura said, turning to face him. “I know for sure that they're going to remember this 'beach' day for the rest of their lives. I will, too. It was so much fun, Ethan.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and let out a relaxed breath. This was what love felt like. He tipped his head and kissed the top of her hair. The gentle gesture made her smile.
“It means the world to me that you spent the time, effort and money to make this happen,” she said, softly so she wouldn't wake the kids. “I want you to know that, Ethan. I can't even begin...” She stopped short of finishing her sentence as a wave of emotion filled her. She couldn't remember ever feeling this loved. “Just, thank you a million times over.”
Ethan stroked her cheek and gazed into her eyes. “For you. Always for you.”
Her heart melted at the sound of his words. She realized right then, that for the very first time since her parents' deaths, that she was deeply happy. Her mind, body, and soul felt like they were in perfect harmony and her heart was at ease. It was like nothing in the world could harm her or her siblings as long as she was with Ethan.
More than that, though, for the first time she wasn't worried about what her parents thought. She wasn't thinking that they were looking down on her from above and seeing that she was failing Dallas and Ivy.
This is what they would want, she thought. They would be so happy to see Dallas and Ivy having such a good time with Ethan and me.
Laura closed her eyes and nestled her head into Ethan's shoulder. She thought about her parents. She imagined her mother's warm embrace and the way she used to laugh at all of her own jokes. She remembered her father's face, and the way the corners of his eyes wrinkled when he smiled. Every Christmas morning she had ever spent with them flashed through her mind.
For once, Laura didn't think about the plane crash as she remembered her parents. It was like her mind had healed, and the only images that flashed in her mind were good ones. There was no fire, or death, or carnage. There was only love and peace, hugs and kisses, smiles and 'I love yous.'
She hadn't realized that part of her mind still existed until that very moment. For the past few months, she was confident that the warm fuzzy feeling she used to get from being excited about life was gone. But it wasn't gone. It had just taken a little break and thanks to Ethan, it was back.
“Oh boy,” he said, causing Laura to open her eyes. He was holding up his phone to what looked like a news story.
“What is it?” she asked sleepily.
He chuckled. “Look at the latest news article.”
Laura took the phone from his hand to see a picture of the four of them at the 'beach' at Water World. It wasn't the photo that the spiky-haired kid had taken for them, though. This one seemed to have been shot from a distance. It had Ethan with his arms wrapped around Laura. She was looking up at him with stars in her eyes. In the background, Ivy and Dallas were splashing each other with water.
“Who took this?” she asked,
“Who knows?” Ethan said. “It looks like a telephoto lens.”
Her eyes moved down to where the title of the article was. In big, bold letters it read, “Billionaire creates beach escape in Denver, Colorado.”
If you're made of money, you don't ask how to get to the beach. You ask how to bring the beach to you. That's what Ethan White said today when he decided to have truckloads of white sand delivered to Water World, all in an attempt to create paradise in the desert. It's hard to say why he did it, but many are thinking it has something to do with the beautiful woman who's with him. Who is this lucky lady? We don't know. What we do know, is that they look like the perfect, happy family. The two were seen kissing and holding hands throughout the day. Sorry ladies, but bachelor Ethan White is no longer on the market.
Sources confirm that this was not a publicity stunt brought on by Ethan White, and also not an attempt at a photo shoot. But could you ask for a better picture? Clearly, this is one happy couple and why wouldn't they be? I think all of us would be pretty happy if we could have a private beach created for us whenever we wanted.
The article went on a little further, but Laura stopped reading. She handed the phone back to Ethan and sighed.
“Wow,” she said. “Well, since the entire world knows now, I suppose that we should probably tell Carter about you and I. I expect you'll have to have a serious talk about what your intentions toward me are.”
“My intentions are quite impure,” Ethan assured her with a naughty wink. “Though, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to ravage. I'm a little tired.”
She gave him a gentle push. “Shh, no talking about ravaging me in front of the kids. Even if they're sleeping.”
He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her. He smelled like sunscreen, but she found it a nice reminder of the day.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked, stroking her hair.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” she said. It was strange to know she was in a news article for everyone to read. “Just weird that there was someone there with a camera that we didn't even know about.”
“That's just o
ne of the many perks of dating me,” he said. “You get to have your picture taken when you least want it. I've actually gotten kind of used to it. Eventually, you just let it slide off of your back. They aren't hurting anybody. They just want a silly picture so that they can have content for their websites and newspapers. They're just doing a job.”
Laura shrugged. “Yeah, that makes sense. At least they decided to pick a flattering picture of me. I think we look pretty cute there. Imagine if they'd posted one of you carrying me over your shoulder, right before you threw me into the water.”
Ethan laughed and pulled her close. “God, I can only imagine what that headline would have read. 'Ethan White throws petrified girlfriend into icy water in an attempt to calm her down. Abuse? Probably.’”
“Oh, stop.” Laura poked him in the side. “They can't just make stuff up like that, can they?”
“They can, and they do,” he said. “All the time, actually. Even though they aren't supposed to.”
“Well, whatever then,” Laura said. “I guess since it's all made up anyway, I'm not going to worry about what they say.”
Ethan leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It's a little tough getting used to, but I'm glad you're okay with it.”
Laura shrugged. “There's not a whole lot I can do about it, is there? Unless I hire my own version of Craig to follow me around and make sure that nobody within ten miles has a camera.” She put her head back on Ethan's shoulder. “Don't worry, though, Ethan. This day was way too perfect to have some silly news article ruin it for me. I'm still as happy as can be.”
Ethan squeezed her into him and stroked her back. “Then I'm happy, too, Laura. I'm happy, too.”
Chapter 28
Laura
“Are you sure you have to go?” Laura asked. She sat on the edge of the hotel bed watching as Ethan packed up his things. He was meticulous in where he put everything, and she could see why he wouldn't want anyone else to do it. The man was a little bit of a control freak about his things.