Wrapping his arms around my waist, he smiles. “That’s what Frank said, but I worried he was blowing smoke up my ass.”
“I read somewhere that David Bowie cut up his lyrics to mix and match lines and Paul Simon tossed a ball because the repetitive motion helped relax his mind. Other people take showers or go for long runs.” I grin up at him. “Want me to get you a canister of tennis balls?”
He chuckles. “At this point, yeah. I’ll try anything.”
Pushing up on my toes, I kiss his stubbly chin. “Done. Now let’s get our laundry done.”
I pull out my light lavender sweater I should wash by hand, but I’m afraid if I don’t clean it now, it’ll just sit in my hamper.
After we get our clothes stuffed into the washing machines, Layla gets fussy, and Jace pulls her out and kisses her cheek. “Hey, sweet girl.”
She grabs his cheeks and giggles. “Dada!”
Affection shines bright in his eyes. “Rhett says having kids changes something for you, and I have to agree. Never thought I’d be a parent, but now I can’t imagine not having her.”
“I know I said Layla didn’t seem like the right name for her, but I stand corrected. She stole my heart from the get-go, so maybe it’s fitting.” I retie her shoelace. “And she’s so smart. We’ve been working on counting. Layla, let’s show Daddy how much you’ve learned.”
We put her on top of a washer, and she bounces as she counts with me. We cheer when she reaches the number five. I hand her off to her dad. “Here, you do it, and I’ll get it on video.”
I end up taking several pics and videos of Jace with Layla. They’re both super photogenic, and it ends up being a fun way to spend time while our clothes wash.
When my sweater is clean, I lay it flat in our laundry basket and tuck that by our stuff in the corner while Jace moves the rest of our clothes into the dryers. There’s no one here but us, so I figure my sweater should be okay.
Once we’re done, Jace motions outside. “Want to hit the beach for an evening stroll? I’m not sure if we’ll get a chance later. Frank has a lot of promo set up this week with radio stations and meet-and-greets.”
“If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh?”
“Cross my heart.”
“I’ve never been to the beach.”
He stares at me a long minute before he shakes his head. “That travesty ends today. Your family never took you?”
“My dad was always working, and when he met Camille, she wanted to go on vacation with just him, so they’d go to the beach by themselves.”
“I’m sorry, babe. That sucks. We’ll have to go to Port Aransas after the tour. Everyone always raves about Padre Island, but that’s too touristy. I love Port A. It has that sleepy small-town vibe I love.”
He’s making plans for us in the future? Smiling, I nod. “Count me in.”
We stroll a few blocks over and find ourselves a beautiful stretch of shops across from the ocean. Jace gets Layla out of her stroller to show her the beach, and I get video of him dipping her into the water, just low enough for her feet to get wet. She shrieks with glee every time.
I kick off my sandals and sink into the warm sand. The ocean breeze is so refreshing that I don’t even mind what it’s doing to my hair.
Afterward, Jace crooks his finger. “Let’s take a photo of the three of us.”
“I’d love that.” I pat down my hair and join him.
We take silly selfies until someone walks by and offers to shoot a few for us with Jace’s phone. Then Jace drapes his arm over my shoulders as we return to the laundromat. “Sorry we can’t stay longer or go swimming.”
“I don’t know how I feel about swimming in the ocean. I read that you have a one in forty-three million chance of getting bitten by a shark, but I’d hate to test those odds.”
He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. “I won’t let you get gobbled up by a shark. Promise.”
I poke him in the chest. “I’m going to hold you to that, sir.”
When we get back to the laundromat, we fold our clothes and tuck them away. We’re headed for the door when I stop. “My sweater.” But it’s not in the corner where I left it. Jace helps me check the entire place and every dryer, but it’s gone.
He hugs me. “We’ll get you another one.”