Chapter 18 - The Promise of TomorrowSophie was eight when Ethan finally asked Olivia the question he had been avoiding.
“Would you ever consider marrying me again?”
They were standing on the beach.
The Pacific was glowing orange beneath the sunset.
Olivia smiled.
“You waited three years to ask?”
“I was trying not to pressure you.”
“You've learned.”
“I've learned a few things.”
She looked toward the ocean.
“I don't want our second marriage to be a repair job.”
“It wouldn't be.”
“What would it be?”
“A choice.”
Olivia looked at him.
“I need time.”
“I can give you time.”
She smiled.
“That answer is why I might say yes.”
A voice called from behind them.
“Are you getting married?”
Sophie.
She had been hiding near the dunes.
Ethan laughed.
“Were you spying?”
“Yes.”
Olivia shook her head.
“You're terrible at privacy.”
Sophie ran toward them.
“Did Mommy say yes?”
“Not yet.”
Sophie looked disappointed.
“Why?”
Olivia smiled.
“Because some things are worth waiting for.”
Sophie considered that.
Then she took both their hands.
“Okay.”
The three of them walked home beneath the fading California light.
No dramatic promise.
No wedding date.
May you like
Just tomorrow.
And for them, tomorrow had become sacred.
