Chapter 87 The one that always makes my heart turn over.
ONE MONTH LATER
KAUAI, HAWAII
Ryan
“Hey Dad, mail’s here!” I yelled into the house and tossed the big envelope onto the kitchen table.
I’d just gotten back from training at the beach and saw it sitting on the porch. It was from some lawyers, addressed to my dad. Looked official.
He walked out of his room a moment later. Picked up the envelope and mumbled, “Oh. Yeah.”
“What is it?”
Dad sighed, tore it open, and looked it over. His eyes moved down the page fast. “Nothing says ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ like signing your divorce papers,” he said flatly.
“Oh. Dad… I didn’t know that’s what it was.”
“It’s fine. I’ll live,” he said, and let out this short, quiet sound that wasn’t really a laugh. He pulled a pen from his pocket.
It’s been a month since we left New York. Seraphina’s okay, she got out of the hospital a few days after everything happened on the roof. Dad and I came back here to Hawaii. Louisa stayed in the city with Seraphina. Coming home without her felt strange. Like an ending. And now these papers on the table were just underlining it.
I watched him read each page and sign where he was supposed to. He kept saying he was okay, but I knew better. Four years with someone… that doesn’t just vanish. This had to hurt.
“Hey,” I said as he put the pen down. “Let’s take the boat out.”
“Right now?”
“Yeah. Come on.”
He looked unsure. “I don’t know, Ryan.”
That wasn’t like him. My dad never said no to the boat. Ever.
“Why not?”
“Well… it’s Thanksgiving.”
“So? It’s not like we have plans. Sitting here eating dry turkey, just us? No thanks.” I shook my head. “Screw that.”
I thought it was a good point, but he still seemed hesitant. It made my chest feel tight, seeing him like this. I didn’t want this whole mess to take the things he loved away from him.
“Since when do you not want to be on the water?” I pushed. “I’ll drive.”
A little smile touched his mouth. Finally, he sighed. “Alright. A quick trip. Just a spin around.”
We stayed out for hours. The evening was perfect, sun going down, easy wind, the ocean still and quiet. We had cold beers and just sat there, looking at where the sky met the water.
“Beautiful day,” Dad said.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
It was. But for the last hour, I’d mostly been staring at my phone. I’d set a picture of Seraphina as my lock screen, and I couldn’t stop looking at it.
“That phone must be more interesting than the view,” Dad said, laughing a little.
I put it down, face-up. “No, it’s… I’m just thinking about Seraphina.”
“Something the matter?”
“She hasn’t texted back. It’s like her phone’s dead.”
“Could be busy. It’s a holiday week.”
“You’re probably right.”
After the hospital, Seraphina went straight back to work. She got swamped, but we still found time to talk. Let me tell you something about long distance: it fucking sucks.
I have a fiancée, and I can’t even hold her. It’s agony.
Whoever came up with it was crazy. I wake up thinking about her. I go to bed dreaming about her. All day, I’m checking the clock, counting the minutes until I see her again.
Thank god it’s not forever. We’re getting married next summer. Then we’re done with this. We haven’t sorted all the details, who moves where, how it all works. But the point is, we’ll be together. No matter what. And I’ve got a plan. I’m working on it.
“Can’t believe my kid’s getting married,” Dad said after a long quiet stretch. Like he could hear what I was thinking.
“It’s months away, Dad.”
Six months, one week, three days. But I wasn’t counting.
“I wish your mom could see it.”
His voice got thick. He looked away, swiping at his eye. It was hard to watch.
“Hey,” I said softly. “She’s here.”
He gave me a knowing smile and nodded. We didn’t talk after that. Just sat in the quiet. I looked out at the ocean and pictured my mom with us. She would have loved Seraphina. And Seraphina would have loved her.
“Getting dark, Ry,” Dad said, breaking the silence. “We should go in.”
“We could stay. We’ve got food, more beer…”
“No,” he said, his voice firm. “Time to head back.”
“Okay. Whatever you want.”
He was in a hurry the whole way home. Driving faster than usual, even running a couple of lights. My dad never did that. He followed every rule. I watched him, confused, wondering what had gotten into him. He didn’t speak, just looked… nervous.
Maybe there’s a game on he wants to catch?
“Dad, ease up,” I said as he practically jumped out of the car and headed for the house. “What’s the rush?”
“Because.”
He opened the front door. And I just stopped. My mouth fell open.
“Happy November 24th, Ry!” Seraphina’s voice filled the room. She was grinning, holding a can of spam with a tiny candle stuck on top.
“Seraphina?”
“Because she’s been waiting here an hour, that’s why,” Dad said, a sly grin on his face.
My brain completely stopped working. I couldn’t process it.
Dad walked over and gave Seraphina a little nod. Then it clicked. They planned this.
“What is going on?” I managed to ask.
“Happy birthday, son,” Dad said.
“Your dad and I set it up. Lucky for me, your birthday landed on Thanksgiving this year, so I had an excuse to fly out.” Seraphina stepped closer. The little candle flame danced between us. “Happy birthday, Ry.”
“This is crazy,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“Better believe it. I’m right here.” She went up on her toes and kissed my cheek. “Make a wish,” she said, her voice low.
What else could I possibly want?
I kept my eyes on her, smiled, and blew out the candle. Seraphina laughed as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, burying my face against her hair.
I’m kissing her. This is real. This is actually happening.
I can’t even describe how happy I felt right then. I missed her so much, and having her here, in my arms, didn’t feel possible. I know she felt the same, because she let out this soft, relieved sound and kissed me harder. I held her so tight I probably squeezed the air from her lungs. I couldn’t help it. Having her close was the best thing in the world.
“Okay, I’ll give you two some space,” Dad chuckled from somewhere behind us.
Seraphina pulled back, suddenly shy. When I opened my eyes, she was smiling that small, embarrassed smile, her cheeks bright pink.
God, I wanted to kiss her again.
“Come with me,” I said, taking her hand and leading her outside.
We could have stayed inside, but with Dad there, it felt a little awkward. So I took her to the garage instead.
“Wow. This place looks exactly the same,” she said, looking around. “You still have your bike…”
“Want to go for a ride?” I asked, grabbing two helmets.
“Yes,” she answered immediately.
“Where do you want to go?”
“So many places. The beach, the drive-in, the cliffs…” She paused, tilting her head. A playful light came into her eyes. “But I think I should start with…”
“Don’t tell me,” I said, smiling. “A milkshake?”
She grinned back, sweet and full of warmth.
There it was. That smile. The one that always makes my heart turn over.
“A milkshake,” she said.