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The sound of Ada for me I push Chris’s hand away and stuff the papers back into the envelope just as Ada on, Claire?" he asks, but his eyes are on Chris

I shoot up from the bed with the envelope clutched innow"

I push Adah the doorway, but his eyes are locked on Chris

"I’ive me an answer," Chris says, and I can hear his voice behindcloser

Ada roo child"

"Yes or no, Claire?" Chris asks

I look over my shoulder at hi about?" Ada over the pastsecrets from the one you love is a recipe for disaster But I don’t want hie me if the answer is no And I don’t want to scare him away if the answer is yes

"I’ll tell you later," I say, and he glares ative ain?"

"Don’t talk to her like that," Chris says, and I can hear the threat in his tone

"Stay out of it, Chris," I warn him

"You let him talk to you like that?"

"I said stay out of it!"

Adam pushes my hands off his chest "Keep your secrets I’m out of here," he says before he stor quietly in the kitchen this whole ti from my car," she whispers

"You deserve better than that, Claire," Chris says as he moves toward me "You deserve someone who knows you and respects you"

"Adam respectshave you two been together?"

"It’s none of your business," I say as he stops a couple of feet away fro to stay with hihter if they grant us visitation"

"He’s not a ht to question why you’re here in my apartment after what happened last week"

He takes another step forward and I take a step back, buainst a box "I don’t want to talk about hi another step forward so our faces are inches apart "I came here for you and believe et you back" His fingers graze the side ofto crumble for him "Think about this Think about what it will be like to hold her in your arms"

He kisses al documents and a heart full of questions I don’t know if this is the best or the worst news Chris could have delivered to rateful for him Chris has always known exactly what I need and he’s always been willing to do whatever it takes to give it to rab my keys off the breakfast bar I lock the front door and head for the beach

I find Adae of the water and he doesn’t look atmy hands into the warm sand and scoop up a handful I let it fall slowly and watch as uess that’s the way secrets are They’re only heavy when you’re holding the those secrets hidden bloay and everything falls into place

"My daughter’s naail," I say, and he finally looks at et his lawyer to arrange an open adoption"

"Is that what you want?"

I shrug as I wrap my ar her and leaving her I’ve already done that before and it nearly destroyedher forever this tiins to touch the horizon and Adarabs my hand "Come on Let’s see if the water has the answer"

He kisses my hand before he stands and pulls me up "I love you, Claire I’ll support you whatever you choose to do You know that, right?"

I smile as I breathe in this e through the knee-high waves, in our clothes, until we’re waist deep A set a hs as I spit out the salty water Then he kisses ue and I can feel his sainst my mouth

He pulls away as he looks into my eyes and doesn’t say a word He doesn’t have to

As soon as the sun begins to set, it seems to fall too quickly from the sky, like a heart in love The relentless pull of love is a thousand tiht than the tides If you’re lucky, you’ll make it out before you drown If you’re even luckier, you’re pulled under just long enough to wash away the sorrow If you’re really lucky, like me, you resurface just in tiht beside you

THE END